Michelle Brynkus worked as the Communications and Marketing lead for the Canadian Institute of Planners in 2016. She accomplished developing communication policies and guides, growing CIP's social media presence significantly, securing over 50 media mentions, rebranding CIP's website and publications, and managing the Great Places in Canada contest to promote the value of planning in Canada.

1. Michelle Brynkus’2016 Projects
As the Communications and Marketing lead for the Canadian Institute of Planners, I worked hard to
establish the department, brand, and profile of the organization after a massive restructuring.
Key Accomplishments
vDeveloped numerous communications policies, procedures and guides.
v Grew the communications department’s team by streamlining resources and reallocating budget.
v Positioned the Institute as a social media influencer and grew its audience significantly.
vRebranded all of CIP’s electronic news with members
v Elevated the profile of the Institute through media relations. Secured 50 media mentions including
articles in Canadian Business, FLARE, and CBC.
v Promoted the value of planning to Canadians through the management of a national contest, Great
Places in Canada. Managed contest promotion, the purchase, placement and creation of digital ads and
media outreach. Managed the rebrand of the contest’s website and logo
v Developed a World Town Planning Day social media campaign to develop awareness for the role of
planning and planners in Canada.
vRefreshed the corporate website, improving user experience and content.
Communicate | Collaborate | Advocate

2. • Developed media outreach strategies for CIP’s awards
programs, and Great Places in Canada contest.
q Secured 51 media mentions in 2016.
v Renegotiated media monitoring contract, saving
$3,000.
Media Relations
Social Media
• Developed CIP’s social media strategy to engage members,
and communicate CIP’s initiatives and value.
q Planned engaging and newsworthy content, such as press
releases, news articles, innovations, and educational material,
career opportunities, information and access to upcoming
scholarship opportunities, and relevant event & promotional
pictures.
q Streamlined the names of all of CIP’s social media channels
and created uniform branding.
v Achieved a significant increase in engagement and
followers.
Channel Followers as of 02/18/16 Followers as of 12/31/16
Corporate Twitter (CIP_ICU) 2,734 3,654 (up 920)
Great Places in Canada Twitter (GreatPlacesCA) 1,099 1,237 (up 138)
Conference Twitter (Resilience2017) 268 415 (up 147)
Corporate LinkedIn 5,218 5,804 (up 586)
Corporate Facebook (cdnplanners) Non-existent 462 (up 462)
Great Places in Canada Facebook 3,668 3,958 (up 290)
Corporate Instagram (cdnplanners) Non-existent 147 (up 147)
Media
v Secured media coverage in
Canadian Business, FLARE, and CBC,
as well as other
publications across Canada.

3. Social Campaigns
• Developed an executed a social media campaign to
promote World Town Planning Day (November 8) within
Canada.
• Leveraged the international day as an opportunity to
discuss planning issues, and inform the public about the
value of planning and planners.
Key outcomes of the campaign included:
v A record 42% of participation in the World Town
Planning Day online conference (a free event co-hosted
by CIP and other international planning bodies), out of
49 countries.
v Creating public awareness for planners and planning
issues
v A modest increase in social media following from
planners and the public.
On November 8, CIP engaged our
audiences on social media with a number
of exciting topics and by offering up some
exciting planning-centric prizes.
World Town Planning Day
Leading up to and on November 8, CIP shared
information about what planners do, and showed
appreciation for our members.
v Recognition of CIP and
the planning profession from
Member of Parliament for Halifax,
Andy Fillmore, in the House of Commons on
World Town Planning Day.

4. Great Places Contest
CANADIAN
INSTITUTE OF
PLANNERS
q Promoted the value of planning to Canadians through the management of a
national contest, Great Places in Canada.
q Managed contest promotion, the purchase, placement and creation of digital ads
and media outreach.
q Developed language about what planning is and what planners consider when
developing a space
v Managed the rebrand of the contest’s website and logo on a very limited budget.
v Redesigned website from a
frame to a modern horizontal
style that is mobile friendly.
v Redesigned the logo to refresh the brand.
The pin drop represents a point of interest on a map and the flourishes
that surround it represent a compass rose, and nationwide coverage.

5. January 20 janvier 2016
Proposed Bylaws out for Review
Further to the approval of CIP's Articles of Continuance last year, the Institute has been preparing a new set of
bylaws to fulfill compliance requirements under the Canada Not­for­profit Corporations Act (CNCA) and to
reflect a number of changes to the governance of the Canadian Institute of Planners. The changes are aimed at
establishing a governance structure that will better meet the needs of CIP members into the future.
The Bylaws were distributed Tuesday to the PTIA presidents for review and feedback. All CIP members may
view the proposed Bylaws by logging into the members­only section of the CIP website and clicking on "Board
Documents" which will take you to where they are posted on Sharepoint.
The PTIAs have 60 days to review these Bylaws and their feedback is due on March 18, 2016. The draft
bylaws will need to be approved by the CIP membership before they can go into effect. This will take place by
E­vote beginning March 24, 2016, and the voting will close on May 5, 2016.
Stay tuned in February for an eBlast which will outline voting timelines, processes, and any other important
updates. If you have problems logging in, email admin@cip­icu.ca.
For more information, visit the following Web pages:
CIP Reboots ­ Reboots Document Library ­ CIP FutureFORWARD Task Force
In Memoriam: Andrea Gabor FCIP, RPP
On December 24, 2015, Andrea Gabor FCIP, regretfully passed away. She was a
former president of the Canadian Institute of Planners and senior partner at Urban
Strategies Inc. The planning world will miss her immensely, and CIP gives its
condolences to Andrea's family, colleagues and friends.
In 2006, Andrea was inducted into CIP's College of Fellows, the highest honour that planning colleagues of the
published by the canadian institute of planners | publié par l’institut canadien des urbanistes
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www.cip-icu.ca
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Plan Canada Magazine
q Edits and writes articles for CIP’s Plan Canada
magazine, the premier planning magazine in Canada.
q Made the printed edition available to students.
q Worked with the advertisers to increase revenue and
distribution.
q Ensured consistent visual and text consistency by
working with the publisher and designers to update the
look of the publication.
v Worked with designer to have a special cover for the
Indigenous planning edition.
v Negotiated a new contract with a publisher that will
save the organization $7,000 per issue in 2016 (for all
four issues)
EBlasts
The Monthly Plan-It │ The Place for Planning News cip-icu.ca
Francais
In this edition:
Reminder to Vote for your Favourite Place │ Insight into Habitat III │ By-Election Notice │ World Town Planning
Day │ Hire a Planner│ New CIP Staff│ CIP Advises Government on Habitat III │ Upcoming Industry Events │
Reminder to Vote for Your Favourite Place
CIP is proud to report that Great Places has had more nominations
this year than in the past two years. This is because of planners
like you sharing news of this contest and the value of planning.
Remember to vote every day until October 17 and encourage
others to vote for their favourite places.
Visit GreatPlacesInCanada.ca for more information and be sure to follow the contest twitter page
@GreatPlacesCA and Facebook page for updates on who is nominated and to show your support.
Insight into Habitat III
CIP's President Eleanor Mohammed MCIP, RPP will be representing
Canadian planners at Habitat III in Quito Ecuador, October 17-20. Eleanor
will be part of the Global Planners Network Delegation and will be
attending many sessions put on by our partners. CIP will also be a part of a
joint conference booth at the event.
To promote what she is doing while in Quito, Eleanor will be taking over
CIP's corporate Instagram account, posting pictures of her journey, some
of the sessions she attends and planners she meets along the way.
Don't miss out on this up close look at Habitat III and Eleanor's journey by
following CIP's Instagram: cip_icu.
published by the canadian institute of planners | publié par l’institut canadien des urbanistes
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PM#40064978
Indigenous
Planning
winter/hiver2016vol.56no.4
Urbanismeautochtone
cip-icu.ca
q Writes, edits, and produces the Institute’s newsletters,
which have an average open-rate of around 41%
(compared to 21% industry average).
q Developed and branded the Board of Director’s
Board Bulletin.
v Rebranded CIP’s eNews as The Monthly Plan-It, and
included a consistent header, contents, social media
links, and formatting.
v Developed an eBlast to notify members that the
online edition of Plan Canada could be accessed online.
v Used Plan Canada as an advocacy tool,
sharing it with relevant stakeholders and
governmental representatives, including
parliamentarians in order to advance the
organization’s objectives.

6. v Managed a revamp of the existing website to improve user experience.
q Redesigned the homepage, included the CIP logo, and improved site navigation.
q Updated all main webpages and refreshed all banner images.
q Developed new membership and careers sections as well as refreshed all of CIP’s information to reflect
current state.
Old Website
Name is not visible on every webpage
Dated text banner
CIP logo is on every webpage
Rotating and regularly updated banner
Overview of who CIP is
CIP social media links
Relevant and revised headers
Refreshed Website
Dedicated membership section
Dedicated careers section
Corporate Website
Dated content and
fractured navigation

7. Conference Marketing
CIP is now accepting
original articles for the
Winter 2017 edition on
Indigenous Planning. Ask
us for more information
about how to contribute.
Vous pouvez dès à
présent soumettre votre
article pour le numéro
d'hiver 2017 qui portera
sur l'aménagement chez
les peuples autochtones.
Pour en savoir plus,
n'hésitez pas à nous
écrire.
Write for
Plan Canada
Vous souhaitez
contribuer au magazine
Plan Canada?
q Developed social media content to promote the conference.
q Developed and distributed special eblasts to promote
aspects of the conference to members.
q Secured sponsors to provide promotional support.
v Increased attendance by 200 participants in 2016.
The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) works on behalf of
over 6,300 planning professionals nationally, and has served as
the voice of Canada’s planning community since 1919.
The National Initiatives Advisory Committee (NIAC)
is a dedicated team of volunteers who inform CIP’s policy
and outreach projects on topics that impact the profession.
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
O U T R E A C H
To find out more about NIAC’s work visit
cip-icu.ca/nationalinitiatives
C L I M AT E
C H A N G E
H E A LT H Y
C O M M U N I T I E S
I N D I G E N O U S
P E O P L E S
P L A N N I N G
T R A N S P O R TAT I O N
H O U S I N G
U R B A N
D E S I G N
NIAC
is a network
of planners
focused on:
NIAC_posterEN03.indd 1 2016-06-28 10:12 AM
Get involved!
Vous voulez contribuer?
The Canadian Institute of Planners
will be recruiting for a number of
volunteer positions on committees
and task groups this Fall.
Cet automne, l'Institut canadien
des urbanistes va engager plusieurs
bénévoles qui occuperont des
postes au sein de ses comités et
groupes de travail.
For more information / Pour en savoir plus
cip-icu.ca
Project Management
q Developed copy and managed design projects.
q Developed small designed pieces, when time permitted.
q Oversaw schedule, budget and ensured quality and brand consistency.
A Year in Review 2015
THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF PLANNERS’ ANNUAL REPORT

8. q Managed brand integrity through employee training on CIP brand.
q Developed and maintained CIP policies and guides including:
v Brand Guide: complete with logo colours, fonts, and standards for use.
v Social Media Policy: to guide CIP staff and volunteer’s use of CIP’s social media accounts.
This policy governs the development of new accounts, publication of posts, and responses.
v Corporate Writing Style Guide: This guide was created to ensure consistency across CIP’s
departments and communications products.
Brand Management
Brand Guide Colours and Specifications Writing Guide Checklist
CONNECT
Michelle Brynkus
mbrynkus@gmail.com
brynkus
ca.linkedin.com/in/brynkus