Dove Men+Care understands and champions a new definition of masculinity, one with caring at the core, encouraging empathy and taking a stand against social injustice. So, when on May 25, 2020, George Floyd, the father to three children, did not make it home as the result of police brutality, we knew we needed to step in to help support not only George’s family, but those of the 1200 Black fathers in the US who were taken from their families because of racism and violence.

Over the past ten years, Dove Men+Care has been committed to shattering outdated stereotypes about what it means to be a man and a father and has worked to champion men’s caring roles. As a brand committed to supporting dads everywhere, we knew we had an obligation to help expose this dangerous reality, especially during a time when we typically celebrate the most – Father’s Day.

Recognizing the tremendous loss suffered by the families of these victims, we turned a Father’s Day tradition into a way to support the families of fathers taken too soon due to racism and violence with a new initiative called #FathersDayTaken.

We encouraged consumers to donate $5 with a customizable e-card that honored the memory of Black fathers taken, that they could then send to their dads. The resulting micro-donations were connected to a GoFundMe page, with the dual benefit of putting the brand at the front and center of the conversation around an important issue as well as directly helping those families who needed us the most.

Our strategy was born from injustice. While police brutality makes headlines in the US and around the world, a fact that is lost in the news cycle is that many of the victims are caring fathers, creating a negative cascading effect on families and society at large.

The George Floyd protests continued into June – the month during which the U.S. celebrates Father’s Day. And as Black men, women and millions of their allies took to the streets to uphold the humanity and dignity of one father taken, we knew that thousands of children would be forced to endure Father’s Day knowing their strong, caring Black fathers had been taken from them. So, we rallied families to send a card to the man in their lives by honoring those dads who were no longer with us.

The e-card was shared via social and linked directly to a GoFundMe donation page. We also leveraged the card to connect with key reporters and journalists who were interested in the fatherhood and social justice space, enabling us to break through and make them aware of the initiative, further driving reach and therefore donations.

To promote the card, we produced a film and social content that showcased caring Black fathers and unveiled the pain felt when they are taken. We partnered with The Dad Gang, a network for Black dads advocating for engaged fatherhood, as well as the Cordale Q. Handy In Remembrance of Me Foundation to help identify the families who have lost a loved one due to racially-motivated violence.

Leading up to Father’s Day, the #FathersDayTaken content ran across digital, social media and paid, airing on live TV, including ESPN’s ESPY Awards and OWN’s 100 Black Fathers special.

In less than 2 weeks, the Fathers Taken Fund was able to directly support those families who have lost a loved one due to racially-motivated violence, with nearly $300,000 in grants distributed to over 100 families across 26 states.

#FathersDayTaken sparked conversation across both earned media and social coverage, garnering 162 total earned placements that resulted in 61 million total impressions, appearing in outlets like CNN, PR Week, and Business Insider. On social, sentiment was overwhelmingly positive - 98% of organic social shared how important and meaningful this initiative was and 67% of all social posts included our #FathersDayTaken video asset– driving more awareness to our CTA and giving us the opportunity to help more families.

The March of Dads, a peaceful demonstration in Washington, D.C., saw over 500 attendees, with coverage including The Washington Post and Steve Harvey’s live Facebook Talk Show, Steve On Watch.