Shortly after federal coronavirus relief funding started flowing to state governments, North Carolina established the Extra Credit Grant program to offset the cost of remote and at-home learning for families. The state started automatically distributing $335 via direct deposit into the bank accounts of qualifying parents, but that system excluded many who needed the money most. Those who earned between $10,000, and $20,000, in 2020 were not required by law to file a tax return. Though low-income parents qualified for the $335 payments, they had to find out about the program and manually apply under a tight October deadline. Only 14,000 of the 200,000 eligible did. When Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and Legal Aid of North Carolina spoke up for these families, the state said there was nothing to be done.
A successful lawsuit filed by Robinson Bradshaw on behalf of Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and Legal Aid of North Carolina forced the state to reopen the N.C. Extra Credit Grant application process. Excitement over this victory was replaced by scramble when the state told Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and Legal Aid they had to accept applications from these families and turn them over to the North Carolina Department of Revenue (NCDOR) before December 8 for processing. Anticipating the need to reach hundreds of thousands people state wide they reached out to Kelso Communications for help managing information and media interest. Already deluged with phone calls and emails from desperate parents and facing another tight application deadline from the state, we had to act very quickly.
In 24 hours, Kcomm set up a Constant Contact database to store the email addresses of parents looking to apply. In three weeks, this list grew to more than 70,000 opt-in subscribers. Our PR team formulated key messages and talking points to help the media understand the complicated background on why “335forNC” was needed. This immediate support clarified public confusion and bought time for the team to develop an encrypted and secure website to store applications and take phone calls to help those without internet access. This messaging structure was critical in helping project collaborators coordinate and get function effectively in two weeks.
The 335forNC.com website and call center were finally ready to accept applications Friday, November 20, less than a week before Thanksgiving. Without a minute to waste, our PR team started pushing email marketing to parents and press releases to the media. Thousands of applications had already been submitted by the Monday morning virtual press conference. We logged more than 22 news stories and 20,000 email opens before the deadline – Monday, Dec. 7, at 2 pm.
A paid social media campaign expanded the 335forNC.com message to nearly 650,000 individuals, resulting in 2.84 million impressions targeted at a defined audience. This campaign sent nearly 32,000 clicks to the 335forNC.com website while it was live for just eight days. The social nature of this campaign also allowed Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy to answer direct consumer questions. The Facebook component of the campaign alone sparked over 1,000 comments and was shared over 1,300 times.
335forNC delivered almost 25,000 applications for the N.C. Extra Credit Grant program to NCDOR. Each approved application resulted in a $335 check for an eligible family, distributing more than $8M of aid for those in greatest need. While we were ecstatic with the result, we knew the need was far greater – 2010 Census data showed more than 200,000 were eligible. Because of the work of 335forNC, North Carolina reopened the N.C. Extra Credit Grant program to help the state’s struggling families who need it most.