3.  Each Memorial Day weekend, the Westerville Sunrise Rotary Club
hosts the Field of Heroes. This event is an opportunity to honor your
personal heroes - whoever they are... a family member; a friend; a
veteran; a member of the armed services; a favorite teacher; a police
officer; a firefighter or any other person who has made in impact on
your life.
 The Field of Heroes offers a unique and moving way to honor your
heroes by flying a flag with a custom tribute in a spectacular display
of 3,000 American flags across from the Westerville Community
Center. Standing 8 feet tall and measuring 3' x 5', the flags are
situated in perfect rows to create an inspirational display that visually
represents each individual hero joining together with others to form a
community.

4.  Established in 2009 as a fundraiser
• 1,500 flags in a rectangle
• Visitors purchase and dedicate flags for $30
• Held an opening ceremony
 Repeated due to popular demand
• 5,000 to 10,000 visitors per year
• Increased to 2,500 flags in 2012
 Added programs, community activities and
complementary tributes since 2010
• Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• Tenth anniversary of 9/11
• WWII Wall of Stars

6.  Became one of Westerville’s largest events and
attained a very high profile in Rotary International
 Each year, purchasers from more than a dozen
different states shipped flags to as many as 90 zip
codes in 19 states
 Garnered extensive media coverage each year
• Approximately 28 stories totaling more than 31
minutes of coverage for a total Nielsen audience of
more than 2 million viewers
• Received coverage on WCOL, in local newspapers, and
Columbus Dispatch

7.  Required extraordinary volunteer support
• Numerous setup activities in the weeks leading up to the
event
• Around-the-clock activity Friday AM through Monday PM
• More than 350 volunteer shifts, averaging 3 hours each,
staffed by nearly 200 volunteers each year
 Treated as a self-sustaining community service
activity of the Westerville Sunrise Rotary
Foundation
• 70% of revenues from flag orders
• 5% miscellaneous
• 25% from business patron donations (patrons also provide
in-kind goods / services)

8.  Challenge: How do we turn a series of
successful one-time events into a
sustainable ongoing concern?
 Answer: Strategic / Business Planning

10. Mission / Vision Statement
Guiding Principles
3-Year Strategic Plan
Annual Event Business Plan

11. The Field of Heroes provides our community members with
a unique and moving opportunity to honor the heroes in
their lives - whether they are military, public
safety, community volunteers or another kind of personal
inspiration.
The Field of Heroes has become the premier Memorial Day
weekend event in central Ohio, and will continue to develop
into an event that will be one of the Westerville
community's signature events, will become a desired
annual tradition for our guests, and will provide our
volunteers with an experience they will never forget.

12.  The meaning of the term “hero” and the connection of the event to
Memorial Day is a personal value; by providing respectful
opportunities to honor military, public service and other persons, the
Field of Heroes provides guests the opportunity to personalize the
event as they desire.
 The tone of the event is to be respectful, reverent and reflective; too
much activity, too casual an atmosphere, or too prominent a
corporate presence can distract from the core mission of the
event, and will not be permitted.
 The club is responsible for delivering on the core functions of the
Field. Additional supplemental activities may enhance the
experience of being at the Field; however, to ensure core functions
can be delivered at the highest level of quality, supplemental
activities need to be developed and staffed by affiliate
organizations, under the general direction of the committee.

13.  To deliver on the event mission, it is important to ensure a positive
environment: the Field of Heroes will not promote specific causes or
affiliations, nor will it directly or indirectly endorse any particular
political agenda.
 The primary intent of the event is to provide guests an opportunity to
join fellow community members in reflecting on their personal
heroes; other community events and organizations are important and
well-intentioned; however, if they do not directly support the Field of
Heroes programming plan, they may not have a presence at the
event.

14. 1. Provide a unique and moving “signature”
community event
2. Respectfully honor all heroes: fallen, living
veterans and actively serving military, as
well as public servants and civilians
3. Become a desired annual tradition for our
guests
4. Provide volunteers with an experience they
will never forget
5. Build and maintain a sustainable brand,
organization and event business model

15. Strategies Tactics Responsible
Present a
spectacular
visual display
Display decorative flags down
Cleveland Ave. and in north field, for
a total of 3,000 flags
Field Setup and
Field Operations
Provide a
superior
visitor
experience
Promote meaningful volunteer
interaction with guests – as guides,
to take pictures, to welcome and
invite guests to share stories
Visitor
Experience
Enhance visitor comfort amenities,
including shelter from the sun/heat
Visitor
Experience
Enhance the visible environment,
making back-of-the-house support
operations as invisible as possible
Visitor
Experience, Field
Operations
1. Provide a unique and moving “signature” community event…

16. Strategies Tactics Responsible
Supplement the flag
field and on-stage
programming with
themed displays and
activities supporting
the event
mission/vision
Provide programming
space and time slot for Boy
Scouts flag retirement
ceremony
Community
Engagement
Provide opportunity for
American Legion tribute to
fallen troops
Community
Engagement
Connect with military
and public safety
personnel and their
families
Provide meaningful flag
donation opportunities that
tie to the event mission and
support related groups
Community
Engagement
2. Respectfully honor all heroes: fallen, living veterans and actively
serving military, as well as public servants and civilians…

17. Strategies Tactics Responsible
Provide inspirational
entertainment /
informational programming
opportunities at the event
Present high-quality opening
and closing ceremonies
Programs
Read names of all heroes
honored daily
Programs
Present a Saturday evening
concert targeted at families
Programs
Supplement programming
with selected activities
presented by others in
support of the event
mission/vision
Tie-ins to Westerville history /
heroes will be presented
Community
Engagement
Partnering with other
groups, provide an
appropriate and exciting
complementary feature
event in conjunction with
the flag display
Select a feature that supports
the event mission/vision,
honoring military or other
heroes
Community
Engagement
Include elements of the
complementary feature in on-
stage programming
Programs
3. Become a desired annual tradition for our guests…

18. Strategies Tactics Responsible
Effectively utilize the
skills of volunteers
Target recruitment to fill
specific needs throughout
the weekend
Volunteer
Services
Provide opportunities for
volunteers of various
ages / capabilities
Volunteer
Services
Reward those who
choose to spend their
valuable time
volunteering at the
Field
Enhance volunteer
comfort efforts
Volunteer
Services
Provide recognition for
return volunteers
Volunteer
Services
4. Provide volunteers with an experience they will never forget…

19. Strategies Tactics Responsible
Establish the Field of
Heroes as “the place
to be” during
Memorial Day
weekend
Promote the event effectively and
respectfully through social and
traditional media
Marketing, Media
Relations and
Social Media
Leverage city and other community
resources to promote the event
Marketing
Expand non-club
sponsorships and
donated services to
create a sustainable
financial structure
Provide valuable recognition for
patrons – at the event, in print and
with something they can display at
their place of business
Patron Relations
Achieve flag sales
targets (850
[purchases +
donations +
dedications])
Promote through ads and special
event “street team” efforts
Marketing and
Media Relations
Reduce errors in on-site and on-line
order entry to reduce customer
frustration
Customer Service
and Order
Fulfillment
Generate ancillary
earned income to
cover costs
Generate revenue through ancillary
sales and special events
Customer Service
and Race Team
5. Build and maintain a viable brand, organization and business model…

20. 5. Build and maintain a viable brand, organization and business model…
Expand the
capacity,
image and
sustainability
of the
committee
and event
Expand delegation of responsibilities and
succession planning efforts, recruiting sub-
committee leaders for commitments of 2 to
3 years
Administration
Engage community leaders from outside
the club to serve on a Community Advisory
Board, providing input, guidance and
assistance to the committee
Administration
Leverage and enhance systems previously
developed for flag assembly, field layout
and construction, order processing, and
field tear-down to continue to make
operations more time and labor efficient
Field Setup, Field
Operations,
Volunteer
Services,
Customer Service,
Order Fulfillment

21. Committee / Staffing Plan
Operations Plan
Marketing Plan
Financial Plan

23. www.fieldofheroes.org
Fieldofheroes
@FieldofheroesOH
#fieldofheroes
Fieldofheroes channel
Field_of_Heroes_OH
#fieldofheroes
Westerville Sunrise
Rotary