Operation Smile

Client
Operation Smile is an international children's surgical, humanitarian organization that inspires plastic surgeons, dentists, and other medical professionals to join missions to restore cleft lips and palates for children throughout the world.

Challenge
As Operation Smile has grown, it has grappled with organizational development and fundraising challenges to accommodate its expanding mission and reach.

Enter Reingold
Reingold crafted a five-year strategic plan to guide Operation Smile's growth, both domestically and internationally. We produced a development plan to guide the organization's leadership and fundraising programs, and crafted a model case statement to help attract more investors, donors, supporters, and strategic partners around the world. We also created and implemented the strategy for Operation Smile's largest endeavor to date—the World Journey of Hope—which took volunteers to 18 developing countries in nine weeks to operate on 5,300 children. This largest-ever surgical mission raised awareness about the needs of children worldwide and the capacity of plastic surgery to transform lives. We also help the organization develop cause-marketing relationships with corporations such as Sephora, a world leader in cosmetic retailing. Reingold collaborated with the company on a strategy to leverage Sephora's name, extensive retail reach, and strong ties to the fashion media with Operation Smile's great popular appeal and reputation as a leading humanitarian organization. The end result: the universally appealing Operation Smile Lip Baume.

Results

The World Journey of Hope created an astounding 300 million media impressions worldwide, and Operation Smile Lip Baume was an instant success—becoming the top-selling SKU in Sephora stores for six months and generating more than $500,000 for the nonprofit. Reingold continues to provide strategic counsel for Operation Smile's global and regional fundraising efforts and create and package corporate cause-related marketing campaigns.