1. Final Public Relations Plan
The Salvation Army Poughkeepsie
“Through Our Eyes”
May 2, 2016
Kim Gallo, Katie Johnson, Tatiana Miranda,
Elisabeth Teichner, Kelly Whalen
2. Situational Analysis
Strengths Weaknesses
● Global presence
● Strong community programs
● Emphasis on the individual
● Limited funds & resources
● Limited knowledge surrounding
communication tactics
● Organization’s hierarchical structure
Opportunities Threats
● Developing media relations
● Expand social media efforts
● Develop community relationships and
partnerships
● Organizations in the surrounding
geographical area needing similar
resources
● Public conflict with the overarching
Salvation Army mission
3. Situational Analysis
Media Coverage
● Neutral-positive sentiment
● Doesn’t receive frequent news coverage
● Highlights
○ Poughkeepsie Journal: Mix 97.7's Mark Bolger holding Celebration of Lights 'Hostage' for
Charity (Dec 2014)
○ Poughkeepsie Journal: Good Life: Positive Achievements for Jan. 13 (Jan 2016)
Trends in the Non-Profit Industry
● Optimizing for Mobile
● 63% of donors want to know how their money will be used
● In 2015, email resulted in one-third of online fundraising revenue
4. Objectives
1. Generate a 150% increase in positive placements in media outlets by the end of the campaign,
December 2016.
1. Increase the public’s understanding of Salvation Army’s mission and opportunities by 15% by the end
of the campaign, December 2016.
1. Increase monetary donations by 20% by the end of the campaign, December 2016.
5. Strategies
1. Execute a sustained media relations campaign that targets selected contacts.
1. Generate and distribute digital content tailored to specific publics.
1. Establish an ongoing community relations program through events and programs targeting current and
potential donors.
6. Target Audiences
Media
1. College Newspapers
2. Print/Online
3. Radio
4. Broadcast
Community Publics
1. Non-profit organizations in the Dutchess County Area
2. Poughkeepsie Public School systems
3. Colleges in Dutchess County
Donors (current and potential)
1. Local businesses
7. Target Audiences
Media: Local Media
Increase community awareness of organization’s events and programs.
Each publication targets a specific audience that will benefit the Salvation Army
Community Publics: Students
Potential volunteers and partnerships that would be mutually beneficial
Important reach out to the various public schools within Poughkeepsie in order to maintain a positive
relationship while also increasing awareness of programs and upcoming events
Donors (Current and Potential): Local Business and Individual Donors
Partner with local businesses to encourage donations and involvement
Public figures within Dutchess County’s government are a prioritized audience due to their influence over
their constituents
8. Key Messages: Media
Salvation Army Poughkeepsie is more than just a thrift store
within the community.
The Salvation Army’s programs are extremely beneficial to
the children and adults of the Poughkeepsie community.
The Salvation Army will benefit from donations and
volunteers.
9. Key Messages: Community
The Salvation Army contributes to the community
through programs and activities outside of thrift
store operations.
The services and programs offered by the Salvation Army
Poughkeepsie are unique to the specific needs of the
Poughkeepsie community.
The Salvation Army’s programs and services will benefit
from donations and volunteers.
10. Key Messages: Donors
The Salvation Army contributes to the
community through programs and
activities outside of the thrift store
operations.
Financial and volunteer support will allow the
Poughkeepsie Salvation Army to forge
ahead with its programs and assist
members of the community.
Monetary donations are critical to fund and
run the Poughkeepsie Salvation Army.
11. Theme
THE SALVATION ARMY: THROUGH OUR EYES
Personalizing/ Humanizing The Salvation Army Poughkeepsie
Going beyond what is “known” about The Salvation Army Poughkeepsie
Relatable
Showing it through the perspective of those who are most directly impacted by/ related to it
Through Jenny’s eyes
Through after-school program children’s eyes
Through seniors’ eyes
12. Communication Tactic #1
Media Open House
Invite local news outlets to an “open house”
Poughkeepsie Journal
Hudson Valley Magazine
The Miscellany News, Vassar College
The Circle, Marist College
Falcon Free Press, Dutchess County Community College
La Papillote, Culinary Institute
Distribute face sheet with bios of attendees
Board members, donors, and/or a child that participated in
the program
Coincide with Back to School Season
13. Communication Tactic #2
Art Gallery at Steel Plant Studios
Marist College art students will volunteer at the After School
Program in September 2016
Assist children in creating art work
Final pieces will be displayed at gallery in November 2016
Open to the public
Invitations to press, donors, parents, and Marist
community
Food and drink will be served
Opportunity for donations & volunteer sign-ups
14. Communication Tactic #3
Seasonal Newsletter
Publish seasonal newsletter via MailChimp
MailChimp: stores template and distribution list
Sections such as “Volunteer Voices,” “Upcoming Events”
and a feature story
Send to:
Donors
Press Contacts
People who sign up via social
15. Timeline
Tactic JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN.
Open House Event
Art Gallery @ Steel Plant Studios
Seasonal Newsletter
16. Measurement
Tactic Objective Metric Success Metric
Media Open House
Increase media coverage
How many articles are
written about the event/
Salvation Army in
Poughkeepsie
3 or more articles
written by local media
Increase engagement
How many journalists,
donors and other
attendees ask for further
information as well as
calling the Salvation
Army in Poughkeepsie
6 or more attendees
request additional
information
Increase awareness of
the programs and events
The media’s knowledge
and understanding of
the programs and events
of the Salvation Army in
Poughkeepsie
Pre and post survey
17. Measurement
Tactic Objective Metric Success Metric
Art Gallery at Steel
Plant Studios
Increase volunteers
How many volunteers
sign up
5 or more people that
sign up
Awareness of events and
programs
Increased awareness of
the events and programs
of the Salvation Army in
Poughkeepsie
Pre and post survey
Increase donations
Donors who donate
money or sign up to
donate time
30+ donors through
donor tracking and
volunteer sign-ups
18. Measurement
Tactic Objective Metric Success Metric
Seasonal
Newsletter
Increase engagement
with volunteers and
donors to click on the
link to the newsletter
Click Through Rate
(CTR)
10%
Increase Donations
Donors who donate
money or sign up to
donate time
30+ donors through
donor tracking and
volunteer sign-ups
Increase Awareness
People who view the
newsletter online and
then opt to subscribe to
the newsletter
10 or more subscribers
20. Budget
* +/- 10 % contingency
ACTIVITY FEE OOP Expense *
Media Open House $2,850.00 $515.00
Art Gallery at Steel Plant Studios $3,100.00 $800.00
Seasonal Newsletter $2,200.00 $80.00
Total: $5,950.00 $1,315.00
Editor's Notes
Introducing ourselves and the final PR plan.
During the beginning stages of the public relations plan, our team conducted a situation analysis during the research phase. This included gaining a deeper understanding of the current situation that The Salvation Army is in. We went over the pre-existing media coverage that the organization has received, the competitors in Dutchess County, trends within the nonprofit industry and the organization itself.
The SWOT analysis above provides you with a brief overview of the the current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that The Salvation Army is facing. We used these insights as the foundation for our PR plan. We think your biggest asset is the strength of your community programs and the biggest challenge you face is the lack of limited funds and resources you have. You will see that we tailored our communication plan to highlight your strengths and opportunities and combat the weaknesses and threats.
Having favorable news coverage generated about your organization in print, online, on TV or on the radio could reach a wider audience of potential donors and volunteers, but as of recently, there’s not too much chatter about the SA Pok in the news. Jenny, when we spoke earlier in the semester, you told us that you wanted a relationship with the POK journal, and we agree that this would be beneficial. These are some of the recent mentions of SAP in the Poughkeepsie Journal. These headlines show us that they already view us favorably, so we should reach out to the journalists who wrote these pieces, which we will address later on in the presentation.
Trends in the non-profit industry, as reported by Nielsen and Blackbaud show that websites and charity pages must be optimized for mobile. The use of survey techniques such as SMS text message, voice calls, and interactive voice response has increased in the past few years which will help measure success. Blackbaud reported 63% of donors want to know how their money will be used, so we should find a way to let them know where their donations went and how they helped the organization. Also, Blackbaud reported that email resulted in one-third of online fundraising revenue, so this should be considered as well.
These objectives are what we hope to accomplish with this pr plan.
Our first objective is 150% which is equivalent 3 positives placements in either a publication or news outlet.
Increase the community's understanding of what Salvation Army stands for and what they offer to the community
Donations for the Salvation Army can always be increased because any amount helps but to increase them by the end of December 2016 would be our goal.
How we are going to go about our objectives first starts with our strategies. And these are our overarching strategies that we will carry out our objectives.
Through the research phase of our public relations plan, our team compiled the three main target audiences that your organization will communicate with to effectively relay your key messages to. Each of these audiences may be affected by your messaging but we have laid out three specific publics that our objectives, strategies and tactics target.
These could also be additional targeted publics that future tactics could address, while still going along with the objectives for your organization.
Media - local media
Wanted to focus on the local media within Dutchess county, that would reach our other publics..do this through your organization's events and programs
Community Publics - Students
There are many colleges in this area surrounding The Salvation Army Poughkeepsie, including Marist Vassar and the CIA. This is a great opportunity for your organization to create strong partnerships that are mutually beneficial
Additionally, the public schools in Poughkeepsie are important to communicate with to continue a positive relationship while also increasing awareness of its programs
Donors (current and potential) - local business and individual donors
We focused specifically on local businesses in the area and individual donors that would give monetary donations to support your organization. By partnering with local businesses it would encourage donations and future involvement
Individual donors such as public figures in the Dutchess County area have strong influences over the community and are a strong audience to target to encourage donations
Salvation Army Poughkeepsie is more than just a thrift store within the community.
The after-school Program provides transportation, supervision, homework assistance, and dinner for 23 children between the ages 6-13.
The feeding program is supported through donations and grant money. Salvation Army volunteers serve breakfast and lunch to seniors and the homeless everyday of the week.
The Salvation Army’s programs are extremely beneficial to the children and adults of the Poughkeepsie community.
Children’s lives are changed for the better from the guidance and support of the Salvation Army.
The food pantry supplies food and meals for those in need.
Services for the elderly, like meals and social programs, provide outlets for support and resources.
Community recreation programs regularly provide affordable entertainment for families with limited means.
The Salvation Army will benefit from donations and volunteers.
Monetary donations will work to improve the Salvation Army’s deteriorating facility.
Volunteers are needed to assist with the after-school program to better serve the needs of the children enrolled in the program.
Food donations are required to run the feeding programs.
The Salvation Army contributes to the community through programs and activities outside of thrift store operations.
The Salvation Army’s after-school program picks students up from school to bring them to the Salvation Army headquarters. Children then participate in guided activities such as dance lessons, homework assistance and dinner. The After School Program currently has 23 children ages 6-13 enrolled and has a maximum capacity of 30 children.
The Salvation Army runs a feeding program with an open door pantry for anyone in the community to access during a time in need as well as serves breakfast and lunch to senior citizens and the homeless daily.
The services and programs offered by the Salvation Army Poughkeepsie are unique to the specific needs of the Poughkeepsie community.
Parents benefit from knowing their children have a safe place to go after school.
The feeding program provides a social atmosphere for senior citizens to develop relationships and support.
Helping members of the community is a rewarding and mutually beneficial experience.
The Salvation Army’s programs and services will benefit from donations and volunteers.
Currently, the inconsistent volunteer base prevents programs from being run effectively.
Volunteers for all programs are always welcomed.
The Poughkeepsie Salvation Army will benefit from donations to fix building issues such as broken lights and doors.
The Salvation Army contributes to the community through programs and activities outside of the thrift store operations.
The extreme lack of resources limits the Poughkeepsie Salvation Army’s potential reach and effectiveness in the community.
Programs are run exclusively by unrestricted donations.
Financial and volunteer support will allow the Poughkeepsie Salvation Army to forge ahead with its programs and assist members of the community.
Donor support makes a difference in the lives of children and seniors in the community.
The benefits provided by the programs and services would not be possible without your help.
Monetary donations are critical to fund and run the Poughkeepsie Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army building is in need of repairs to increase safety and productivity.
Program funding is at a minimum, preventing the Salvation Army from fulfilling the maximum needs of its patrons.
Donating to the Salvation Army allows individuals to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.
“Through our eyes” suggests, as you mentioned, that from an outside perspective the community and your organization look much different than when you are standing in the midst of it. We believe that it is important to convey the theme of “Through our eyes” throughout our public relations plan, as you will see within the following tactical ideas that we have created encourage this theme. Our hope is that the publics that we have outlined will be a driving force and partner behind your key messages being conveyed and accepted. We understand the importance of your organization’s mission and the need for The Salvation Army Poughkeepsie to thrive within the community. “Through our eyes”, allows the targeted publics to see what The Salvation Army means to you and the type of positive impact you want your organization to have.
The Salvation Army is not another non-profit organization that gets lost in the crowd. It is home to children, volunteers, community members, and many other individuals that look it as a having a positive impact on their lives. It is important that your publics come to this as well. Your organization is more than a signal program or an event during the year, and through our public relations plan your publics will come to see the organization “Through our eyes”.\
Our groups connection to the Salvation Army
Story of the walking bridge
After hearing the set-up and process for the beginning stages of our public relations plan, we are now going to move into our communication tactics that will help us carry out our three objectives.
Media Open House
This first tactic addresses our teams objective of a 150% increase in positive media placements. Through the media open house journalists and reporters from a wide variety of publications will be invited to tour and write stories about The Salvation Army Poughkeepsie.
Invite different journalists from different publications
Provide face sheets with bios of all the different attendees (Board members, donors, and/or a child that participated in the program)
Include a step and repeat
Have Captain Jenny and her husband do a small speech about what the Salvation Army has done for the people of Poughkeepsie and the legacy of the Salvation army within their own family.
Invite some of the families that have been positively impacted by the Salvation Army and who wouldn’t mind speaking with the media
This event will bring positive press coverage and give the community a well rounded understanding of what the YOUR organization
*good start to developing relationships with media members
Community Publics - Art Gallery Partnership
Marist College art students will volunteer to attend the After School Program and assist the children with art projects. In November the artwork will be displayed in a special gallery at Steel Plant Studios, Marist College.
The event will be open to the public and will include invitations to media, donors, parents of After School Program children as well as the Marist community.
Food and drink will be served.
Opportunity for donations and additional volunteer sign up.
This tactic will work towards meeting objective 2 (increasing awareness of the Salvation Army’s programs) and objective 3 (increasing program donations). The event also has the potential to meet objective 1 (increased media coverage). The two main audiences we are targeting with this event are community publics and donors. The secondary target is the media.
The tactic will be measured by tracking the number of volunteer sign ups and donations as well as by conducting a pre and post survey to track measurement.
Planning of this event will begin over the summer and execution will occur in two phases: the volunteering by Marist students and the event itself. Evaluation of the tactics effectiveness will take place for two months after the event.
Explain why this will work!- Give children and their parents and outside resource to develop relationships with more people in the community and further give the students different mentors and expose these children to .
This tactic addresses the objective of increasing the public’s understanding of the organization's mission and opportunities, and addressing the objective of increasing monetary donations. Ideally, the newsletter will be sent out in March, June, September and December using MailChimp. The template is already uploaded onto the site, so the only thing that has to be done is inputting new information in the various sections such as the feature story, “volunteer voices,” “non-profit news” and “upcoming events.” This tactic is mainly a way to show donors and volunteers how their efforts helped and are appreciated, but depending on the content of the feature story, the newsletter can generate buzz for press. Volunteer Voices will be a good spot to showcase our theme, allowing a selected volunteer to talk about his/her experiences and encourage others to donate their time or money.
As our research suggested, donors like to know where their money goes so updating them with this newsletter. External links can be inputted into the newsletter for people seeking more information or looking to find MailChimp has automated sending features so the newsletter can be drafted and scheduled to be sent out anytime it is complete. This newsletter will be released in cross-promotion with social media, allowing people to sign up to receive the newsletter in the bio section. The newsletters will be synced with and posted on Facebook and Twitter. A mock-up of the template can be found on page 13 in the appendix.
Based on the tactics we have created a visual representation of the timeline of this PR Plan. The timeline consists of three stages: planning, execution and evaluation. The three stages are indicated by color in the key.
Open House: Planning for the open house event will begin in the summer. This includes researching and inviting reports and other invitees as well as booking the catering and other services. The execution will be the event itself held in August, around back to school time. Evaluation of the event’s success will take place in the following months as we need to give the media time to report on the event.
Art Gallery: Planning for the art gallery will include coordinating volunteers with Marist and finalizing a date for the event. Execution of the event will occur in two phases. First of which will be the volunteering of students at the after school program. The second phase will be the event itself. Evaluation will take place in the final two months of the plan.
Newsletter: The newsletter will be distributed twice in this six month plan. After the fall editions evaluation, the process will repeat itself for the winter edition.
After all is said and done we set in motion different metrics to measure how successful each tactic in our campaign was. This will help us determine if we would like to continue to use these tactics after the 6-month campaign has ended.
In order to measure the effectiveness of each communication tactic we have created specific objectives that coincide with each tactic for the final PR plan. For each objective there will a metric that will measure its effectiveness. From there, we developed success metrics for each metric which will allow us to see whether or not the metrics are successful.
Output: number of articles written
Outtake: request for additional information
Outcome: change in the media’s understanding of the services offered by the Salvation Army in Poughkeepsie
Before the event occurs we will have a Marist volunteer standing by the door of the steel plant as the media, marist community, and general public sign into the event will ask pre survey questions. Sample questions could include: How did you hear about the event? What do you know about The Salvation Army Poughkeepsie? What are your impression of the organization?
Output: Number of volunteer sign ups
Outtake: Increased awareness of events and programs
Outcome: The decision of people to donate to the Salvation Army because they view it as a worthy cause
Seasonal newsletter- MailChimp makes it very easy to
MailChimp is an online newsletter generator with templates and distribution lists
For the metrics for the seasonal newsletter we will be using Click Through Rates to measure its assigned objective. In order for this to be metric to be successful, 10% or more of those volunteers and donors will need click on the link to read the newsletter.
Output: number of donors and volunteers who received the newsletter in their inbox.
Ottake: number of people who sign up to receive the newsletter at events or by registering via the links on social media.
Outcome: number of people who make a donation to the organization through an online donation link in the newsletter.
*MailChimp automatically measures all of these metrics.
Thank you and the appendix
Account Coordinator= $50
Account Executive= $100
Account Director- $150
Vice President- $200
See budget for breakdown of costs.
