Campaign Plan:

Cascade AIDS Project

Ivanna Tucker
MSCM 347: Principles of Public Relations
Final Project

Mission
The Cascade Aids Project (CAP) is a nonprofit advocacy organization that offers services
for HIV/AIDS, housing opportunities, and education for the Oregon and SW Washington area.
CAP was founded in 1983, and has since become one of the largest providers in HIV/AIDS
services and advocacy. The mission of CAP is to prevent HIV infections, support and empower
people affected and infected by HIV/AIDS, and eliminate HIV/AIDS-related stigma (About
CAP).
CAP mainly operates in the Portland area, but travels throughout the Oregon and SW
Washington to help the greater area with issues connected to HIV and AIDS. There are three
locations where CAP coordinates their services: Hillsboro, Portland, and Vancouver (Cascade
AIDS Project). Each year, CAP has a $3.5 million budget to operate their services. It offers
services for men and women.
Each year, CAP puts on two main events for its organization- the AIDS Walk and an
annual art auction. The AIDS Walk is held in September each year where teams and individuals
walk five kilometers in order to help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. This past year, thousands
come to participate in the event (Thousands walk for AIDS research in Portland).
For the past 23 years, CAP has held an art auction at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland
to help raise money for the nonprofit. The event features over 250 pieces of art and more than a
thousand guests attend (Art Evening & Auction). This past year, the organization raised over
$570,000 toward its cause (2013 CAP Art Auction). The annual budget for CAP went from

less than $100,000 at its establishment to over $5 million dollars to use (About CAP). CAP
currently has over 600 volunteers and highly depends on their assistance. The growing services
that the organization drives the need for volunteer support.
External Environment
As one of the largest providers for HIV/AIDS support services, CAP attempts to assist as
many as possible within the community through its educational services and assistance
programs. More than one million people in the United States are living with HIV. Young adults
are the majority of those are diagnosed with the infection (US Statistics). Overall, one in five
people are not aware that they have the infection. This provides a sense that there is a need for
assistance through education programs and support services in the community. As more people
are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, CAP will have to provide additional services that fit with the
communitys dynamic changes. As of December 2010, 8,753 people have been diagnosed with
HIV in Oregon (HIV Infection in Oregon). Each year approximately 275 people in Oregon are
diagnosed with HIV. As additional people become diagnosed, it shows the need of assistance
within the local community. Given the rates within Oregon of HIV/AIDS infections, CAP should
focus on gaining volunteers and donations to contribute to the growing population that it has to
serve each year.
There are multiple characteristics that help describe the environment that CAP operates
in. First, the external environment is philanthropic. The population of the Portland and SW
Washington area seems willing to become engaged in organizations through volunteer work and
donating at various levels. Also the environment is free-willing. The population tends to be more
open minded about ideals and wants to learn and experience new opportunities.

CAP can be threatened by external factor in two significant ways. The cultural stigmas
attached to HIV/AIDS can have a drastic effect on the nonprofit. People tend to believe that
HIV/AIDS only has to deal with the LGBT community, but it really effects all different types of
communities. The amount of supporters can drop due to this attitude that community members
may share within the community. Their attitude changes constantly so it becomes hard for
nonprofits such as CAP to have a constant understanding of its external environment. Also the
political climate can serve as threat because if the political perspective is mostly conservative,
the policies that CAP is advocating for becomes difficult to establish. Conservatives tend to lean
away from advocating for HIV/AIDS because of their ideology is influenced by past stigmas and
beliefs. Thus, this threat can put a strain on the overall mission the nonprofit is attempting to
accomplish.
Opportunities can also be presented with influence of external factors. There is a current
trend for people within a community to give back in some way or another. This can help CAP
draw in more supporters and volunteers. Philanthropic work is something that many embrace and
want to be a part of at various levels of engagement. The political climate can also present an
opportunity for success. If the climate is more liberal or has more support toward HIV/AIDS
advocacy, CAP has a better opportunity to gain more supporters that can help raise awareness of
the effects that HIV/AIDS has on the community.
Service Analysis

There are other nonprofits that provide similar services on a more global level. The
United Nations Children Fund (UNCF) provides services toward children and focus more on
health care, education, and emergency relief. It also has an effort toward AIDS among children
and how they are treated or given prevention (Focus Areas). The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric
AIDS Foundation is another nonprofit that provides services for AIDS but has a focus toward
pediatric HIV/AIDS infections (About us). These organizations are more on a global level,
while CAP is more local and aims to serve the community its in. Both organizations prove to
support specific groups with the general population affected by HIV/AIDS. CAP has a more
general focus and advocates for the population as a whole.
Some internal threats are its one-way perspective on social issues and its lack of use in
technological advancements. CAP tends to only lean one way on the view of HIV/AIDs. This
can make it difficult for them to advocate to those who dont necessarily have the same
viewpoint because it does not have an understanding of the opposing sides views. Also the
nonprofit hasnt taken full advantage of the social networking opportunities. Even though the
organization has a Facebook and Twitter, it does not allow potential supporters and volunteers to
become engaged in the online community. The sites do not encourage feedback and online
community involvement.
CAPs willingness to continually give back and cultural climate increases its chances for
success. The organization constantly tries to go out into the community and educate them on
HIV/AIDS. This can be seen by the community as positive and encourages them to learn about
the nonprofit. Also the cultural climate is more open about the topic. CAP promotes the idea that

HIV/AIDS happens to all different types of people versus just presenting the idea of the normal
stereotype of it just affecting the homosexual population.
Target Public
In 2009, 8,294 young people were diagnosed with HIV in the United States and within
that seventy-five percent were between the ages of 20-24 (HIV Among Youth). The public that
needs to be communicated with the most is the young adult population ranging from 18-25 in the
greater Portland area. This population is a large portion of those that are being infected and
should be focused on since it is a major impact on their community. They are also eager to
become involved and are the most influential people in the community. There is only the teen
education program that teaches teens about sexual health. CAP has no direct strategic plan that
encourages the young adult to become a part of the organization and aware of the impacts it
makes on the community. This group is in need of further information about the effects of
HIV/AIDS and should become aware of the services that CAP offers. Through getting them
involved with the organization, they will help make a direct local impact for people in their age
group and also the greater population that are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. The target
public is always looking into what is new and how they can make a change in the world.
Opinion leaders that need to be focused on include sorority/fraternity members, student
body governments, and college newspaper staffs. These are the most influential people on
campus. They share information throughout the institutions and are constantly making an impact
within their communities. It is important to reach these people so that those who look to them for
information will be aware of what CAP is trying to present.

The Plan
Goal:
The overall goal for Cascade AIDS project is to encourage the young adult population to
support the nonprofit through donations and volunteering. This will give the organization
volunteers to work with and get more people aware of the nonprofit and what it does. Young
adults are the main opinion leader of the future so it is important to get them involved sooner
rather than later. Once they start becoming engaged, they will possibly continue to be involved
with the nonprofit in the future. The main objectives that we are trying to reach are raising
$100,000 and gaining 500 more contacts for volunteers.
Objective 1:
The first objective is to use controlled events to persuade the target audience to donate a
total amount of $100,000. This is the amount chosen for multiple reasons. By donating
specifically this amount, it can for sure make an impact for the company and can be spread out
into different aspects of the organization. There are over 20 higher education institutions in the
greater Portland area, but this event will only focus on the major ones: Portland State University,
Mount Hood Community College, University of Portland, Reed College, Lewis & Clark,
Concordia University, Portland Community College, Clackamas Community College, Linfield
College-Portland, and Warner Pacific College. Based off of the population of these schools, this
amount is attainable to reach and can possibly even be exceeded. People within the targeted age
range are typically in higher education during that time of their lives so this is an ideal place to
persuade them.

Strategy 1:
Cascade AIDS Project can hold a controlled fundraising event at the colleges and
universities to make the student populations aware of the nonprofit and how they can donate.
This will ensure that large portions of the target audience become aware all at once and thus can
trigger others to share the information through media and other aspects of everyday life. This
event will be held at the beginning of the semester/quarter and representatives from CAP will
come to discuss what the organization is, what it does, and how their donation will make an
impact on the community. The presentation will include personal local stories about people in
their age group to draw the attention of the audience and make them see that these issues relate to
them.
The first tactic for this event is to introduce a competition between the institutions for
which one will raise the most money for CAP. By utilizing this as a way to gain donations, it
will provide an incentive for students to become donators for the nonprofit. This plays into
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs level self-esteem. At the end , an institution will be titled as the
top donator, which will give the students the feeling of accomplishment and pride within
themselves. This will overall encourage them to donate as much as possible in order to beat out
other schools. Throughout the competition, the amount fundraised will be evaluated by tracking
donor information collected and amounts donated.
In addition, social networking connections can be made through the event. CAP can
encourage the opinion group leaders to go back to their groups and see if they could match part

of efforts made by the school. This can help increase the amount donated by potentially
establishing a way to double amounts given. CAP can also include that in order for donations to
count toward the competition, the supporter must go like their Facebook page or follow them on
Twitter. This will increase their presence on the web because others will notice that they are
following CAP and then possibly become interested in learning or becoming engaged in the
nonprofits efforts themselves. The amount of followers can be tracked by keeping a log of the
increase in followers and their demographics, specifically age and location. This is an important
aspect to focus on because it will ensure that we are targeting the audience in correspondence to
the plan.
Strategy 2:
Cascade AIDS Project can approach dance clubs and bars that target the audience in the
greater Portland area and ask them to host a night where a portion of what is made is donated to
the nonprofit. Clubs that will be asked include: the FX, Venue 126, Barracuda, Boiler Room,
Dirty, Kells Irish, Rock Bottom, The Barrel Room, The Thirsty Lion, and The Crown Room.
Representatives will contact owners and managers to schedule meetings to discuss what the
organization is about and what it is trying to do. At these meetings, the representative will focus
on what the donations will go towards and how the club/bars support will make an impact on
CAP. This is an effective way of approaching the topic because then the owner or manager will
see how the nonprofit is different from others and how their support will enhance the
organization. The club/bar nights will happen throughout the semester/quarter that the
fundraising competition is happening so students can encourage their classmates to attend.

The first tactic to is to give bracelets at the door at the donation night. When a person
pays the cover, they will receive a bracelet to wear that night and also to keep as a symbol as a
supporter for the cause. Each bracelet will be red and have Cascade AIDS Project Impacting
One Life At A Time printed on it. By providing customers the bracelet will encourage others to
ask how they received them and serve as publicity for the nonprofit. The next tactic that will
make the strategy effective is to create posters to publicize the event and put them in popular
locations for the target audience to see. It is important to place these posters in the appropriate
locations where they can be seen but not as clutter. The poster will reflect the nature of each
location and the organization with the cover price and other basic information in smaller font.
There will be a red ribbon blended into the background and then an image of a person with the
CAP bracelet on their arm. The focus on the poster will be on the bracelet because it focuses in
on the cause. Then the location of the event will be printed in a big font with in partnership with
Cascade AIDS Project printed underneath it. There will be nothing listed about the donations so
people do not intentionally think about what they doing but can have the internal sense of
support.
Objective 2:
The second objective is use personal presentations to gain 500 more contacts for Cascade
AIDS Project to add to the F.L.A.S.H. (Fast & Loose Awesome Super Helpers). This group are
people that the organization can contact at any time for short and long term projects that they
need help with (Current Volunteer & Internship Opportunities). This objective is important
because having volunteers determines the success of the nonprofit. CAP uses volunteers in

10

variety of ways and need people to come whenever they are in need. Having more contacts will
ensure that they will have enough people to assist with projects, especially for major events such
as the AIDS walk.
Strategy 1:
CAP will host awareness presentations at the higher institutions for people to become
knowledgeable about what the organization does and how CAP impacts the local community. A
representative will begin the presentation with a video displaying what the organization is about
and showing visual support to CAPs ideals. Then, people who are infected/affected by
HIV/AIDS will share their personal experiences with the audience, explaining how they received
support from the nonprofit. At the end, students will be encouraged to ask questions to the
panel. This is a strong strategy because it will appeal to audience in the means that the diffusion
theory explains. The presentation will provide a first impression of what the organization
accomplishes and then the personal stories will intrigue the interest of the audience. After the
presentations, the audience will then be able to see that volunteering for CAP is a good idea
because of what it can do to help the local community. Thus, they will ultimately come to the
decision to volunteer and see how they can impact the community during their volunteer
experience.
The first tactic would be the video included in the presentation. The video will be five
minutes in length and focus around the impacts the organization has made around the local
community. There will personal interviews that are filmed at familiar locations so that the

11

audience can connect the situations with places that they already know. People who are infected
and affected by the infection will provide testimonials about how CAP has helped them live a
better life- in small and larger ways. Throughout the video, statistics will be presented about how
AIDS affects people in the 18 though 25 year old age group. It important to solely focus on the
statistics in this age group so that CAP can ensure that it is targeting the audience that is being
focused on. The video will conclude with a statement about getting involved quickly, with the
last frame being of contact information. Through the remainder of the presentation, the frame
will remain on the screen so that people can write down the information at any point of the
presentation. This video will be presented at the beginning at the awareness presentations so it
provides a visual stimulate for the presentation. This follows diffusion theory as it presents the
first step of awareness and then the audience can follow throughout the presentation and gain
more knowledge. The video can be evaluated by placing it on YouTube and seeing how many
views it gets and how often it is shared following the presentation.
The second tactic is include this into the fundraising competition by stating that there will
be an additional award for the school that contributes the most volunteers. This requires that the
student would have to sign up and also actually complete the volunteer activity when called
upon. This will play into the social exchange theory because they will know that by participating
in solely one volunteer activity that they can possibly help their institution win the competition.
Using this as the tactic will engage the students through competiveness and make the idea of
volunteering more appealing. This can be easily evaluated by counting how people sign up for

12

volunteering from each school and monitor how many actually take part in duties assigned by
Cascade AIDS Project.
Strategy 2:
CAP can host a booth at the volunteer fairs at the higher institutions. The organization
will have to contact Community Service and Engagement coordinator for each school to be able
to schedule a booth at the event. At the booth, there will be three active volunteers and Marc
Kochanski, CAPs Volunteer Coordinator. The volunteers will be there to give a first-hand look
to those interested in volunteering. By having actual volunteers from the organization, the people
who are interested can get a honest perspective from those who experienced what they are
potentially going through. The presentation at the booth will be casual and the people there will
wear shirts from previous events that they worked at or just a general CAP shirt. This type of
atmosphere will encourage people to come to the booth because it is less formal, which is
different from the typical vibe of the volunteer experiences.
The first tactic will be a brochure that will be placed onto the table for people to grab
while at the table. There will be 100 brochures printed for each location. This amount will be
easy to monitor and sustainable for the population of the institutions in which CAP plans to host
at. The brochure will have a simple red and white color scheme, so that it appeals to the
advocacy color of AIDS. On the cover will be a image of person with the red ribbon on their
shirt. Their face will not be shown because the focus should be on the overall cause. Within the
brochure will be information about the F.L.A.S.H team and what kind of opportunities the team

13

takes part in. Emphasis will be made on the different levels of commitment that are available
since the team is mostly on call. There will also be details about the different main events that
the volunteers work at, including the AIDS Walk and the annual auction. This can be evaluated
by monitoring how many people sign up to be a part of F.L.A.S.H. and how many brochures are
picked up at the tables.
Secondly, CAP can provide an incentive for those who do volunteer for the organization.
This incentive will encourage students to become as involved as possible with CAP. The
incentive will be that with a certain amount of hours served, a prize with be presented. With 10
hours of service, a person can receive a t-shirt from the organization. When the individual
reaches 25 hours, they will receive a $25 gift card to a place of their choice. If a person
completes 50 hours, they will receive a $50 gift card. The person from each school with the most
hours within the entire semester will receive a 16GB iPod Touch. By providing an incentive, it
will encourage more people to become involved as volunteers because they be given a benefit for
spending time assisting CAP. In comparison to the social exchange theory, this tactic shows that
by volunteering, the participant will receive a benefit at the end. To evaluate the amount the
amount of volunteers and hours served, a database can be created that tracks information and
hours. This can be updated after each activity and then checked for potential award receivers on
a weekly basis.

14

Works Cited
About CAP. Cascade AIDS Project. Retrieved from http://cascadeaids.org/about
About Us. (n.d.) The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Retrieved from
http://www.pedaids.org/About-Us
Art Evening & Auction. (2012). Cascade AIDS Project. Retrieved from
http://cascadeaids.org/events/art-evening-auction
Cascade AIDS Project. (n.d.). Oregon Department of Education. Retrieved from
http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1450
Focus Areas. (n.d.) United Nations Childrens Fund. Retrieved from
http://www.unicef.org/whatwedo/index.html
HIV Among Youth. (2011). Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/youth/index.htm
HIV Infections in Oregon. (2010). Oregon Health Authority. Retrieved from
http://public.health.oregon.gov/DiseasesConditions/HIVSTDViralHepatitis/HIVPreventi
on/Documents/Fact%20Sheets/HIV%20infection%20in%20Oregon%20final.pdf
Thousands walk for AIDS Research in Portland. Fox 12 Oregon. Retrieved from
http://www.kptv.com/story/19622893/thousands-walk-for-aids-research
2013 CAP Art Auction. CAP Art Auction. Retrieved from
http://www.capartauction.org/overview.php

15

US Statistics. (2012). Aids.gov. Retrieved from http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids101/statistics/

16