Contemplative Resource Center
26th-annual Treasury of Knowledge Retreat
our collaborations
The Contemplative Resource Center of Bandera, TX had just purchased land for the retreat center when COVID-19 struck the nation, and suddenly the in-person retreat market evaporated. Authentic Presence CEO and Founder, Brian Spielmann, has a personal connection with CRC’s founding sponsor, the meditation master Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, and when they realized an in-person retreat was not an option, AP helped produce the CRC’s first-ever retreat—in an all-new online format.
The Medicine Buddha: Intrinsic Health and Healing
The CRC’s first program was taught by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche with support from other key faculty.
Triple Advantage:
- We leveraged the teachers’ reputations and uniqueness
- The topic was very relevant for these times
- We used strong organizational connections and good-will in the field for additional promotion
Multi-lingual Launch and Delivery
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche has a large international following, particularly in North America, Asia, and Europe. With a global following, the CRC had access to a team of well-qualified translators. For AP, this meant an opportunity to launch and deliver a program that was promoted and translated into 7 languages.
We needed to translate:
- Promotional Emails
- Sales Page
- Order Form
- Membership Confirmation Emails
- Membership Site Interface and Content
- ….and last but not least, deliver the Zoom webinar live with simultaneous translation into 6 languages
The results:
- 44% of purchasers from outside the US
- 95 purchasers selected their preferred language as other than English at checkout
This launch saw extraordinarily high engagement from participants, as live Zoom attendance during the three days ranged from 75% to 78%. We had a minimum of 911 folks (out of 1215 purchasers) participating in each day of this weekend retreat.
Our Approach
Working with a new nonprofit organization presented unique opportunities for AP, especially considering this was a new organization with a beginning email list size of 553, facing the financial realities of a retreat center during a pandemic.
Quadruple Engagement:
- Driving traffic to a powerful, elegant sales page
- Utilizing a video series opt-in, as well as a webinar on a topic related to the course
- Connecting with affiliates who strongly aligned with the course vision
- Leveraging the power and magic of Facebook
AP was able to help the CRC’s email list grow more than 7x in size with a combination of affiliate marketing and paid advertising.
About the CRC
The Contemplative Resource Center (CRC) is a multifaceted gathering place for people to explore paths of self-discovery, wellness, and community engagement in a natural, nurturing setting. Based on the compassionate teachings of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche used inspiration from the renowned Nalanda University of ancient India to establish this center.
In the same spirit of open inquiry and inclusiveness, the CRC welcomes and honors people and groups of all faiths and wisdom traditions. The Center offers programs and trainings in five content areas: The Contemplative Mind; Personal and Professional Development; Health and Wellness; Creative Arts; and Environment Education.
A core principle of the center is a commitment to community outreach and the development of programs, internships, and mentoring opportunities, on- and off-site, for youth, families, and other interested communities.
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