As a pillar in our community, Whitehead Oil is regularly asked to support charitable causes, and like most businesses, they set aside funds anticipating these requests. However, they wanted to do more. “We would not exist without our gracious customers, so it is for this reason that we sought to provide even greater value to them. After much deliberation on how this could be achieved, “Kicking it back to the community” was created,” explains Mark Whitehead.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did “Kick It Back” come to life?
When we initially started the “Kick It Back” program, it ran over a three-day weekend each month during which we would kick back $.02 of every gallon of gas sold to a pre-selected charity. Because the weekend dates often varied from month to month, however, we ultimately switched to running the promotion every Tuesday instead—and thus, $.02 Tuesdays was born. This concrete date allowed our customers to easily support the monthly charity every week, and it quickly became something all were looking forward to.
How did you get the word out about what you were doing?
To spread the word about our new program and sponsorships, we put up in-store signage, wrote and produced spots for our in-store radio, and had all our employees wear our now-famous pink “Kick It Back” t-shirts on Tuesdays. Eventually, we began looking for outside support: That’s where our partnership with local news channel KLKN-TV, an ABC affiliate, enters the scene.
Tell us more about your partnership with your local news channel.
This is our first year working with KLKN-TV, and we could not be more thrilled with the results of this new partnership. The station routinely produces video content and PSAs highlighting the Lincoln-area organization we are kicking it back to each month. In exchange for the production of these monthly videos and announcements, we display their provided weather information and special interest stories on our dispensers daily. This relationship with KLKN-TV creates a win-win situation for us both—and ultimately for our community.
Anything else you would like to share?
In addition to our $.02 Tuesdays support to the organizations we feature monthly, we frequently sponsor one-off events like the Junior Achievement’s Bowl-A-Thon and many others—yet another way for us to support our Lincoln-area neighbors.
The word about our efforts is getting out, and while we were once seen as the “big, bad oil guy” to many, we are now known for our strong commitment to and involvement within the community. We are humbled to have a long list of non-profit organizations eager to partner with us, and we ensure those we select to work with are deeply rooted in the Lincoln community. Together with these great organizations and our many partners, we are excited to continue helping fuel the future of our city!
To learn more about our program, click here or stop by one of our stations if you’re ever in the area.
