PR Case Study: How Saltine Communications Helped BMDP Raise National Awareness and Inspire More Life-Saving Bone Marrow Donors
Updated: Jul 23
Public awareness campaigns play a critical role in helping non-profit organisations educate communities, inspire action and drive meaningful social impact. However, encouraging people to register as bone marrow donors requires more than simply sharing statistics—it requires compelling storytelling that connects with the public on a deeply human level.
As BMDP’s Singapore PR Agency throughout 2022 and 2023, Saltine Communications developed a strategic PR campaign that elevated public awareness of bone marrow donation while supporting BMDP’s milestone 30th anniversary celebrations and flagship community initiatives. Through strategic media relations, event publicity and purpose-driven storytelling, Saltine helped BMDP reach wider audiences, increase public understanding and reinforce its mission of giving hope to patients battling blood-related diseases.
Campaign Summary
BMDP partnered with Saltine Communications to strengthen public awareness, increase media visibility and support donor recruitment initiatives throughout 2022 and 2023. The campaign focused on showcasing BMDP’s life-saving mission while generating publicity for its 30th anniversary celebrations and annual Match For Life 2023 campaign. Through strategic media engagement, event publicity and impactful human-interest storytelling, Saltine Communications positioned BMDP as Singapore’s leading organisation dedicated to bone marrow donor recruitment and stem cell transplantation.
Client Background
The Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP) is Singapore’s only non-profit bone marrow donor registry. Established in 1993 following the loss of the founders’ young son to leukaemia, BMDP was created to give patients with blood-related diseases a greater chance of finding life-saving stem cell donors.
Beyond maintaining Singapore’s national bone marrow registry, BMDP actively educates the public about blood disorders, recruits new donors and works closely with healthcare institutions to facilitate potentially life-saving transplants. Over the past three decades, the organisation has grown its registry to more than 118,000 donors, facilitating over 1,000 stem cell transplants and hundreds of successful donations.
The Challenge
Despite the life-saving importance of bone marrow donation, public awareness remained relatively limited, particularly among minority ethnic communities where donor representation continued to be significantly lower.
BMDP needed to increase public understanding of the donor registration process while encouraging more Singaporeans to step forward as potential donors. At the same time, the organisation wanted to maximise visibility for its 30th anniversary celebrations and flagship Match For Life 2023 campaign to inspire stronger community participation.
Saltine Communications recognised that the campaign needed to go beyond awareness alone by creating emotionally compelling stories that encouraged meaningful public action.
Our PR Strategy
As BMDP’s Singapore PR Agency, Saltine Communications developed an integrated media relations strategy that combined milestone events, community engagement and purpose-driven storytelling.
Rather than focusing solely on organisational achievements, Saltine highlighted the real-life impact of bone marrow donation and the hope it provides to patients and families affected by blood-related diseases. The campaign leveraged BMDP’s 30th anniversary as an opportunity to celebrate decades of life-saving work while reinforcing the continuing need for donor recruitment.
Saltine also generated publicity around two major initiatives—the 30 Years of Saving Lives Together anniversary celebration and Match For Life 2023—using these milestones to engage journalists, highlight donor shortages among minority communities and encourage greater public participation.
Through strategic media outreach and strong relationships with national news outlets, Saltine successfully secured extensive editorial coverage that amplified BMDP’s message across Singapore.
Media Coverage Secured
Saltine Communications secured extensive media coverage across Singapore’s leading mainstream, business and multilingual news platforms.
BMDP’s initiatives were featured by The Straits Times, The Business Times, CNA, Lianhe Zaobao, Berita Harian, Tamil Murasu and 8world, helping raise nationwide awareness of bone marrow donation while promoting the organisation’s milestone events and ongoing donor recruitment efforts.
The campaign also generated visibility for BMDP’s S$3.6 million commitment towards advancing cellular therapy research and highlighted the success of Match For Life 2023, which attracted more than 1,000 participants during its flagship community carnival.
Campaign Results
The campaign successfully increased nationwide visibility for BMDP while reinforcing its position as Singapore’s leading bone marrow donor registry.
Through sustained earned media coverage, the campaign educated the public about the importance of bone marrow donation, celebrated three decades of life-saving work and amplified awareness of donor recruitment efforts among underrepresented communities.
The extensive publicity surrounding BMDP’s milestone events also strengthened public engagement while supporting the organisation’s long-term mission of growing Singapore’s donor registry.
Why This Campaign Worked
This campaign succeeded because it focused on people rather than statistics.
Instead of relying solely on awareness messages, Saltine Communications built the campaign around powerful human stories, milestone achievements and community impact. By connecting BMDP’s work to real patients, families and donors, the campaign created emotionally meaningful stories that resonated strongly with both journalists and the wider public.
The combination of national events, thought leadership and purpose-driven storytelling enabled BMDP to earn significant editorial coverage while inspiring greater public participation.
Why Brands and Non-Profits Hire Saltine Communications
Purpose-driven organisations often have powerful missions but struggle to communicate them in ways that inspire widespread public action.
Saltine Communications specialises in transforming complex social issues into compelling media stories that educate audiences, build trust and encourage meaningful engagement.
For BMDP, this meant elevating donor recruitment into a national conversation about hope, community and saving lives.
Whether working with charities, healthcare organisations or mission-driven brands, Saltine develops strategic PR campaigns that create lasting social and reputational impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can non-profit organisations secure media coverage in Singapore?
Non-profit organisations can increase media opportunities by focusing on human-interest stories, community impact, awareness campaigns and timely social issues that resonate with the public.
Why is PR important for charities?
PR helps charities increase public awareness, build credibility, strengthen donor engagement and encourage greater community participation through trusted third-party media coverage.
What does a Singapore PR Agency do?
A Singapore PR Agency develops strategic media campaigns, creates compelling story angles and secures earned media coverage that strengthens public awareness, credibility and organisational reputation.
How did Saltine Communications help BMDP?
Saltine Communications supported BMDP’s 2022–2023 communications strategy by promoting its 30th anniversary, public awareness campaigns and donor recruitment initiatives, securing extensive media coverage across Singapore’s leading news outlets.
Why are purpose-driven stories effective for PR?
Purpose-driven stories create stronger emotional connections with audiences, making them more likely to attract media interest while inspiring meaningful public action.
About Saltine Communications
Saltine Communications is a Singapore-based PR agency specialising in media relations, thought leadership, event publicity and purpose-driven communications for startups, SMEs, multinational companies and non-profit organisations.
The agency has secured coverage across leading publications including The Straits Times, CNA, The Business Times, Tatler, Bloomberg and many more, helping organisations build credibility through earned media.
Whether you’re launching a campaign, celebrating a major milestone or driving public awareness for an important cause, Saltine Communications develops strategic PR campaigns that deliver meaningful media impact.
As Seen On
Related PR Case Studies
Related Services
Related Industry
Comments