Integrated Marketing Communication Plan for North Shore CDC

Date: 3/4/2015
Project: North Shore CDC
Project Team Members: Jessica Mayo, Justin Warshavsky, Courtney Karpiej, and Pat
Burgess
Product and Market Background:
North Shore Community Development Coalition prides themselves on investing
in neighborhoods to create thriving communities. Features of the organization include
community development efforts such as learning programs for young adults who did not
finish high school, real estate investment, service learning for students, and many
individual volunteer opportunities.
The main objectives surrounding this campaign are to brand and promote the
North Shore CDC service learning program in order to gain more interest, awareness, and
involvement. In 2014, North Shore CDC conducted service learning projects that
included voter engagement, VITA tax preparation, YouthBuild marketing, and a Research
Methods in Needs Assessment class from Endicott. Overall, through this campaign we
are seeking to market the unique opportunity of service learning and want to connect
surrounding schools with North Shore CDC to build partnerships that advance both
audience and organization.
The target audience for this campaign, which consists of college and high school
faculty and administration, who have been found to have mixed opinions of service
learning. John Egger, professor at Towson, believes that service-learning is aimed not at
helping the student improve himself by acquiring useful, work-related information
through hands-on experience (as has long been the case with traditional student
internships), but rather at making the student feel a sense of obligation for the
misfortunes of other people (Leef, 2008). Although service learning can be exciting and
motivational to the students, service learning projects can also be intimidating. These
projects can also be overwhelming for professors (Lopez & Lee, 2005, p. 3). Despite
some negative responses to the idea of service learning by the audience, the overall
consensus seems to be that service learning is beneficial in the classroom. According to
Black (2002), service learning enhances what is taught in higher education by extending
student learning beyond the classroom and into the business arena and assisting students
in the development of lifelong career and professional/social skills.
Through the use of the deliverables (print, digital, PR, social media, ENewsletters, Website) it is imperative that the campaign meets the needs of the client,
stays within the estimated budget and achieves maximum reach by the given deadline.
Competition:
Many schools offer service learning classes to their students, some even offer a
major. UMass Amherst offers a service learning class which partners with Big Brothers
Big Sisters in order to mentor children while also learning about the history of mentoring
and implementing theories and practices of mentoring. As stated in the course
description, Students also critically examine their own assumptions and beliefs in order
to better understand their interactions with [their] Little Brother or Sister and their

family. Assumption College offers a Community Service Learning major. According to

the Assumption College Community Service Learning program page, the goal of each
course in this major is to fuse community service and academic inquiry, simultaneously
creating memorable educational experiences for the student and valuable service to the
greater Worcester community. The classes offer students the opportunity to learn about
and participate in many different service learning projects in a variety of disciplines. To
achieve these goals, Assumptions Community Service Learning program works very
closely with Habitat for Humanity.
Big Brothers Big Sisters and Habitat for Humanity have done a great job
partnering with schools in order to implement service learning. North Shore CDC can
follow the lead of organizations such as these by developing stronger, more long-term
partnerships with schools that have either service learning classes or majors.
South Shore Housing is a competitor of North Shore CDC. Both organizations
have similar housing initiatives. However, North Shore CDC is focused on community
development as a whole whereas South Shore Housing seems to be more devoted to
helping low income families find affordable housing. The South Shore Housing ("South
shore housing," n.d.) website is not nearly as developed as North Shore CDCs, it is very
basic with both design and information. They also do not link their site to social media
platforms, which North CDC does well. North Shore CDC has a few advantages over
South Shore Housing. Marketing that North Shore CDC does more than just provide
affordable housing will set the organization apart from other community development
coalitions in the North Shore area. Promoting North Shore CDCs service learning and
other programs will help keep the organization ahead of the competition. Currently they
are primarily known for their housing projects but they offer much more to the
community, which should be noted.
The North Shore YMCA is another main competitor to North Shore CDC. The
North Shore YMCA also offers many of the same community development programs that
North Shore CDC offers. The North Shore YMCA is strongly invested in social impact
and reaching out to the community in order to make it grow stronger and more connected.
Many of the programs they offer are centered on the idea of living a healthier lifestyle,
which is not something North Shore CDC focuses on. The North Shore YMCA also
offers a variety of training programs devoted to helping the community strengthen certain
skill sets which will in turn lead to jobs. More closely related to North Shore CDC, the
North Shore YMCA works to build better communities by providing affordable housing
in towns throughout the North Shore. The North Shore YMCA also places a high
importance on youth development. Both organizations have the same goal of bettering
communities and both rely heavily on volunteers and donations. The North Shore
YMCA, like North Shore CDC has a very nice and developed website. The North Shore
YMCA also has a strong Twitter presence and following and also utilizes Instagram,
which North Shore CDC has yet to do.
Marketing Objective:
The target audience should understand that by participating in a service learning
class, they could contribute to building a better community, do some hands-on work
outside of the classroom, and gain real-life experience that can be put on a resume or in a

portfolio. North Shore CDC wants to connect with schools in the North Shore, and
encourage them to take part in service learning programs.
Target Market/Audience:
The primary target market for North Shore CDC would be the administration and
faculty at high schools and colleges in the North Shore area. By partnering with North
Shore CDC and connecting students with philanthropic opportunities, it gives this
audience the chance to enhance both their curriculum and the betterment of their
students academic lives. According to the University of Michigan, community service
increases students personal, interpersonal and social development; increases motivation,
student engagement, and school attendance; and, leads to new perspectives and more
positive lifestyle choices and behavior. Service learning can also have other
psychological, social, and cognitive benefits.
The secondary target market for the organization is students both in high school
and college. This market ranges in age from 14-22 in the same geographical location as
the primary market. Students tend to reach out and look for opportunities for school
credit, but also for real life experience outside of the classroom. More specifically,
students can build networks of potential business contacts for after graduation, add
service learning to resumes, and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills that
may aid in other real life situations.
Other audiences would include corporations, businesses, and community
members. Companies seek to make an impact on both the communities that they live in,
as well as the ones that they serve. Other community members may include, but are not
limited to, retirees, stay at home moms or dads who seek involvement, and interns who
are not connected to a school.
Media:
North Shore CDC is currently using Facebook and Twitter as their main social
media outlets. Additionally, the organization occasionally uses press releases and utilizes
public access television. North Shore CDC is very active on social media but could use
help with community engagement and conversation on the accounts. The content that is
posted is both interesting and relevant, however there are ways to further increase
engagement. For example, North Shore CDC could use a post to ask questions and
followers could answer and share their opinions (Nonprofit Social Media, 2013). This
method can be applied to both Facebook and Twitter.
Another site that should be used by North Shore CDC is LinkedIn, especially
based on the target markets that the organization wants to reach. Schools and
corporations may not only turn to the organizations website but a professional page, such
as LinkedIn, for information. Creating a profile on LinkedIn is a must for North Shore
CDC in order to maintain business-to-business relationships.
North Shore CDC should start utilizing YouTube as another social media
platform. Google has created a YouTube program specifically for nonprofit companies,
giving them special benefits and ways to promote themselves (YouTube nonprofit
program, n.d.). North Shore CDC can take advantage of YouTube by using it to release
videos from their programs and events. YouTube can offer the ability to create videos like

How-Tos and tutorials. Its also a great way to respond to volunteers and partners to
thank them for the difference theyve made.
Instagram can also be a successful tool with nonprofits. This could help create
new photo content for the North Shore CDC website. beverlybootstraps.org and
ilcnsca.org both have a slideshow of photos on their main page that promote their
programs and events. Nonprofittechforgood.com released an article called Top 5
Instagram Best Practices for Nonprofits (2014). This might be helpful for the initial
promoting of the account. Nonprofits can use Instagram to post live photos and videos
from events, regram photos from other users, and use hashtags to promote their posts.
There are other apps that can overlap with an Instagram account to track Instagram
analytics, print your photos, or make collages. The article also suggests posting at least
one photo daily to gain followers.
The North Shore CDC website is well developed and utilized. However, North
Shore CDC could benefit by adding a service learning microsite to the existing
organization website so it is more easily accessible to those who are interested in the
program. Also, adding a company blog might be helpful, so that employees, volunteers,
and community members can post and comment about various events and programs.
This blog, if implemented, will need to be specific to North Shore CDCs service
learning program and will be accessible from the service learning program page. This
would be a great tool to keep the community updated on what North Shore CDC is doing
while providing a platform for community members and volunteers to comment on their
experience.
This campaign will also include print and digital components. For print, tri-fold
brochures will be designed and printed based on the clients particular desires, which will
be implemented by the team. These brochures will be given out at events and to everyday
volunteers. Also, postcards will be presented for a direct mail aspect that can be sent to
the specific audience(s). They will display a message about the importance of service
learning and the benefits that surround it.
The digital component will be represented with a video or slideshow, which will
be produced to add diversity to the campaign. This could be placed on North Shore
CDCs social media pages and on their website. All designs, layouts and storyboards will
need to be approved by the client at a scheduled meeting with the team.
Proposition/Promise/Benefit:
The service learning program will give those involved (students, professors,
administration) real life experiences that will lead to positive contributions to the
classroom and the community.
Message/Tone of Voice:
The tone of this campaign is informational by explaining the importance and the
benefits of service learning in the classroom. Service learning is important to a students
education development because it gives them hands on experience. Service learning is
important to a professors curriculum because it provides their students with a valuable
and unique learning opportunity. Service learning provides the opportunity for colleges
and universities to get involved in the community in a positive way.

The one idea that we would get through the clutter would be that North Shore
CDC provides a valuable and unique experience to professors and students through their
service learning program.
The Budget:
Print Components:

Brochure printing: 25= $16.99 (VistaPrint.com)

(Suggested QTY: 50)
[Deals can also be found sometimes on Groupon & RetailMeNot]

Brochures
(10.98" x 8.5")
QTY
25
*50
100

PRICE
$16.99 $1.47/ea.
$33.99 $0.67/ea.
$63.74 $1.56/ea

Direct Mail: 500 postcards (Suggested Source: VistaPrint)

Staples- does not include postage = $54.99 (500)
500(.49)= $245 + $54.99= $299.99
VistaPrint- does includes postage = $139.72 (250)
250 (2)= 500
$139.72 (2)= $279.44
Digital Production: No Cost- Production/Creation will be done by the team

EBlast Newsletter- MailChimp.com

MailChimp helps you email the right people at the right time. Send automated
emails based on customer behavior and preferences.

Pricing varies depending on how many subscribers and the volume of emails that
are sent
o
Sending under 12,000 emails per month is free. Price increases in $5
increments based on emails sent and number of subscribers.
Website: Service Learning extension

This aspect will include a specific service learning program site

In addition to the existing website

Total Estimated Budget= $313.43
50 Tri-Fold Brochures = $33.99
500 Direct Mail Postcards= $279.44
E-Newsletter= Free
Digital Production= Free
Social Media Plan= Free
PR/Strategy= Free
Website= Free

The Deliverables:
1. Digital video, slideshow, or image based project with audio that is good for
sharing
2. Print components (print ads, postcard flyer, direct mail, etc.)
3. Public relations plan/strategies and tools
4. Social media plan and completed content, platforms, and social media specific
campaigns with connected social media (Instagram, FB, Twitter, YouTube)
5. E-mail newsletter template with content that can be sent to their list
6. Website with appropriate content for the campaign
The Deadline:
Ideally, the most effective time to release this campaign would be before semester classes
are chosen. The deliverables will be ready for North Shore CDC by our last class, May 1,
2015. By meeting again with Kristin we will be able to set concrete deadlines for each
individual project.
Evaluation:
The success of this campaign can be evaluated by the number of schools and
organizations that start utilizing North Shore CDCs service learning program after
campaign components have been released. For almost all of the social media networks,
there is some sort of followers, which we can note down for each platform before we
release our campaign. After the campaign has had time to take effect, we can compare the
amount of followers at that point with what was noted beforehand. Also, in order to track
the success and reach of various social media outlets, North Shore CDC can take
advantage of online analytics tools such as Google Analytics or findyourpeople.org.

References
Black, G. (2002). Incorporating service learning into the business curriculum. Journal of
Business Administration Online, 1(2). Retrieved from
http://www.atu.edu/jbao/fall2002/genie.pdf
Community service learning. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.assumption.edu/academics/programs/community-service-learning
Leef, G. (2008, September 2). Is there learning in service learning? Retrieved from
http://www.popecenter.org/commentaries/article.html?id=2058
Lopez, T.B., & Lee, R. G. (2005). Five principles for workable client-based projects:
Lesson from trenches. Journal of Marketing Education, 27(2), 172-188)
Mentoring with Big Brothers Big Sisters. (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.umass.edu/worldwide/content/mentoring-big-brothers-big-sisters
Nonprofit Tech for Good (2013, July 13). Five nonprofits maximizing youtubes
nonprofit program. Retrieved from
http://www.nptechforgood.com/2013/07/13/five-nonprofits maximizing
youtubes-nonprofit-program-3/
Nonprofit Tech for Good (2014, April 14). Top 5 instagram best practices for nonprofits.
Retrieved from http://www.nptechforgood.com/2014/04/14/top-5-instagram-best
practices-for-nonprofits/