Coordinating a Nationwide Hospital Donation Program
Summary
In celebration of Build-A-Bear’s 20th anniversary, I managed a nationwide community impact campaign that donated 20,000 teddy bears to 24 children’s hospitals across the United States. Working alongside United Way, UPS, and more than 20 local Build-A-Bear store teams, I coordinated logistics, hospital activations, local media outreach, and cross-functional planning to bring the program to life. The initiative concluded with CEO Sharon Price John personally delivering bears to NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City on the eve of Build-A-Bear’s 20th birthday.
The Challenge
A donation of this scale required far more than shipping 20,000 teddy bears across the country. Each hospital activation involved local store teams, volunteers, partner organizations, media coordination, and individualized event planning, all of which needed to happen simultaneously while delivering a consistent brand experience.
With 24 hospitals, more than 20 store teams, and multiple national partners involved, success depended on careful planning, clear communication, and flawless execution behind the scenes.
Strategy
The goal was to make the donation feel like an experience, not simply a delivery.
Rather than dropping off boxes of bears, Build-A-Bear store teams visited children’s hospitals to host bear-building experiences for patients and their families, bringing a version of the workshop directly to children who couldn’t visit a store themselves.
That meant every hospital required its own run of show, asset package, volunteer coordination, media outreach, and communication plan. My role was connecting all of those moving pieces so every local team had the information, resources, and confidence to deliver a memorable experience.
My Role
Program Management: Served as the Build-A-Bear Foundation’s project manager for the initiative, acting as the central point of coordination between Build-A-Bear, United Way, UPS, local store teams, children’s hospitals, and internal stakeholders.
Cross-Functional Coordination: Managed end-to-end planning for all 24 hospital activations, aligning logistics, timelines, communications, and responsibilities across multiple departments and external partners.
Field & Store Support: Equipped more than 20 local Build-A-Bear store teams with run of shows, creative assets, talking points, and event materials to ensure each activation delivered a consistent guest experience.
Community & Media Relations: Coordinated local media outreach and community engagement efforts in each market, supporting hospital events and helping amplify the campaign nationwide.
Results
20,000 Bears donated across the United States
24 Children's hospitals reached coast to coast
100 Volunteers coordinated through United Way and HandsOn Network
20+ Local store teams supported
What I Learned
Large programs are built on hundreds of small details. The more people, partners, and locations involved, the more important it becomes to communicate clearly and prepare thoroughly long before launch day. When local teams are walking into a children’s hospital, they should be focused on the kids, not wondering where they’re supposed to be or what happens next. That’s the value of good planning. If you’ve done your job well behind the scenes, everyone else gets to focus on creating a meaningful experience.
