Family Marketing Building Communications Blocks

Keeping Children Safe and Families Together

Plan Report

Prepared by Jillian Toda May 2012

FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012

Table of Contents
Executive Summary .................................................................................. 3 Family Building Blocks: Growing Communications ............................... 5 Family Building Blocks: Keeping Children Safe and Families Together 8 Family Building Blocks: Proactive Present ............................................. 9 Project Overview and Methods ............................................................... 11 Building Communications: A Synthesis of Findings ............................ 13 Relief Nurseries ....................................................................................... 13 Similar Programs and Relief Nursery Missions ...................................... 14 Deliverables ............................................................................................. 16 5 Ps of Marketing .............................................................................. 16 Creative Brief .................................................................................... 17 Matrix of Messaging ......................................................................... 19 Conclusion: Building the Future ............................................................. 20 Bibliography ............................................................................................ 22 Appendix I: 5 Ps of Marketing .............................................................. 24 Appendix II: Creative Brief..................................................................... 25 Project Summary ............................................................................... 25 Target Audience Profiles ................................................................... 25 Communications Objectives ............................................................. 26 Creative Strategy ............................................................................... 27 Collateral Pieces and Vehicles .......................................................... 28 Messaging Timing ............................................................................. 28 Conclusion: A Checklist.................................................................... 28 Appendix III: Target Segments and Messaging: Building ______ ..... 31
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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012

Executive Summary
Keeping children safe and families together is the tagline mission of nonprofit organization Family Building Blocks. Leadership within the organization created the communications plan project to assess and address this taglines effectiveness in drawing people to get involved with the organization. The main components of this communications plan were analyzing marketing materials used by the organization and crafting messaging points that could be used as a future campaign by Family Building Blocks.

The market that Family Building Blocks operates within is distinct, which is advantageous for the organization. Being a naturally differentiated service because of its emphasis on preventative care for children, Family Building Blocks doesnt have any direct competitors since the other relief nurseries in Oregon serve specific regions. Other community and family services in the Salem-Keizer area are not particularly focused on breaking the intergenerational cycle of abuse that young children live in. Applying this advantage to the organizations communications plan benefits Family Building Blocks because this means that more attention can be focused away from competition and onto branding in marketing communications.

Integrated marketing communications should be used for the Family Building Blocks campaign so that consistent yet personalized messages can be conveyed to each target segment. In this case, the three target audiences of Family Building Blocks proposed campaign are community members, volunteers, and donors.

FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 Building____ is the campaign messaging tagline that will be used for the integrated marketing messaging. This messaging was developed after considering all of the previous analysis, information, and research on integrated marketing practices for organizations. The tagline is short and memorable, as well as provides flexibility for customization for each target segment marketed to by the Family Building Blocks campaign. Using this messaging and the further suggestions from the enclosed chart of talking points will allow Family Building Blocks to have a base for its future communications. Engaging, flexible, and memorable marketing such as this proposed campaign will aid Family Building Blocks in raising awareness of its services and strengthen the organizations brand image and recognition in the community. Such a communications strategy will thus build the organizations bright future.

Figure 1 Family Building Blocks Chelsea's Place

FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012

Family Building Blocks: Growing Communications

The Not-for-profit Management course, GSM-665, provides practical experience to students through a semester-long field project with local nonprofit organizations. Through goals and objectives agreed upon by the students and organization leaders, these projects allow students to gain skills in all aspects of business by applying their knowledge to the nonprofit sector. Gaining such knowledge is useful for a big picture view of business and management.

Family Building Blocks (FBB), a nonprofit organization working toward child abuse and neglect prevention through intervening on what is called the cycle of abuse. This organization is qualified as a relief nursery under the standards of Oregon Association of Relief Nurseries (OARN). Having this certification requires FBB to adhere to specific criteria in operations and services. While this status makes FBB consistent with other relief nurseries of Oregon, it also introduces an issue of branding, which the organization is currently facing. One project that FBB wants done in order to move forward to face this branding problem is the development of a communications plan that would identify, describe, and create messaging for target segments.

In taking action on this communications project, there are six areas that were agreed upon to be addressed: research on similar programs analysis of current FBB marketing materials target market segmentation and identification 5

FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 messaging creation distribution consultation for marketing vehicles Matrix chart containing a concise summary of messaging and market segmentation

While not all will be discussed to the same degree of depth, all are important to completing the project. There are three main deliverables for this project. The first deliverable is a chart showcasing FBBs 5 Ps of marketing. The 5 Ps are accepted marketing strategy guidelines developed by leading marketing scholars. Originally, there were 4 Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. In recent years with the rise of social media, the fifth P emerged: Participation (or People). Together, these 5 elements are defined as the marketing mix that are essential in producing value for a brand or organization.1 The second deliverable is a creative brief outlining a suggested communications strategy. This document serves as a snapshot of what the sentiment, messaging, and image of the campaign will be. Lastly, the final deliverable is a comprehensive matrix chart that provides a quick view of the communications messaging for each of the target market segments chosen. Such a chart will aid FBB in organizing messaging and keeping track of each target audience.

This communications project highlights the process of research and creative development. These tasks were the foundation of the project, and they materialized in each of the three deliverables. The 5 Ps information was based off of marketing knowledge learned in core business courses, combined with new awareness about the nonprofit sector. The creative brief similarly utilized information gained from integrated marketing communications and an understanding of the
1

Gainer, Brenda. Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations. The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Ed. 3. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2010: 313.

FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 organization itself. Further perspective of the market and possible audiences allowed for the segmentation of target audiences into three main groups for FBB to focus on: community members to be educated about the organization, potential volunteers, and potential donors. Together, these three audiences comprise the awareness campaign that FBBs communications is looking to convey its messages to.

The resulting deliverables of this communications project serve to inform FBB about 1) its potential target audiences, segmented into donors, volunteers, and community members, 2) integrated communications strategies involving messaging through traditional and new media vehicles, and 3) the positioning of FBB within its market for family care organizations specializing in child abuse prevention. Having a communications plan will equip Family Building Blocks with the knowledge and information for implementing these communications strategies as needed. Successful implementation of this plan can be measured by standards already set up by FBB leadership and marketing department.

FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012

Family Building Blocks: Keeping Children Safe and Families Together

Family Building Blocks (FBB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relief nursery focusing on breaking the intergenerational cycle of child abuse and neglect through providing resources for at-risk families of children six weeks to five years old. Family Building Blocks was founded in 1997 under the Oregon Association of Relief Nurseries (OARN), which has certified fifteen relief nurseries throughout the state. Communities where relief nurseries operate in are: Albany, Bend, Corvallis, Cottage Grove, Eugene, Gladstone, Madras, Medford, Ontario, Pendleton, Portland, Roseburg and Salem.2

The population that FBB serves is high-risk families with young children who are facing the intergenerational cycle of abuse and neglect. Of the parents whose children are in FBBs programs, all are in poverty, fifty percent were abused as children, and thirty-three percent have histories of drug or alcohol abuse, or mental illness. The organization serves over 300 children per year in its therapeutic classrooms, as well as another 300 children with its supportive

Family Building Blocks website. Family Building Blocks FAQ 2012. Accessed 6 Apr 2012. <http://www.familybuildingblocks.org/faq.html>.

FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 services.3 FBB provides a comprehensive variety of services for its families. These services include home visits for families to meet with Family Service Coordinators, therapeutic classrooms for children to learn in a nurturing and safe environment, respite care, family nights, parent-child interaction groups for parents to collaborate, and access to community resources like Early Head Start (EHS).

Family Building Blocks: Proactive Present

The current mission of FBB is to keep children safe and families together by empowering families to break the intergenerational cycle of abuse. The organization achieves this mission through its comprehensive services and ability to be proactive in its current operations. While enjoying successes such as being included on Oregon Businesss 2011 list of 100 Best Nonprofits to Work for in Oregon (as well as the 2010 list),4 Family Building Blocks is always looking toward its future. Under the strong leadership of Executive Director, Sue Miller, FBB has been a standout nonprofit organization that always wants to better its programs and effectiveness. One way that FBB ensures this is in its partnerships with local universities and colleges that provide student interns to the organization, as FBB will do this coming 2012 summer with an Atkinson MBA student intern.

Family Building Blocks website. Family Building Blocks Families 2012. Accessed 6 Apr 2012. <http://www.familybuildingblocks.org/families.html>. 4 Oregon Business. 2011 List: 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon Oct. 2011. Accessed 7 Apr 2012. <http://www.oregonbusiness.com/articles/104-october-2011/5920-100-best-nonprofits?start=3>.

FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 Sue Miller and the rest of FBB were supportive and eager to start this project in partnership with the GSM-665 course. Under this leadership and mentorship, a communications plan emerged as the most effective project that could be provided to FBB at the current time. This projects objective was to create a strategic communications plan for Family Building Blocks to use for specific target audiences. The tasks of the project were to 1) segment the external audiences of FBB, 2) develop messaging tailored for each target market segment, and 3) create a marketing communications campaign that would integrate these messages into a single strategy for reaching its audiences through specific communications vehicles. The desired outcome of this project was to craft marketing communications and distribution plan that made FBBs messages consistent, appealing, and would increase awareness and support for FBB in the Salem-Keizer community. By taking the steps to integrate its messages to attract donors and community involvement, FBB is acting proactively, modeling great practices for nonprofit organizations. The continuation of such action and involvement with local students will continue to bring FBB into the role of the leading relief nursery and nonprofit organization in the state. Having a communications plan will aid FBB in its current marketing endeavors, as well as in the future.

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012

Project Overview and Methods

To achieve the awareness goal of FBBs communication project, research was first conducted on how to best construct a marketing communications plan. Through this process, the concept of integrated marketing communications became a natural vision for the project. Larry Percy describes integrated marketing communications as the planning and execution of all types of advertising-like and promotion-like messages selected for a brand, service, or company, in order to meet a common set of communication objectives5 which is exactly what this project asked for. After determining that integrated marketing communications was, indeed, the best direction for FBBs project, further research was conducted to find more guidance for best practices. The primary resource for this communications project is derived from structures and research on integrated marketing communications.

Percy, Larry. Strategic Integrated Marketing Communications: Theory and Practice. Burlington MA: Elsevier, Inc., 2008: 5.

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 Following the research portion of the project was an analysis of the current marketing materials distributed by FBB. These materials include the FBB website, Facebook page, Twitter account, brochures, greetings cards, tour cards, informational flyers, and form letters to donors and supporters. The messages provided by FBB are focused on the tagline keeping children safe and families together and the blue color that is featured on its website. Unfortunately, the color scheme is not always consistent throughout all materials, resulting in a change in tone of some materials, such as cards, donor letters, and brochures.

The main points of improving these communications are the lack of consistency across the marketing materials and the tagline being overused by other relief nurseries. Having concise and memorable campaign slogans will help FBB differentiate from other programs in the SalemKeizer area. Although the marketing materials adequately serve FBB for its immediate needs, having a strategic, integrated approach would strengthen the organizations reputation, audience reach, and branding as a top nonprofit community organization.

Crafting the deliverables for the FBB communications strategy outlined earlier was next. These strategic pieces will provide FBB the guidance to implement a strategy for integrated marketing communications. These communications may be used to integrate future programs, events, and materials so that FBBs message will gain consistency and branding recognition by the public. Furthermore, each deliverable contains multiple pieces that can be changed, expanded or shortened, and customized for changing social climates, political landscapes, or any other needs FBB may face in the future.

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012

Building Communications: A Synthesis of Findings

The process of crafting the three main deliverables was characterized by external work that was equally important to the marketing of FBB, so a brief discussion of these insights follows below.

Relief Nurseries

Family Building Blocks is a relief nursery, also called a crisis nursery. All of the relief nurseries in Oregon are certified by the Oregon Association of Relief Nurseries (OARN), and are regularly evaluated by the Oregon Commission on Children and Families, which requires of its relief nurseries semiannual reports about program progress.

The effectiveness of relief nurseries has been evaluated by Portland State University, finding that overall, 98.6% of families served by relief nurseries in Oregon were living free from abuse or neglect.6 Relief nurseries have some shared standard characteristics, including funding from the government and flexibility in responding to different community needs. The programs of relief nurseries are services based on family needs, which comprise therapeutic classrooms, parent education, and home visits. Shared values of relief nurseries, as outlined by OARN are:

Portland State University. Key Findings: 2008-2010 Oregon Relief Nurseries Child Welfare Outcomes 2011. Accessed 7 Apr 2012. < http://www.familybuildingblocks.org/docs/KeyFindings2008-2010.pdf>.

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 acceptance, creating sustainability and stability through collaboration, and strategic response to environmental change. Also, there is a growth and improvement model outlined by OARN that also highlights being a community-based organization and collaborating or working closely with existing community programs.7 Being a community organization, FBB also must think about similar organizations in the Salem-Keizer area that can complement its work.

Similar Programs and Relief Nursery Missions

Two key findings emerged when assessing where FBB fits into its market in relation to similar organizations. First, FBB is very unique from any other organization in the area that works with youth, families, and child abuse prevention. This differentiation is due to the comprehensive approach that FBB takes on the cycle of abuse and neglect. Similar programs include the Boys & Girls Club of Salem, Salem Child Development Center, YMCA of Salem, and Liberty House. Since none of these programs are relief nurseries, they dont hold quite the same values and services. The Boys & Girls Club of Salem and YMCA, for example, are family-focused, but cater to children over the age of six. Since this age range is outside of the target audience, these organizations will likely draw different donors than FBB would. Salem Child Development Center (SCDC) is a private school program that works with children six weeks through twelve years old. While this program serves children of ages that overlap with FBBs, this school is focused solely on early development rather than child abuse prevention. Furthermore, the program fee makes the SCDC cater to a different audience of families than FBB. Liberty House, which does focus on child abuse issues, still provides very different services than FBB. Its program is for child abuse assessment, which is for those children who may have already
7

Oregon Association of Relief Nurseries. Historical Narrative 2010. Accessed 7 Apr 2012. < http://mountainstarfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/OARN_Historical_Narrative_Final1.pdf>.

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 experienced child abuse or neglect. Where FBB differs from Liberty House is in its relief nursery approach to child abuse, which promotes prevention and intervention on the intergenerational cycle of abuse.

Due to the differences outlined above, FBB still remains to be a differentiated organization from similar programs in the Salem-Keizer area. As a unique organization that is characterized by its status as a relief nursery, FBB can distinguish itself from programs like Salem Child Development Center and Liberty House by focusing its image as Salems premier child abuse prevention and educational resource for families breaking the cycle of abuse. This distinction is great in the Salem-Keizer area, but FBB should also consider its image within the larger relief nursery population. Of the other fifteen relief nurseries in Oregon, several have the same mission of keeping children safe and families together. While this consistency across relief nurseries is important, FBB should recognize that its organization can also differentiate itself from these other programs to create a unique branding image. If nothing else, having an enhancement to its mission tagline communications can raise awareness about FBBs brand, bringing it to the top of the communitys list of leading child abuse prevention and early childhood development programs. Such differentiation will increase FBBs presence in the community, growing its potential for attracting interested volunteers and donors.

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012

Deliverables
5 Ps of Marketing

Through writing the Five Ps (Appendix I) for FBB, the key findings that emerged were related to price and participation. Price proved difficult to measure as a nonprofit organization that doesnt charge fees to its families. Due to this reason, price should be measured and estimated from the nonfinancial costs associated with becoming involved with FBB. Costs such as time and dedication to the program thus became extremely important, and should be considered from the other sidein other words, from the perspective of a donor or volunteer. Since time and commitment are aspects that these stakeholders must give up to FBB in order to be involved in its services and work, marketing to such audiences must be done in ways that take this into consideration. Time-minimizing operations and convenience must be used and 16

FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 conveyed in FBBs communications. Having convenient ways to donate regularly to FBB, for example, can be part of the messaging to prospective donors. Participation Also known as People, this is the newest aspect of marketing considerations in todays digital age. This fifth P mainly concerns marketing over new media, such as the social media platforms of Facebook and Twitter. In looking at FBBs accounts on Facebook and Twitter, the participation potential is great, but hasnt yet been taken advantage of. While it takes time to update social media and other new media such as blogs and websites, the interaction and connections it can produce for organizations online is rewarding. Family Building Blocks can begin to start more dialogue and interaction through instigating interaction on its Facebook page in polls, picture postings, or liking other pages of similar programs. This interaction will also increase the potential for FBB to collaborate with other nonprofit organizations or relief nurseries, which is a large trend in the nonprofit sector today. Also, FBB can continue to grow its followers on Twitter through posting tweets that contribute to ongoing conversations. Posting links to relevant articles and developing unique hashtags will help increase visibility and interaction on Twitter. Furthermore, interacting more on Twitter through retweeting, quoting, and following others will also help increase the visibility of FBB. Creative Brief The creative brief (Appendix II) for the Building____ integrated marketing communications strategy uses the target segments of donors, volunteers, and community members. These three audiences represent the main focuses for FBBs current needs of funding and community awareness. After summarizing the campaign project and scope, the target audience was discussed and outlined by brief profiles defined by the Nielsen PRIZM model. Nielsen is a large

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 and esteemed market research company and the PRIZM profiles provide brief descriptions that depict various social segments. These profiles are based on socioeconomic status, race, consumer habits, and even hobbies. Using a search on the Nielsen website, specific target segments for Salem are available to be used for consideration when creating this campaign.
Figure 2: Nielsen PRIZM profile outline

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 Next, an Attention-Interest-Desire-Action (AIDA) modela popular advertising model for how communications grab attention, maintain interest, inspire desire, and facilitate action on the part of the audiencelays out how the creative strategy would work for receivers of the messaging. The tone and color scheme of the campaign would still adhere to the current FBB marketing materials, adding consistency in messaging across audiences. This messaging will provide concise, memorable messaging to community members, volunteers, and donors.

Following this creative strategy and purpose of the communications was a discussion on the messaging vehicles. For FBBs messaging, the appropriate vehicles would be mainly new media and printed direct mailers. These pieces should be distributed based on a marketing schedule on either a reverse wedge pattern or awareness pattern, as illustrated in the creative brief. While implementation of such messaging and integrated communications lies outside of the scope of this project, FBB should take these suggestions into consideration for future crafting of marketing materials and messaging. Matrix of Messaging Lastly, the matrix chart (Appendix III) of messaging for the target segments was constructed. This matrix can act as a summary piece of communications consulting for FBB. The chart includes the three target audiences of FBBcommunity members, volunteers, and donorswith descriptions of each. In addition to the audience segmentation, the matrix also contains examples of the messaging developed in the creative brief, using the Building____ campaign as the base. This messaging allows FBB to have consistent, integrated communications across the three distinct target audiences. Furthermore, the communications strategy can be easily

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 changed or adapted to different audiences, situations, and environmentsa value that is characteristic of the Oregon relief nurseries.

While this matrix illustrates the Building___ communications campaign, this does not mean that the keeping children safe and families together tagline will be put on the shelf. Rather, this Building___ messaging should act as a supplement to FBBs existing mission. Especially since FBBs mission reflects those of the other relief nurseries of Oregon, the tagline should remain visible for the public to see the connections between the organizations. What will be gained from this additional messaging is the potential to further differentiate FBB from other organizations and move into a brand whose image is the leading nonprofit organization focused on child abuse and neglect prevention in Marion and Polk counties.

Conclusion: Building the Future

Integrated marketing communications has been at the forefront of the marketing strategy throughout this project. Using an integrated marketing communications approach will allow FBB to simultaneously attract its target audiences of donors, volunteers, and community members, while also broadening its reach and awareness within Marion and Polk counties. Family Building Blocks will rise as a high-quality organization with respectable services, mission, and brand. Its differentiation as a unique organization that provides comprehensive and preventative services position FBB as the leader of relief nurseries and child abuse and neglect programs in the Salem area. Having this recognition will, in turn, alert donors and volunteers of the opportunity to support or get involved in a worthwhile organization that provides great donor 20

FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 recognition and meaningful experiences. The communications plan is, then, essential for the creation of new relationships in the community.

Gaining such relationships from FBBs marketing communications will allow for the organization to focus its energy on other issues of business, including its annual fundraising activities, further program or service development, and collaboration with other organizations. As OARN established the value of working closely with community groups, the enhanced communications of FBB can aid in making this work more tangible and feasible given todays economic climate. Through use of the communications strategyas well as adaptations of its messagingFamily Building Blocks will impact more people, increase positive brand attitudes, gain potential collaborations, and build the foundation for its future.

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Bibliography

Family Building Blocks. FAQ Family Building Blocks website. 2012. 6 Apr 2012. <http://www.familybuildingblocks.org/faq.html>. Family Building Blocks. Family Building Blocks Families 2012. 6 Apr 2012. <http://www.familybuildingblocks.org/families.html>. Gainer, Brenda. Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations. The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Ed. 3. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2010. Nielsen Company. My Best Segments: PRIZM Segment Look-up The Nielsen Company website. 2001. 21 Feb 2012. <http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/Default.jsp?ID=30&SubID=&pageName=Se gment%2BLook-up>. Oregon Association of Relief Nurseries. Historical Narrative. OARN presentation. 2010. 7 Apr 2012. < http://mountainstarfamily.org/wpcontent/uploads/2011/03/OARN_Historical_Narrative_Final1.pdf>. Oregon Business. 2011 List: 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon Oregon Business website. Oct. 2011. 7 Apr 2012. <http://www.oregonbusiness.com/articles/104-october2011/5920-100-best-nonprofits?start=3>. Percy, Larry. Strategic Integrated Marketing Communications: Theory and Practice. Burlington MA: Elsevier, Inc., 2008. Portland State University. Key Findings: 2008-2010 Oregon Relief Nurseries Child Welfare Outcomes 2011. Family Building Blocks website. 7 Apr 2012. <http://www.familybuildingblocks.org/docs/KeyFindings2008-2010.pdf>.

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012

Appendices I-III
The following three appendices comprise the work completed throughout the Family Building Blocks communications plan and in order to create its campaign. The first appendix is the 5 Ps of Marketing, a chart depicting Family Building Blocks strategy for its product/service, price, place, promotion, and people/participation. This knowledge should serve as a roadmap for Family Building Blocks to implement future marketing materials effectively and in an organized fashion.

The creative brief is an outline of the Building____ campaign, providing the organization with the reasoning and creative strategy behind this messaging. This appendix is the most important in laying out the logical pathway of setting up the integrated marketing communications, and should be used as a reference for implementing the current campaign, as well as for any future campaigns.

Following the explanation for the campaign is the matrix chart summarizing the target market segments and their respective message points. The chart provides a comprehensive and concise view of the possible messages that can be implemented to the three target audiences of this integrated marketing communications strategy (community members, volunteers, and donors). Family Building Blocks should use this chart as a starting point for implementing choice messages to its audiences as well as for organizing the campaign.

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012

Appendix I
5 Ps of Marketing The Family Building Blocks (FBB) Approach FBB provides an array of services to at-risk families in Marion and Polk counties through its work as a crisis relief nursery breaking the intergenerational cycle of child abuse and neglect. These services include home visits, early development aid in therapeutic classrooms, parent and family workshops, as well as referrals to helpful community resources including Early Head Start and Reruns for Kids (clothing store). Since FBB is a nonprofit organization, it does not generate profit as a for-profit company would. Pricing, therefore, can be looked at from nonfinancial costs. The primary costs associated with using FBBs services are time, patience, and dedication to the program. Time is the largest cost given for the services provided by FBB, and thus the program should operate either in a time-minimizing way (providing programs quickly and conveniently for customers), or in a way that differentiates FBB as providing premium, top notch services that are very worthwhile for the time price. The location of FBB is fitting since it is publicly visible, as well as near a school that could provide volunteers. Having two different locations is an advantage. Awareness about the locations of Chelseas Place and Gracies Place will help situation and locate FBB in the minds of community members, so this information should be visible in all marketing materials. FBB already promotes its organization through its annual Dream Builders event, as well as other events throughout the year. Additional promotion of FBB can be done via print advertising in local newspapers, magazines focused on childcare (similar to those found at hospital offices), and online. Earned media (or good PR) can be obtained through published press releases in the local newspaper or circulation of online videos discussing FBB. Using social media (Twitter, Facebook, Wordpress, etc.) to promote FBBs successes and stories will help attract donors and volunteers. For example, by promoting FBB with quotes from satisfied volunteers or donors on Facebook and Twitter, others will see that FBB is a worthy cause to contribute to.

Product (Service)

Price (Nonfinancial)

Place

Promotion

Participation

Being actively engaged is essential today for gaining recognition and participation. Interaction on social media is important for community members to see that FBB is always engaging with its cause and consistent with its dedication to child safety and family strengthening. Tweets should contribute to conversations, including links to resources/articles and hashtags when possible. Also, posting pictures and requests on Facebook can keep online followers up-to-date and interested in the organization. Participation is key for an online presence, which can translate into participation offline.

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012

Appendix II

Creative Brief
Project Summary Family Building Blocks (FBB) is a relief nursery serving the Salem-Keizer community. This nonprofit organization is one of fifteen relief nurseries in the state, and is overseen by the Oregon Commission on Children and Families. The mission of FBB is to keep children safe and families together through the empowerment of families in order to break the intergenerational cycle of abuse. In this way, FBB works to prevent child abuse and neglect. Although started in 1997, FBB is seeking an integrated marketing approach for communicating tailored yet consistent messages to multiple audiences. This messaging development derives from an understanding of three target segments: donors, volunteers, and community members (Appendix I). This communications project will tailor messages for these three groups, resulting in talking points and a strategy for how to implement these ideas. The main goal in crafting this messaging is to create integrated marketing communications that will lead to brand consistency and action on the part of the three identified target segments. Target Audience Profiles Donors comprise the primary audience for this awareness campaign. This segment includes businesses and individuals, to which the value of family, community, and self-determination are important. People of this audience are mostly new parents and older empty nesters, in the age range of 25-65. The donor audience can also be broken down further into subgroups provided by the Nielsen Market Segmentation PRISM8: Gray Power: midscale mature without kids Kids & Cul-de-sacs: upperscale younger with kids Blue-chip Blues: midscale younger with kids White Picket Fences: upper-mid younger with kids Middlebury Managers: upper-mid older without kids

These five sub-segmentations are all potential donors that are sought out by FBBs campaign. The segments are based upon the geographical zip-codes of the Salem-Keizer area (97301, 97302, 97304, and 97305) and the generation of the Nielsen segmentation data. The key benefit that FBB can offer these wealthy donors are public recognition with a feel good causefor
8

http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/Default.jsp?ID=30&SubID=&pageName=Segment%2BLook-up

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 either individuals or businessesand frequent, transparent updates about the organizations progress.

Volunteers are a secondary audience for the FBB campaign. FBB can offer this segment the satisfaction of being part of something bigger than themselves and the joy of working with children. The majority of this audience will likely be women between the ages of 16-36. Students and young women looking to get experience in child care will be at the forefront of this target segment. Since FBBs Chelseas Place is located close to McKay High School, Chemeketa College and Willamette University, there is great opportunity for students wanting to volunteer. Finally, the last target segment, community members, should be marketed to in order for FBB to gain recognition in the community. Having a positive reputation in Salem and Keizer is vital for the continuance of FBB as an organization, and depends upon the communitys knowledge of the program. Educating the public about this great resource will aid in making FBB visible so that a sense of brand recognition (FBB standing for child abuse prevention services) will be formed. FBB can offer community members who dont necessarily want to get involved with the organization the security and peace of mind in knowing that Salems children are being cared for. Furthermore, FBB is building stronger families, which also strengthens the safety and quality of the Salem community. Communications Objectives The primary goal of this integrated communications development is to more effectively market to multiple audiences, while keeping consistency through the messages in order to raise brand awareness and recognition. This goal will be achieved through the AIDA model: Attention: Colorful visuals with little text will catch viewers eyes, especially when an array of young children is present. Interest: The interest of viewers will be kept through emotional or thought-provoking text (that will be minimal); this will lead to Desire: Viewers will process the message of the communications and feel the desire to learn more about FBB, prompting them to Action: Viewers will take action by visiting FBB, visiting FBBs website or social media pages, or calling FBB to ask about how to donate/get involved

Furthermore, the AIDA model will fulfill these objectives in order to achieve the goal outlined above: Raise community awareness of FBBs mission, values, services Increase the amount of traffic and subscriptions online for FBBs website and social media accounts Increase the amount of involvement with FBB, including donations Create a consistent tone or feeling around FBBs campaign and marketing pieces 26

FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 Creative Strategy Toneserious, but innocent or playful; not guilt-inducing Imageryreal children and families that FBB serves, similar to the current campaign, with more color; keep the blue background of current campaign, but include full color like on website in order to instill feelings of hope, happiness upon viewers. The gray pictures of the brochure pictures can be interpreted as sad or blue, as the main color already is. Adjectives to conveyhappy, endearing, strong, powerful, feel-good, empowering, trust-worthy, respectful, responsible, pure, playful Messaging Outline Audience Donors (external)

Possible Talking Points Strengthening families; strengthening communities Helping allno matter how small Where kids can grow Donating from your heart to theirs Building the blocks of opportunity Small acts; Big hearts (very picture-based) Family Building Blocks: Building Families Futures BUILDING_____ words: growth, opportunities, lives, support, networks, connections, recognition, community, impact Become a building block in their lives (picture of children) Helping kids do what they do best (picture) We all need someone to hold our hand sometimes Welcome to your new family BUILDING____ words: fun, laughter, love, opportunities, futures, care, childrens safety, experience, meaning Whos taking care of Marion-Polk countys children? Where families get their building blocks Family Building Blocks: serving all of our families For our family, and yours BUILDING____ words: community, families, education, awareness, resources, safety, engagement, strength

Volunteers (Internal)

Community Members (very external)

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 Collateral Pieces and Vehicles These communications for FBB will not produce specific collateral pieces, but rather be integrated into all existing marketing materials and vehicles used by the organization. This includes, but is not limited to: Website Social Media: Facebook page, Twitter account, LinkedIn Profile, Blog Print Materials: Brochures, letterhead, greeting cards, business cards, direct mail, flyers, posters for events, tour date cards, press releases, newsletters, fundraising decorations, etc.

The marketing vehicles of the above mix of traditional and new media marketing should align with the messages (e.g. more serious tone conveyed in brochures in which facts and information can be easily provided, while Facebook marketing should be short, concise, and light). Family Building Blocks can also consider the various messaging around the organization that may happen unintentionally (Appendix II). Messaging Timing Reverse Wedge Pattern Leading up to large events of the year (Dream Builders luncheon, Uncorked, etc.) Run schedule for each event Build momentum for FBB and for specific event Awareness Pattern Certain key times throughout year to coincide with issues (national anti-child abuse month, founders day, etc. to concentrate mini-campaigns on) Periodically run schedules for issues/social happenings Build recognition for FBB and its work/services Conclusion: A Checklist Using this integrated marketing strategy, FBB will embody more of the great qualities that allow nonprofit organizations to be effective. Family Building Blocks communications will be: Consistent Emotionally appealing Powerful Informative Transparent Worthwhile Action-oriented

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012 Appendix I Target segment outline and benefit profiles Audience Donors Demographics Businesses or individuals Wealthy Ages 40-65 Salem area With families Values Child safety, community Empowerment Selfdetermination Education Opportunity Transparency and accountability Working with children Safety for all Education Opportunity Good conscience or feeling Benefit Profile FBB will offer donors public recognition/link to a Feel good cause and transparency/accountability on how their money is going directly to the children served

Volunteers

Mostly women Students or mothers Ages 16-36; 40+ Interested in child psychology or child care (career) Prior experience working with kids Families and mothers Middle to upper class status Medium-tolong-term Salem residents

FBB will offer volunteers the chance to work in a respectable organization, to learn about child care, a connection to the Salem community, and sense of fulfillment

Community Members

Family and kids Safe communities in Salem-Keizer Education for children Oregonian community

FBB will offer community members the educational awareness of child abuse and neglect prevention methods of relief nurseries, knowledge of how to get involved with FBB, and a secure mindset of having a good program in the community

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FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 2012

Appendix II Messages: Planned, Unplanned, and Unconsidered Marketing Channel Planned Messages Traditional form of controlled communications FBBs current marketing campaign(s) Keeping children safe, and families together (most prevalent and known) The best solution for child abuse & neglect is to prevent it The time is now / No time to lose

Unplanned Messages Uncontrolled communications: employee behavior, media stories, social media, etc.

High regard for FBB employees, volunteers, and program PR from local agencies (VanNatta, e.g.) Partnerships with local groups (Bonaventure Senior Living for Uncorked event) Family-oriented also (one-time things like Riverfront Family Fest) Chelseas Place near a high school, good and bad location: send message confusion because isolated from other nonprofits Use of social media, appeal to younger audience (e.g. high school and college students) Services offered are very good PR by itself

Unconsidered Messages Controllable aspects: Service, facilities, marketing mix aspects (pricing, distribution channels, programs)

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Appendix III: Family Building Blocks Target Segments and Messaging: Building ______
Differentiating and Customizing the Keeping Children Safe and Families Together Tagline

Volunteers
Mostly women: students or mothers ages 15-22 and 35+ Interested in child psychology; experience in child care Values children, safety, education; seeks rewarding and meaningful work purpose FBB offers: learning environment, connection to community, sense of fulfillment in higher cause Building Laughter Building Opportunities Building Care Building Childrens Safety Building Futures Building Experience Building Meaning

Community Members
Families and mothers Business owners, involved Salem residents Values family and children, Salem community, safety, education opportunities FBB offers: education on child abuse prevention methods, ease of mind for having relief nursery resource to better Salem community Building Community Building Families Building Education Building Awareness Building Resources Building Our Safety Building Engagement

Donors
Businesses or established individuals Middle to upper class status (white picket fences of PRIZM segmentation)* Salem residents valuing child safety, empowerment, transparency in causes FBB offers: public recognition, link to favorable cause, reward of seeing money go toward program and operations Building Growth Building Opportunities Building Lives Building Support Building Networks Building Connections Building Recognition

Description

Messaging
Family Building Blocks: Building [fill in the blank]

*Market segmentation based on the Nielsen Market Segmentation PRIZM guide for Salem zip codes. http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/Default.jsp?ID=30&SubID=&pageName=Segment%2BLook-up Building_____ tagline is an integrated messaging based upon the values and mission of Family Building Blocks, benefit profile offered to the target segments, and the ease of customizing messaging to these segments with supplementary tagline.

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