What if everything you thought you knew about homelessness was only half the story?
For Mental Health Awareness Month, Atlanta Mission set out to challenge the way people perceive homelessness by revealing what’s often invisible: the deep and complex connection between mental health and lack of housing.
Atlanta Mission is dedicated to helping individuals experiencing homelessness in the Atlanta area, offering crucial resources such as shelter, job support, and mental health services. Every May, donations for Atlanta Mission dip as people focus more on summer vacations than on charitable giving. We were tasked with breaking through that seasonal noise, not only to raise awareness but to meet an ambitious goal—over $50,000 in donations.
Our mission was clear: to educate the community, increase engagement, and remind Atlanta that homelessness isn’t just a winter problem, and it isn’t always visible.
So we embarked on an #InvisibleMission…
Our #InvisibleMission campaign set out to engage and activate the community around a cause that doesn’t always have a visible face.
We launched a multi-faceted campaign that combined powerful storytelling with in-person engagement. At the heart of the campaign was our activation at Piedmont Park in the heart of Atlanta. We displayed portraits of Atlanta Mission clients and asked pedestrians to identify which of the individuals were experiencing homelessness. The twist? None of these portraits revealed visible clues.
Our purpose was to encourage viewers to question their assumptions and reflect on the hidden struggles many people face, from mental health to housing insecurity. The installation fostered empathy and reminded passersby that homelessness can be invisible, just like mental health challenges.
To extend the reach of our message, we captured video content of the Piedmont Park activation and shared it across social media channels. These videos, along with interviews of Atlanta Mission clients and employees sharing their personal stories, worked together to inspire our community to take action and support Atlanta Mission's work.
The Piedmont Park activation also had real-time impact.
Two individuals approached our team during the activation seeking help, and we immediately connected them to Atlanta Mission’s services. This personal interaction transformed the installation from just an educational moment into one that provided direct assistance to those in need.
The #InvisibleMission campaign not only met but exceeded our goals, making a lasting social impact. The installation at Piedmont Park received overwhelming engagement, leading to over 75,000 video views and a 7.3% engagement rate across all social content. These engagement levels significantly increased website traffic, with a 14% boost in engaged sessions on Atlanta Mission’s site.
More importantly, the campaign raised over $50,000 in donations, surpassing Atlanta Mission’s seasonal goal. The success of the campaign was not just measured in dollars but in lives touched—two individuals sought help directly from our Piedmont Park activation, leading to real-time connections with Atlanta Mission’s resources.
This campaign demonstrated the power of thoughtful, human-centered marketing, making a tangible difference for Atlanta Mission and the individuals they serve.
