REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
November 1, 2024
Riverlife is soliciting proposals for marketing and PR services to support its marquee annual event, Party at the Pier. Party at the Pier is Riverlife’s largest fundraiser that hosts nearly 1,000 guests on the waterfront each August. The event raises more than $420,000 to support Riverlife and Pittsburgh’s riverfronts.
The purpose of this letter is to invite you or your firm to participate and to advise you of our process for selecting PR and marketing services.
About Riverlife:
Since 1999, Riverlife has worked to create, activate, and celebrate Pittsburgh’s riverfronts. A nonprofit leader in building a community vision for Pittsburgh’s riverfronts, Riverlife has overseen a $150 million investment in the city’s waterfront transformation, catalyzing $4.2 billion in related economic development, arts and culture, and ecological sustainability on or adjacent to the city’s riverbanks. Riverlife centers its work on the belief that the riverfronts belong to everyone, and world-class riverfront experiences can be created for all using community-driven, equitable development and high-quality, regenerative design. Learn more at RiverlifePGH.org.
Proposal Submission:
Your written proposal should include brief responses to the attached RFP questions (Appendix I) in pdf format. Please submit your proposal via email to Emily Balawejder, Director of Communications, at emily.balawejder@riverlifepgh.org by 5pm on Monday, November 11, 2024 at 5pm. Candidates will be asked to meet with Riverlife between November 20 and November 26. A final candidate will be notified by November 29.
The primary objective for this partnership is to create a compelling marketing and press strategy for Riverlife’s annual fundraiser, Riverlife’s Party at the Pier, which not only maximizes event attendance and visibility but also reinforces Riverlife’s mission and the long-term support of Pittsburgh’s riverfronts. The selected proposal will raise awareness and elevate Party at the Pier with a particular focus on branding, marketing, digital reach, and PR strategies that drive fundraising goals.
Should you have any questions while you formulate your proposal, please contact Emily Balawejder at emily.balawejder@riverlifepgh.org prior to the submission deadline.
Consultant Qualifications:
We are seeking marketing and PR services to support Riverlife’s annual fundraiser, Party at the Pier. We are looking for applicants with the following qualifications:
- Experience coordinating brand, marketing, promotions and publicity for large-scale social events; direct experience working with fundraisers a plus
- Experience working with small nonprofit organizations
- Internal design services are not required, but a plus (see below)
- Understanding of Riverlife’s mission, projects, and programs a plus
Scope of Work:
The scope of work outlines a broad range of specific deliverables and responsibilities aligned with Riverlife’s and Alexis Allen Consulting (our event designer and producer)’s expectations:
- A comprehensive marketing strategy document, including target audience outreach and engagement plans to be completed and delivered by March 1, 2025.
- Digital and social media strategy with a content calendar.
- Coordination with the event designer and producer around a promotional photo and video shoot in spring 2025, leading to assets to be utilized throughout the campaign.
- Internal design services are not required, but if you do not support internal design services, the consultant will serve as a liaison between Riverlife and a designer. The following deliverables may be developed in-house or by a subcontractor that the consultant will manage:
- Event Logo
- Branding Elements
- Website and social assets
- Event signage
- Print advertisements
- Mailed and emailed invitations
- Public relations and media outreach, including drafting and distribution of press releases, securing unpaid media placements, and working in collaboration with Riverlife’s Director of Communications to ensure media inquiries incorporate Riverlife’s overall messaging needs.
- Media monitoring throughout the campaign, addressing any need to adjust messaging to adjust for ticket sales or other needs.
- Post-event report analysis for campaign performance, media coverage, and recommendations for future improvements.
- Regular meeting cadence throughout the campaign with key members of the Riverlife staff
Proposed timeline:
- November 2024: Selection of PR/marketing partner
- December 2024 – February 2025: Onboarding, strategy development, event theme alignment and decisions, planning
- March 2025: Brand development
- April 2025: Promotional photo and video shoot and overall content creation
- May-August 2025: Marketing campaign launch, media outreach, ongoing promotions & responses
- August 2025: Event execution
- September 2025: Post-event reporting and debrief
Evaluation criteria:
- Experience working with nonprofits and large-scale fundraising events (25%)
- Proposed strategy and alignment with Riverlife’s mission and goals (30%)
- Creativity and innovation in campaign execution (20%)
- Fee structure and value for services (15%)
- Responsiveness and client communication approach (10%)
Metrics for Success:
- Increase in media placements and PR coverage
- Growth in social media engagement (follower growth, engagement rate, reach, etc.)
- Event ticket sales goals met or exceeded
- Donations and funds raised exceeding $420,000
- Increase in event visibility across key target audiences
Budget Range:
- Riverlife will provide a budget range of $9,000 – 12,000 for this work.
Brand Guidelines:
- For reference, Riverlife’s corporate brand guidelines may be found here. Please note that Riverlife’s Party at the Pier can press beyond these specific guidelines, but this general guide should be considered in all development.
Confidentiality
By agreeing to take part in this proposal process, you agree to keep in confidence all information received through the proposal process, not to disclose it to third parties, and not to use it for any other purpose than for developing your proposal. In addition, there are no expressed or implied obligations of Riverlife to reimburse your firm for any expenses incurred in preparing proposals in response to this request. Riverlife reserves the right without prejudice to reject any or all proposals submitted.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Riverlife requires all vendors to comply with federal, state, and local policies and regulations concerning equal opportunity and agrees not to discriminate in its employment with regard to race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, familial status, or other protected status covered by applicable federal, state and local laws.
Thank you in advance for your time, and we look forward to receiving your response.
Appendix I
Your proposal should address the following items in a clear and concise manner and be as specific to Riverlife and the Scope of Work outlined in this RFP as possible.
- Executive Summary
- Qualifications
- Describe your experience.
- Provide a representative list of relevant clients served. Please include contact information for clients that Riverlife may approach for references.
- Where possible, efforts will be made to utilize small, women, disabled veterans, and minority owned businesses. If applicable, provide publicly certified documentation or a self-certification statement regarding this status.
- Team
- Identify the professional(s) who will be assigned to serve Riverlife.
- Please provide brief resumes for each professional in an appendix to your response.
- Approach
- Outline your understanding of desired services and approach to providing services, including your grant writing process.
- Please describe your approach to working with nonprofit clients.
- Please describe your policy on client communication.
- Please share relevant work examples.
- Fees
- Provide fees and estimated hours for the services requested in the Scope of Work for this RFP. Please also provide a fee schedule for services outside the scope, and how those services would be determined.
