Collaborations that Cultivate Change

At Blue Beacon Events you’re seen as a partner, not simply a client. We become an extension of your team by actively listening, developing trust, and focusing 100% on your goals.

We’re proud to work with leaders serving the community. Learn more about who we support and recent collaborations.

A glimpse at some of our partners:

Nonprofits
Community-Based Organizations

Foundations
Advocacy Groups

Charities
Human Service Agencies

Virtual Annual Meeting and Webinar Series

Goals: Raise awareness, grow donor and community engagement, transition to online

Outcomes: Outstanding attendee feedback, increased donations, new supporters

In their words: “Sarah’s knowledge and attention to detail aided in keeping our events on track despite the need to pivot to a virtual format. She is quick to adapt and has the skills to switch course at a moment’s notice.”

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About James River Association (JRA)
JRA is a nonprofit organization in Richmond, Virginia that aims to be a guardian of the James River, providing a voice for the river and taking action to promote conservation and responsible stewardship of its natural resources.
Holding in-person special events were no longer an option due to the many safety concerns brought on my COVID-19. Looking to fully shift to an online format, they needed alternative ways to connect with constituents and engage supporters.
Strategy, Plan, and Execution Details
Annual Meeting
One of JRA’s most anticipated events is their annual meeting and oyster roast which celebrates yearly accomplishments, shares organizational updates, and recognizes remarkable community advocates. To transform the meeting into an exciting virtual gathering, Blue Beacon focused on developing a diverse program. In order to stand out, a mix of elements were integrated to capture attention as well as create an immersive audience experience. The event incorporated inspiring local and international speakers, a well-known News Meteorologist as emcee, fun river-related giveaways, and even a live cocktail demonstration as a pre-show happy hour.
As a result of the distinctive program and methodical planning, the meeting was met with exceptional feedback from attendees, a significant amount of donations, and several new supporters.
Webinar Series
In addition to the annual meeting, interactive webinars were also produced to bring awareness to JRA’s work and encourage more involvement with the organization. Utilizing their staff along with guest experts in the field, the Cocktails, Conservation, and Conversation five-part series educated participants on a variety of topics ranging from river history to recreation to preservation. In order to establish a more conversational setting, we applied uncommon presentation styles and interesting experiential activities. In one session, a speaker presented from his boat on the river and participants voted for their favorite name of a sturgeon that was caught live!
Registration numbers steadily began to increase after each subsequent webinar and the series became a trusted resource for people to learn about conservation efforts.

Sarah was contracted with the James River Association to assist with the planning of webinars and special events. In the beginning of the pandemic, we created Virtual Program Webinars to build awareness of JRA’s work, and adapted our annual in person Annual Oyster Roast into a successful Virtual Event. Sarah’s knowledge and attention to detail aided in keeping our events on track despite the need to pivot to a virtual format. She is quick to adapt and has the skills to switch course at a moment’s notice. I would recommend Sarah to any organization needing help planning and executing an event of any scale.
—Kristen Miller, Development Manager

Professional Development Training

Goals: Streamline scheduling process, coordinate logistics

Outcomes: Internal calendar system, clear training parameters

In their words:“Sarah is always organized, professional, collaborative and efficient and we can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that she will get the job done and do it well.”

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About Families Forward Virginia
Families Forward disrupts the cycles of child abuse, neglect and poverty by building healthier, stronger, and more self-sufficient families. This nonprofit’s statewide leadership includes annual training and support for more than 1,000 Virginia parenting professionals and volunteers.
With the unexpected onset of the pandemic, they were forced to reshape their entire scheduling strategy. From navigating new virtual platforms to avoiding overlap between educational trainings, logistics coordination had become cumbersome and difficult to maneuver.
Strategy, Plan, and Execution Details
We stepped in to plan, develop, and execute a new scheduling system consisting of seven different training programs. Their current system was comprehensively evaluated, including an analysis and assessment of training requirements, prioritization, progression timelines, program crossover, and trainer needs.
From there, we formed a robust scheduling structure, process, and detailed matrix to make organizing each training simple. An internal calendar was created and set up for staff use, and continuous calendar management support was provided to ensure a successful transition to the new system.

When faced with planning events or managing special projects, we turn to Sarah Westphal and Blue Beacon Events. Sarah is always organized, professional, collaborative and efficient and we can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that she will get the job done and do it well.
—Mylinda Moore, Director of CHIP of Virginia

Awareness Campaign

Goals: Design new campaign, create blueprint

Outcomes: Concept and theme development, implementation plan

In their words:“Sarah was very thorough in developing the campaign from concept to completion and worked closely with our team to turn our vision into a product we are excited to offer our member schools and youth groups.”

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About Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety (YOVASO)
YOVASO, a part of the Department of Virginia State Police, focuses on engaging, educating and empowering youth to influence a safe driving culture through leadership development and innovative outreach programs. As part of their mission, they offer free interactive campaigns for Virginia schools and communities to participate in year-round.
Wanting to go completely virtual, YOVASO was seeking a fresh take on their six-week holiday campaign targeting high schools, middle schools, and youth groups in the commonwealth.
Strategy, Plan, and Execution Details
To ensure the campaign would be appealing to teens, we did a deep dive into demographics to better understand the audience. Based on findings, the Jingle Your Way to a Safe Holiday theme was centered around a contest in which teens would create a jingle to influence peers to buckle up and drive safely. To boost outreach and promotion of the safety message, students would share the jingles on their social networks and the top five entries would be voted on publicly to win cash prizes.
Once the overall concept was determined, a comprehensive blueprint detailing each campaign component was mapped out. These included competition rules, participant guidelines, logo design direction, marketing resources, and promotion tools. A customized timeline, outline, and implementation plan were also produced to position YOVASO for easy rollout.
Sarah at Blue Beacon Events assisted our non-profit in developing a new concept for a teen safe driving campaign and we are thrilled with the results. Sarah was very thorough in developing the campaign from concept to completion and worked closely with our team to turn our vision into a product we are excited to offer our member schools and youth groups. Sarah really took the time to research our target audience and gave us a creative product that is fun, exciting, and will definitely engage and educate our teens on the importance of buckling up and driving safely.
—Mary King, Program Manager

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