I.

BACKGROUND: ISSUES AND CONCERNS

For more than a century Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) has helped

children reach their potential through professionally supported one- on-one mentoring. BBBSA

attempts to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children in a community. Because of the

demographics of these vulnerable children vary from community to community; BBBSA has

developed different programs that consider these racial, ethnic, and social demographics. Each

local affiliate launches a specific program that meets the needs of its community. There are five

targets of these programs. First, the African American mentoring which BBBSA recognizes

that African American boys constitute one of the most at-risk populations in the United States.

Second, Hispanic mentoring also recognizes the many needs of Hispanic children in the U.S.

Third, Native American mentoring is a program which is run under the guidance of both formal

and informal elders, members of Native American community programs, and American/Alaska

Native board natives, mostly of them living at or below poverty. Fourth, Amachi Program

(Mentoring Children of Promise) this is a program which developed to serve children who

have a parent in prison. And Lastly, Military Children, this is established to serve children with

a parent in the military personnel returning from deployment and with a partnership in T. Boone

Pickens Foundation.

BBBSA is committed on reviewing its strategic plan on a three-year cycle because they

believes that the key to an organization’s survival in recognizing opportunities and threats and

adjusting to them, also BBBSA faces some specific challenges. First is to achieve greater

consistency in its brand image. Although local agencies are autonomous, BBBSA needs to have

a consistent image across all communication efforts. Another key concern (identified in focus

group research) is that BBBSA is now viewed as a “volunteer agency” not an agency to which

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people would consider donating money. Consequently, this perception needs to be modified so

that, when people think of BBBSA, they think of becoming donors as well as volunteers.

BBBSA recruitment is constrained by economic concerns and family demands.

To address some of these concerns, BBBSA has initiated a repositioning campaign at the

national level. It is working with public Groupe on a pro-bono basis to redefine mentoring in a

more powerful way and to establish itself as a donor-supported, as well as volunteer-supported,

organization. To coordinate the campaign, the national office has provided local agencies with

specific strategies for communicating to potential donors and volunteers. Some key points are

 Emphasizing BBBSA’s commitment to measurable outcomes.

 Connecting donors to its program similar to the connection that volunteers feel.

 Describing services as donor-funded and not “free”.

 Ensuring that each staff member understand his/ her position is funded by a donor.

 Explaining to each potential “big” that donors make matches possible.

 Using adult “littles” (alumni) to demonstrate successes.

 Focusing on stewardship – the impact that the agency and the donors have on the

community.

II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Having presented with this case, how will the BBBSA create a consistent brand image to

the public?

POINT OF VIEW

This case has been analyzed through the lens of the Chief of Executive Officer and

President that BBBSA seems poised to be a significant influence during the next decade focusing

on its strength and addressing its problems through strategic planning.

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 III. OBJECTIVES

In order to address the problems related to the marketing strategy of the organization,

this study aims to:

1. Identify strategies to create a consistent brand image.

2. Recommend a strategy to address the identified problem.

3. Develop a plan of action to address the identified problem.

IV. AREAS OF CONSIDERATION

In resolving the dilemma encountered in the given situation, the following factors are yet to be

considered:

1. Brand Image

The challenge to BBBSA is to achieve greater consistency in its brand image.

Although local agencies are autonomous, BBSA needs to have a consistent image across

all communication efforts.

2. Perception of people as a volunteer agency

Identified in a form of group research the BBSA is a volunteer agency and not an

agency to which people would consider donating money. This perception need to be

modified so that when people think of BBSA, they think of becoming donors as well the

volunteers.

3. Economic Constraints

Economic Constraints made BBBSA difficult to attract not only volunteers but

also active and talented people to serve on boards of local agencies or to hire competent

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 staff at modest salaries. On the other hand, BBBSA initiated repositioning campaign at

the national level which aims to redefine mentoring in a more powerful way and to

establish itself as a donor-supported, as well as volunteer supported organization. Local

agencies also have its specific strategies to communicate with potential donors and

volunteers.

V. ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION

Two major problems that are faced by the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America

(BBBSA) were identified. The first is that of inconsistent brand image. This resulted to the

second problem which is the people’s perception of the organization as a volunteer agency and

not an agency to which people would consider donating money.

To solve these problems, the focus of this study is the implementation of a strategic

marketing plan that could help the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America’s create a consistent

brand image.

Alternative #1 Develop a strong partnership to private and government organizations.

Non-profit business organizations rely mostly on funds it received from its donors for its

operation. But more than that, a non-profit organization is also benefitting on expanding its

geographic reach. This will give more chances to the organization to build networks and build an

image that the public or organizations might remember when they are considering to donate in

the future.

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Table 1. Pros and Cons of developing a strong partnership to private and government entities.
Advantages Disadvantages
Partnership with business organizations and Negative reputation impact. If the partner

government entities might draw media entity’s reputation is damaged by a scandal or

attention and coverage. This will result to free scandalous act by one of its officers, the

advertising and publicity that can lead to new organization will be affected.

partnership with other organization.

Aside from gaining a donor, the non-profit Political/Leadership shift can negate

organization can also gain a volunteer. partnership. Leadership in business and

government entity can change. New leaders

might not be inclined with to continue with the

partnership established by its predecessors.

Partnership with government agencies might Slow pace of bureaucracy. The government

result to a financial grant or other assistance entities have formal processes that require a

that will be in line with the objectives and number of documents that are reviewed by

goals of the organization. multiple offices. This may result in the slow

processing of funds and other grants thus

resulting in late implementation.

Finding a local partnership with local

businesses is a challenge (Boyea-Robinson,

2015) Much harder is sustaining the

partnership for a long run.

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Alternative #2 Promote the organization through advertising.
In this view, alternative solutions related to advertising can be used to solve brand image

problem and economic constraints issues in the organization. One aspect of a marketing plan is

advertising, the activity of producing information for promoting the sale of services. Nowadays,

digital media has expanded advertising from traditional print, radio and television options.

BBBSA may use a traditional or non-tradition advertising to capture attention, to hold the

markets’ interest and make a useful impression.

Table 2. Pros and Cons of promoting the organization through advertisement

Advantages Disadvantages
Some press audiences can reach into millions, There will be an added cost for the
advertising can be an effective way to reach a organization.
lot of people.
A good advertisement tells the consumers what Advertisement can be sometimes misleading
the BBBSA services offers, who it caters to, and not all services which are advertised are
and where do they get the funds. good and hence in a way advertisement gives
wrong impression in the minds of clients
Advertising helps the company in creating
brand image which is very important as far as
long term outlook of business is concerned.
Brands are not created overnight and
advertising is one of the key pillars on which
brand image is created thus advertising helps
the company in creating long lasting image of
the company.
It helps the company in expanding their reach
to global markets and not limiting itself to
local market.

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Alternative #3 Conduct Public Relations (PR) campaign.
Public relations is using the news or business press to carry positive stories about your
company or your products; cultivating a good relationship with local press representatives
(Entrepreneur.com). One of the goal of public relations campaign is universal; to deliver the right
message to the right audience at the right time (Cruz, 2016).

Table 3. Pros and Cons of Conducting Public Relations (PR) campaign

Advantages Disadvantages
Minimal cost. It has limited media.

Publicity has greater longevity. Articles written No direct control. There is a chance that the

about the organization will be published will written article is inaccurate, misleading, or

be remembered for a longer period of time. incomplete. It will be hard to retract the written

statement, thus damaging the reputation of the

organization.

It has great credibility. Readers feel that if an No guaranteed results. Writing press release

objective third party-a magazine, newspaper or and looking for a suitable journalist to cover

radio reporter-is featuring your company, you the story takes time and resources. However,

must be doing something worthwhile. there is no assurance that the story will be

published.

It can be difficult to measure the effectiveness

of the PR activities.

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 VI. RECOMMENDATION

After acquainting to the possible solutions of the case, it apparently reasonable that the

first, Alternative 2, to create a consistent brand be the solution to the problem in the case of Big

Brothers and Big Sisters of America (BBBSA).

In the case of BBBSA, it has a clear new vision and mission but has an inconsistent brand

image. It is mostly viewed as a volunteer agency and not an agency to which people would

consider donating money.

It is necessary to project a positive brand image. BBBSA is a non profit organization and

consistently looking for new donors and consistent funding. To win the attention of the donors as

well as volunteers it is deemed important to widen the audience of the firm. This means that it

has to reach target markets to find new potential donors.

As introduced by Dan Linn, (2017), a positive company image determines how people

view your company and gives you control over the image that you project to current and

prospective donors. It may seem obvious to you and the cause that you work towards, that you

are advocating for something positive. However, most people need a certain amount of

persuasion to come to the same conclusion. Control your image by creating and engaging

compelling and consistent brand awareness, and this will allow people to interact with and see

your brand in a positive way.

Branding tell a story and emotionally captivate audiences and be more likely to get new

donors and retain loyal ones. Great branding is an opportunity to differentiate a company from a

competitors and will help stand out for target audiences.

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 An awesome brand image helps strengthen trust. When the service provider is simply

excellent, it would make sense that you go back to that brand the next time you need a

product/service offered by them. If people can see the good that the firm is doing and that firm

provides consistently great service, then they are going to remember that the brand will continue

to support and trust as it grow. (Dan Linn, 2017).

I. PLAN OF ACTION

The recommended solutions will be implemented based on the following strategies

presented in Figure 1.

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

Do rumination. Situation Analysis. Marketing Plan.

STEP 6 STEP 5 STEP 4

Assessment and Implementation and Developing a Marketing
Evaluation. Control. Mix Decision.

Figure 1. Recommended Plan of Action

STEP 1. Do rumination.

The Steering committee consisted of four local agency leaders, one BBSA board who

also served on a local BBSA board and five BBBSA leaders will do rumination as to the

consistency of their brand image while taking into account the new vision of the company. They

will also consider their philosophy in upholding their organization’s goals and success.

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STEP 2. Situation Analysis.

The result of the rumination will be conveyed to each local agency. Using the SWOT

analysis of the strategic planning, each agency shall solicit the view of the health of the

organization in their locality, the external factors that can help the organization and their current

and interested market. The steering committee will then gather the information.

STEP 3. Marketing Plan.

Using the information gathered, the committee shall then define their market and create

guidelines for the brand image of the organization. Identifying what kind of donors is needed in

each locality, how will the donors, volunteers and market respond to their marketing efforts and

planning of the cost. The more that the organization knows about the target market and donors,

the more effectively they can offer the service that is needed and convey the brand image of the

organization.

STEP 4. Developing a Marketing Mix Decision.

Using the market research conducted, the committee can develop the ideal marketing mix

for their target market, donors and the type of “big” they will need. First, the committee shall

then identify as to how they will convey to the public that the organization is not a voluntary

organization. Also, they will have to identify what kind of “big” they will be needing and how

will these “big” help the “littles” in need. Next is promotion, it is the best way to educate the

customers, donors and volunteers about the value of the services that is offered and how they can

avail or help the organization. The organization may also use the alumni for the purpose of

letting the donors and volunteers have a view on the importance of the organization and the

impact of each cent that the donors will give. The organization may use the traditional way of

advertising or the non-traditional way which will require them to have access in the cyber world.

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Lastly, the committee shall plan on how they will offer the services for easy access to the donors,

the interested “big” and “littles” and volunteers. They will have to consider places such as

distribution channels, outlets, and transportation to get the product to the target market. The

purpose of such is for the organization to be seen everywhere and create a solid brand image to

the public.

STEP 5. Implementation and Control.

The committee shall then inform each local agencies about the plan. They will identify

how and when they will launch the new brand image of the organization. This step will also

include getting the resources, organizing the working staff, creating calendars to keep the work

on track and managing each details for each goals.

STEP 6. Assessment and Evaluation.

To confirm the successful implementation of the strategic plan, assessment and

evaluation will be conducted by each local agency together with the steering committee. They

will evaluate what needs to be sustained, what needs to be improves and what needs to be

rejected.

JUSTIFICATION

Consumers have a better perception and support a brand when it is link to charitable

institution. (Adkins, S. 2000). Using the marketing mix components, it could help on attracting

donors, media partners and potential customers (Izabella, SK 2014). Providing guidelines for the

company as to how they will carry the brand image of the organization will keep its brand image

11
consistent. A nonprofit brand is most effective when the company’s internal identity and external

image are consistent and strong along with its values and mission. The result of such is greater

trust between the organization, its partners, beneficiaries, participants and donors (Kylander, N

and Stone, C. 2012).

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Boyea-Robinson, T. (2015, October 16). Nonprofit-Corporate Partnerships: A New

Framework(SSIR).RetrievedMarch,2018,fromhttps://ssir.org/articles/entry/nonprofit_cor

porate_partnerships_a_new_framework

Cruz, A. (2016, February 5). 4 Simple Steps to a Solid PR Pitch Strategy. Retrieved March 18,

2018, from https://www.meltwater.com/ap/blog/4-step-pr-strategy/

Dan Linn, 2017, retrieved from https://www.solutionlinkims.com/blog/topic/branding

Hitesh Bhasin December 28, 2017, Retrieved from https:// www.marketing91 .com/brand-

image/

Lynn Lauren (13 September 2006), Retrieved from http:// smallbusiness. chron./ advantages -

disadvantages-branding-identity-23586.html

Michael Dula (4October2011) Retrieved from http://www. Brandingbusiness .com/ blogs/

creating-a-consistent-brand-image

Public Relations. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2018, from

https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/public-relations

Shell robshaw-bryan (8 july 2003), retrieved from https://surefir emedia. co.uk/blog

/importance-brand-consistency/

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disadvantages-using-volunteers-work-settings-36680.html

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APPENDIX

14
 BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF AMERICA

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a non-profit organization whose goal is to help all

children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with

volunteer mentors. Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of the oldest and largest youth mentoring

organizations in the United States. With a network of 400 agencies in all 50 states, BBBSA

serves approximately 260,000 children between the ages of 6 and 18.

BBBSA has two core programs, the Community-based mentoring and School-based

mentoring. BBBSA matches between children (“littles”) and mentors (“bigs”) are carefully

administered and supported by rigorous standards and trained personnel. Professional staffs

ensure that matches are safe and well-suited to the individuals involved. The organization

attempts to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children in a community. The targets of the

program includes; (1) African American mentoring (2) Hispanic mentoring (3) Native American

mentoring (4)Amachi program and (5) Military children.

In 2000, BBBSA launched its strategic-planning initiative by hiring Bridgespan

Consulting. As a result of the initiative, the vision statement was changed. BBBSA also included

a promise statement as part of its guiding principles, which commits BBBSA to a culture of

diversity and inclusion, partnership and collaboration, continuous learning, people development,

and high performance. From there BBBSA sets its organizational goals and developed specific

outcomes.

BBBSA is committed to reviewing its strategic plan on a three-year cycle because it

believes the key to an organization’s survival is recognizing opportunities and threats and

adjusting to them. As they already begun its second planning cycle, it faces some specific

15
challenges. The first is to achieve greater consistency in its brand image. BBBSA needs to have a

consistent image across all channels. Furthermore, BBBSA is now viewed as a “volunteer

agency”, not a donation agency. As a result, people think that they need volunteers, not

donations. This perception must be modified in order for people to become donors as well as

volunteers.

AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE ORGANIZATION, WHAT STRATEGIES

WILL YOU UNDERTAKE TO DEAL WITH THE SITUATION?

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