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Executive Summary
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia is a local chapter of the
national nonprofit organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. The Greater
Columbia chapter relies heavily on grants, individual donations and consistent
fundraisers to fulfill its mission to help local children, Littles, succeed through
professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with volunteer mentors, called
Bigs. CEO and President Cristy Marshall, who came to office in January,
requested that I create a campaign to assist her first-year efforts to administer
Bowl For Kids’ Sake, the organization’s signature fundraiser. I have developed
this campaign to increase operating funds from BFKS 2015 by targeting
awareness and participation levels of BBBSGC staff and Bigs.
I conducted primary and secondary research to determine past BFKS
communications efforts, event awareness and perception among staff and Bigs
and the most effective communications channels in disseminating information to
the two groups. I distributed an online questionnaire to Bigs who had never
participated in BFKS that asked about their awareness of the event, reasons that
would influence them to engage in or refrain from event participation and the
local media outlets and social media they interact with the most. I conducted an
in-depth interview with a BBBSGC board member, Big and former BFKS
participant to gain insight on effective messaging and means of reaching Bigs to
increase their awareness of and involvement in the event. My findings led to the
creation of tailored messaging targeted at Bigs and staff using the communication
channels of Facebook, MailChimp, match support calls and internal email blasts.
I developed broad goals and measurable objectives based on the
organization’s needs and the analysis of my research that I reached with various
strategies and tactics throughout the semester. My strategies consisted of
encouraging Big and staff event participation and fundraising, engaging with
these target groups on BBBSGC social media and executing a series of targeted
outreach materials. To implement these strategies, I used tactics of match
support phone calls, series of Facebook posts and email blasts, a staff fundraising
challenge team, a news release and online calendar event posts.
Evaluation of my campaign after its complete implementation was critical
in determining its success. To accurately measure my goals and objectives, I
replicated my primary research with online questionnaires for BFKS 2015
participating and non-participating Bigs. Other evaluative research methods were
an analysis of BBBSGC social media, BFKS local media coverage and direct
comparisons of figures from BFKS 2015 to the year prior. My evaluative
assessment determined success in gaining more than the eight Big-Little matches
I aimed for, increasing both Big and staff awareness and participation levels,
retaining at least three BFKS 2014 corporate sponsors, having more than 50
percent of staff attend this year, increasing BBBSGC activity and engagement and
gaining at least one positive story in local media.
I consider my campaign to increase BFKS 2015 funds, awareness and
involvement with Bigs and BBBSGC staff a success. It has been a privilege
working for a nationally acclaimed organization and an honor to know my work
will benefit the lives of current and future Littles in the Greater Columbia area.
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Client Overview
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a nationally recognized nonprofit
organization that has operated for more than 100 years, in all 50 states, to help
children succeed by means of professionally supported, one-to-one relationships
with volunteer mentors (Start Something). As part of the nation’s largest donor
and volunteer mentorship network, “Bigs” are strategically matched with “Littles”
for an experience that allows children to develop healthy values, self-esteem and
communication skills with positive role models.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia, a local chapter of BBBSA,
encompasses the national organization mission with a particular focus on
children between the ages of 6 and 13 in Richland and Lexington counties of
Greater Columbia, South Carolina (About Us).
BBBSGC functions under the national mentoring model, offering two
central programs: site-based and community-based mentoring. In site-based
mentoring, a Big is matched with a Little at one of the four local elementary
schools in the program, where they meet for one hour each week. The
community-based program requires further volunteer screening and
commitment, as Bigs and Littles engage in offsite, one-on-one activities of their
choosing. Additionally, the Greater Columbia chapter offers four grant-based
specialty programs: the Military Mentoring Program; Readers on the Rise; Jegna,
and the IMPACT, or International Mentoring Program and Community
Togetherness. Nearly 70 percent of the organization’s funding is grant-based,
with special fundraising events and national, individual and corporate donations
accounting for the remainder.
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Campaign Opportunity and Need
Every spring, BBBSA chapters host local bowling events for the
organization’s signature fundraiser, Bowl For Kids’ Sake. The Greater Columbia
chapter event, that occurred on April 11, 2015, presented an opportunity to raise
unrestricted organization funds (to be used where BBBSGC deems necessary) and
increase levels of participation and awareness among BBBSGC Bigs and staff.
The Greater Columbia chapter welcomed new CEO and President Cristy
Marshall in January, at the start of my campaign, who shared with me her plans
to focus on fund development and stabilizing the organization’s income beyond
grant funding.
With knowledge of these organization opportunities and needs, I created
my campaign to enhance the 2015 BFKS event with a new focus on match and
staff involvement. The rationale for this campaign was increasing operating funds
with BFKS by targeting the low awareness and participation levels of Bigs and
staff. Higher levels of involvement of these significant audiences would
contribute to greater general event awareness and increased event funds. My
campaign targeted staff fundraising with the creation of a BBBSGC staff
fundraising challenge team, and targeted Big and staff BFKS discussion,
awareness and involvement during match support phone calls with an inaugural
Cookie Call-A-Thon.
About Me
I am a public relations major at the USC working to complete the
requirements for my degree. I conducted this campaign for my senior capstone
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course, Public Relations Campaigns, and worked with Marshall to enhance BFKS
2015 and BBBSGC.
Why BBBSGC?
As a student at the University of South Carolina, I conducted this
campaign on behalf of my internship with BBBSGC and my senior capstone
course, Public Relations Campaigns. Since I began interning with this
organization in October, I have seen it undergo many transitions in leadership
and structure. I support its mission to improve the lives of children in Greater
Columbia by facilitating careful, meaningful relationships with volunteer
mentors, and I am aware of the help it needs in fulfilling this mission.
Communications Theories and Primary Research
Of the public relations theories we studied in class, two were most
applicable to my campaign: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the diffusion theory.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs explains how individuals perceive their level of
comfort with their surroundings (Bobbitt & Sullivan). It is based on five levels of
ascending needs: basic needs involving food, water and shelter; security in terms
of physical and fiscal; social needs of acceptance, friendship and love; ego-related
needs including status, recognition and accomplishment, and self-actualization,
the needs for personal growth and fulfillment.
I applied this theory to my campaign by identifying my target audience,
Bigs, in the hierarchy and developing messages that were most effective in
addressing their needs. To target Bigs who had never participated in a Greater
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Columbia BFKS event, I addressed the security, social, ego and self-actualization
levels of needs. My primary research inquired about reasons that might deter a
Big from participating in BFKS and reasons that would most greatly motivate
them to participate. Learning that lack of awareness and financial constraints
were Bigs’ top deterrents in participating helped me develop messaging that
aimed to inform them of BFKS in general, and address their security needs by
emphasizing that it is a cost-free activity for matches. My primary research
indicated that an increased awareness, spending time with Littles, spending time
with other matches, increased involvement of BBBSGC staff and giving back to
the community were among the top motivating factors for Bigs to participate in
BFKS. This insight helped me create messages that addressed their social and
ego-related needs. In this way, I presented BFKS as an opportunity to enjoy
quality time with Littles, befriend other matches, develop a better relationship
with BBBSGC staff and experience the personal fulfillment obtained in changing
a child’s life by working with BBBSGC. Because Bigs greatly value spending time
with their Littles, as indicated in my research, I also presented BFKS as a way to
meet the individuals who support their Big-Little matches. By applying Maslow’s
theory to determine Bigs’ level of comfort with their surrounding, I created the
most effective messaging to reach them.
The diffusion theory uses a five-step process to explain how new
procedures, practices and objects are adopted and accepted by companies and
individuals (Fearn-Banks). The stages are knowledge, when the decision-making
body is first exposed to the innovation; persuasion, when the body develops
interest; decision, when the body considers the innovation’s pros and cons;
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implementation, when the innovation is employed to a varying degree, and the
final stage, confirmation, in which the body decides to accept or reject the
innovation (Sahin). Psychologist Everett Rogers, who introduced the theory in
the 1980s, claimed mass media are most responsible for the first two stages while
personal influences, or opinion leaders, move the individual to the decision and
implementation stages. Opinion leaders are elected officials, friends or family
that are influenced by mass media and are often early adopters of new ideas or
politically and communally active. In the diffusion theory’s final stage, only the
individual’s satisfaction with the idea or product will ensure confirmation
(Bobbitt & Sullivan).
As mass media are most effective for the stages of knowledge and
persuasion, I targeted BFKS non-participating Bigs with social media and
deliverables to spread awareness of the event with messages that appeal to their
needs and interests. The persuasion stage employed social media engagement
and messages promoting the event as a way to spend one-on-one time with
Littles and other matches, give back to the community and get to know the staff
and community members who make their matches and the life-changing work of
BBBSGC possible. This theory emphasized the value of personal influences on the
decision and implementation stages, which led to my message creation. For my
campaign, personal influences included positive testimonies, encouraged
involvement and support from Marshall, a BBBSGC board member and Big who
had participated in a past BFKS event and the 2015 event sponsors. In this case,
BBBSGC supporters, such as businesses and other donors with an active political
or communal status, acted as formal opinion leaders. Bigs confirming first-time
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participation in the 2015 event was part of the implementation stage in this
theory, and was executed with careful communication followed by interviews and
assessments to gather feedback. Confirmation was assessed in a post-event
questionnaire for the 16 Bigs who participated in BFKS 2015. Nearly 66 percent
indicated they will participate or are very likely to participate in the event next
year. One respondent indicated he or she is unlikely to participate again. This
theory suggested that understanding the way individuals and corporations reach
important decisions is valuable in moving a body into the confirmation stage
(Lattimore, Baskin, Heiman & Toth).
Additional primary research indicated the significance of match support
phone calls in disseminating organization information to Bigs, and Facebook as
BBBSGC’s most engaged with social media platform and as the social media
platform that is most commonly used by Bigs overall. This insight led to the
emphasis on match support phone calls and the use of Facebook in targeting Bigs
with catered BFKS messaging. Research indicating the Internet as the highest
source of Bigs’ local news consumption, followed by The State and Free Times,
drove tactics of BFKS online calendar listings and distribution channels for event
news releases.
With the insight offered by my primary research and the application of
both Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the diffusion theory, I learned how to best
develop my campaign in addressing my target audiences of BFKS participating
and non-participating Bigs with the most effective messaging content and
communication channels.
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Secondary Research
My secondary research involved an examination of past BFKS
communications efforts and figures, staff awareness and involvement and BFKS
local media coverage. I learned that previous CEO Heidi Johnson conducted the
majority of past BFKS efforts, which greatly contributed to the low staff
awareness and involvement levels. This insight helped me design my campaign to
educate BBBSGC staff about the event and get them more involved in the
planning process. I discovered that there was little to no local media coverage of
the event, which led to the development of my tactic of a news release and online
calendar event listings. My secondary research from a previous public relations
campaign book conducted by USC graduate students in 2014 indicated that time
and financial constraints were factors that contributed to Bigs’ low BFKS
participation (LeBouef, Murray & Sims, 21). This insight helped me create
messaging that emphasized that the event was cost-free for matches and took
only one hour of their time on a Saturday. In an initial meeting with Marshall, I
learned that two Bigs participated in BFKS 2014 and the organization’s total
amount of funds last year was $61,393. Additional meetings with Marshall aided
me in designing my campaign to focus on increasing the involvement of Bigs and
BBBSGC staff in BFKS 2015.
Goals and Objectives
My campaign goal was to increase operating funds for BFKS 2015 by
targeting the low levels of awareness and participation among both Bigs and
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BBBSGC staff. My objectives in doing so were to have at least eight matches
participate in BFKS 2015, increase the total number of BFKS teams by 10
percent, retain at least three BFKS 2014 sponsors, raise a total of $1,000 from
BBBSGC staff, have at least 50 percent of staff attend BFKS 2015, increase BFKS
social media activity and engagement to posts every other day, earn one positive
BFKS story in local media and raise a total of $70,000 in unrestricted funds from
BFKS 2015.
Strategies
I employed various strategies to reach my goals and objectives. My
campaign strategies were encouraging staff and Big BFKS participation and
fundraising, executing a series of targeted outreach materials, posting about
BFKS and engaging with corporate sponsors, Bigs and the community on
BBBSGC social media and pitching BFKS coverage to local media.
Tactics
My campaign tactics were BFKS Facebook posts targeted at Bigs, “thank
you” Facebook posts to sponsors, MailChimp listserv emails, match support
phone calls, a staff fundraising challenge team, a news release to The State, Free
Times, SC Black News and additional outlets on the BBBSGC media list and
BFKS posts to online event calendars in the Columbia Metropolitan Magazine
and on Eventbrite.
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Implementation
I developed a detailed, strategic implementation timeline that outlined the
release of my campaign tactics for BFKS 2015 that began on Jan. 22 and
continued after the event on April 11. The implementation of my tactics consisted
of a series of informative BFKS posts on MailChimp and the BBBSGC Facebook
page and increased targeted messaging to Bigs on these platforms as the event
got closer. A series of staff emails was implemented throughout this campaign to
raise awareness, encourage talking points with Bigs on match support calls and
increase overall involvement in BFKS 2015 planning. A Cookie Call-A-Thon event
was implemented on March 30 for staff to invite Bigs to participate in BFKS 2015
during match support phone calls and a staff fundraising challenge team was
created to increase operating funds from employees. BFKS 2015 postings to
online event calendars were implemented throughout the campaign. A news
release was distributed on April 9 that highlighted this year’s BFKS emphasis on
Big-Little involvement. Post-event implementation tactics were a Facebook photo
album from BFKS 2015, Facebook posts that thanked the event sponsors,
volunteers and other bowlers and two follow-up questionnaires for this year’s
BFKS participating and non-participating Bigs.
Evaluation
The methods I used to evaluate my campaign were post-event
questionnaires for this year’s participating Bigs and non-participating Bigs, direct
comparisons of fundraising and participation figures, corporate sponsors and
local media coverage from the events in 2014 and 2015, and BBBSGC Facebook
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engagement figures at the start and conclusion of the campaign and an anecdotal
assessment of staff levels of awareness and involvement in BFKS 2015.
The post-event questionnaires assessed BFKS 2015 participating Bigs’
satisfaction with the event and willingness to participate next year, the channels
most significant in their learning about BFKS and their perception of the event.
Research on non-participating Bigs consisted of the methods by which they
learned of the event, their perception of the event, their willingness to participate
next year and the reasons that would motivate them to participate in BFKS. The
insight gathered from the post-event questionnaires was compared directly to
that of the pre-event questionnaires for the purpose of evaluating my campaign.
Further evaluation was measured through direct comparisons of the total
number of participating teams and Big-Little matches, returning corporate
sponsors and staff fundraising and attendance figures of BFKS 2014 and 2015
events.
Local media coverage of BFKS 2015 consisted of online calendar listings in
the Columbia Metropolitan Magazine and on Eventbrite and an online news
release published in the Midlands Biz. BFKS local media coverage was evaluated
by comparing 2015 event coverage to that of last year’s event, which consisted of
an online posting in the Columbia Metropolitan Magazine event calendar. Social
media engagement was evaluated by comparing the number of “likes” on the
BBBSGC page at the start of the semester before my campaign began to the total
number upon my campaign’s completion. Social media was also evaluated by
comparing the level of engagement (“likes,” post shares and comments) on the
first BFKS Facebook posts to the final event posting.
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Evaluation of staff awareness and involvement in BFKS 2015 was assessed
with personal observations and knowledge and post-event questionnaires. While
the questionnaires could not be directly compared to the pre-event anecdotal
research, I evaluated staff involvement by the staff fundraising figures and
participation at the 2015 event.
Other Notes
My campaign underwent many changes throughout the semester. Initially,
my campaign aimed to increase the organization’s total number of Big-Little
matches and corporate sponsors with a particular focus on the black male
community and BFKS. This focus changed as I continued to meet with Marshall
and learned about her particular focus on corporate sponsorship and her vision
and organization goals for increased Big involvement.
With this information, I tailored my campaign to focus on increasing
operating funds with BFKS by increased corporate sponsorship and Big-Little
participation. Due to time constraints, Marshall’s personal emphasis on BFKS
2015 corporate sponsorship and observably low levels of BFKS awareness and
involvement among BBBSGC staff, I changed my campaign a final time on March
18.
My anecdotal assessment of staff’s low familiarity with the event and the
difficulties I encountered gathering information on past BFKS events and the
current 2015 event deemed it a significant area of weakness in my campaign
efforts to execute effective BFKS communications to Bigs. I decided that
increasing staff awareness and involvement in BFKS 2015 deserved a particular
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focus in my campaign, as it greatly contributed to the success of my efforts to
increase Big-Little participation.
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Works Cited
"About Us." Start Something. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia, n.d.
Web. 02 Feb. 2015. <http://www.bbbsgc.org/>.
Bobbitt, Randy, and Ruth Sullivan. "Applying Theory to Public Relations
Campaigns." Developing the Public Relations Campaign: A Team‐Based
Approach. 1st ed. N.p.: Allyn & Bacon, 2004. 25. Print.
Fearn-Banks, K. (2011). Crisis Communications Theory. In Crisis
communications a casebook approach (4th ed., pp. 19-20). New York:
Routledge.
Lattimore, Dan, Otis Baskin, Suzette Heiman, and Elizabeth Toth. "A Theoretical
Basis for Public Relations." Public Relations: The Profession and the
Practice. 4th ed. N.p.: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 58. Print.
LeBouef, Renee, Aimee Murray, and Valene Sims. "Bowl For Kids' Sake: An
Integrated Communications Campaign." Thesis. University of South
Carolina, 2014. Print.
Sahin, Ismail. "Detailed Review of Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations Theory and
Educational Technology-Related Studies Based on Rogers' Theory." The
Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology 3rd ser. 5.2 (2006):
15-17. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
Start Something For A Child Today. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, n.d.
Web. 2 Feb. 2015. < http://www.bbbs.org/>.
Thompson, Scott. "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in the Public Relations
Industry." Houston Chronicle. Hearst Newspapers, n.d. Web. 03 Feb.
2015. <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/maslows-hierarchy-needs-public-
relations-industry-75839.html>.
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In January 2015, I had my initial campaign meeting with Big Brothers Big
Sisters of Greater Columbia CEO and President Cristy Marshall. In this meeting,
Marshall informed me of the organization’s heavy reliance on grants and
presented Bowl For Kids’ Sake, the organization’s signature fundraiser, as an
opportunity to raise unrestricted funds for BBBSGC. She shared with me her
personal efforts to increase corporate sponsorship for BFKS 2015 and together,
we determined my campaign’s focus to be increasing Big-Little event involvement
and awareness. I determined my broad research questions to be:
• What were the communications efforts, participation figures, funds
raised and local media coverage of past BFKS events?
• What is the level of BFKS awareness among BBBSGC Bigs?
• What aspects of BFKS 2014 funding can be improved?
To achieve my campaign goals, I set out to learn the organization’s
structure, funding breakdown, needs and opportunities and the organization
vision under Marshall’s new leadership. For BFKS, I needed to learn the
communications efforts, participation figures, funds raised and local media
coverage of past events and present event awareness among BBBSGC Bigs. I
needed to research the participation levels and funds raised from BFKS 2014 to
determine areas of improvement and the ways to best improve efforts in these
weaker areas. When I learned of the scarcity of Big participation in BFKS, I set
out to determine the reasons why and the best way to increase this participation
level.
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I was involved in this research because of the requirements of my capstone
course, Public Relations Campaigns, my role as a BBBSGC public relations intern
and my desire to support the organization and enhance its capability for future
success.
I began my secondary research at the end of January and continued these
efforts throughout February. There were aspects of my secondary research that
relied on Marshall’s efforts, who had access to information on BFKS 2014 teams,
corporate sponsors and participating Bigs.
It wasn’t until I acquired these documents that I could proceed with my
primary research. On Monday, March 23, 2015, I sent a questionnaire to Bigs
who had never participated in BFKS. The second and final aspect of my primary
research was an in-depth interview with Gill Weathers, a BBBSGC board member
and Big who had participated in a past BFKS with his Little. I conducted this
research on Thursday, March 26, 2015, at 2:30 p.m.
Secondary and Primary Research Discussion
Secondary and primary research was crucial to the development and
execution of my campaign. I began by learning more about the national
organization’s structure, mission and BFKS signature fundraiser through
research on the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America national website. This
background information was vital to the understanding of my further research.
I used the BBBSGC website to learn about the specific programs, publics,
leadership and structure of the local BBBSA chapter to help cater my campaign to
its needs.
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On Jan. 22, 2015, the BBBSGC Facebook page had 751 total likes and the
average number of people reached per post in the month leading to my
campaign’s start from Jan, 15, 2015, to Feb. 15, 2015, was 93 people. This number
decreased from 755 to 737 on March 13, 2015, when Facebook management
issued removal efforts toward inactive Facebook users (Timeline).
To further my knowledge of the local chapter, I met with Emily Gregory,
the Director of Educational Programs and Partnership, who shared the
organization’s funding breakdown with me. In our discussion, I also learned that
the majority of past BFKS event efforts were conducted by BBBSGC’s previous
CEO, Heidi Johnson.
My initial meeting with Marshall provided insight about her goals for the
organization as a whole and for BFKS 2015 that contributed to the design of my
campaign.
Valuable secondary research was gathered from a BBBSGC BFKS
integrated communications campaign book compiled by three graduate students
at the University of South Carolina. My Public Relations Campaigns professor,
Lisa Sisk, offered me this source for its relativity to my campaign.
An online search for local media coverage on BBBSGC’s BFKS events
yielded few results aside from an event calendar posting on the Columbia
Metropolitan Magazine website.
Final secondary research was acquired from shared organization
documents on the BBBSGC server, suggested to me by Marshall. These
documents were a spreadsheet of teams and individual bowlers from BFKS 2014
and two press releases from past BFKS events.
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My primary research consisted of a questionnaire for Bigs who had never
participated in BFKS and an in-depth interview with a Big and BBBSGC board
member who had participated. I conducted this research to determine the
perception and awareness of BFKS among Bigs, the reasons they would or would
not participate in the event and the platforms and message content structures
that would be most effective in communicating with them.
For both my questionnaire and in-depth interview, the population for my
research was BBBSGC Bigs. For the questionnaire, my sample was BBBSGC Bigs
who had never participated in BFKS and my sample size was 151. I received 32
responses. For my in-depth interview primary research, the sample was BBBSGC
Bigs who had participated in BFKS with their Littles and my sample size was one:
BBBSGC board member and Big, Gill Weathers.
I chose to conduct my study on Bigs who have not participated in BFKS
with a questionnaire because of the large sample size. The small number of Bigs
who have participated in BFKS allowed for more personal and thorough research
through an in-depth interview.
Secondary Research Findings
Secondary research provided the necessary understanding and support for
the primary research in my campaign. The BBBSA national website offered the
organization’s vision for all children to achieve success in life, its mission to
provide children facing adversity with professionally supported, one-to-one
relationships and its nationally acclaimed mentoring programs that allow
children to develop healthy values, self-esteem and communication with positive
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role models. BBBSA is the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported
mentoring network, operating in all 50 states and maintaining a volunteer
network in 12 other countries. The organization has been strategically matching
Bigs with Littles, ages 6 through 18, for more than 100 years (Start Something
For A Child Today). From this website, I learned that BFKS provides financial
support that is vital to the organization’s success. Each year, the fundraiser
challenges half a million Americans to raise money for BBBSA chapters and
concludes with celebratory parties at various local bowling alleys.
From the BBBSGC website, I learned the local chapter embraces the
national organization mission and model with a particular focus on children
between the ages of 6 and 13 in Richland and Lexington counties of Greater
Columbia, South Carolina (About Us).
Under the national mentoring model, BBBSGC offers two central
programs: site-based and community-based mentoring. In site-based mentoring,
Bigs are matched with Littles at one of the four local elementary schools in the
program, where they meet for one hour each week. The community-based
program requires further volunteer screening and commitment, as Bigs and
Littles engage in offsite, one-on-one activities of their choosing. Additionally, the
Greater Columbia chapter offers four grant-based specialty programs: the
Military Mentoring Program; Readers on the Rise; Jegna, and the IMPACT, or
International Mentoring Program and Community Togetherness.
The local website also highlighted the organization structure, operating
under Marshall, who came to office in 2015, and a board of directors from the
Columbia community. In February, during my secondary research, Marshall
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updated the chapter website to show this year’s BFKS information. Prior to this
update, the local website displayed BFKS 2014, though it emphasized the event’s
significance as a source for unrestricted program funds and potential volunteer
mentors (About Us).
The BBBSGC Facebook page had a total of 751 likes and its posts were
reaching an average of 93 people in the month leading up to my campaign. Posts
were occurring once or twice a week (Timeline).
In my meeting with Gregory, I learned that nearly 70 percent of the
organization’s funding is grant-based, with special events like BFKS, and
national, individual and corporate donations accounting for the remainder. She
explained that Johnson administered the majority of past BFKS events, which
contributed to the significantly low levels of BBBSGC staff event awareness and
participation. This insight helped shape my campaign to target both Bigs and
staff in increasing BFKS awareness and involvement.
In my initial meeting with Marshall, I learned her goals for BBBSGC were
to target corporate sponsors that can offer a more stable income than the grants.
She explained that her focus would be on compiling the BFKS 2015 corporate
sponsorship packages and we determined that my campaign would focus on
participation levels of Big-Little matches. Marshall confirmed that BFKS was a
great source and opportunity of unrestricted funds for BBBSGC and that the
organization’s monetary goal for BFKS 2015 is $70,000, which is about $8,500
greater than the goal for the 2014 event. Marshall also informed me that $61,393
was the total amount of funds raised from BFKS 2014.
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The BBBSGC BFKS integrated communications campaign book was a vital
source of secondary research. In pursuit of their master’s degrees, the students
created a campaign to increase fundraising and participation in the 2014 BFKS
event. This book offered valuable research on Bigs’ awareness of BFKS through a
documented mentor meeting conducted by Johnson. Their responses indicated
little awareness of the event that contributed to the low participation levels.
(LeBouef, Murray & Sims, 17). Results of a questionnaire conducted by the
students offered insight on major deterrents of Bigs participating in BFKS: time
and commitment. While many respondents supported a cause to benefit children,
the questionnaire results showed a concern with the time and commitment
involved in both participating in BFKS and starting a team (21). This secondary
source identified more than 10 child-focused organizations in Columbia, South
Carolina, and the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital nonprofit event, Dance
Marathon, as potential threats to their BFKS campaign for BBBSGC (10).
Research on local media coverage for BBBSGC and BFKS yielded few
results. My most prominent finding was Columbia Metropolitan Magazine, which
published the BFKS 2014 event in its online calendar of local activities (Things To
Do). This indicated little to no local media coverage of the event that could have
contributed to a low visibility and awareness in the community and among Bigs.
From the BBBSGC server, I found information on BFKS 2014 teams and
individual bowlers. I learned that only two Bigs had participated in BFKS, both of
whom served on the BBBSGC board: Gill Weathers, who I selected to conduct an
in-depth interview with, and Lee Depret-Bixio. I selected Weathers because he
planned on bringing his two Littles to this year’s BFKS event. There were two
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BFKS press releases on the server: one from 2011 explaining the event, and
another from 2014 regarding a change in the event date. The low amount of
documented BFKS communications efforts correlated to the scarce local media
coverage of the event.
Primary Research Findings: BFKS Non-Participating Bigs
Questionnaire
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Primary research with my questionnaire demonstrated various findings.
From the results from question one, I learned that the majority of respondents
(nearly 72 percent) had learned about BFKS from BBBSGC staff and a quarter of
respondents learned about it through the organization’s social media. The
remainder of respondents indicated they were unaware of the event. In question
two, more than 50 percent of respondents rated their knowledge of BFKS as
neutral to unfamiliar, and in question three nearly 70 percent of respondents
indicated their little to no participation as being due to a lack of event awareness.
Financial constraints, lack of publicity and recognition received and lack of
support for the cause followed, in descending order, as reasons that have deterred
Bigs from participating in BFKS in the past. Eleven of 14 comments specified
time as a major deterrent for not participating in BFKS.
In question four, Bigs’ responses indicated various motivations in
participating, with spending time with Littles, spending time with other Big-Little
matches and increased awareness receiving the highest amount of respondents,
respectively. Additional motivations were increased involvement efforts from
BBBSGC staff, having a passion for the cause, giving back to the community,
associating with the cause, gaining publicity and gaining community recognition.
Bigs’ responses showed the Internet was the highest ranked source of local
news at about 63 percent. Other significant findings of the way Bigs receive local
news were WIS (NBC) with about 38 percent of respondents, followed by The
State newspaper and from friends and relatives at about 31 percent respondents
each. Nearly 85 percent of Bigs indicated using Facebook, the most commonly
used social media platform displayed by the questionnaire results in question six.
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Instagram was the second most commonly used platform used by over 50 percent
of respondents, while Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest were all tied at about 40
percent. Nearly 47 percent of Bigs are unaware of any BBBSGC social media
platforms, outranking the 44 percent who indicated awareness of the BBBSGC
Facebook page.
In question eight, of the 32 respondents, 20 individuals indicated that they
were not subscribed to the BBBSGC Bigs weekly MailChimp email of low cost
activities for matches. Of these 20 individuals, 10 of them left their email address
to be added to the MailChimp listserv. When the subscribed Bigs were asked
about their engagement with the MailChimp, only two of the 32 respondents
indicated a high engagement. The remaining comments suggested little to no
engagement. The final question allowed for questions, comments and concerns.
One Big commented on the organization’s instability in leadership and staff and
two individuals noted a desire for greater involvement and assistance from
BBBSGC staff.
Primary Research Findings: BFKS Big Participant In-depth Interview
with Gill Weathers
1. How did you get hear about or get involved with BFKS?
“For me, being a board member, we have set goals [for BBBSGC]
and other meetings to get people involved and that’s how I’ve heard about
it. We have communication about that kind of stuff. I don’t know if the
case managers are communicating the event, I don’t know if that’s on the
agenda for match support calls. But that’s how I kind of hear about all of
the organization. You start to develop a relationship with the case
managers and we should make that an introduction to BFKS.”
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2. What made you want to participate in BFKS?
“I bring my Littles, I always have. Just because I want them to see
the organization and meet the people that are supporting our matches and
it’s just a fun event. I know other teams get together and make money and
that’s great. I kind of use my Littles as a selling point. Say something like,
‘we have this event coming up and I want to bowl with my Littles, we could
use your help.’ Potential donors feel like they’re helping them directly by
letting them go bowling.
“Kyin, my Little, has been to BFKS. Kingston [Kyin’s younger
brother] isn’t my Little, just started showing up to our meetings. For the
most part there aren’t many Littles there at the event. But we go bowling
just on our own sometimes. I think it’s a pretty good activity for matches.”
3. What were your hesitations, if any, in participating in BFKS?
“Kingston, the younger one- he is a firecracker, which is a great
lesson for me when I become a father in July. But there are no real
hesitations for me. I can’t imagine why a Big might have any [hesitations],
I don’t have any. When Kingston’s on a sugar high, I mean, even that isn’t
a hesitation.”
4. What are some reasons that may cause other Bigs’ hesitation in
participating in BFKS?
“The only thing a Big might be hesitant about is they might not
think it’s the one-on-one time that they enjoy [with their Little] or a
reason for them to be together. But it really is, I mean I think in the
messaging we could say something like, ‘spend time with your little at
BFKS.’ I wonder if they’re hesitant about who they would be bowling with.
In that case, maybe the messaging could be, ‘bring your Little and their
family.’ Or maybe, ‘get to meet other matches for free.’ Free is always
good. Maybe the Littles can make friends [at BFKS]. These people that are
Bigs, they care about their Littles. Their motivation is spending time with
Little in ways that don’t cost them a lot of money. But the key thing there
is spending time with their Little.”
5. Has your perception of BFKS changed since you’ve
participated? How?
“No, I really don’t think so. It’s been pretty standard as far the event
goes.”
6. What do you think is the most important aspect of BFKS?
“Spending time with the Littles and letting them see the other
aspects of the organization. For the most part, all matches see is the time
they spend as Big and Little. Helpful message content could be, ‘come
meet the people that support your match!’ But the most important is
spending time with a Little.”
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7. If a non-participant inquired about BFKS, what would you tell
them?
“It’s a high-energy event. There’s a lot of fun going on but at same
time you can spend that one-on-one time with your Little. There are a lot
of people there, people that are supporting what you’re doing [as a Big].
This is event is one of the reasons that you’re able to have this match and
this Little.”
8. Please rate your satisfaction participating in past BFKS events:
• Strongly dissatisfied, dissatisfied, neutral, satisfied, very satisfied
“[My Littles and I] are men. Does bowling appeal to males more
than females? Maybe it does. But it’s an activity for us to do together.
It’s not going to the movie or reading a book. I know we have readers
on the rise and I don’t want to downplay that. Maybe communicate
something like, ‘teach a Little to bowl’ or ‘see how many strikes your
Little can bowl.’ Why do people bowl? I guess it’s competitiveness,
something everybody can do for the most part at all ages… everybody
can participate.”
9. How likely are you to participate in BFKS next year?
• I will participate in BFKS next year, Very likely,
Undecided, Unlikely, I will not participate BFKS next year
“Every year, for sure.”
10. How can BBBSGC improve BFKS Big-Little participation in the
future?
“Right now, the perception for Bigs is that BFKS is a fundraiser.
And it is, [the organization] wants it to be, but with the information Bigs
receive, that may be their only perception. Messages like, ‘this is an event
we’re putting together for you to spend time with your Little,’ might
change that. It’s hard for me to determine how much the event is being
communicated to the Bigs. Through match support calls, weekly emails…
we need to make sure we are taking care of these avenues to communicate
with them.”
11. How do you receive local news?
“Twitter and television- WIS and WLTX for the most part. I don’t
read the newspaper.”
12. How do you prefer to receive information?
“Email. I don’t know how effective the [MailChimp Bigs] weekly
email is, it doesn’t change that much. It may be more effective if it was
biweekly, so it’s not something people are sick of seeing and more
information would be added each time.”
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13. Which social media do you use?
“Twitter and Instagram. I don’t use Facebook because a bunch of
people pop up on my feed and I don’t know how to get them to go away.
My wife uses Facebook though, not Twitter. Almost everyone I know uses
Instagram.”
14. Which BBBSGC social media are you aware of, if any?
“Do we have an Instagram account? Well, I know of [BBBSGC’s]
Facebook and Twitter. Maybe one of the challenges with Instagram is that
it involves pictures, and we do need that consent from Little’s parents and
guardians.”
I conducted an in-depth interview with BBBSGC board member and
current Big Gill Weathers on Thursday, March 26, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. I chose
Weathers because he was the only Big who had participated with his Little in past
BFKS events, and the match planned to participate in 2015. Weathers made an
ideal candidate for an in-depth interview because of his consistent involvement
with BBBSGC and BFKS. He offered insight on ways to communicate with and
involve other Bigs in BFKS. My major findings from the in-depth interview were
that Weathers received most of the organization information from his match
support calls with staff, he spoke on behalf of Bigs in saying that they highly value
spending time with their Littles and that he believed BFKS presented an
opportunity for Bigs to meet the individuals who support their matches.
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SWOT Analyses
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia
Strengths
-‐ Nationally recognized brand
-‐ Mission and reputation
-‐ New CEO with local connections
-‐ Committed Board of Directors
Opportunities
-‐ New CEO/leadership
-‐ Volunteer recruitment
-‐ Relationships with corporate
sponsors
-‐ Educate local community
-‐ BFKS
Weaknesses
-‐ Little local recognition
-‐ Little unrestricted funding
-‐ Little communication with
donors
-‐ Low match numbers
-‐ New leadership
-‐ Less national support
Threats
-‐ 100+ nonprofits in South
Carolina
-‐ 10+ serving children in
Columbia
Bowl For Kids’ Sake Campaign
Strengths
-‐ National toolkits
-‐ Signature fundraiser
-‐ Marshall willing to improve
event
-‐ Past Sisk BFKS PR Campaign
Opportunities
-‐ Increase corporate
sponsors/funds, match
participation, volunteer
recruitment
-‐ Increase community
involvement and awareness
-‐ Gain media coverage
Weaknesses
-‐ Scarce information on past
corporate sponsors and Big
participants
-‐ Little staff
awareness/understanding
-‐ Change in goals and targeted
publics
Threats
-‐ Other spring nonprofit events,
Dance Marathon
-‐ Short time frame
-‐ CEO unfamiliar with event and
unclear with campaign guidance
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Analysis
That nearly 72 percent of Bigs in the questionnaire indicated learning
about BFKS through BBBSGC staff, according to question one, offered positive
insight on staff and Big communication. This finding placed value on the staff’s
check-in phone calls with Bigs as a primary means of disseminating organization
information, and helped me develop my campaign to use this communication
channel. The 25 percent of individuals who learned about BFKS from BBBSGC
social media indicated a function and success of my pre-campaign social media
efforts, and encouraged the implementation of further posting for my campaign.
Increased staff-Big communication and social media efforts were used to target
the 16 percent of Bigs who had not heard of BFKS.
While the majority of Bigs in this questionnaire had heard of the event,
more than half rated an impartial to low understanding of it. Ninety-seven
percent of this group received some BFKS information from staff
communications and the organization’s social media posts, and I proposed that
increased efforts using these channels could contribute to a more thorough event
understanding among my publics. Low understanding was addressed with staff
efforts to discuss BFKS during each phone call check-in and more informative
and frequent BFKS social media posts.
Question three indicated a significant lack of awareness of BFKS among
Bigs (nearly 70 percent) that contributed to their low participation level. Beyond
staff phone calls and Facebook posts, my campaign strategies included targeted
outreach materials and email blasts to address this. A significant number of Bigs
noted time as a deterrent in participating. As Bigs (and any BFKS bowler) only
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has to participate for one hour, this finding suggested misperception of the event.
Knowing this, I catered my message content to Bigs that stress the low time
commitment to clarify this misunderstanding. To address financial concerns, I
constructed my message content to clarify that the cost of Bigs’ BFKS
participation is covered by the organization (though personal and team
fundraising is encouraged).
My findings demonstrated that 50 percent of Bigs would be most
motivated to participate in BFKS for the reason of spending time with their
Littles, according to question four. The second most popular motivator was the
chance to spend time with other Big-Little matches. This suggested Bigs’ desires
that correlated with that of my campaign: to increase the number of Big-Little
matches at BFKS. With this information, I formulated messages that targeted the
community aspect of BFKS, and its potential as a free event for Bigs to enjoy with
Littles and other matches while raising crucial funds for BBBSGC. Bigs indicated
a desire for increased awareness and increased involvement from BBBSGC staff,
which I incorporated into my campaign efforts to increase the frequency and
quality of match support phone calls, Facebook posts and email blasts. My
analysis was that Bigs were either unaware of the event, misinformed about the
event or unsure of ways to get involved. This insight suggested efforts to push
more BFKS information in a clearer manner to the target audience.
Nearly 63 percent of Bigs who took this questionnaire indicated the
Internet as their primary source for local news. This insight helped formulate my
tactic to post BFKS information to online calendars of events to target Bigs
effectively. Other efforts were pitching a BFKS press release to various online
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news sources, in addition to WIS (NBC) and The State newspaper that received
38 and 31 percent of responses, respectively. Fewer than 10 percent of
respondents noted receiving local news from radio stations in question five,
which suggested radio as a low-priority medium for BBBSGC communication
efforts.
Facebook was ranked the most commonly used social media platform
among the Bigs in question six at 84 percent, but only 44 percent of respondents
indicated an awareness of the BBBSGC Facebook page. These findings suggested
Facebook as an effective means of reaching this audience based on the platform’s
significant use among Bigs and the frequency of local news received online
indicated in question five. This insight helped me develop a tactic of a series of
BFKS Facebook posts targeted at Bigs every other day. Instagram was the second
most common platform used by Bigs as indicated in this questionnaire. While
BBBSGC does not have an Instagram, my research showed the organization could
increase social media interaction with this group of Bigs with the addition of the
app.
Nearly 46 percent of the Bigs in this questionnaire indicated using Twitter,
BBBSGC’s most updated and engaged social media platform, second to Facebook.
While Bigs indicated a significant social media presence in this questionnaire,
nearly 47 percent also indicated lacking awareness of any BBBSGC social media.
My campaign efforts to connect these individuals with BBBSGC social media
were linking the organization’s Facebook and Twitter page to my BBBSGC email
signature and linking the Greater Columbia chapter’s social media to
organization email blasts targeted at Bigs.
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In question eight, Bigs were asked whether or not they were subscribed to
the Bigs weekly MailChimp email blast suggesting free and low-cost local
activities for matches. While 63 percent indicated they were not subscribed to
this listserv, half of these respondents wrote their email address so they could be
added. This finding suggested that Bigs desire greater involvement with the
organization but communication efforts are not yet up to par.
A significant number of respondents who were subscribed to the
MailChimp listserv indicated low to no engagement with the weekly emails. The
majority of subscribed Bigs indicated that they did not participate in the
suggested activities nor read the email. This finding contrasted my analysis that
Bigs want to be involved more with the organization. Further research would be
required to interpret these findings accurately.
Various comments throughout the questionnaire such as “stability in
BBBSGC [would motivate me to participate in BFKS],” “The turnover at BBBSGC
has been pretty rapid lately. I am trying to give [my Little] some stability,” and,
“It would be helpful for me to respond as interested [in participating in BFKS]
and then someone from your office would call get me signed up,” indicated the
effects of the organization’s recent transitions in leadership and staff on the Bigs’
attitude toward and relationship with BBBSGC. I proposed that this may improve
over time as BBBSGC adjusts with the new leadership but may also benefit from
clear and consistent communication efforts from the organization to the Bigs.
Results from my two sources of primary research were consistent in
emphasizing the significance of match support phone calls to Bigs. Both
Weathers and the majority of questionnaire respondents expressed the
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importance of these phone calls in their learning about new and upcoming
organization information and forming a relationship with BBBSGC staff. This
insight was important in determining effective communication channels for my
campaign, and prompted the Cookie Call-A-Thon, a BBBSGC staff match support
phone call effort aimed to inform Bigs about BFKS.
My in-depth interview also offered insight on the high value Bigs place on
their Littles and spending time with them, and Bigs’ perception of BFKS as
strictly a fundraiser. This knowledge led to message content creation for my
tactics of a series of Facebook posts and a MailChimp email directed at involving
Bigs in BFKS. Weathers also suggested message content emphasizing BFKS as a
high-energy, cost-free event that allows for one-on-one time between Bigs and
Littles.
Weathers also mentioned Instagram and its popularity as an app among
“almost everyone” that he knows. This finding is consistent with the 53 percent of
Bigs that indicated using Instagram on the questionnaire, contributing to it’s
ranking as the second most popular app among this audience. While research
indicates Instagram as an effective channel, the organization may have difficulty
using this platform for photos that require various consent forms for Littles.
Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research
Time was a significant factor in my campaign research. Due to the recent
transition in BBBSGC leadership, organization efforts for BFKS were delayed by
months. In past years, Johnson, had been in charge of the BFKS event almost
single-handedly. Under new leadership, BBBSGC was unprepared and lacking in
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the thorough knowledge of past BFKS events that would have been beneficial to
my campaign research.
More time would have allowed me to research BFKS awareness among
BBBSGC staff before and after the 2015 event. Suggestions for future research
include assessing staff BFKS understanding and communication strategies and
the implementation of further tactics for staff involvement, such as a BFKS staff
informational session. Had I been able to acquire the information on Bigs who
had and had not participated in past BFKS events sooner, I would have been able
to distribute my questionnaire at an earlier date and gather more data.
My research could be further enhanced by communication with Johnson
regarding past BFKS events, given more time. Additionally, further inquiry into
the relationship between staff and Bigs and Bigs’ desire (or lack of) for
involvement with the organization would enhance this research. Further research
should also entail inquiry into the Bigs’ MailChimp email blast and its
effectiveness.
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Works Cited
"About Us." Start Something. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia, n.d.
Web. 02 Feb. 2015. <http://www.bbbsgc.org/>.
LeBouef, Renee, Aimee Murray, and Valene Sims. "Bowl For Kids' Sake: An
Integrated Communications Campaign." Thesis. University of South
Carolina, 2014. Print.
Start Something For A Child Today. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, n.d.
Web. 21 Feb. 2015. <http://www.bbbs.org>.
"Things To Do." Columbia Metropolitan, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
<http%3A%2F%2Fcolumbiametro.com%2FColumbia-Metro%2FThings-
To-Do%2Findex.php%2Fname%2FBig-Brothers-Big-Sisters-of-Greater-
Columbia-BBBSGC-Bowl-for-Kids-Sake%2Fevent%2F8568%2F>.
"Timeline." Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia. Facebook, n.d. Web.
28 Jan. 2015.
<https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FBBBSColumbiaSC>.
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Based on Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia’s needs and
opportunities and the analysis of my primary and secondary research of Bowl For
Kids’ Sake, I developed broad goals, measurable objectives and strategies and
tactics to achieve them. I determined areas of improvement for BFKS
fundraising, defined my publics, identified the most efficient communication
channels to reach them and created a timeline outlining my implementation.
Goal
The goal for my campaign was to increase operating funds from BFKS
2015 by targeting the low levels of awareness and participation among both Bigs
and BBBSGC staff.
Objectives:
• Increase Bigs’ awareness of BFKS, have at least eight Big-Little matches
participate in BFKS 2015
• Increase total BFKS 2015 teams by 10 percent (52 teams total)
• Retain at least three BFKS 2014 sponsors
• Raise a total of $1,000 from BBBSGC employees
• Have at least 50 percent of BBBSGC staff at BFKS 2015 (4 employees)
• Increase BFKS social media activity and engagement to posts every other
day
• Earn one positive BFKS story in local media
• Raise $70,000 in unrestricted funds from BFKS 2015
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Strategies:
• Encourage staff and Big participation and fundraising
• Execute a series of targeted outreach materials
• Poste about BFKS and engaged with corporate sponsors, Bigs and
community on BBBSGC social media
• Pitch BFKS coverage to local media
Tactics:
• A series of Facebook posts
• A series of MailChimp email blasts
• A series of staff emails
• Cookie Call-A-Thon
• Staff fundraising challenge team
• A news release
• BFKS posts to online event calendars
Broad Messages
My research offered insight on important messages to deliver to Bigs in my
campaign. I gathered that the most important were messages that generated an
overall awareness of the BFKS event and its significance as an opportunity to
raise unrestricted funds for the organization. I aimed for Bigs to regard BFKS as a
fun, cost-free opportunity to spend time with their Littles and other Big-Little
matches and meet the individuals who make their matches possible. To address
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Bigs’ concerns of time and financial constraints, I communicated that the event
takes one hour on a Saturday and that Big-Little matches bowl for free, though
fundraising is encouraged.
To address BBBSGC staff, I developed messages that introduced the event
and explained its importance as a signature fundraiser for the organization’s
unrestricted funds. I also had to impart messages that included the staff in the
event’s planning process and encouraged their participation in fundraising and
attending BFKS 2015.
Publics
In my research, I identified the weak areas of BFKS fundraising. The area
of least involvement and fundraising was of BBBSGC Bigs, who became one of the
main publics addressed in my campaign. My efforts targeted Bigs’ participation
in BFKS 2015 to increase the operating funds that are critical to the
organization’s success, increase Big-staff communication and BBBSGC visibility
in the community and humanize the organization’s work as a whole.
My second public was BBBSGC staff. After discovering the low levels of
their BFKS awareness and involvement, I catered my campaign to focus on them
as well as Bigs. Because they had never really been included in the event planning
process before, the majority of the staff had a low understanding of the event and
low levels of participation. Their event involvement and education was greatly
influential in my campaign’s efforts to address Bigs participation and
understanding as well.
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Communication Channels
Beyond identifying the target audiences for my campaign, my research
offered insight to the most effective media channels in reaching them. With this
knowledge, I distributed a BFKS news release to the following outlets, in addition
to those on the BBBSGC media list found on the server, to reach Bigs and the
Greater Columbia community:
-‐ The State
-‐ Free Times
-‐ SC Black News
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To address the high levels of online readership among Bigs, I submitted BFKS
event listings to the following online publications:
-‐ Columbia Metropolitan Magazine
-‐ Eventbrite
-‐ The State
-‐ Free Times
-‐ SC Black News
Non-media outlets included:
- BBBSGC Facebook
- MailChimp email blasts
- Match support phone calls
- Internal staff email blasts
The BBBSGC Facebook page was selected as a primary communication
channel for my campaign as my research indicated that it was the social media
platform most commonly used by Bigs, and the most visible platform of all of the
organization’s social media. The Bigs’ MailChimp email listserv was used to
communicate to all of the Bigs directly from the organization. My research
indicated match support phone calls as a significant means of delivering
organization information from staff to Bigs, and was determined a primary
communication channel for this reason. To address the BBBSGC staff to get
involved in the BFKS 2015 planning, I distributed email blasts to maintain
organization communication.
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2015 Timeline
Wednesday, Jan. 21
Client selection and confirmation– Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater
Columbia
Thursday, Jan. 22
Sent the first MailChimp email blast with a BFKS content block to Bigs
Monday, Jan. 26
First meeting with CEO and President Cristy Marshall to discuss
campaign, organization and BFKS 2015 goals; determined goals to be increasing
operating funds and overall Big-Little matches made through targeting corporate
sponsors and African-American men in Columbia for BFKS
Wednesday, Jan. 28
Met with BBBSGC Director of Educational Programs and Partnership,
Emily Gregory, and discussed the organization’s funding breakdown
Tuesday, Feb. 10
Finalized research questions for audiences of corporate sponsors and the
black male community
Monday, Feb. 16
Met with Marshall to address campaign and BFKS 2015 goals; started
promoting BFKS on BBBSGC Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #BFKS
Wednesday, Feb. 18
Revised my goals to increasing operating funds through BFKS corporate
sponsors and Big-Little participation
Friday, Feb. 20
Proposed for BBBSGC staff to discuss BFKS with Bigs via match support
phone calls; sent first of staff email blasts
Monday, Feb. 23
Received document of BFKS 2014 participants
Friday, Feb. 27
BBBSGC BFKS 2015 website launched; posted the link on organization
Facebook and on second MailChimp email blast
Sunday, March 1
Incorporated BFKS Nerium social media campaign on BBBSGC Facebook
and Twitter using the hashtag #BowlforKids
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Tuesday, March 3
First BBBSGC “thank you” Facebook posted to BFKS sponsor AgFirst
Farm Credit Bank
Wednesday, March 18
Revised my campaign goals a final time to increasing operating funds with
Big-Little and BBBSGC staff participation. Revision due to time constraints,
Marshall’s personal focus on corporate sponsors and observably low levels of
event involvement among Bigs and staff
Thursday, March 19
Finalized my BFKS non-participating Bigs’ questionnaire
Saturday, March 21
Posted BFKS event reminder and call to supporters, volunteers and donors
using hashtag #BowlForKidsSake and provided a link to the new BFKS 2015
website; posted second Facebook “thank you” to BFKS sponsor Turner, Padger,
Graham and Laney
Sunday, March 22
BFKS 2015 app launched; posted to BBBSGC social media
Monday, March 23
Delivered questionnaire to Bigs who had never participated in BFKS;
posted a BBBSA BFKS PSA on organization Facebook; sent second staff email
blast explaining my campaign and attaching BFKS talking points
Tuesday, March 24
Delivered an email blast to BFKS 2014 team captains and attendees about
participating in the 2015 event
Thursday, March 26
Distributed BFKS fliers at businesses and restaurants in Columbia; third
Facebook “thank you” post to BFKS sponsor Pepsi Bottling Company
Friday, March 27
Conducted in-depth interview with BBBSGC board member and BFKS Big
participant Gill Weathers; sent third MailChimp email blast thanking current
BFKS 2015 sponsors
Sunday, March 29
Analyzed data collected from primary and secondary research
Monday, March 30
Applied research data to the organization’s Cookie Call-A-Thon, when
BBBSGC staff invited Bigs to BFKS 2015 by phone; promoted staff event on
BBBSGC Facebook
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Tuesday, March 31
Drafted news releases and BFKS online event posts
Thursday, April 2
Sent fourth MailChimp blast thanking current BFKS 2015 sponsors
Friday, April 3
Sent news releases to The State and Free Times and SC Black News, in
addition to local outlets indicated on BBBSGC media list
Saturday, April 4
Posted BFKS event listings to the Columbia Metropolitan Magazine, Free
Times, The State, SC Black News and Eventbrite; introduced staff fundraising
challenge
Monday, April 6
Posted event reminders on Facebook and Twitter; sent fifth MailChimp
email blast event reminder
Wednesday, April 8
Posted strategic messaging content to target Bigs to participate in BFKS
2015
Saturday, April 11
Day of the BFKS 2015 event; photographed the event
Monday, April 13
Posted BFKS 2015 event pictures and “thank you” posts on BBBSGC
Facebook page
Monday, April 20
Distributed post-campaign questionnaires to BFKS 2015 participating Bigs
and non-participating Bigs
Friday, April 24
Analyzed results from event questionnaires; measured media coverage;
evaluated campaign success
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Implementation
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The strategies, tactics and implementation plan for my campaign were
designed to reach the goal of increasing BFKS 2015 operating funds by targeting
the low levels of awareness among Bigs and BBBSGC staff.
BFKS 2015 Implementation Plan
My implementation plan began on Jan. 22, with a series of BFKS 2015
content blocks distributed on the BBBSGC Bigs MailChimp email blast of weekly
activity suggestions. The first post introduced the event to Bigs and asked them to
mark their calendars and the second post provided the new BBBSGC BFKS 2015
website link on Feb. 27. On March 27 and April 2, this content block included
thanks to the BFKS 2015 sponsors to date, respectively. On April 6, I sent a
thorough BFKS 2015 email blast to inform and recruit Bigs to register for the
event.
On Feb. 16, I created the first BFKS posts on the BBBSGC Facebook and
Twitter pages using the hashtag #BFKS. This series of social media posts
introduced the event with the ‘save the date’ image I designed for the MailChimp
blast, offered explanations and links to event information and thanked BFKS
sponsors as they offered national and local support for BFKS 2015. These
sponsors were AgFirst Farm Credit Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South
Carolina, Ogletree Deakins, Palmetto Health, Pepsi Bottling Co., Sowell Gray
Stepp & Laffitte, LLC, Wells Fargo, Turner Padget Graham & Laney, Keenan
Suggs, First Citizens Bank, Jack Oliver’s Pool, Spa and Patio and Nerium
International.
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I implemented a series of staff emails for my campaign. The first email was
sent on Feb. 20, encouraging staff to talk about BFKS with Bigs during their
match support calls. On March 23, I sent a thorough email explaining my
campaign, attached a second document of BFKS talking points found on the
BBBSGC server from a past BFKS event and asked for any additional email
addresses of Bigs who were not currently subscribed to the MailChimp listserv.
I met with BBBSGC CEO and President Cristy Marshall on March 18 to
discuss efforts to promote further BFKS discussion on match support phone calls
between BBBSGC staff and Bigs. I introduced the idea of a staff fundraising
competition on this date.
I distributed an email blast to all BFKS 2014 participants and team
leaders, as referenced in a document provided by Marshall, on March 24.
On March 30, I shared the findings from my primary research with the
BBBSGC staff, particularly the significance of match support calls in
disseminating organization information to Bigs.
I spoke with the Greater Columbia director of public relations, Jennifer
Hodges, about promoting BBBSGC social media at volunteer information
sessions and asked Hodges to add the email addresses of interested Bigs to the
MailChimp listserv, as they had indicated in my questionnaire.
Also on March 30, the BBBSGC staff participated in a Cookie Call-A-Thon
that Marshall implemented. The staff dedicated the day to contacting Bigs to
discuss BFKS 2015 and invite them to participate.
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On April 4, I submitted BFKS 2015 posts to online event calendars in the
Columbia Metropolitan Magazine, Free Times, The State, SC Black News and on
Eventbrite.
On April 9, I emailed BBBSGC staff about the staff fundraising, Big-Little
virtual bowling team that Marshall created. In this email, I asked them all to
register on our team, share the link to their personal social media and challenged
them to exceed my raised funds of $125 at the time.
On April 9, I distributed a BFKS news release that highlighted the 2015
event’s emphasis on Big-Little involvement.
BFKS 2015 was on April 11. Hodges and I documented the event with
photos and videos and encouraged social media engagement and relationship
development between BBBSGC staff, Bigs and Littles, sponsors, volunteers and
other bowlers.
On April 13, I created a BFKS 2015 photo album on the BBBSGC Facebook
page and thanked all of our supporters.
On April 20, I distributed post-event questionnaires to BFKS 2015
participating and non-participating Bigs.
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Tactics
A variety of tactics were implemented to reach the goal of my campaign. The
communications tactics are as followed:
- A series of MailChimp email blasts
- A series of Facebook posts
- A series of staff emails
- Staff fundraising challenge team
- Cookie Call-A-Thon
- Community calendar posts
- A news release
Series of MailChimp Email Blasts
I distributed a series of BFKS posts to Bigs with the MailChimp email
listserv. BBBSGC sends a weekly email of suggested local and inexpensive
activities, and I incorporated my first BFKS 2015 posts on this MailChimp email
blast and finished the series with an email solely regarding BFKS. This tactic
supported my goal to increase Big participation and awareness by using the
communication channel that serves the highest amount of the audience.
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On Jan. 22, I created an image
that read “save the date” for the purpose
of introducing the event to my target
audience, Bigs.
A revised content block was added on Feb.
27 with a link to the BBBSGC BFKS 2015 website.
On March 27 and April 2, this content block
included thanks to the BFKS 2015 sponsors to
date.
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On April 6, I sent a thorough BFKS 2015 email blast to inform and recruit
Bigs to register for the event, and emphasize the significance of their
participation.
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Series of Facebook Posts
In my questionnaire, more than 80 percent of Bigs indicated using
Facebook and nearly 45 percent of Bigs indicated awareness of the BBBSGC
Facebook page. This information suggested the effectiveness of a series of
Facebook posts in targeting my campaign’s audience. I began a series of BFKS
posts on the BBBSGC Facebook page after I developed the most effective message
content based on my research. I measured the implementation of this tactic by
comparing the number of page “likes” and average number of people reached per
post from the month prior to my campaign to the final month of my campaign’s
Facebook postings.
Monday, Feb. 16 (Facebook wall post):
“This #MotivationalMonday, we ask you
reserve April 11, for our signature fundraiser,
Bowl For Kids' Sake at AMF Columbia Lanes!
By supporting #BFKS, you can Start
Something in your community – more Bigs
and Littles can be matched, more friendships
can be gained and improved outlooks on life
can be started. Call our office to sign up today
and tell your family and friends. Be a
fundraiser. Be a donor. Be a bowler.”
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Monday, Feb. 16 (Cover photo post):
“Save the Date for our largest national fundraiser, Bowl For Kids' Sake!
BBBSGC's annual #BFKS will take place on April 11, 2015, at AMF Columbia
Lanes. Call our office today to get a team started, make a donation or become a
sponsor! www.bbbsgc.org/bfks”
Three weeks before the event:
Saturday, March 21
“#BowlForKidsSake is 3 weeks from today
and we need your help to make this event a
success! If you have 1 hour to spend having
fun, consider joining a team, creating a team
or simply donating! How are you going to
better the lives of our children?”
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Monday, March 23
“Do you have one hour to spend having
fun on a Saturday? What if that hour
could help change the lives of countless
at-risk children in Columbia? Join us for
Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl For Kids'
Sake, on April 11, 2015, at AMF
Columbia Lanes. Call our office today or
email cmarshall@bbbsgc.org to see how
you can #StartSomething.
#MotivationalMonday #BFKS”
Wednesday, March 25
“Interested in helping out Big Brothers
Big Sisters Bowl For Kids' Sake but don't
enjoy bowling? You can volunteer with
#BBBSColumbiaSC as part of the United
Way of the Midlands 2015 Spring Day of
Action on Saturday, April 11! #BFKS
volunteers will help with check-in,
potentially bowl with any unpaired
individual bowlers and act as liaisons
with our Big-Little match bowlers.
Two volunteer shifts are available:
- 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
- 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
#StartSomething #DayofAction #BFKS”
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Two weeks before the event:
Monday, March 30
“Calling all #ColaBigs! This
#MotivationalMonday we are asking you
to join us at Bowl For Kids' Sake 2015.
#BFKS is a fun, cost-free opportunity to
spend time with your Little & other Big-
Little matches, and it only takes 1 hour of
your time on Saturday, April 11! By
participating, you and your Little
represent a true #BBBSColumbia & Big
Brothers Big Sisters of America success
story. Call our office today to get
involved!”
Tuesday, March 31
Created the BFKS 2015 Facebook event
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One week before the event:
Saturday, April 4
“Time is flying by! Bowl For
Kids' Sake is ONE week from
today!! Still interested in
becoming a sponsor, donating
or most importantly, joining us
on the bowling lanes? We would
love to have you! #BFKS
#BBBSColumbiaSC
#StartSomething”
Monday, April 6
“#ColaBigs, #BBBSColumbiaSC
supporters, donors, friends & family- are
you still looking for a quick, fun way to
change a child's life? #BFKS is just four
days away, and we have a spot for you! It's
just one hour of your Saturday… bowling!
Certainly not a bad way to
#StartSomething!”
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Wednesday, April 8
“#ColaBigs !! #BFKS is just 3 days away, and we want to have as many
matches participate as possible! Wondering why you should join us? Bowl For
Kids' Sake is great for Bigs because:
- You can spend time with your Little
- You can meet other Big-Little matches
- You remind everyone the reason
they're bowling
- You can meet those who support your
match
- You and your Little may inspire other
bowlers to volunteer
- It's just 1 hour on a Saturday
- It's FREE! …. and it's FUN!
Email cmarshall@bbbsgc.org or call our
office today to join!
Monday, April 13
The post:
“The photos are up! This #MotivationalMonday,
check out how much fun we had at our #BFKS 2015
event on Saturday. Changing a child's life has never
been so fulfilling, or fun! Call our office today or email
cmarshall@bbbsgc.org to see how YOU can get
involved!”
Inside the album:
“#BBBSColumbiaSC would like to say a #BIG thank
you to everyone who made our #BFKS 2015 a success.
We had so much fun with our #ColaBigs, Littles,
sponsors, donors, volunteers, bowlers, parents,
guardians, friends, family and staff!
A very special thank you to AgFirst Farm Credit Bank,
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, @Ogletree
Deakins, Palmetto Health, @Pepsi Bottling Co, Sowell
Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC, Wells Fargo,
TurnerPadget, KeenanSuggs, @First Citizens, Jack
Oliver's Pool, Spa, and Patio, Chuck E. Cheese´s and
United Way of the Midlands #DayofAction volunteers
who helped make it possible!”
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Series of Staff Emails
I implemented a series of staff emails for my campaign. This tactic supported
my goal by raising staff awareness for BFKS that directly contributed to the event
information that Bigs would receive. By communicating and encouraging the
BBBSGC staff to get involved, I achieved my goals.
The first email was sent on Feb. 20 that encouraged staff to talk about BFKS
with Bigs during their match support calls. On March 23, I sent a thorough email
explaining my campaign, attached a second document of BFKS talking points
found on the BBBSGC server from a past BFKS event and asked for any
additional email addresses of Bigs who were not currently subscribed to the
MailChimp listserv.
On March 30, I shared the findings from my primary research with the
BBBSGC staff. On April 9, I emailed BBBSGC staff about the Big-Little virtual
bowling team. In this email, I asked them all to register on our team, share the
link to their personal social media and challenged them to exceed my raised
funds of $125 at the time.
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Email Attachment from BBBSGC Server: BFKS 2014 Talking Points for Bigs
Below you’ll find some information about how best to approach a Big when calling
him/her to become involved with Bowl for Kids’ Sake, and talking points you should
bring up during your conversation.
First and foremost, it’s important to remember that Bigs already volunteer their time and
do much for their Littles, so if they are not interested in participating, that’s O.K. The
idea is not to push them into participating, but rather encouraging them and
providing them with information about all the different ways to become involved.
Talk to the Big about what the event is, and explain how teams work. See if they’d be
interested in forming their own team, and inform them about what that would entail.
Also inform the Big about other ways to become a part of Bowl for Kids’ Sake:
1. Sponsorships: Bigs may ask their workplace if they’d be willing to honor their service
and serve as a sponsor for the event. There are different sponsorship levels and benefits,
so be familiar with these so you can answer questions if the opportunity comes up.
2. Teams: Beyond just having their own team, a Big can ask their workplace, religious
group, or community group to honor their service by forming a team on their behalf.
This is great option for a Big who’s very busy and can’t oversee a team, but is interested
in taking part and can encourage the people in his/her life to become involved with a
cause he cares about.
And finally, make sure to let the Big know how much we appreciate his/her service!
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Staff Fundraising Challenge Team
In my campaign, I proposed a staff fundraising challenge. I worked with
Marshall to conceptualize the virtual Big-Little bowling team, a tactic to get
BBBSGC staff involved in the 2015 event planning and fundraising. Both
including staff in the planning process and encouraging them to fundraise
contributed to my goal to increase operating funds from BFKS 2015 from
awareness and involvement of Bigs and staff. On April 4, Marshall launched the
staff fundraising challenge team.
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Cookie Call-A-Thon
This tactic aimed to increase BFKS discussion among staff and Bigs. While
I suggested efforts to achieve this communication between staff and Bigs, this
tactic was created by Marshall. On March 30, the BBBSGC dedicated a day to
calling Bigs, informing them about BFKS 2015 and inviting them to participate.
This tactic was created based on my primary findings, in that the match support
phone calls were a significant source from which Bigs receive organization
information. This tactic supported my campaign goals to raise awareness and
participation in Bigs, as well as involve staff in the BFKS 2015 event.
Community Calendar Posts
In my research, I learned that the Internet was the highest ranked source
of local news among BFKS non-participating Bigs. This insight suggested that
posting BFKS event information to online community calendars could be
effective in targeting my audience. In doing so, I aimed to enhance my goal to
raise funds from increased awareness and participation in the event. I began
implementing this tactic after I developed the most effective message content
based on my research.
BFKS 2015 event listings were posted to the following online
community calendars:
• Columbia Metropolitan Magazine
• Free Times
• The State
• SC Black News
• Eventbrite
