Statewide Hotline and Local Services Awareness Campaign
Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect (PCAR)
Background
PCAR, the statewide division of Respect Together, works to eliminate all forms of sexual violence and advocates for the rights and needs of people impacted by sexual assault. PCAR supports and strengthens Pennsylvania’s network of rape crisis centers and the services they provide in their communities.
PCAR is planning a statewide public awareness campaign to help Pennsylvanians recognize the hotline number and understand that support is available through their local rape crisis center. The campaign should make information about services clear, memorable, and easy to find for people seeking support for themselves or someone else.
Project Overview
PCAR seeks an advertising or communications agency to help develop and implement a campaign featuring billboards and other recommended advertising channels. The primary goals are broad public awareness of the hotline number, familiarity with local rape crisis services, and understanding of how to access support.
Applicants should demonstrate experience in public awareness campaigns, creative development, and media planning and buying across urban, suburban, and rural communities. Experience with nonprofit, public health, or victim services campaigns is preferred.
Scope of Services
The selected agency will:
- Develop a campaign strategy for statewide reach across all 67 Pennsylvania counties, with recommendations for audiences, geographic coverage, media channels, and spending priorities.
- Use survivor-centered messaging and use visuals that prominently feature the PCAR’s hotline number and explain available community services. Coordinate with PCAR to verify service descriptions, contact information, and local adaptations.
- Plan, negotiate, purchase, and manage billboard placements and other recommended advertising, which may include transit, radio, and community media. Identify donated or discounted media opportunities.
- Produce accessible campaign materials using plain language, readable design, and captions where applicable. Recommend multilingual adaptations and identify related costs. Avoid graphic, sensationalized, fear-based, or victim-blaming content.
- Work with PCAR’s communications team throughout development and implementation. Obtain PCAR approval of messaging, creative, media placements, and expenditures before launch or commitment.
- Monitor campaign delivery and report reach, frequency, geographic coverage, and opportunities for improvement. Propose feasible measures of hotline recognition and service awareness, with any research priced separately. Protect privacy in all measurement activities.
Deliverables
- Written campaign strategy and messaging framework.
- Detailed media plan with recommended channels, locations or markets, placement dates, estimated reach and frequency, and itemized costs.
- Production-ready billboard creative, designed in collaboration with PCAR’s communications team, and assets for the approved media mix, plus adaptable materials for local rape crisis centers.
- Campaign launch and placement management, documentation of delivered advertising, and regular performance reports.
- Final report summarizing campaign reach, available awareness findings, limitations, and recommendations for future outreach.
- Editable source files and final campaign assets, with all third-party licenses and usage restrictions clearly documented.
The final agreement will specify asset quantities, formats, languages, revision rounds, reporting frequency, and PCAR’s rights to use and adapt the materials.
Timeline
Anticipated project start: November 16, 2026
Applicants should propose a schedule covering discovery, strategy, creative review, production, media placement, and final reporting. The final schedule will be established with the selected agency.
Proposal Requirements
Proposals should be brief, approximately 3–5 pages, excluding work samples and detailed budgets, and include:
- Overview of relevant agency experience.
- Proposed approach to increasing hotline recognition and awareness of local services, including statewide media planning, creative development, accessibility, and measurement.
- Estimated timeline and key milestones, including PCAR review and approval.
- Itemized budget separating agency fees, creative and production, media purchases, media buying fees, research, translation, and other expenses. Disclose commissions, markups, and licensing costs.
- Two or three relevant campaign examples, including results where available.
- Two to three client reviews or references.
Total available project budget, including media purchases: $300,000
Identify optional services separately. Finished campaign concepts are not required with proposals.
PCAR will consider relevant experience, understanding of the assignment, media planning and buying capabilities, creative quality, survivor-centered and accessible communications, team capacity, and overall value.
Selected applicants may be invited to an interview.
Submission Information
Submit proposals electronically in PDF format to: Demetrius Archer, PCAR Communications Director
darcher@pcar-respecttogether.org
Submission deadline: October 23, 2026
Anticipated selection: November 6, 2026
Questions or requests for clarification are welcome. Please use the subject line “PCAR Statewide Awareness Campaign RFP.”