This document summarizes a public relations campaign plan created for The ACRES Project, a nonprofit that aims to provide housing and employment for adults with autism. The plan was created by a group of students to raise awareness of autism and The ACRES Project's mission. Research included surveys and interviews to assess awareness levels and identify key target audiences. The campaign goals were to educate the public about autism and establish a positive reputation for The ACRES Project. Tactics included social media outreach, distributing promotional materials, pitching news stories, and an informational event. The plan provides guidance on evaluating the campaign's success in increasing engagement and awareness.
IMC 641 Social Media Plan for Fish With Kyle Flyfishing Guide ServiceStephanie Marchant
Final project for IMC 641 designing a social media marketing plan for Kyle Burrell, fly fishing guide in Atlanta, GA and Pinedale, WY. There are many things in social media that can be quantified: followers, likes, fans, retweets, comments, click-through rates, referrals to the FWK website, traffic coming from targeted geographic, etc. It is finding the correct mix of these items that allow for measurement of how to leverage word-of-mouth to drive brand credibility, and, ultimately new clients.
Trusted World Brand Awareness Plan - Elevate317Cody Aulidge
In the fall semester of 2017, I got to be a part of a lovely group of public relations students. Our assignment was to create a full PR campaign for our client, Trusted World.
To start this off, we even created our own “PR Firm” called Elevate317. This comes from Colossians 3:17 where it says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Our aim was to ELEVATE our client to a whole new level while keeping God in the center of everything we do. That’s where we get the continual arrow throughout our logo and book design.
To create this campaign, we did A LOT of research. This included secondary research, creating and evaluating surveys, doing in-depth interviews and holding two focus groups. And in the end, we’ve used EVERYTHING we’ve learned as PR students to create this campaign.
While I did participate in the group research, when it came to finalizing our campaign, I focused more on the design of our campaign book. I won’t take full credit for the design… Pinterest helped HEAVILY! But this final book is totally inspired by our client, our campaign, and our hopes of a good grade!
To finish it all off, we had the opportunity to present the campaign to our professor and he loved it.
Many long hours, frustrated screaming, stress, several roadblocks, anxiety medication, snacks, and delirious dancing have gone into this campaign. Couldn’t have done it without the wonderful group that has become such great friends of mine.
Peer led Social Media Strategies Community Action CalNeva ConferenceShana Friedman
I gave this presentation during the April 2011 Community Action CalNeva Conference. My presentation focuses on strategies for organizations to implement peer-led social media campaigns addressing teen health and wellness. The presentation covers the program I created: The Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition. This program uses social media to outreach to teens about mental health and reduce the stigma of mental illness.
Special thanks to Rebecka Anderson who allowed permission to use several slides from one of her presentations.
IMC 641 Social Media Plan for Fish With Kyle Flyfishing Guide ServiceStephanie Marchant
Final project for IMC 641 designing a social media marketing plan for Kyle Burrell, fly fishing guide in Atlanta, GA and Pinedale, WY. There are many things in social media that can be quantified: followers, likes, fans, retweets, comments, click-through rates, referrals to the FWK website, traffic coming from targeted geographic, etc. It is finding the correct mix of these items that allow for measurement of how to leverage word-of-mouth to drive brand credibility, and, ultimately new clients.
Trusted World Brand Awareness Plan - Elevate317Cody Aulidge
In the fall semester of 2017, I got to be a part of a lovely group of public relations students. Our assignment was to create a full PR campaign for our client, Trusted World.
To start this off, we even created our own “PR Firm” called Elevate317. This comes from Colossians 3:17 where it says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Our aim was to ELEVATE our client to a whole new level while keeping God in the center of everything we do. That’s where we get the continual arrow throughout our logo and book design.
To create this campaign, we did A LOT of research. This included secondary research, creating and evaluating surveys, doing in-depth interviews and holding two focus groups. And in the end, we’ve used EVERYTHING we’ve learned as PR students to create this campaign.
While I did participate in the group research, when it came to finalizing our campaign, I focused more on the design of our campaign book. I won’t take full credit for the design… Pinterest helped HEAVILY! But this final book is totally inspired by our client, our campaign, and our hopes of a good grade!
To finish it all off, we had the opportunity to present the campaign to our professor and he loved it.
Many long hours, frustrated screaming, stress, several roadblocks, anxiety medication, snacks, and delirious dancing have gone into this campaign. Couldn’t have done it without the wonderful group that has become such great friends of mine.
Peer led Social Media Strategies Community Action CalNeva ConferenceShana Friedman
I gave this presentation during the April 2011 Community Action CalNeva Conference. My presentation focuses on strategies for organizations to implement peer-led social media campaigns addressing teen health and wellness. The presentation covers the program I created: The Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition. This program uses social media to outreach to teens about mental health and reduce the stigma of mental illness.
Special thanks to Rebecka Anderson who allowed permission to use several slides from one of her presentations.
Staying Competitive in Today's Digital Workforce: Advanced Social Media Strat...Hootsuite
Today’s widening global skills gap impacts businesses, employees, and customers. It has become more important than ever to empower professionals with social media education to provide value to business. The Advanced Social Media Strategy Certification (ASMS), created by HootSuite and Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications—two global leaders in digital communications—provides strategic social media skills to an evolving digital workforce.
In this case study, discover how ASMS Certification provides value to businesses and professionals through the stories and key takeaways of enrolled professionals.
Storymakers 2014: Creating a Breakout Story (Hosted by TechSoup)See3 Communications
Learn how your nonprofit, library, or foundation can create better digital stories with advice from some of the most well-seasoned storytellers and creators in social good storymaking.
From Michael Hoffman of See3 and the DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards, to Joe Lambert of the Center for Digital Storytelling, we'll discuss the ingredients of a break out story and where to turn for inspiration in a cluttered landscape.
Presented by Megan Lee, See3 Communications as workshop for the Women In Development North group. Marketing and communications take place today in an attention economy. When time and focus of your constituents is at a premium, your strategy and approach must earn and retain their attention in order to tell your story, convey your value, and engage your constituents in your mission.
We surveyed 200+ Instagram influencers within our community to understand who they are and exactly how they want to work with brands.
These ‘grammers’ have an average of 5,000 followers and connect with them in an authentic and meaningful way across a range of different categories they are passionate about.
The National Dialogue on Mental Health (National Dialogue) was launched to give Americans a chance to learn more, from research and from each other, about mental health issues. People across the nation have organized community conversations to assess how mental health problems affect their communities and to discuss topics related to the mental health of young people. In a variety of ways, they have taken action to improve mental health in their families, schools and communities. These actions have encompassed the prevention of mental illness, promotion of mental health, public education and awareness, early identification, treatment, crisis response, and supports for recovery.
Several deliberative dialogue organizations, including Everyday Democracy, came together to form Creating Community Solutions (CCS) to support the National Dialogue. An evaluation of CCS was conducted to understand the extent to which a large-scale public conversation can lead to greater public awareness, education, and local action on mental health and what it takes to connect local conversations to issues of national significance. Since the spring of 2013, CCS helped to organize 6 lead city, large-scale dialogues reaching 1,741 participants, and 258 distributed conversations, totaling over 11,000 participants. An innovative, texting-supported, face-to-face process called “Text, Talk, Act” (TTA) engaged an additional 27,500 participants. In total, the project has touched directly over 40,000 individuals.
Staying Competitive in Today's Digital Workforce: Advanced Social Media Strat...Hootsuite
Today’s widening global skills gap impacts businesses, employees, and customers. It has become more important than ever to empower professionals with social media education to provide value to business. The Advanced Social Media Strategy Certification (ASMS), created by HootSuite and Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications—two global leaders in digital communications—provides strategic social media skills to an evolving digital workforce.
In this case study, discover how ASMS Certification provides value to businesses and professionals through the stories and key takeaways of enrolled professionals.
Storymakers 2014: Creating a Breakout Story (Hosted by TechSoup)See3 Communications
Learn how your nonprofit, library, or foundation can create better digital stories with advice from some of the most well-seasoned storytellers and creators in social good storymaking.
From Michael Hoffman of See3 and the DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards, to Joe Lambert of the Center for Digital Storytelling, we'll discuss the ingredients of a break out story and where to turn for inspiration in a cluttered landscape.
Presented by Megan Lee, See3 Communications as workshop for the Women In Development North group. Marketing and communications take place today in an attention economy. When time and focus of your constituents is at a premium, your strategy and approach must earn and retain their attention in order to tell your story, convey your value, and engage your constituents in your mission.
We surveyed 200+ Instagram influencers within our community to understand who they are and exactly how they want to work with brands.
These ‘grammers’ have an average of 5,000 followers and connect with them in an authentic and meaningful way across a range of different categories they are passionate about.
The National Dialogue on Mental Health (National Dialogue) was launched to give Americans a chance to learn more, from research and from each other, about mental health issues. People across the nation have organized community conversations to assess how mental health problems affect their communities and to discuss topics related to the mental health of young people. In a variety of ways, they have taken action to improve mental health in their families, schools and communities. These actions have encompassed the prevention of mental illness, promotion of mental health, public education and awareness, early identification, treatment, crisis response, and supports for recovery.
Several deliberative dialogue organizations, including Everyday Democracy, came together to form Creating Community Solutions (CCS) to support the National Dialogue. An evaluation of CCS was conducted to understand the extent to which a large-scale public conversation can lead to greater public awareness, education, and local action on mental health and what it takes to connect local conversations to issues of national significance. Since the spring of 2013, CCS helped to organize 6 lead city, large-scale dialogues reaching 1,741 participants, and 258 distributed conversations, totaling over 11,000 participants. An innovative, texting-supported, face-to-face process called “Text, Talk, Act” (TTA) engaged an additional 27,500 participants. In total, the project has touched directly over 40,000 individuals.
This video is part of the Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow℠ (TAG) webinar series on successful strategies for improving adolescent health. Suzanne Elder shares information about Chicago's youth-focused agenda.
Team Outdoor Group Paper1. Executive SummaryNature is an unt.docxssuserf9c51d
Team Outdoor: Group Paper
1. Executive Summary
Nature is an untapped resource that provides limitless opportunities to explore, learn, and grow. It plays a grand role in our lives; however, far too often, it is overlooked and underappreciated. In a world that is increasingly becoming more reliant and connected with technology, it is critical to acknowledge the importance of nature. Therefore, our group, Team Outdoors, worked fervently to develop a strong message that emphasizes the importance of connecting with nature, preserving the environment, and exploring new possibilities outside. Collaboration was essential to ensure the successful promotion of our mission, given the short time frame. Therefore, we partnered with Camping Club, an existing student organization, to promote this message across a wide network of peers in an efficient and effective manner. A key component of our team’s objective was to address the United Nations goal, Life on Land. This objective emphasized the importance of disconnecting from technology, developing environmental awareness, and establishing a connection with nature. A multitude of marketing strategies were employed to maximize our outreach and overall effectiveness as a unit. These strategies included: identifying our market, segmenting a specific target niche, positioning our message, and delivering our message across various social media forums.
Our target market consisted of health & environmental activists, adventure seekers, and active lifestyle advocates. The demographics of our target audience consisted of young millennials with an even distribution of male and female. With this in mind, we tailored our marketing strategy to be engaging and relatable to this specific crowd. Therefore, we utilized social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. These forums are a prime source for young millennial engagement. Additionally, we utilized viral trends to deliver a message that was informative and relatable.
Overall, the integration of several marketing strategies proved to be successful. Each post generated an increasing amount of social media engagement. As a result, all of our social media pages gained followers, likes, and views. There is a strong, positive correlation between the volume of our posts and the amount of viewership that our pages received. These results testify to the effectiveness and efficiency of our team’s message and the overarching marketing strategy.
2. Introduction of Group Selected
Two groups took part in our marketing strategy. Firstly, we selected a group of Non-UCR students that were SRC members. These students represented the demographic of individuals who were outside of our immediate influence since they were not students. Therefore, it gave us a varying perspective as to how we can engage with individuals who are not directly related to our demographic. In addition to their Non-student status, this sample test market also had additional criteria. They ha ...
Social media can be used as powerful public health communication tools for raising awareness, connecting and engaging with your stakeholders, building and sustaining relationships, and encouraging calls to action. Yet, whether you’re a total newbie or a social media guru looking to step up your game, nothing can defeat your efforts more than winging it without a plan.
Enjoy this toolkit from our "Building a Social Media Communications" webinar, the first session in the latest 21st Century New Media Series from CALPACT and CHL at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. JC De Vera of the Greenlining Institute and Rae Roca-Pickett of the Young Invincibles shared how they’ve built a social media strategy that works, is integrated with their overall communications plan, and helps them to create meaningful impact with the communities they serve.
To view other resources from this workshop:
Presentation slides:
http://www.slideshare.net/SPHCalpact/calpact-nm-webinar-31494514
To learn more about this series, please visit: http://chl.berkeley.edu/events/newmedia/2014-new-media-trainings/sessions.html
Follow Us on Twitter: @CALPACT
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CALPACTUCB
Website: www.calpact.org
Bloom Works’ Social Impact Designer, Alyson Fraser Diaz, recently sat down with Community Up Founder, Jermeen Sherman, to discuss the emerging field of social impact design and share how their work aims to keep community members at the center of the design process. Watch a recording of their conversation to better understand the principles of social impact design, learn about several tools Alyson and Jermeen use in their work, and hear examples of how they’ve used these tools to create better outcomes.
The accompanying Community Engaged Design Guide is a free resource that your organization can use to begin incorporating insights from Alyson and Jermeen into your projects.
1. Growing Solutions
ACRES Campaign
A Public Relations Campaign Plan for ACRES produced by Abelina Barra, Carissa Christy,
Monica Cintron Ortiz, Molly Gentile, Hannah Kelly, Veronica Marin, and Jaclyn O’Connor.
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Comm 473 Spring 2016
3. 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………….... 3
2. Introduction……………………………………………………................................................ 5
3. Research………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
a. Organizational Background……………………………………………………………… 6
b. Communications Analysis……………………………………………………………….. 8
c. Current Situation………………………..…………………………………………........ 10
d. Preliminary Identification of Target Publics…………………………………................ 11
e. Primary Research……..……………………………………………………................... 13
4. Planning Phase…………...…………………………………………………………............... 35
a. Key Publics……………………………………………………………………………... 35
b. Goals, Objectives, & Strategies………………………………………………………… 37
c. Messages………………………………………………………………………………... 40
5. Implementation Phase………………………………………………………………………... 42
a. Tactics…………………………………………………………………………………... 42
b. Timetable……………………………………………………………………………….. 45
c. Resources and Budget…………………………………………………………………... 47
6. Evaluation and Stewardship Phase…………………………………………………………... 49
a. Evaluation………………………………………………………………………………. 49
b. Stewardship Plan………………………………………………………………………... 55
7.Conclusion & Summary………………………………………………………………………. 56
8. Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………… 58
a. Appendix A: Surveys and Research Instruments………………………………….. ……58
4. 2
b. Appendix B: News Releases, Feature Stories, Pitch Letters, Etc. …………………… 64
c. Appendix C: Background Research Sources…………………………………………… 91
9. Review Sheet (Sign)…………………………………………………………………………. 92
5. 3
Executive Summary
Underfunded and in need of a permanent location, nonprofit startup The ACRES Project wanted
a boost of public support in order to achieve its mission of providing people with autism a place
to live and work as part of a community. ACRES partnered with Growing Solutions
communications group to raise awareness about the residential and vocational needs of adults
with autism within the local community in January 2016. The team directed a grassroots
campaign during the Pennsylvania State University spring semester to improve the client’s
communal relations and to raise awareness of its vision.
Growing Solutions needed to better understand the contextual opportunities and problems as well
as the reputation of the organization in order to construct a practical and effective media
outreach, so two surveys, phone interviews, and a social media content analysis were conducted
as primary methods of research. Participant methods were designed to investigate the most
valuable newsletter content, the current level of awareness for autism, the standing image of
ACRES, and the public’s willingness to donate to or volunteer for nonprofits. The content
analysis identified the organization’s reach and specific barriers to social media success. We
found that the people most interested in The ACRES Project are those who care for individuals
with autism or have an autistic family member. We found that prior supporters clearly
understand the mission of ACRES, believe the organization will benefit the community, and are
interested in regularly receiving a variety of project updates. Low response rates indicated that
ACRES was still in the early stages of cultivating a following. Ultimately, our research
demonstrated that awareness needed to be the focus of the campaign and the social media
strategy needed fully revamped.
The team helped to focus the image and the communication efforts of the organization with
carefully planned social and traditional media outreach. Our research directly informed the
segmentation of publics, formulation of key messages, and construction of objectives in this
phase. Growing Solutions targeted older members of the State College community and key
media outlets to create awareness and to continually engage with potential supporters.
The campaign’s programming aimed to educate the public about the issue, to establish a positive
reputation for the client, and to create a lasting impact. Key messages were developed to
embrace the campaign’s theme, “Growing into something Bigger,” and were integrated into all
tactical efforts. Objectives for this campaign were heavily informational. Growing Solutions
strategized to spread messages to the local community by distributing promotional materials,
pitching feature stories, and regularly engaging target audiences to gain social media followers.
Research showed that direct involvement is the key to raising meaningful awareness so Growing
Solutions created an informational event in conjunction with Autism Awareness Month and
Light It Up Blue Day to engage the State College community with the cause via face-to-face
communication. The purpose of this event was to spread awareness about autism and the vision
of The ACRES project. Growing Solutions set forth a behavioral objective specifically for this
event: to hand out awareness bracelets to participants in celebration of Light It Up Blue.
6. 4
Additionally, Growing Solutions aimed to increase traditional media coverage by distributing an
original media kit containing three press releases, one feature story, two fact sheets, a radio PSA,
and a media advisory. A social media plan, a video PSA, a newsletter template, and several
articles for blog posts and email blasts were created to help the client engage with the State
College community.
In addition to ongoing evaluation of this campaign, Growing Solutions also conducted a
summative evaluation to gauge the success of the impact and output objectives. Evaluative
criteria included audience engagement, media impressions, financial indicators, coordination of
internal efforts, and communication efficiency between the team and client. In evaluating the
semester-long campaign, Growing Solutions aims to provide valuable insight for the client and to
highlight important aspects that will aid in moving forward. Growing Solutions recommends that
ACRES focus on constant engagement with key publics to continue raising awareness and to
boost involvement in the project. The organization should host more events, send out a monthly
newsletter, post social media content, and keep the public informed on a regular basis.
The campaign book as follows, is a guide to the major points of the awareness campaign and lays
out its research, planning, implementation, evaluation and stewardship in detail. The complete
media kit, event plan, social and traditional media plans and all other tactics can be found in this
document. It also includes a timeline and resource list for all aspects of the campaign. This book
is a useful guide for working with new non-profit clients and for creating grassroots awareness
campaigns.
7. 5
Introduction
In January 2015, Growing Solutions was chosen to conduct the public relations efforts for The
ACRES Project. ACRES stands for Adults Creating Residential Employment Solutions.
Together, we are launching an awareness campaign to bring to light the day-to-day hardships
adults with autism face. We are focused on reaching out to members of the State College and
southern Centre County community. This book contains a comprehensive review of the entire
campaign.
Our primary contact at ACRES is Executive Director, Bella Bregar. She has worked as a special
education teacher for many years and is heavily involved with the Special Olympics. She came
up with the idea for The ACRES Project after an older parent of an adult with autism shared her
concerns about not being able to care for her son after she passed. Bregar hopes that ACRES will
be able to provide a close community that these adults can thrive in.
The ACRES Project is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit working to provide a community for adults with
autism to work and live. ACRES is based in State College, Pennsylvania, and they are currently
in search of a permanent location on which to build their community. Eventually, they would
like to provide housing and four different types of employment opportunities to their residents.
The employment options would include working in a bakery, farming using the specialized
Aquaponics system, caring for small farm animals, and entrepreneurial opportunities.
ACRES has been fundraising for the construction of its community and spreading awareness for
adults with autism for some time, but they are now enlisting Growing Solutions’ help. Growing
Solutions supported ACRES with a strategic public relations campaign. Throughout our
campaign we researched the target audiences’ knowledge of autism and The ACRES Project. We
then promoted awareness for autism and The ACRES Project with a strong social media plan and
increased engagement with traditional media. Finally, we ended the campaign with an awareness
event for the community.
Growing Solutions was created by a group of public relations professionals who believe in
organically developing ideas to better their clients’ relationships with their target audiences. We
have a strong account team assigned to the ACRES’ public relations effort. Listed below are the
names and positions of each person on the team.
• Account Manager: Molly Gentile
• Copy Editor: Carissa Christy
• Creative Director: Hannah Kelly
• Social Media Manager: Monica Cintron
• Event Manager: Veronica Marin
• Media & Publications Director: Jaclyn O’Connor
• Research Director: Abelina Barra
8. 6
Research
Organizational Background
The ACRES Project is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide a residential and
vocational community for adults with autism. ACRES will form a specialized support system
that will foster social, occupational, and self-advocacy skills in its clients. This community will
transform individuals’ passions and strengths into jobs and allow for them to sustain themselves
financially. The community will become an extended family for those who work, visit, and live
there.1
The ACRES Project is a work in progress, as the technicalities of starting the farm and business
are still being addressed. There are three phases of the project that need to be executed. Phase
one is to secure grants and increase donations to fund the farm project. Phase two is to acquire
land on which to build the community and residential center that meets the sensory challenges of
adults with autism. Phase three is to finally build the Aquaponics System Greenhouse. The
Calvary Baptist Church has offered its land to build the greenhouse, however if ACRES secures
enough funding for the project, then it will purchase its own land to build on.
The ACRES Project will operate as a non-profit Pennsylvania corporation and will be funded by
Federal, State and private sources. Private grants and personal donations make up a major share
of the organization’s funding. The Board of Directors of The ACRES Project consists of a
versatile group of competent individuals with the knowledge and passion to achieve the goals for
the project. Amongst the board is Executive Director Bellamarie Bregar who has the necessary
skills to make the farm a home where adults with autism can live and thrive. Her skills come
from her 38 years of experience as a special education teacher with 18 years in the autism field.
The rest of the board includes the president, Lisa Bowen; Vice President, Derek Canova;
Secretary and Treasurer, Cathleen Prosek; and seven general board members. The ACRES
Project also consults regularly with their Adult Advisory Group. This group includes five adults
in the State College community who are on the autism spectrum. Their input is especially
important because they will be the people benefitting from the success of The ACRES Project.
The organization serves local adults of the community with intellectual disabilities as well as
their families. These families work very hard to take care of their loved ones with autism and
have high hopes for their future, so they are an integral segment of the target publics for the
project. Adult locals of State College and the surrounding area are also target publics, as the
organization requires donations in order for the project to operate.
The client currently has a good relationship with community members that they have connected
with in the past, but they need to gain more public support in order for the project to succeed.
Because the project has not yet launched, the community is not as involved as it could be. The
general public is poorly informed about the issue at hand, as most people do not seek out
information about support for autistic adults unless they are close with someone personally
affected. This explains the lack of awareness in the community. There are, however, specific
members of the community who are relying on the success of this project to enhance their child’s
1
Information obtained from ACRES website
9. 7
future. For example, Lisa Bowen, president of The ACRES Project board of directors, is worried
that because she won’t be around forever, her autistic son will have nowhere to live or anyone to
care for him. This is only one example of many families in desperate need of a community such
as The ACRES Project for their loved ones to call home.
When word spreads about the issue of autism and potential of The ACRES Project, it can
definitely catch the attention of a broader community as a meaningful and worthwhile cause. The
ACRES Project is important in the sense that there are people with autism in need of places to
live and work in order to provide for themselves in the long run. There currently is no place for
them in the area to do this. The project will ultimately develop a daily plan with its adults to help
them structure and enjoy their days without feeling isolated from the community. Growing
Solutions’ role in getting ACRES to reach these goals will be to create awareness, especially
through social media and community events. It is vital that people who even have an interest in
donating are constantly up to date with the progress of the project so they know exactly what it is
that they are supporting.
The client wants to set up a fundraising event for the community in April, which is Autism
Awareness Month. They also request a monthly newsletter be sent out with updates about the
project to those who have expressed interested and previously contributed. With this publicity,
ACRES hopes to gain more attention and followers who are interested and involved enough to
donate to the project. Their ultimate goal is to better the overall community by implementing this
smaller community for those in need.
Autism Speaks is considered a competitor to our client, as it is a well-known organization vying
for funding dollars from the same target publics. The ACRES is different from Autism Speaks in
its primary focus. ACRES aims to deal with the immediate problem at hand, which is finding a
niche for adults who are already affected with the disease to live and build a community,
whereas Autism Speaks focuses mainly on funding for a cure. Although Autism Speaks does
provide opportunity for adults with autism too, it doesn’t have resources in this region
specifically.
As noted, there is a lot of work still yet to be done in order for the campaign to be successful.
Starting with almost nothing will be both difficult and beneficial in regards to the success of the
campaign in the sense that we will have full control over the process.
10. 8
Communications Analysis
A communication audit is an in-depth evaluation of a company’s strategic communication plan
to exchange information with its audience. We will use the audit to identify the key methods of
internal and external communication within the organization. To conduct the audit, we
thoroughly investigated the company’s social media and website. Our group will also interview
the organization’s management to develop a more detailed understanding of their ideas for
communication and content.
After reviewing the information provided on the company’s website, it is clear that the
organization is looking to create an impact on adults with autism and intellectual disabilities. The
company has developed a positive but limited image within the community through social media.
By continually expressing gratitude to its donors, and sharing valuable information about adults
with autism, the organization has kept its audience involved and informed about the progress of
The ACRES Project. Its consistent use of social media has allowed the organization to get a
small portion of the community involved.
Traditional Media
Traditional media coverage has been minimal. The only form of traditional media coverage that
we have been able to find was one article on August 18, 2014. The Centre Daily Times published
a story that included information about ways to help ACRES buy the Oak Hall farm. However,
the story didn’t gain much attention from the community and unfortunately the purchase fell
through. Since 2014 there has not been any traditional coverage, this could be a tactic the
organization could improve on.
Social/Digital Media
During their initial launch of the project, the organization utilized YouTube to develop and share
a video about their mission and goals. The video was shared through the Braden Social Media
YouTube Channel, which was developed by a social media agency that promotes organizations,
including nonprofits. ACRES also developed a web page on the Centre Foundation portal, which
includes the story and vision of the company. This web page helps facilitate the process of
donations. Through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram the organization has helped raise autism
and intellectual disability awareness. The messages that are currently shared in their various
channels include anecdotes, stories, and articles about adults with autism and disabilities.
However, their social media channels have not reached the amount of followers that it needs in
order to meet their goal. We have included statistics of their current social media channels
below.
● Website: http://www.benjaminplumfarm.org/
● Twitter: @ACRESproject
○ Followers: 52
○ Posts: 216
11. 9
● Facebook: ACRES Project Non-Profit Organization
○ Likes: 674
○ Posts: 100+
● Instagram: benjaminplumfarm
○ Followers: 44
○ Posts 16
● YouTube: ACRES Project at Benjamin Plum Farm
○ Views: 307
ACRES is currently utilizing five digital media outlets to reach and engage its audience. It could
be said that the organization has minimal interaction with its target audience, because of the lack
of followers. However, the current social media channels are able reach various demographics
including their main audience, adults and family of adults with autism.
To reach an audience that would be willing to donate or commit to the organization, it would be
beneficial to join a social network that is more business-oriented, like LinkedIn. ACRES could
use LinkedIn for professional networking and to build relationships with organization that have
common goals. It would also facilitate the search for donors because of its demographic, which
are currently professional adults.
ACRES’ current image within the community is positive, but the organization has failed to
attract enough of a following. In order for the company to succeed the amount of social media
interaction should increase. The organization would also have to reach the specific demographic
that is willing to donate time or money.
12. 10
Current Situation/Issue Analysis
The main issue of this campaign is raising awareness for the needs of adults with autism. School
systems provide a lot of support for children with autism as they grow up, however as they reach
adulthood there are fewer opportunities for support. Autistic adults are able to lead meaningful
lives and contribute to society, but there are limited options for living and working environments
that are conducive to their skill set and cognitive disability. This project wants to fulfill the
compelling need for support systems and greater community involvement as this population
grows.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 68 children have
been identified with autism spectrum disorder and it is one of the fastest growing cognitive
disorders. There has been a 10 to 17 percent increase over the past few years, and a growing
number of autistic individuals are entering adulthood. There are many support programs for
children with intellectual disabilities, but adults with autism do not have many options for their
futures. Autism Speaks, a prevalent player in the fight to end Autism reported that only 24
percent of households with an autistic child are attempting to find their adult children housing
and support as they reach maturity. On top of that, Autism Speaks reports that about only 1 in 4
parents of children with autism are saving money for the future of their children.
There is a growing need for people to raise awareness about adults with autism. Many people
know about autism as a disorder, but do not understand how important it is to provide support for
adults. This is why The ACRES project wants to get involved; to give adults with autism options
suited to their personal needs and allow them to thrive.
Autism is tricky to understand because individuals can fall at various points in the disorder
spectrum. Autism includes everything from those who cannot function on their own, to those
who are very smart, but somewhat awkward. Often there are no physical cues or differences in
appearances that indicate an individual is autistic. Autistic individuals can struggle in social
situations and the general population is not tuned in to dealing with their special needs. Autistic
adults need specialized support systems and communities that can help them live independently
and function healthily in society.
ACRES will address the needs of adult autism by providing a living environment and career
options for their clients. They are still in stage one of the process due to some significant
challenges in obtaining land and raising funds. For this reason, we will campaign to raise
awareness that will hopefully lead to fundraising efforts.
The ACRES Project will have to take on a different approach than other campaigns in our class
because it is a grassroots campaign. ACRES is aiming to raise 1 million dollars to launch its
business, but it will potentially be difficult to raise such a large amount of money starting from
this baseline. Unfortunately, much of the reach that we have as students is not in a primary target
demographic, so we will have to stretch ourselves to make more connections and partnerships.
Because this is in such an early stage of business development, we will need to be very flexible,
patient, and creative in managing this campaign.
13. 11
Preliminary Identification of Target Publics
Growing Solution’s hopes to target the State College community and southern Centre County
with this communications campaign. We want to focus on spreading awareness of the issues
adults with autism face when trying to find employment. By reaching out to the State College
community we can inform the public that ACRES is encouraging independence for autistic
adults and hopefully we will reach families that are affected by autism and need extra support.
Additionally, we aim to increase traditional media coverage of the organization and the
campaign in order to spread awareness to a larger population.
According to the 2014 U.S Census Bureau Centre County, has approximately 158,742 residents
with State College accounting for 42,100 of those people. The ethnic majority in Centre County
is White/Caucasian, with private nonfarm employment being the primary occupation. The largest
age group is middle-aged residents.
There are 379 people with autism within the county. 2
That number may not seem significant at
first, but the Pennsylvania Autism Census indicates that there has been a 118% increase in
autism cases from 2005 to 2011. Additionally, the statistics here may be skewed, as individuals
with autism may not be accounted for after they leave the education system in such a sample.
Employees and volunteers involved with ACRES are the internal audiences. The external
audience includes the media and members of the community, including affected families,
caretakers, and adults with autism. The Penn State student community is not considered a
primary audience because ACRES mainly focused on gaining donations and students may lack
funds to contribute to a nonprofit. However, the Special Education department will be
specifically targeted and the university will be considered a secondary audience to spread the
messages of our campaign. ACRES’ most important audience is made up of families supporting
an autistic adult or teenager and autistic individuals over the age of 21. The organization’s
ultimate goal is to form a community where these clients can socialize, work, and live relatively
independently.
Presently, ACRES enjoys partnerships with a few different organizations. The Calvary Baptist
Church provides a free location to hold events and has offered to have the Aquaponics
greenhouse in their community garden. Another associated organization is State College High.
The high school has a rooftop garden where adults with autism help tend the garden, providing a
sense of community involvement to these often marginalized individuals. Additionally, ACRES
holds a grant from the senior population of State College.
These established relationships are strong, but we believe ACRES would benefit from reaching
out to more organizations to help spread their messages of autism awareness. Organizations we
hope to form relationships with include, Alpha Xi Delta, Centre County Times, and the Special
Education department at Penn State. Alpha Xi Delta is a sorority at Penn State, whose
philanthropy is autism. By reaching out to this organization, ACRES can spread awareness to the
Penn State campus and gain a strong presence like Green Bridge Growers has at Notre Dame.
Even though we are trying to stay away from targeting Penn State students as donors, an
2
From Pennsylvania Autism Census
14. 12
organization can never have too much awareness and Alpha Xi Delta would be a worthwhile
secondary audience. Word of mouth could potentially spread our messages to the right donors.
Another organization that will be a good target is the Centre Daily Times. ACRES will be able to
reach a broader audience by using a traditional media outlet to communicate their message.
Another great organization to possibly reach out to is the Special Education department on
campus. Even though this is an organization that is involved in the Penn State community, we
are looking to reach out to the educators and mentors of this department.
Most of the State College community isn't aware of the issue, adults with autism have when it
comes to finding a job. Based on the evidence presented by the newsletter and talking with
members of the community, people who don’t have exposure to autism tend to be uninformed on
many issues affecting the autism community. Unless autism directly affects the person, the
subject doesn’t generate too much public concern, which leads people to not look into the issue
any further. If people do donate, they tend to donate to medical endeavors seeking to end autism,
rather than donating to organizations such as ACRES, who seek to find solutions to helping
people with autism today. Since ACRES is quite a new organization, their resources are limited
in terms of informing people about their organization.
15. 13
Primary Research
Introduction
In the client meeting, The ACRES Project’s directors Bregar and Prosek outlined four major
expectations for this campaign. The first was to create a regularly scheduled newsletter for the
organization’s current supporters. We believed a newsletter would be worthwhile programing,
but we were unsure what type content would be valuable for this audience. Therefore, we
researched what information the current donors wanted to see included in future newsletters.
ACRES’ second ambition was to boost its social media presence. While our communication
audit examined ACRES’ social media pages, we lacked access to administrative statistics at the
time. For this reason, we were still unclear on certain details of the organization’s social media
presence such as its reach, its most successful content, and its major audiences. We carried out a
content analysis to shed some light on these concerns.
The third goal was to raise awareness for autism in adults, an issue of obvious centrality for The
ACRES Project. However, in order to do this, we had to first evaluate the current level of
awareness in our audiences as well as their knowledge about autistic individuals. Our client’s
final aim was to raise enough money to complete phase one of its business plan. However, before
organizing a fundraising event, it was essential to gain an understanding of the community’s
willingness to be involved. These four objectives served as the foundation for our primary
research. The following quantitative and qualitative research focused on measuring the current
awareness and expectations of our audiences, as well as the identity and reach of The ACRES
Project.
Methodology
Growing Solutions conducted two online surveys, phone interviews, and a social media content
analysis as primary methods of research. The methods were designed to investigate our five
research questions: (1) “What do current donors and supporters want to read in a regular
newsletter from ACRES?” (2) “What is the current status of the ACRES social media pages?”
(3) “What is the community’s understanding of autism?” (4) “Are people interested in donating
moderate contributions to charities?” and (5) “What is the current image of The ACRES
Project?” The answers to these questions would later help Growing Solutions develop a strategy
to complete the objectives set by the organization, as well as those crafted on our own.
The online surveys were created with the Penn State Qualtrics website and were distributed as a
convenience sample to participants via email. The first survey was directed toward our current
supporters and was sent to a contact list of 192 donors provided by Bellamarie Bregar, founder
of ACRES Project. This survey helped Growing Solutions determine the type of information
current donors wished to receive in a monthly newsletter, the current image of The ACRES
Project, and whether or not past supporters were willing to continue making contributions to the
organization.
The second survey, intended to measure the attitudes of the State College community and
surrounding areas, was distributed via email to a list of 80 faculty contacts from the Special
Education Departments of Penn State University and the State College Area School District.
16. 14
Growing Solutions hoped to understand the community’s awareness about The ACRES Project
and autism in general with this method of research. It also measured willingness to participate in
charities, in order to gauge the likelihood of this audience making financial contributions to or
volunteering for ACRES in the future. These two surveys were conducted to collect answers
quickly for quantitative analysis as well as to gain participants for our next method, personal
interviews. We collected responses for three days before proceeding to the interviews.
Growing Solutions conducted a convenience sample of personal interviews to collect qualitative,
in-depth information. We investigated what about nonprofits interests our audience and what
motivates them to donate toward health-related causes, such as autism. These interviews were
arranged on a voluntary basis from the survey samples. Those willing to speak with us were
contacted to schedule times for a phone interview. Participants were asked to share experiences
they’ve had with charitable organizations, such as ACRES, and to discuss their experiences with
autistic individuals. Current supporters were also asked what had made them want to donate to
ACRES in the first place and any advice they had about influencing others to support the cause.
Insights gained will inform Growing Solutions on how to frame the campaign’s programming in
order to effectively inspire publics to donate to adults with autism and The ACRES Project.
Growing Solutions also conducted an extensive social media content analysis to better
understand the involvement on their pages. We extensively reviewed the posts and interactions
on all the social media channels ACRES manages including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and
YouTube. Growing Solutions requested admin status for multiple social media channels, but
unfortunately, complete access was not possible, as the passwords had been misplaced. Despite
the inconvenience, we were able to go through each and every post to review content and
interactions in detail. The information we obtained through this method will help us strengthen
ACRES’ social media presence and increase interactions between the organization and its
followers.
Please reference Appendix A for a copy of the two surveys and the personal interview questions.
17. 15
Findings
Current Supporters Survey
The current supporters’ survey gathered 20 responses between Feb. 11 and Feb. 13. Two
participants closed the survey without responding to any of the items, so their submissions were
discarded from the results. Therefore, the findings were calculated from the 18 participants who
completed the survey in its entirety.
1) What made you interested in supporting The ACRES Project?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Relative 7 38.9 38.9 38.9
Job/Volunteer 2 11.1 11.1 50.0
Relationship with
Owners
2 11.1 11.1 61.1
Interest in issue 4 22.2 22.2 83.3
Aquaponics 1 5.6 5.6 88.9
Farm 2 11.1 11.1 100.0
Total 18 100.0 100.0
In order to determine why previous donors were interested in the project, participants were asked
to explain the reason they supported ACRES. Participants were prompted by this open ended
item to write in responses, which were later sorted into six categories (relative with autism; work
or volunteer for people with autism; relationship with the founders of ACRES; interest in autism
as an issue; interest in Aquaponics farming; interest in Benjamin Farms). Relative with autism
was the most frequent answer (39 percent; seven participants) and interest in autism as an issue
was the second most frequent (22 percent; four participants). Work with autistic individuals,
relationship with founders, and interest in Benjamin Farm all had two responses, each making up
11.1 percent of the total. Aquaponics had one response, representing 5.6 percent of the
participants.
2) What do you think the purpose of The ACRES Project is?
Descriptive Statistics
N Minimu Maximu Mean Std.
18. 16
m m Deviation
Raising Awareness for
Autism
18 .00 1.00 .5556 .51131
Building A Safe
Community
18 .00 1.00 .8333 .38348
Support of Creative
Talents
18 .00 1.00 .4444 .51131
Providing
Entrepreneurship
Opportunities
18 .00 1.00 .5000 .51450
Constructing
Residential Options for
Autistic
18 .00 1.00 .9444 .23570
Adoption of
Aquaponics Farming
18 .00 1.00 .4444 .51131
Other 18 .00 1.00 .0556 .23570
Valid N (listwise) 18
This item revealed that most supporters believe that the purpose of The ACRES Project is
constructing residential options for Autistic adults, obtaining a mean of 94 percent. The second
most common response was building a safe community (83 percent) and the third was raising
awareness for autism (56 percent). Supporting creative talents and the adoption of Aquaponics
farming both obtained means of 44 percent. One participant chose other as an option and wrote
in “building social skills, life skills, and support.”
3) Of the two logos displayed, which you closely relate to The ACRES Project?
Which Logo represents ACRES more?
Frequency Percent Valid Cumulative
19. 17
Percent Percent
Valid Logo A 6 33.3 33.3 33.3
Logo B 6 33.3 33.3 66.7
Both 3 16.7 16.7 83.3
Neither 3 16.7 16.7 100.0
Total 18 100.0 100.0
Participants gave varied responses when asked which logo best represents The ACRES Project.
Six participants indicated that logo A, the puzzle piece with farmhouse, was the most
appropriate. However, another six participants believed that logo B, the circle with collapsed
hands, was the best logo for The ACRES Project. Three believed that both fit the cause quite
nicely, while three more participants indicated that neither of the logos suited ACRES.
4) Are you interested in subscribing to a newsletter for updates on The ACRES Project?
Are you interested in a newsletter from Acres?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid No 1 5.6 5.6 5.6
Yes 17 94.4 94.4 100.0
Total 18 100.0 100.0
When asked about a regular newsletter, 17 of the 18 participants wished to be subscribed for
project updates. Only one did not want to be updated on The ACRES Project, representing 5.6
percent of the sample.
20. 18
5) If yes, what information would you wish to be updated on within the newsletter?
Descriptive Statistics
N
Minimu
m
Maximu
m Mean
Std.
Deviation
Grant/Scholarship 18 .00 1.00 .7778 .42779
Construction 18 .00 1.00 .8333 .38348
Word from Our
Director
17 .00 1.00 .7059 .46967
Personal Stories 18 .00 1.00 .7778 .42779
Calendar of Events 18 .00 1.00 .7778 .42779
Lifestyle tips 18 .00 1.00 .6667 .48507
Thank you List of new
supporters
18 .00 1.00 .5000 .51450
Valid N (listwise) 17
Grant/Scholarship
Frequenc
y Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
V
a
li
d
No 4 22.2 22.2 22.2
Yes 14 77.8 77.8 100.0
Tota
l
18 100.0 100.0
21. 19
Word from Our Director
Frequenc
y Percent
Valid
Percent Cumulative Percent
Vali
d
No 5 27.8 29.4 29.4
Yes 12 66.7 70.6 100.0
Total 17 94.4 100.0
Mis
sing
Syste
m
1 5.6
Total 18 100.0
Construction
Frequenc
y Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Vali
d
No 3 16.7 16.7 16.7
Yes 15 83.3 83.3 100.0
Total 18 100.0 100.0
Calendar of Events
Frequenc
y Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
22. 20
Vali
d
No 4 22.2 22.2 22.2
Yes 14 77.8 77.8 100.0
Tota
l
18 100.0 100.0
Personal Stories
Frequenc
y Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Vali
d
No 4 22.2 22.2 22.2
Yes 14 77.8 77.8 100.0
Tot
al
18 100.0 100.0
Thank you List of new supporters
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Vali
d
No 9 50.0 50.0 50.0
Yes 9 50.0 50.0 100.0
Total 18 100.0 100.0
Lifestyle tips
Frequenc
y Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
23. 21
Vali
d
No 6 33.3 33.3 33.3
Yes 12 66.7 66.7 100.0
Total 18 100.0 100.0
This question made up a major portion of what we wanted to learn in the current supporters
survey. Participants could select several options for this item including updates concerning
scholarships and grants, construction of ACRES facilities, a word from the director, personal
stories from supporters, a calendar of events, lifestyle tips for those living with autism, and a
‘thank you’ list of new supporters.
The most frequent response was construction of ACRES facilities, with 15 participants wanting
updates in a newsletter (83 percent). A majority of participants wanted to be updated on
scholarships and grants (78 percent; 14 participants) as well as personal stories from other
supporters about their experiences with autism (78 percent; 14 participants). Approximately 70
percent of participants would like to read director letters and a similar percentage would be
interested in lifestyle tips for those with autism. There was a split down the middle on a ‘thank
you’ list for new supporters; nine wanted to include this information while nine rejected the idea.
6) How much would you be willing to pay for tickets to attend a fundraising event?
Frequenc
y Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Vali
d
Less than
$15
4 22.2 22.2 22.2
$16-$30 5 27.8 27.8 50.0
$31-$45 1 5.6 5.6 55.6
$46-$60 6 33.3 33.3 88.9
$61-$75 1 5.6 5.6 94.4
More than 1 5.6 5.6 100.0
24. 22
$91
Total 18 100.0 100.0
As for how much money supporters were willing to pay for ACRES fundraising event tickets,
the results were somewhat disbursed. Six participants indicated they would pay between $40 and
$50 for a ticket. Five participants would pay between $16 and $30 for a ticket. Four participants
selected less than $15 for a ticket. Price ranges $31 to $45, $61 to $75, and more than $91 had
one response each. None of the participants wished to donate between $76 and $90.
7) Would you be willing to talk to us on ways to get people involved in raising
money/awareness for autism in adults?
8) If yes, please include your name and e-mail/phone number in which would be easiest
to reach you by.
Frequenc
y Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid No 13 72.2 72.2 72.2
Yes 5 27.8 27.8 100.0
Total 18 100.0 100.0
These questions were designed to find participants willing to share their experiences with the
project and the issue. After selecting yes or no, participants were allowed to put their email and
name to be contacted at a later date. Of the 18 participants, five agreed to meet with us (28
percent) and were later contacted for personal interviews.
9) What age range are you?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid 22-25 1 5.6 5.6 5.6
35-44 3 16.7 16.7 22.2
25. 23
45-54 3 16.7 16.7 38.9
55-64 5 27.8 27.8 66.7
65 or older 6 33.3 33.3 100.0
Total 18 100.0 100.0
This demographic question helped us better understand the survey population.
Participants came from a variety of age groups, but the majority were 65 years of age or older
(33 percent; six participants). Five participants were between the ages of 55 and 64 (28 percent),
and three were between the ages of 45 and 54 (16.7 percent), and three were between 35 and 44
years (16.7 percent). Only one of the participants was between the ages of 22 and 25. No
participants were 21 or younger.
10) What is your gender?
Frequenc
y Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Male 6 33.3 33.3 33.3
Female 12 66.7 66.7 100.0
Total 18 100.0 100.0
The majority of participants in the current supporters survey were female (66 percent). Six
participants were male (33 percent). None of the participants responded other.
11) What is your average yearly income?
Frequenc
y Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Less than $10,000 2 11.1 11.1 11.1
$10,000 to $19,999 1 5.6 5.6 16.7
26. 24
$20,000 to $29,999 2 11.1 11.1 27.8
$40,000 - $49,999 2 11.1 11.1 38.9
$50,000 - $59,999 1 5.6 5.6 44.4
$70,000 - $79,999 1 5.6 5.6 50.0
$90,000 - $99,999 2 11.1 11.1 61.1
$100,000 - $149,999 2 11.1 11.1 72.2
More than $150,000 2 11.1 11.1 83.3
Prefer not to respond 3 16.7 16.7 100.0
Total 18 100.0 100.0
This item asked participants to select their average yearly income from a series of intervals.
Three participants selected preferred not to answer, but the rest of the participants responded.
Their incomes ranged all across the board. Two participants admitted to making more than
$150,000 per year (11 percent), two participants selected $100,000 to $149,999 per year (11
percent) and two participants made between $90,000 and $99,999 per year (11 percent). One
participant selected that they earned $70,000 to $79,999 and one selected $50,000 to $59,999.
Zero participants indicated a yearly income of $80,000 to $89,999 or $60,000 to $69,999. Two
participants selected $40,000 to $49,999 and another two selected $20,000 to $29,999. While
none of the participants stated that they made between $30,000 and $39,999, one participant
stated that they made between $10,000 and $19,999 a year. Finally, there were two participants
that said they made less than $10,000 a year.
General Audience Survey
The general audience survey was conducted between Feb. 11 and Feb 13. Four participants
completed the survey in its entirety during this time period.
1. Have you donated to nonprofits or charities before?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
27. 25
Valid Yes 4 100.0 100.0 100.0
All four participants had indicated they had donated to nonprofits or charities in the past.
2. If yes, what kinds of health issues/organizations/causes have you previously donated
to?
Frequenc
y Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid More than
one
4 100.0 100.0 100.0
To clarify the previous question, participants were asked what types of health related causes
they had previously donated to. This included muscular dystrophy, autism, cancer, children’s
charities, heart disease, and an option to put in another name of a charity. However, due to the
format of the question, all participants selected other, possibly to indicate they have donated to
more than one of these organizations or to all of them.
3. How likely are you to attend events that raise money for Autism?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Moderately likely 1 25.0 25.0 25.0
Slightly likely 1 25.0 25.0 50.0
Moderately unlikely 1 25.0 25.0 75.0
Extremely unlikely 1 25.0 25.0 100.0
Total 4 100.0 100.0
The participants were asked how likely they would be to attend events raising money for autism.
The four participants all chose different answers. One participant said they were moderately
likely to attend an event. Another said they were slightly likely to attend an event supporting
28. 26
autism. The last two said they were either moderately unlikely or extremely unlikely to attend an
event raising money for autism.
4. Have you ever volunteered for a nonprofit organization?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 2 50.0 50.0 50.0
No 2 50.0 50.0 100.0
Total 4 100.0 100.0
The participants were then asked if they have ever volunteered for a nonprofit organization.
There was a split down the middle for this item. Two of the participants responded no and the
other two responded yes, they had previously volunteered for a nonprofit.
5. Do you know anyone with autism?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 4 100.0 100.0 100.0
This item was included to see if the participants had experience with autistic individuals. All four
participants indicated they did know someone diagnosed with the condition.
6. If yes, what is your relationship with this person?
Frequenc
y Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Relativ
e
4 100.0 100.0 100.0
29. 27
Since all participants had answered yes to the knowing someone with autism, they were then
prompted to state their relationship with that person. All four said that the autistic individual they
knew was a relative of theirs, whether it was as distant as a cousin or as close as a parent.
7. Would you be willing to speak with us about your experiences with health related
nonprofits and/or people with autism?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 1 25.0 25.0 25.0
No 3 75.0 75.0 100.0
Total 4 100.0 100.0
Participants were then asked if they would be willing to talk with us about their experiences with
a nonprofit organization or someone diagnosed with autism. Three of the four participants
declined the invitation, but the fourth person agreed. Unfortunately, this response was given
very close to the deadline, so we were unable to schedule an interview.
8. Have you heard of The ACRES Project before?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 1 25.0 25.0 25.0
Maybe 1 25.0 25.0 50.0
No 2 50.0 50.0 100.0
Total 4 100.0 100.0
The participants were then asked if they have ever heard of The ACRES Project before. One had
said they had definitely heard of them before while another thought they might have heard them,
but weren’t sure. Two participants said they had not heard of ACRES before.
30. 28
9. If yes, where did you hear of them?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid N/A 2 50.0 50.0 50.0
Friend 1 25.0 25.0 75.0
Not sure 1 25.0 25.0 100.0
Total 4 100.0 100.0
Those who had heard of ACRES were asked how they knew of the organization. One admitted
that she had heard of it from a friend. However, the one who was not sure if they knew of
ACRES at all was not sure where they could have known them.
10. The ACRES Project is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit working to provide a community for adults
with autism to work and live. How much would you be willing to donate to The ACRES
Project supporting adults with autism?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid N/A 3 75.0 75.0 75.0
$46 to $60 1 25.0 25.0 100.0
Total 4 100.0 100.0
After reading a very brief description of The ACRES Project, participants were asked what
dollar amount they would be willing to donate to the organization. Three of the participants
chose not to answer the question, but one said they would be willing to donate between $46 and
$60 to the cause.
11. Are you a Penn State Student?
31. 29
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid No 4 100.0 100.0 100.0
This question was to ensure that the survey was not being extended to people outside our target
audience. All four of the participants stated that they were not Penn State students.
12. What age range are you?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid 35-44 1 25.0 25.0 25.0
45-54 1 25.0 25.0 50.0
55-64 2 50.0 50.0 100.0
Total 4 100.0 100.0
Participants were then asked to select their age range. The data showed that one participant was
between the age of 35 and 44, another was between the age of 45 and 54, and two were between
the ages of 55 and 64.
13. What is your gender?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Male 2 50.0 50.0 50.0
Female 2 50.0 50.0 100.0
Total 4 100.0 100.0
32. 30
When asked what gender of the participants there was an even split. Two of the participants were
male and the other two were female.
14. What is your average yearly income?
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Prefer not to answer 3 75.0 75.0 75.0
$70,000 - $79,999 1 25.0 25.0 100.0
Total 4 100.0 100.0
Finally, participants were prompted to select their average yearly income. Three of the four were
unwilling to answer the question, but one stated that they made between $70,000 and $79,999.
Personal Interviews
Ten people were contacted to schedule interviews, but only three responded. Those three were
asked a series of questions to better understand their experiences with charities and with autism.
1. What was your experience with people diagnosed with autism?
Two of the participants expressed that they had children with autism for whom they were
primary caregivers. One told us about her son who, although only on the borderline of autism,
was still difficult to care for and support. Our last participant has worked with children preschool
age and older with Autism Spectrum Disorder for 25 years as an occupational therapist.
2. What has been your experience with charitable efforts for autism?
Two of the participants expressed that this was the first charity that they had gotten involved in
with concerns for autism. There were a few national charities that they had heard of, but this one
was the first they had gotten involved in so heavily. The last participant was not involved in
charity efforts for autism prior to this one.
3. What do you know about autism?
The two parents of autistic children expressed that they had learned a lot about autism from
direct experience over the years and explained that it has become important to them to know as
much as they can about the disorder. They explained that it could be tough to fully understand.
One expressed that even after all the years of caring for her child; she still learns something new
33. 31
about autism everyday. The last participant had a more clinical outlook and explained that it was
a neurological condition that typically impacts a person’s communication skills, social
relationships, self-regulation, and sensory processing.
4. Where did you first hear about The ACRES Project?
The first interviewee said she found out about The ACRES Project through founder Bella Bregar
herself. The second found it while researching autism online. The last participant, who also heard
about ACRES through Bella, has supported it and watched it grow for a couple years.
5. What made you interested in The ACRES Project?
One participant expressed that young adults with autism or any intellectual disability had few
options in the community for socializing, vocational training, fun activities and other productive
happenings. She appreciates how The ACRES Project addresses all these issues while still being
a community-based operation. The second is concerned about how her son would function in the
community when he gets older and was happy to learn that The ACRES Project could help his
transition. The last participant has turned to ACRES to find a long term living solution for her
daughter.
6. What makes you want to donate to nonprofits or charities?
While one participant wasn’t sure how to answer the question, but the other two had clear
concise answers. One expressed that it helps to know someone involved with the organization
and that personal connection influences the decision to participate in the charity. The last
participant expressed that it comes down to feeling like personal contributions really have an
impact. They want to feel that supporting the cause will really make a difference in the situation
or condition that the organization is trying to remedy.
7. How do you think a program like ACRES would benefit the community?
The participants mentioned that The ACRES Project would get the community involved in a
worthwhile cause and that it would reach out to a special population within the community that is
commonly disconnected or forgotten about. They felt that those with ASD or caretakers of
autistic individuals often feel they have no voice in the community and ACRES helps them to be
heard. They also pointed out that ACRES would provide social support and a much-needed
opportunity to earn money to those suffering from autism.
8. What advice would you offer to help promote ACRES?
While one participant believed ACRES is doing just fine with their current efforts, the other two
participants offered advice on how to better promote the cause. One suggested reaching out to
larger companies in the area and targeting them for a large tax-deductible contribution. The other
suggested starting small by raising awareness to those in the community and then growing
gradually as the organization accumulates more supporters.
34. 32
Content Analysis
Twitter. The Twitter account for The ACRES Project, @ACRESproject, has 52 followers and
has shared 216 posts. The tweets are linked to ACRES’ Facebook page, but have spurred no
reaction from the community. There is currently a problem were the owners cannot log onto their
Twitter account.
Facebook. The organization’s Facebook account, shown as “ACRES Project,” is listed as a non-
profit organization. It has accumulated 674 likes with more than 200 posts. The page shares
between three and ten articles each month containing information about the challenges adults
with autism face and the ways to help support them. No article post has more than ten likes and
most have no responses from the community. The posts thanking contributors receive anywhere
between five and 20 likes, but are not shared or commented on. Posts regarding events for people
with disabilities generally receive between four and 10 likes. The most liked post is one shared
from the page ‘Be Jim’s Friend’ for autism awareness, which received 48 likes.
Instagram. The pictures on the Instagram page (benjaminplumfarm) have only shared photos of
the farm. There is very little interaction with the photos, ranging around zero to eight likes per
photo. The owners currently do not have access to the account.
YouTube. The ACRES Project does not have a YouTube account of their own, but there is a
video named ACRES Project at Benjamin Plum Farm that was posted in Sept. 2014. It has
acquired 311 views and two likes, and no comments since its release.
Interpretation
Our findings allowed for important insights regarding our audience and their understanding of
the issue. This research showed us that individuals most interested in The ACRES Project are
those with an autistic family member or those who have an interest in helping people with
autism. Also, women seem to make up a larger portion of the demographic than men do. The
response rates for the surveys were particularly low, leading to a skew in our results.
The current supporters understand ACRES will provide a safe community for individuals with
autism and that it will construct a residential facility for autistic adults. Supporters also correctly
perceive that that ACRES raises awareness about autism as an issue. There were evenly split
opinions about the logos among those surveyed, so we will need to continue to consult ACRE’s
about which logo they wish to proceed with in order to solidify their brand. Many donors wanted
to subscribe to a newsletter, demonstrating that our target audience connects more with
traditional media than newer media outlets. Current supporters are interested in reading about
five things in an organizational newsletter: 1) Information on the construction of/land acquisition
for residential options for autistic individuals, 2) Information on fundraising, grants and
scholarships to fund The ACRES Project, 3) A calendar of project events, 4) Personal stories
about those with autism/taking care of someone with autism and 5) Word from the director of
The ACRES Project. Supporters indicated they would be willing to pay between $16 and $60 for
a fundraising event ticket. This low level of investment from supporters shows that ACRES is
still in the beginning stages of developing a following.
35. 33
Due to the low response rate (four participants) in the general survey, results were skewed and
may not be representative of the actual population. Very few individuals in the general
population survey were previously aware of The ACRES Project. As reflected in the current
supporters survey, people who have relatives with autism are more interested in ACRES, and
people who are invested personally with ACRES also show increased interest. This demonstrates
that awareness needs to be the focus of our campaign moving forward.
Personal interviews reflected previous findings showing that those with personal investment
were more likely to get involved in nonprofits and to make donations to The ACRES Project.
These interviews also revealed a public belief that the organization will benefit the community
by giving an underrepresented population the tools they need to succeed.
A content analysis of social media pages confirmed that ACRES is severely lacking in new
media presence. The organization’s Twitter and Instagram pages have no interaction with publics
and administrators do not even have access to some accounts. Facebook has been the most
successful social channel for reaching a target audience. Posts on this account are shared by
major autism awareness accounts and therefore, get a higher number of likes and attention. The
organization has one video on YouTube from September 2014, but no YouTube account.
ACRES’ website is still associated with the Benjamin Plum farm, presenting a problem with
brand consistency. Overall, their social media is out of date and needs fully revamped.
Application
Growing Solutions aims to plan events in conjunction with autism awareness month and Light it
up Blue day. We will spread awareness by increasing traditional media coverage and by
revamping social media efforts. According to our research, we plan to target an older audience,
as they seem to be the most interested in the issue, and will organize awareness events to spread
the message to the State College community.
We hope to engage the community by increasing the number of posts and refocusing the content
we put on social media. Additionally, all social media pages will be set up to feature the same
branding. We will also utilize some forms of traditional media, such a newspapers and
magazines, as we think this is a better channel for reaching a more mature population. We are
hoping to reach out to the Centre Daily Times and to release a feature story about Bella or a
column that discusses ACRES’ purpose. Using traditional outlets to spread word about this
organization will enable us to appeal to an older generation, who isn’t experienced with social
media, and to reach more latent audiences, who aren’t actively seeking information about autism.
Our results showed that the majority of people who support ACRES are interested in receiving
regular updates on the ACRES community development. Most people wanted to read about
progress within the organization to stay informed. Supporters readily responded to the survey,
reflecting their excitement about the project.
Growing Solution plans to hold an event in the month of April, which is autism awareness
month. We will set up an information table in downtown State College targeting an older
36. 34
population where they spend time during the day. The setting of this event is crucial for our team
because we need to attract our audience and be able to engage with them. We will distribute
brochures, flyers and blue autism awareness ribbons. We will be sharing information about the
mission of ACRES and how is essential for the community.
Light it Up Blue is a global campaign that we hope to bring into State College this spring.
Throughout the world, cities and towns “light it up blue” by wearing blue clothing, using blue
light bulbs, and even using blue signs to show their involvement with autism awareness. We will
organize an event via Facebook, which has attracted most of our audience for ACRES and start
sharing the event with local members of the community. Hopefully by encouraging others
through media tactics, the State College community will come together for this campaign. The
Bryce Jordan Center will hopefully shine its lights in blue. ACRES is currently trying to organize
the local autistic support classrooms make a blue craft that could be displayed on the windows of
downtown businesses.
Growing Solutions aims to continue spreading awareness about the difficulties adults with
autism face such as employment and living arrangements. Our research has pointed us in the
right direction so that we can reach the community and transform this idea into a reality.
37. 35
Planning
Key Publics
Informed by our research, Growing Solutions will target older members of the State
College community, local educators, and key media outlets. Parents who have a direct relation to
someone with autism make up an important segment of the target audience. These parents are
part of our active audience, they are more likely to get involved and contribute their time and
donations to help ACRES’ vision come to life. The older generation of State College residents
identified with The ACRES Project more than any other demographic in the community in our
findings.
Older Members of the State College Community
● 45-60 years
● Primarily women
● Parents of adults with autism
● Caretakers
Education Departments
● Penn State University and State College High
● Teachers
● Faculty who works with children with special needs
● Adults with Autism (21+)
Traditional Local Media Outlets
● The Centre Daily Times
● Radio stations such as B.94
When Growing Solutions asked supporters their reason for getting involved with ACRES, a
majority of the people responded that they have a relative or family member with autism.
Research also revealed a connection with females and their interest in this organization. Women,
as opposed to men, were more likely to reach out and show their support toward ACRES by
showing interest in a newsletter and being proactive in helping us complete our research.
The campaign’s main audience is parents or caretakers who have a son or daughter with autism,
because this will be the population most profoundly affected by ACRES’ success. This type of
organization is most appealing to parents and caretakers because they want to know that their
child is safe and will be cared for in the future. They will be greatly rewarded when their loved
one has the opportunity to find employment and to belong in a community. For these reasons,
parents and caretakers would likely become strong advocates of ACRES and its mission.
We also will target traditional media to spread word about this organization to as large an
audience as possible. A major goal of this campaign will be reaching new publics, who have
never heard about ACRES or who have limited knowledge of autism. Growing Solutions will
38. 36
pitch informational feature stories on ACRES, its founders, its clients, and the issue of autism to
local media outlets such as the Centre Daily Times. We want to implement every form of media
possible and will be reaching out to local radio stations such as B.94.
Growing Solutions feels that the Special Education Departments at Penn State University and the
State College Area School District are extremely important audiences. We want to reach out to
teachers and faculty who assist in taking care of children with special needs. These educators
may be interested in donating or volunteering to this cause due to their involvement with autism.
We believe teachers would also pass their knowledge along to parents and families who can be
positively affected by the success of The ACRES Project. This audience needs to be informed
about the residential and vocational options for autistic adults as well as the hope and security
that these individuals will experience in fulfilling these opportunities in future. However,
because of time constraints and the nature of this campaign, we will be unable to target this
particular audience at this time.
39. 37
Goals, Objectives, Strategies, & Tactics
Goals
The ultimate goal of this campaign is to increase awareness about ACRES in the local
community. This campaign will focus heavily on informational objectives due to the fact that
ACRES is in the beginning stages of its growth. In order to inform the target audiences about the
issue, we will share autism statistics through infographics, personal stories from caretakers or
autistic adults themselves and photographs of people who are living with autism.
By sharing current autism statistics with people, we hope to open their eyes to how serious the
issue at hand actually is. We want people to be able to understand from the perspective of those
with the disability. Cultivating awareness now will make the prospect of fundraising more
realistic in the future and may compel our audience to donate and make a difference.
We want to ensure that the families and caretakers of adults with autism know that their loved
ones will be taken care of in the future. These families need to know that their loved ones will
have a productive community to be a part of and a place to call home. In order to be successful in
doing so, ACRES must acquire sufficient donations, and the more awareness that is spread, the
more donations will follow.
ACRES must fundraise around $1 million to successfully move through its project phases.
However, this large amount will not be attainable during the duration of our campaign. We feel it
is best to focus our efforts on informational objectives and will only include fundraising as a
secondary goal. Once more people are aware, ACRES can go on to persuade them to contribute
to fundraising efforts.
Impact Objectives
Objective #1 (Informational): To extend the message about The ACRES project to 1,000 people
within the local community including parents and caretakers of adults with autism, and
especially to those who are interested in contributing to the cause, in the span of three weeks.
Rationale: In our personal interviews, two of our participants said that we needed to start
small by building awareness about the issue. The lack of responses from our audience
shows how little they know about the cause so extending the message about The ACRES
Project will give them all they need to know.
Strategy #1: To create visually appealing promotional materials featuring infographics and
statistics and distribute them through social media and personal email.
Rationale: Because the public, even those already on the email list, is largely unaware of
ACRES, it is vital that we spread the messages of the project to a broad audience on a
regular basis. Designing promotional materials will effectively communicate information
about The ACRES Project and the issue of adults with autism. A large number of people
on the ACRES email list are parents and caretakers of adults with autism, and we will be
able to reach the State College community through social media. When people are
40. 38
exposed to media, they are most likely to notice and learn from simple visual materials
that can be quickly understood.
Strategy #2: To pitch stories about The ACRES Project to traditional media outlets.
Rationale: Our research shows that an older demographic is an important audience to
connect with. Traditional media reaches a mature audience more effectively than social
media, because older members of the community tend to identify more with traditional
outlets. By pitching to popular local media outlets we hope to reach the majority of the
adult State College population.
Objective #2 (Informational): To gain 20 followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
combined in three weeks.
Rationale: Social media is a great way to release information to our audience, but
unfortunately ACRES’ current social media platforms don’t have many active followers.
Gaining more followers would help us to easily reach our audience with informational
programming.
Strategy #1: To engage audiences with The ACRES Project by implementing a cohesive social
media strategy that spans various outlets to directly target and interact with the key publics.
Rationale: We aim to establish the good character of the ACRES brand and foster
reciprocal relationships between the organization and its audiences. To do this, we must
execute a social media push that makes the cause relatable and accessible. Inspirational
stories and relevant information will be posted to motivate individuals to follow the
social pages. Employing various logical and emotional appeals within our social media
posts will make audiences feel connected to the project and want to be continuously
involved.
Objective #3 (Behavioral): To hand out at least 300 awareness bracelets at the Light it up Blue
event.
Rationale: Many people in the survey thought that having face-to-face interaction with
people associated with the cause would make it easier to identify with the nonprofit
organization. The Growing Solutions team and members of the ACRES board of
directors will be at a Light it up Blue event downtown to share the positive messages of
the project.
Strategy #1: Promote awareness and donations for The ACRES project via face-to-face
communication and attention grabbing programming at an informational event downtown.
Rationale: Research showed that people become more involved with nonprofits that offer
face-to-face interaction and make them feel like they are making a real difference. Our
personal engagement and interesting programming will motivate audiences to take an
awareness bracelet and ask for information from our event table.
41. 39
Output Objectives
● Light it up Blue Event
● Three Press Releases
● One Feature Story
● One PSA
● Social Media Push
● Place Event on four community calendars
Theoretical Application
A few communication theories informed our campaign planning process, including the theory of
hierarchy of effects, FLOW, and situational theory. In planning objectives, we carefully
considered the hierarchy of effects. Following the model, we first gauged the public’s current
degree of involvement in order to determine on which level of the hierarchy to focus our efforts.
We quickly realized that informational objectives would be the most attainable, as the audience
is not well informed on the issue. In accordance with the traditional sequence of decreasing
magnitude of effects, we expected the greatest effects in the cognitive realm and the smallest in
behavioral outcomes. FLOW became an important theory when segmenting our target audience.
Finally, situational theory informed our campaign strategies. The audience's interest guided the
approaches we designed, in that we have to engage latent, aware, and active publics differently.
Active information seekers will be engaged in social media, as they spend time researching and
exploring options surrounding the issue. Other publics, we have to seek them out where they are,
whether that is in traditional newspapers and radio or on the street downtown. Although we
engage them through different outlets, all publics needs to feel included and like they make a
difference so they can care about the issue.
Issues of Ethics
Growing Solutions does not expect any issues of ethical diversity to arise with this campaign.
We will comply with any and all ethical guidelines and will proceed with a spirit of equal
opportunity. Donated materials will only be used for the ACRES campaign and events and will
be distributed to participants on a nondiscriminatory basis. This campaign is not segmented by
race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or religion and will not be aimed at any specific population as
such. All posts and promotional materials will represent the diversity of State College. If any
issues do arise during the campaign, the Growing Solutions team will ready a timely statement to
address the issue, after consulting with the client.
42. 40
Messages
Upon reflection of the formation of ACRES and the positivity of its vision, the theme of this
campaign came to the Growing Solutions team in a richly organic way. The ACRES project is a
grassroots movement in its very beginning stages of development. Therefore, our focus for this
campaign is to help them grow into a reality. This process is paralleled by the ACRES mission of
helping autistic adults grow cognitively and socially to become active members of a community.
Because of this, our theme for this campaign is “growing into something bigger.” Keywords we
will be using throughout the campaign include flourish, thrive, sprout, branch out, burst forth,
bloom, blossom, as they evoke a spirit of positive growth and help to portray ACRES mission to
help adults with autism achieve their full potential. This theme also ties in with the image of a
farm, where this community will someday help many families.
General Messages
● “Making all the pieces fit”
● “Nurturing rural community”
● “Donate today for a better tomorrow”
Older Members of Community
● “ACRES is creating a support system of caring, passionate individuals to help young
adults with autism live independently.”
● “Allowing individuals to flourish”
● “Helping autistic adults blossom.”
We plan to reach this particular audience via traditional media, because this is the type of media
most relevant to them. It is important to raise awareness with this audience and we believe this
will best be achieved by describing the need for this type of community and the positive
outcomes it would have for the area
Traditional Media
● “ACRES project aims to help adults with autism flourish by providing a place for them to
live and work.”
● “The ACRES project is providing solutions for the transition between childhood and
adulthood.”
● “Get involved with ACRES by joining us on April 2,2016 for Light it up Blue Day to
raise awareness.”
● “Autism speaks, ACRES is listening.”
● “Matching passions to skills”
The messages for this audience will focus on how ACRES can help the State College community
and on the Light It Up Blue event. Traditional media is interested in stories that will entice
readers and benefit local community. These messages will show them how ACRES could be
advantageous to State College and interesting to their audiences.
We will design our programming to communicate the messages that ACRES can make a
difference for adults with autism and the support system they envision will help individuals
43. 41
achieve their full potential. We chose these messages because they embody our theme of
“growing into something bigger” and employ a variety of emotional and logical appeals.
Language of something growing and becoming a part of a bigger whole reflects the positive
effect the ACRES community will have on people with autism. We are taking an overall
emotional approach, because we want people to connect to the pathos of the cause through the
context of potential growth.
44. 42
Implementation
Tactics
In order to reach our goals, objectives and strategies, Growing Solutions will need to implement
various tactics over the course of the campaign. These tactics will tie-in directly to each objective
and strategy.
Impact Objective 1
Informational: To extend the message about The ACRES Project to 1,000 people within the
local community, especially to those who are interested in contributing to the cause, during the
next three months.
● Strategy 1
○ Tactic: Design an organizational newsletter that will be sent out once a month.
This newsletter will reach current supporters including parents and caretakers of
adults with autism. We will send out the first newsletter and create a template for
the newsletter that can be reused by ACRES each month after the campaign. This
will provide current supporters of ACRES with regular information on the
project’s status.
○ Tactic: Create a blog for ACRES to post information on. This will be a place for
ACRES to house personal stories, fundraising updates, and other material that can
be shared on social media or included in the newsletter.
○ Tactic: Produce a video PSA that could be shared through various outlets
including social media, traditional media, the newsletter, and the blog. This audio
and visual material will be a nice alternative to enhance the various print materials
that will be distributed throughout the campaign.
● Strategy 2
○ Tactic: Generate fact sheets, news releases, and media advisories with
information about The ACRES Project, autism in adults, and Light It Up Blue
Day that can be sent to print media outlets, such as the Centre Daily Times and
State College Magazine. These stories will focus on generating buzz about
ACRES and autism awareness, so that people will eventually come to our table on
Light It Up Blue Day. We are focusing on print media and traditional media in
general because this is the best way to reach our target audiences.
○ Tactic: Create a radio PSA about The ACRES Project that can be sent to local
stations such as B94.5 and Froggy 101. This will help to inform the general State
College community about autism and The ACRES Project.
○ Tactic: Send the video PSA to local television media outlets such as WTAJ and
C-Net. The video PSA will air during Autism Awareness Month in April to bring
attention to the issues adults with autism face and how ACRES can help.
45. 43
Impact Objective 2
Informational: To gain 20 followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram combined in three
weeks.
● Strategy 1
○ Tactic: Compose 20 sample posts and ideas for additional future posts that will be
shared on ACRES’ Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. This will generate
activity on social media and allow ACRES to continue using their social media
accounts after the campaign ends.
○ Tactic: Create a schedule for posting on each of the of the three social media
outlets (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). This will help the Growing Solutions
team and ACRES to post during the times when posts will get the most attention.
○ Tactic: Share personal stories of those affected by autism on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram in order to generate more interaction and emotional connections
with target publics.
Impact Objective 3
Behavioral: To hand out at least 300 awareness bracelets at the Light it up Blue event.
● Strategy 1
○ Tactic: Host an information table about The ACRES Project on Light It Up Blue
Day, a national autism awareness event promoted by Autism Speaks.
○ Tactic: Design business cards with personal stories and ACRES information to
hand out at the table. These will be attached to blue bracelets and will be given
away for people to wear in honor of Light It Up Blue Day.
○ Tactic: Have promotional videos and the video PSA about ACRES playing on a
loop at the information table. This will help to attract people passing by so that we
can inform them further about The ACRES Project.
○ Tactic: Hand out brochures designed by ACRES at the information table. These
brochures will give those who are genuinely interested more information than
what is available on the business cards.
○ Tactic: Create a Facebook event to advertise our information table on Light It Up
Blue Day. This will be a way of attracting attention and potential donors to The
ACRES Project.
○ Tactic: Post the Light It Up Blue Day information table on community calendars,
such as the one on StateCollege.com, so that community members can easily find
information about location, date, and time.
Output Objectives
Tactic: We will reach the output objectives listed below by fulfilling the tactics laid out for the
impact objectives.
Non-Media
● Light It Up Blue Event
● Newsletter
● Place events on 4 community calendars
46. 44
Traditional Media
● Media Kit
○ 3 Press Releases
○ 1 Feature Story
○ 1 Radio PSA
○ 1 Fact Sheet
● 1 Video PSA
New Media
● Social media Plan
47. 45
Timetable
Growing Solutions will begin its three-week campaign on March 14 and will conclude on April
5. During the first week, there will be a focus on social media presence and boosting awareness.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will be geared toward Facebook and Twitter material while
Tuesdays and Thursdays will push Instagram. In addition, we will be creating our PSAs, press
releases, and advisories to send out to media outlets. The second week will involve collection
materials for our event that will be held in the final week of the campaign. In the third week, our
group will be hosting an informational table, downtown State College (in front of Anthym
clothing store), to inform the community about Autism Awareness Month and The ACRES
Project. We will be holding this event on April 2 in conjunction with Light it Up Blue Day, a
worldwide event that is sponsored by Autism Speaks and lights up the town blue.
March
● 3/14
○ Facebook/Twitter: 5 Ways to Light It Up Blue
● 3/15
○ Video PSA: Filmed PSA with Bella to later play on the day of the event.
● 3/18
○ Video PSA: Edit and finalize
● 3/20
○ Pitch News Releases: Pitched media kits and PSAs to press outlets
● 3/21
○ Calendar: Posted Light It Up Blue information table on StateCollege.com
community calendar.
● 3/25
○ Facebook: Created a Facebook event and invited the community to come to our
event.
○ Facebook/Twitter: “ACRES is preparing to Light It Up Blue,” Photo of blue
ACRES logo
○ Event Materials: Purchased lollipops as giveaways for the event.
● 3/28
○ Facebook/Twitter: Statistic about children with Autism
○ Instagram: Blue ACRES logo, “ACRES will be working with downtown, State
College to #LightItUpBlue during World Autism Awareness Day. Join us by
shining a bright blue light on April 2nd!!!”
● 3/29
○ Facebook: Shared Light It Up Blue event invitation on ACRES Facebook page
○ Instagram:” #DidYouKnow? "Children with autism can learn and succeed in the
classroom and beyond. Like every child, with the help of their families, providers,
doctors, specialists, and communities, kids with autism can thrive." Learn more
at: www.acf.hhs.gov”
● 3/30
48. 46
○ Facebook/Twitter: Develop two posts about past accomplishments during
Autism Awareness Month
○ Instagram: “Kerry Magro was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4. Often he
was told that "he wasn't college material" because of his disabilities. Today, Kerry
Magro is an award winning national speaker and best-selling author. Join us on
April 9th as we welcome Mr. Magro to the Happy Valley!!! #HonorAutism”
● 3/31
○ Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: Reminder of the event
○ Instagram: “Don’t forget to shine a bright blue light on April 2nd and Celebrate
#WorldAutismAwarenessDay with #TheAcresProject. We will be honoring the
many skilled and talented people with autism, and hopefully bringing attention to
their many needs. #LightItUpBlue”
April
● 4/1:
○ Facebook/Twitter: Send a reminder about the event.
○ Instagram: Send an image to remind people about Autism awareness month
● 4/2: Light it Up Blue Day
○ Our event will be in conjunction with Light It Up Blue Day, hosting a table in
front of Anthym handing out flyers and bracelets to celebrate autism awareness.
As well as displaying our video PSA on a continuous loop.
○ Facebook/Twitter: Posted images of the event to remind followers to show up
○ Instagram: “Come join us in front of Anthym! Learn more about The ACRES
Project and get a free blue bracelet to spread awareness.
#Anthym#AllProceedsGoingToACRES”
○ Instagram: “Working for a special cause!! Autism Awareness Day. Shine a
Bright Blue Light and help us spread awareness ”
○ Instagram: “Come get you 5$ Blue nail polisher at @lookshairdesign downtown,
State College and support The ACRES Project! #LightItUpBlue”
● 4/3:
○ Newsletter: Developed an outline for a monthly newsletter with information and
photos that we acquired from Light it Up Blue Day. Emailed Bella a draft of the
newsletter for approval.
○ Blog: Created a Wordpress blog to house newsletter information
● 4/10
○ Facebook/Twitter: Shared video PSA
● 4/16
○ Instagram: We want to thank Kerry Magro once again for helping us spread the
word about Autism in our community. We are very proud of you and all of your
achievements! #AutismAwarenessMonth#KerryMagro
#AutismAwareness#TheAcresProject #HonorAutism”
49. 47
Resources and Budget
Growing Solutions, on behalf of The ACRES Project, will be hosting an informational table in
downtown State College. The event was organized with hopes to develop a positive attitude
about The ACRES Project within the community. Throughout the event we will be handing out
giveaways and informing the community about The ACRES Project. Below is a list of all
resources required to have a successful event. Although all of the materials listed below were
provided by ACRES or donated by our team members, we have included what the budget would
have been.
Resources to set up the table:
● Table: $90.00
● Tablecloths: $5.00
Resources to promote the organization: Donations
● Posters: $40.00
● Calendars: $0.00 (it’s free to list events on StateCollege.com)
● Brochures: $70.00
● Business Cards: $0.00 (ACRES never used the design we made for these)
● 2 Laptop Computers (Video PSA): $2,000.00
● Camera (to take pictures of the event): $300.00
Resources to Giveaway
● 300 Blue Bracelets – $90.00
● Lollipops - $14.00
Contingency
● $390.00
Final Budget
● $2,999.00
Informational Table Personnel:
Molly Gentile
Account Manager
Monica Cintron
Social Media Manager
50. 48
Carissa Christy
Copy Editor
Veronica Marin
Event Manager
Jaclyn O’Connor
Media Manager
Hannah Kelly
Creative Director
Abelina Barra
Research Manager
Christopher Kowalski
Adult Advisory Board Member
Jordan Stephenson
Adult Advisory Board Member
Resources Provider:
Bellamarie Bregar
Executive Director of The ACRES Project
Cathleen M. Prosek
Secretary and Treasurer of The ACRES Project Board of Directors
51. 49
Evaluation and Stewardship
Evaluation
Introduction
The ultimate goal of this campaign was to increase awareness about The ACRES Project within
the local community. In this campaign we focused heavily on informational objectives because
ACRES is in the beginning stages of its growth. Growing Solutions used various methods to
evaluate each of its goals and objectives in order to determine whether this campaign was
successful. We also analyzed internal communication within the Growing Solutions team and
external communication between Growing Solutions and The ACRES Project. The ultimate goal
of this evaluation is provide The ACRES Project with advice for future campaigns and
suggestions on how to move forward. Reliable evaluation is necessary in order for The ACRES
Project to effectively reach its long-term goals.
Evaluation Criteria
Growing Solutions considers success of this campaign to be spreading any amount of
information to the State College community about The ACRES Project. Ideally, we would also
like to have reached all of the numbers outlined in our objectives.
Growing Solutions evaluated this campaign based on several criteria:
● Audience Engagement: We measured the amount of audience engagement in several
different ways. The first was using analytics to measure social media engagement. The
second form of audience engagement we wanted to measure was the number of people
who opened the ACRES newsletter. The final measurement of audience engagement was
how many blue awareness bracelets we were able to hand out at the Light It Up Blue
event.
● Media Impressions: We measured the success of our traditional media outreach by the
number of impressions stories about The ACRES Project received. This will be
calculated using view counters on videos posted for TV outlets and the circulation of
print media outlets.
● Financial Indicators: Although financial goals were not included in our objectives, the
overall goal of The ACRES Project is to raise enough money to build a community for
adults with autism. We measured success in this category based off of the amount of
donations we received on Light It Up Blue Day.
● Communication Surveys: We developed two different surveys to measure the success
of communication efforts throughout this campaign. The first survey measured the
communication within the Growing Solutions team, and the second survey measured the
communication between Growing Solutions and The ACRES Project.
52. 50
Methodology
Growing Solutions utilized several methods of tracking success throughout the campaign. Our
hope was to understand how much of an impact the campaign had within the community. These
methods are laid out in the following paragraphs.
Audience engagement was the first criteria we measured. Growing Solutions used Facebook and
Instagram as one method of tracking this. We consistently posted on social media throughout the
campaign, which allowed us to monitor the amount of people our posts reached and what content
was most appealing. On Facebook, we were able to use the analytics feature to count new page
likes, number of views, and comments on posts. On Instagram, we were able to track the number
of new followers and likes for each post.
The second method we planned to use to track audience engagement was counting the number of
people who opened The ACRES Project newsletter. ACRES sends out its newsletters through
Constant Contact, which has a feature that counts the number of people who open the email and
see the newsletter.
The final measurement of audience engagement occurred at the Light It Up Blue event. ACRES
brought 500 blue bracelets to hand out in honor of World Autism Awareness Day. We informed
people about ACRES mission while we put the bracelets on them. Growing Solutions kept track
of how many bracelets were handed out as a way of tracking the number of people who became
informed about ACRES.
The second criteria we measured was media impressions. We did this by keeping in touch with
the media outlets we contacted to find out if stories were published. After compiling media clips,
we counted the number of hits each once received. For video news coverage, we used the
number of views counted by Facebook, where it was posted. For print media coverage, we
looked up the circulation of the media outlet that printed the story.
The third criteria we measured was financial contributions to The ACRES Project. This was
done by combining the total amount of donations from the public and from State College
businesses that held special sales during the Light It Up Blue event.
Finally, Growing Solutions evaluated communication within our team and with our client
through two different surveys. The first survey was emailed to each member of the Growing
Solutions team. All members were able to fill out the survey online and all answers were
anonymous. The second survey was emailed to Bella Bregar, our contact for The ACRES
Project. The Growing Solutions team also discussed how we felt communication with The
ACRES Project went throughout the campaign.
53. 51
Results
Goal #1: To increase awareness about ACRES in the local community.
Objective 1: To extend the message about The ACRES Project to 1,000 people within the local
community, especially to those who are interested in contributing to the cause, during the next
three weeks.
Outcome: Mostly Successful
● Growing Solutions succeeded at informing 1,000 people within the local community
about The ACRES Project.
○ Based on our calculations the campaign reached approximately 17,917 people
within the State College community. This is well over the goal of 1,000.
● Strategy 1: To create visually appealing promotional materials featuring infographics and
statistics and distribute them through social media and personal email.
○ Growing Solutions designed a newsletter using ACRES’ Constant Contact
account. However, the newsletter was unable to be sent out because ACRES has
yet to approve the design and information. As soon as the proper approval is
attained, the newsletter will be distributed.
○ We also created a Wordpress blog for ACRES to house all personal stories,
financial reports, and other information in one place so that it can be shared in the
newsletter and on social media.
○ Growing Solutions worked with Bella Bregar, ACRES’ Executive Director, to
produce a video PSA for The ACRES Project. The video was shared on
Facebook, receiving 80 views and five likes. It was also sent to various television
media outlets.
● Strategy #2: To pitch stories about The ACRES Project to traditional media outlets.
○ Three news releases, accompanied by fact sheets were sent out to six print media
outlets including The Centre Daily Times, Centre County Gazette, PennLive.com,
The Daily Collegian, and StateCollege.com.
■ The Centre Daily Times published one story based on one of our press
releases. It covered the Kerry Magro presentation “Spotlight on Autism,”
at the Mount Nittany Middle School that occurred on Saturday, April 9,
2016.
● Equivalent to 15,437 media impressions that is the number listed
for the web circulation of The Centre Daily Times on Saturdays.
○ Information for the Light It Up Blue event was published on the StateCollege.com
community calendar.
○ Growing Solutions developed a radio PSA that was sent to five radio stations
accompanied by a media advisory for the Light It Up Blue event. The radio
stations included 3WZ, B94.5, Wowy 97.1, Magic 99, and Froggy 101.
■ Unfortunately, the radio PSA received no airplay on the radio and none of
the stations covered the event.
54. 52
○ The video PSA, accompanied by a media advisory for the Light It Up Blue event,
was sent to six television stations including WWCP, WTAJ, WHVL, CNET,
WATM, and WJAC.
■ WTAJ came out to the Light It Up Blue event and filmed a news segment
that was shared on their Facebook page and received 2,400 views.
Objective 2: To gain 20 followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram combined in three weeks.
Outcome: Success
● Strategy #1: To engage audiences with The ACRES Project by implementing a cohesive
social media strategy that spans various outlets to directly target and interact with the key
publics.
○ Overall, Growing Solutions was able to increase the number of followers across
ACRES’ Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by a total of 55 people, 25 more than
our goal.
■ Facebook increased from 674 to 709 followers, a total of 35 new
followers.
■ Instagram increased from 44 followers to 64 followers, a total of 20 new
followers.
○ Growing Solutions produced a schedule that was comprised of 17 total posts
across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
■ The video PSA received the most attention with 80 views on Facebook.
We highly suggest that ACRES continues producing and sharing
informative videos on social media.
○ While posts from Facebook were automatically posted on Twitter as well, we
were unable to access the account in order to measure any changes.
Objective 3: To hand out at least 300 awareness bracelets at the Light it up Blue event.
Outcome: Success
● Strategy #1: Promote awareness and donations for The ACRES project via face-to-face
communication and attention grabbing programming at an informational event
downtown.
○ We were able to exceed our goal of handing out 300 awareness bracelets by 200,
for a total of 500 bracelets being handed out.
○ Growing Solutions hosted an information table in front of Anthym clothing store
on Light It Up Blue Day (April 2, 2016) for five hours.
■ Growing Solutions designed informational business cards that were
supposed to be attached to the blue bracelets, however these were never
printed.
■ Flyers explaining Autism in adults and ACRES’ goals to create residential
living options were handed out along with information on special sales
with participating business that would benefit The ACRES project.
■ The video PSA played at the table for the full duration of our stay. Several
bystanders stopped to watch before continuing on their way.
