Project put together for Qualitative Audience Analysis class at Louisiana State University.

1. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
1
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
CASA’s volunteer base is approximately 80 percent
female. The purpose of our study was to discover why
CASA lacks so many male volunteers and to understand
the male perception of volunteerism as a whole. With this
information, we can provide recommendations on how to
attract more male volunteers to CASA.
After conducting secondary research, we were
inspired to conduct focus groups and individual interviews
to understand our target audience on a deeper level. In
each of our two focus groups, we exercised five different
projective techniques, first discussing volunteering in
general and then concentrating on CASA. The interviews
covered similar topics and goals, but they allowed us to
focus on one man at a time, learning his individual values
and opinions so we could relate them back to CASA.
We discovered that males think volunteering should
be a selfless act. Males perceive volunteering as necessary
and effective, but they struggle to find time in their lives to
do it. They believe in the importance of helping people, yet
they want to be sure their efforts are impactful.
Most of the participants had never heard of CASA.
After a brief explanation of the organization and its
requirements, many of the participants found CASA to be
intimidating. They thought the volunteer work could be very
time-consuming and emotionally straining. The majority of
participants believe that CASA’s goals are necessary and
profound, but they don’t know if volunteering for CASA
would fit into their life.
We have a variety of recommendations for CASA.
We suggest CASA begin a campaign with the tagline of “Be
The Man.” This campaign appeals to our target’s pride,
Executive Summary
sense of fulfillment, and intrinsic humanity, inspiring them
to embrace the challenges and rewards of volunteering for
CASA. The campaign would be best executed in outdoor,
radio and digital advertising. All three would be used to
change CASA’s tone from saddening to empowering. We
also recommend CASA update its current print pamphlets
by using color more effectively, improving image quality and
establishing a lighter tone. Finally, we suggest CASA host
a promotional event titled “CASA Cookout,” where CASA
employees and volunteers can casually socialize and share
their experiences or information about the organization.
This event would be a non-intimidating way to give men the
information they want while raising awareness of CASA.
These ideas will help Capital Area CASA achieve an ideal
balance of volunteer diversity, accomplishing their mission
making them a stronger force for helping children.

2. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
2
Situation Analysis
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
Company
The mission of the National Court Appointed
Special Advocate Association (CASA), according to
its official website, “is to support and promote court-
appointed volunteer advocacy so that every abused and
neglected child can be safe, establish permanence and
have the opportunity to thrive.” CASA’s goal is to provide
neglected and abused children with a trained volunteer
who can serve as a positive role model and advocate for
the child’s best interest. Since volunteers are required
a minimum of a one-year commitment to an individual
child, they’re able to form a stronger bond than most
related childcare services. This helps them to become
qualified advocates to juvenile court judges to speak on
behalf of the child’s best needs. “The Department Family
and Children Services case managers have 15-20 cases,
and with CASA we only have one or two cases per [court
appointed special advocate], so we can give them more
attention," said CASA Advocate Director Evelyn Cookley.
Since its founding in 1977 by Judge David Soukop,
there have been 233,000 children assisted through CASA
nationally, according to the official website. The Capital
Area CASA is just one of many CASA programs across the
country. There are currently 77,000 advocates serving in
951 state and local program offices across all 50 states.
Locally, the Capital Area CASA program began in 1992
with one staff member, 12 volunteers and 22 children
served. In 2013, it had ten staff members, 124 active
volunteers and more than 200 children being served. On
both the local and national level, CASA seeks to continue
expanding its offices and volunteer base.
Capital Area CASA is in a great need of additional
volunteers, specifically males and African Americans. "Our
volunteers are the heart of our program and represent
citizens from all walks of life, doing extraordinary volunteer
work for children,” stated Dr. John Wyble, executive director
of Louisiana CASA. "Even with the incredible number
of volunteers we have now, we desperately need more
volunteers so every child in the foster care system can have
a CASA volunteer.” Having enough diverse volunteers to
serve every child is CASA’s ultimate goal for the future of its
organization.
All CASA programs follow a set of five strategic
objectives. Their second objective stresses the importance
of CASA’s volunteer base reflecting the diversity and cultural
makeup of the children in the system. The 2013 volunteer
statistics reveal that 83 percent of volunteers were females
and 58 percent were Caucasian. CASA’s current challenge
is to draw a higher diversity of volunteers to better match
the diversity of the children they support.

3. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
3
Consumer
CASA’s problem is it has a much larger number of
female volunteers than male. In 2013, only 21 of Capital
Area CASA Association’s 124 volunteers were male.
CASA represents equal amounts of boys and girls, and it’s
important for the boys to have a role model with whom
they can identify, as the girls do. One of the groups CASA
is targeting, therefore, is college-educated males over the
age of 21. Unfortunately, men are known for volunteering
at lower rates than women. The U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics states that in 2013, 28.4 percent of women
volunteered while only 22.2 percent of males volunteered.
This trend is universal among all demographics.
In “Recruiting Male Volunteers: A Guide Based
on Exploratory Research,” Stephanie Blackman of the
Corporation for National Service writes that our society
does not identify men as “nurturers,” so volunteering,
especially in cases involving children, is seen as “women’s
work.” Testimonies from the CASA focus group support this
assertion and suggest CASA focuses less on nurturing and
more on how male volunteers can be heroes for both kids
and teens. Blackman reports that men want a challenge
and an opportunity to develop their skills. The focus group
results support this by asking CASA to define concrete
goals men can accomplish while volunteering. Blackman
notes, however, the importance of not making the position
seem like an overly demanding and time-consuming job,
as that might discourage potential volunteers with families
and jobs.
Most men in the focus group became involved
because another person personally asked them to. The
focus group also stressed the importance of visuals in
advertising to men, which makes sense since men are
usually more visually oriented. These findings from the past
focus groups can inspire solutions specifically tailored to
our target audience.
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
Market
According to the U.S. Census, 145,894 males ages
21 and older live in Baton Rouge. Over 21 percent of Baton
Rouge males are 25 and older and have a college level
degree or higher.
U.S. Census Bureau reports the median annual
income in East Baton Rouge to be $38,974, and the
poverty rate is climbing. The poverty rate in East Baton
Rouge grew from 14 percent in 2012 to 14.3 percent in
2013, according to the Times-Picayune article on U.S.
Census research. Over 24 percent of Baton Rouge citizens
live below the poverty level. There is a greater chance of
children being neglected and not provided with what they
need in poverty-stricken homes, according to the American
Humane Association. Those living in poverty are not
likely to be volunteers. Impoverished individuals lack the
transportation money and time to dedicate to supporting
a child that is not their own. Consequently, a high poverty
rate means more children need help with fewer volunteers
to help them.
CASA’s target of college-educated men is typically
middle class and higher. As supported by data on the
Fundamental Finance website, wealth and crime are
inversely related. CASA’s target audience, therefore, is
most likely to be found in low crime areas. According to the
Neighborhood Scout website, the East Baton Rouge areas
with the lowest crime rates are Tiger Bend Road/Antioch
Road, College Hills, Goodwood Blvd./Havenwood Drive,
Highland Road/Albert Hart Drive and Airline Highway/
Goodwood Blvd. These would be good areas for CASA to
concentrate its recruiting efforts.

4. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
4
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
Competition
CASA’s main direct competitors include other
non-profit organizations who serve children and rely on
volunteers: the Boys and Girls Club of Baton Rouge and
the Big Buddy Program. All three organizations have
similar mission statements about striving to improve the
lives of underprivileged and troubled youth. They all help
East Baton Rouge Parish and target the same types of
volunteers CASA does.
The two competitors have a few significant
advantages over CASA. First, both programs have more
volunteers and therefore can serve far more children than
CASA. According to their respective websites, the Big
Buddy Program has over 500 volunteers serving more than
1,000 children in East Baton Rouge Parish, and the Boys
and Girls club annually serves over 10,000 children.
The Boys and Girls Club is a better-known
organization and receives more donations annually
than CASA, according to the Boys and Girls Club 2012
Annual Report. They host school programs, summer
reading programs, and weekend social events to expose
children to healthy, positive lifestyles. Because of the
larger donations, they are able to allocate more of their
resources to advertising and marketing to get the supplies
and volunteers they need. The Big Buddy Program also
has opportunities for people to get involved without being
a mentor. By signing up for Big Buddy service learning,
event volunteering and program volunteering, prospective
volunteers can become familiar with the program and the
children before they commit to being a mentor.
The organizations also differ on volunteer eligibility
requirements. The minimum age to become a Big Buddy
is 18 if you are mentoring an elementary school child, and
the minimum age to mentor a high school student is 21.
CASA has stricter requirements since they are advocating
in court for children. You must be at least 21, complete
background checks and interviews, and be available for
court appearances with advance notice.
The main indirect competitor is lack of time. A
study on usnews.com stated men do not volunteer as
much as women because their time tends to be taken up
with many demanding jobs that provide the family’s main
source of income. CASA’s training requires over 32 hours
of training and 12 additional service learning hours, before
ever even interacting with one’s assigned child. The Big
Buddy program only requires one two-hour training session
and four hours of child-volunteer interaction per month.
Examples of potential competition for time include sporting
events, other Baton Rouge service organizations, family
events and school events.
CASA has the upper hand in terms of leaving a
lasting impact on both children and volunteers. According
to Jennifer Myer, the recruitment coordination for CASA,
the main goal of the organization is to put children in a
better position for success in life. Though simply being a
positive influence in a child’s life is important, the way Big
Buddy and Boys and Girls Club volunteers are, CASA takes
caring one step further by helping the child find a stable
home where they can grow happily and successfully. As
a stable, healthy home directly shapes the direction of a
child’s life, a CASA advocate impacts a child on a larger
scale than merely visiting a few times a month.

5. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
5
SWOT Analysis
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
S W
O T
Strengths
Opportunities
Weakness
Threats
Individuality of goals and methods
Large impact on children’s lives
Long term commitment
National organization
Helps the community
Number of potential volunteers
Raise male volunteer rate
Increase awareness
Help more children
Become more competitive with
other nonprofit organizations
Prove statistics wrong
Lack of volunteer diversity
Small organization
Time commitment
Signup restrictions & requirements
Small community awareness
Legal aspects
Low public awareness
Amount of donations
Viewpoints on volunteering
Time requirement
Other events/activities
Big Buddy
Boys and Girls Club
Growing poverty level

6. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
6
CASA’s problem is that it does not have enough male
volunteers to reflect the diversity of the children it serves.
We are aiming to advertise to college-educated males over
the age of 21 because 21 is the minimum age of CASA
volunteers and the vast majority of current CASA volunteers
have a college education. Our objective was to discover
how our target feels about volunteering, what motivates or
demotivates them, how to reach them and how we could
entice them to volunteer for CASA. We wanted to dig deep
into the thoughts and opinions of the target to know what
is important to them and uncover viewpoints we had not
previously considered. We need this information to come
up with informed marketing and advertising initiatives that
will attract potential male volunteers. We chose to conduct
primary qualitative research because no current data exists
for this specific market; we know this from doing secondary
research. Research is a justified response to the problem
because of how important diversity is to the accomplishment
of CASA’s mission. The results of the research will inform
our advertising and marketing recommendations to CASA.
From this research, we hope to provide CASA with effective
ideas and methods for recruiting the male volunteers
they need. Not conducting research would mean CASA
would continue to have to simply guess how the adult
male population of Baton Rouge views volunteering for its
organization—a method that has proved ineffective.
Background and Objectives
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECIVES

7. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
7
Research Methodology
and Location The research we conducted was composed of one-
on-one interviews and focus groups about volunteerism.
These research methods are appropriate because the
information we need requires face-to-face conversations
to get the most valuable data.
Face-to-face conversations allow us to build a
rapport with the participants and understand the context
of their lives. By having a conversation with the participant,
we were able to understand exactly what they meant in
their opinion and determine what was most important to
them—exact information we couldn’t have acquired from
quantitative surveys or even online qualitative research. We
conducted the interviews in various locations such as coffee
shops, offices or the participants’ homes. Allowing the
participants to select a location that was most comfortable
to them was of the utmost importance. All of the one-on-
one interviews were conducted on various days between
Nov. 12 and Nov. 21 at various times, according to what
was most convenient for the participant. The average time
for the one-on-one interviews was approximately 30 to
45 minutes.
Both focus groups took place on LSU’s campus.
FocusGroupOnetookplaceinaHodgesBuildingclassroom
on November 15 at 10 a.m., and Focus Group Two took
place in a Journalism Building classroom on November 17
at 7:30 p.m. We chose these locations because they are
neutral spaces, most Baton Rouge residents are familiar
with the LSU campus and it was easy to reserve the rooms.
The average focus group session lasted approximately an
hour and a half. For the one-on-one interviews, we started
by asking general questions about the participants’ lives to
understand the context of their answers. Knowing the basis
of the participants’ lives led to valuable insights about their
motivation, likes and dislikes. We also questioned them
on their personal experiences with volunteering and with
CASA. For the focus groups, we asked the participants what
their first thoughts were on volunteerism and then did a few
projective techniques. These techniques included making
a collage, completion exercises, an expressive thematic
test and ranking activities. These techniques gave us the
deep, detailed insight we were looking for, informing us
about the target’s thoughts and, more importantly, the
“why” behind these opinions.
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
Preparations for our
two focus groups

8. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
8
SAMPLE SIZE
Sample Size
Thirty-three people participated in our research
overall. Eleven people attended our focus group on Nov.
15, and seven attended the focus group on Nov. 17. We
interviewed fifteen people on a one-on-one basis. Overall,
our participants were majority Caucasian, and all of
them reside in the metropolitan Baton Rouge area. The
participants, however, were diverse in many ways. They
differed in financial background, occupation and birthplace.
They also covered a wide range of ages, spanning from
current college students to retirees. Diversity in age was
especially important to our goals because CASA volunteers
can be any age 21 and older. People typically have very
different opinions depending on where they are in their life
cycle, and we wanted to have every perspective represented
among our participants. Furthermore, because they were
all from the Baton Rouge area, they were suited to speak
with a local perspective. Overall, we chose these people to
be our participants because they fit into the description of
our target audience: college-educated males ages 21 and
older living in the Baton Rouge area.
Our participant size was the perfect number to
receive an adequate amount of information. The two focus
groups were the ideal size to generate steady, productive
conversations without being distractingly large. Because of
the group size, each participant had the opportunity to share
his thoughts. This offered of us a wealth of information
and feedback. Finally, the fifteen people we interviewed
individually gave us an ample amount of personal outlooks
and information. As we conducted the last few interviews,
we noticed we kept hearing the same type of answers
repeatedly, so we knew fifteen was a good place to stop.
Age Location Schooling Do
you
work? Married? Children?
21 Baton
Rouge In
Progress No No No
22 Baton
Rouge In
Progress Yes No No
69 Baton
Rouge Yes Retired Yes Yes
22 Baton
Rouge Yes N/A No No
28 Baton
Rouge Yes Yes No No
24 Baton
Rouge In
Progress Yes No No
23 Baton
Rouge Yes No No No
49 Baton
Rouge Yes Yes Yes Yes
64 Baton
Rouge Yes Retired Yes Yes
77 Denham
Springs Yes Retired Yes Yes
24 Baton
Rouge
In
Progress No
No No
29 Baton
Rouge
Yes yes No
No
23 Baton
Rouge Yes
yes No
No
27 Denham
Springs Yes
yes No
No
26 Baton
rouge Yes
yes Yes
No
36 Metairie Yes Yes Yes Yes
22 Baton
Rouge
Yes
yes No
No
27 Baton
Rouge Yes
yes No
No
52 Baton
Rouge Yes Yes Yes Yes
71 Old
Hammond Yes Yes Yes Yes
23 Baton
Rouge Yes Yes No
No
27 Baton
Rouge Yes Yes
No
No
22 Baton
Rouge Yes
Yes
No
No
77 Denham
Springs Yes
Retired
Yes
Yes
52 Baton
Rouge Yes
Yes Yes
Yes
36 Baton
Rouge Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
21 Baton
Rouge In
Progress No
No
No
23 Baton
rouge
In
Progress Yes No
No
22 Baton
Rouge In
Progress Yes No
No
22 Baton
Rouge In
Progress No
No
No
21 Baton
Rouge In
Progress Yes No No
49 Central
Yes
Yes Yes
Yes
Data collected about all research particpants

9. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
9
KEY FINDINGS
Key Findings
Impactful
Our participants want their volunteer experience
to be impactful. An overwhelming amount of data shows
their top priority in volunteering is making a positive
difference in someone’s life. In Participant 23’s interview,
he said his biggest concern was making sure his volunteer
work “wasn’t in vain” and someone was positively affected,
even in a small way. Participant 22 commented on the
importance of impact saying, “Even on the worldly scale,
helping some small group of people or one person with
something for a few hours, even if it’s only once, might
not change the world, but it changes one person’s world,
which is always going to be worthwhile.” He highly valued
any sort of difference he could make. He said the thing he
wanted most out of a service experience is affecting people
positively, especially in “giving them the tools or knowledge
to make their lives better in some way.” Similarly, Participant
26 directly said the best thing about volunteering is,
“making an impact or difference in somebody’s life.” Both
Participant 22 and 23 said sometimes feeling like they did
not make a difference was the worst part of volunteering.
They expressed frustration at feeling like they worked
hard for nothing. Likewise, Participant 20 said he was not
inclined to volunteer because he feared his time would
be wasted.
Because impact was listed as the best part of
volunteering and lack of impact was listed as the worst
part, making a difference is obviously extremely important
to our target audience. In the ranking activity of each focus
group, several people noted volunteering for a reputable
company is critical because they want to know that
their time and efforts are actually going to help people.
Respondents repeatedly said hearing success stories
would motivate them to volunteer for CASA, revealing
a desire for substantial evidence that the organization
legitimately makes a positive difference. Participant 25
said the best part of volunteering is “when you can see
the visible results of your efforts.” These men probably
want to see results because they would serve as a definite
confirmation of the men’s impact. When completing the
sentence, “volunteering makes me feel…,” participants
used words such as “accomplished,” “purposeful,”
“useful” and “peaceful (because someone experiences
positive change).”
All of these words suggest that the men want their
actions to produce significant results. Participants 15 and
19 said they like how impactful CASA could be. They
appreciated that CASA volunteers have the opportunity to
help youth in a way that will impact them their entire lives.
Men want to make an impact, and they want their service
organization to help them achieve that.

10. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
10
KEY FINDINGS
Personally Connected
Our participants want to feel personally connected
in their volunteer work. During the completion activity of
Focus Group One, a participant said “I don’t want to be ‘just
another one doing it.’ I want to know that my contributions
and unique skills are being used.” Participant 22 agreed,
saying he wants to volunteer at the place where he can
use his individual skills to make the greatest difference.
Participant 19 said that he is most motivated to make a
difference when he sees people struggling with something
he is talented at. He sees his talents as his opportunity to
help. During the first ranking activity, “current skillsets”
was ranked on average the fifth most important thing to
consider when choosing a volunteer organization. In the
general thoughts portion of Focus Group Two, Participant
16 wrote that volunteering is a means of self-actualization.
These men want to make a difference, but they
don’t want to make that difference in the same way anyone
else could. They want to be able to take who they are as
a person, apply that to the volunteer work and have the
work in turn shape themselves. In addition, the participants
unanimously agreed that having a personal connection with
the beneficiaries of the volunteer work is crucial. The majority
of focus group participants ranked “direction interaction with
those being served” as one of the top three things they look
for when choosing a volunteer organization. In the collage
activity, a respondent added a picture of a man with his
arms around two kids, saying how building relationships is
an important part of volunteer work. Others agreed, saying
during the expressive thematic test that “connection” is a
positive feeling for them. These men, therefore, want to
volunteer at organizations that make them feel personally
connected to their cause.

11. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
11
KEY FINDINGS
Intimidating
The participants see CASA as intimidating. Most
of the participants had no problem working with children,
but many said they were uncomfortable working with
children who have been abused or neglected. Participant
23 said he feels like he needs more experience working with
neglected children outside of CASA before he volunteers
for CASA. Because he has never worked with this type of
child previously, he says he does not feel qualified to work
for CASA, even with a 32-hour training session.
The possible threat of emotional strain seemed to
bother the respondents most. Participant 19 said in his
interview he didn’t know if he could volunteer for CASA
because “it’s just a little too sad.” He said though it was
probably very rewarding, the times when things don’t
work out would take too much of a toll on his emotions.
“Emotional involvement” and “emotional weight” came up
as consistent worries during the CASA-centered sections of
the focus groups. During the completion activity, Participant
14 said CASA makes him feel “nervous because of possible
situations that would tug at my heart.” Some participants
directly said they thought CASA sounded intimidating, and
many said they would not volunteer for CASA because of
the “emotional commitment,” the “attachment to the kid”
and lack of knowledge about what the child needs. This
fear of not knowing how to help the child came up often in
the focus groups. Participant 4 said CASA makes him feel
uncertain because he lacks both “the qualifications and
the call” for the organization. In the completion activity,
Participant 5 said he would not volunteer for an organization
if he felt he did not have the skills for it; both Participant 10
and Participant 25 said the first thing they consider when
choosing a volunteer organization is whether they can “do
a good job.” Feeling qualified is therefore important to the
participants, but CASA appears too intimidating for them to
feel comfortable and competent.

12. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
12
KEY FINDINGS
Visual representation of our key findings

13. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
13
CREATIVE BRIEF
Current Thought Most of target has never heard
of CASA. But when explained to them, CASA is seen as in-
timidating. People have so much to do that making such an
emotional and time-consuming commitment to CASA feels
like it’s more than just volunteering—it’s a life decision.
They like the cause; they think it’s needed, but it sounds
like more than they can handle, no matter what life stage
they are currently in.
Desired Thought You can do it. You can be the
man to make a difference. You know about CASA; it’s a
commitment, but it’s not as overwhelming as it initially
seems. And the rewards are worth the time and emotional
investment.
Rationale If men can get past the initial shock of the
commitment, they will be free to consider how CASA can
plausibly fit within their lives and can become a positive
force for both themselves and the children served.
Single Most Important Thought
Creative Brief
Client Capital Area CASA Association
Job/Product Finding Methods to Recruit Volunteers
Team/Account Planners Team 2 - Madeline
Engler, Nichole Wierschem, Lyle Currier, Michael Grob,
Ashley Estave
Date December 10, 2014
Objective Inspire, motivate and entice men to volunteer
for Capital Area CASA
Target Audience
Demographics These men are college-educated,
ages 21 and older, living in Baton Rouge and the
surrounding areas with a minimum $25,000 annual
household income. They will likely have volunteered in
some capacity in the past.
Psychographics These men think volunteering
should be a selfless act. They want to help people, and
they want to see the results of their efforts. Volunteering
is something they think is necessary and effective, but
they don’t always have the time to do it. Be the man that can
make the difference.

14. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
14
PROPOSAL AND
NEXT STEPS
Recommendations
Based off of the data we gathered through primary
and secondary research, we have come up with several
ideas to help CASA not only increase their number of male
volunteers, but also increase awareness of Capital Area
CASA. Depending on the available budget, these ideas
can be combined into one campaign or can be successfully
implemented separately. Based on our data, we found men
do not respond well to overly sentimental advertising, but
they like to know they’re needed and making an impact.
We therefore present to you the “Be The Man” campaign,
which conveys responsibility and importance without being
mawkish. By asking men to “Be the Man,” we appeal to
their masculinity, probing them to take charge in a situation
that needs their help. Saying volunteering makes them
“the man” defines volunteering as something cool for guys
to do— and thereby defying the negative stereotype of
“women’s work.” Advertising with “Be the Man” statements
will assume an empowering tone, inspire men to step up to
the challenge of volunteering for CASA while convincing
them they are capable of doing so. These statements
include but are not limited to: Be the man that makes the
difference, Be the man who helps the helpless, Be the man
who changes a life, Be the man others look up to and Be
the man who gives a child hope. This campaign appeals
to our target’s masculine pride as well as to their
intrinsic humanity. The following are five executions based
on this concept:
Outdoor
During our research, we found that very few
people know Capital Area CASA exists. Therefore, radio
and outdoor advertising would be effective ways of
increasing awareness.
Outdoor advertising in the form of a billboard would
be most effective if placed in downtown Baton Rouge,
where many men work. One of our participants said his
family talked more about volunteer organizations when
they saw billboards for them. Outdoor advertising rates can
be somewhat expensive, but according to LAMAR’s rate
sheet, downtown billboards can get up to 51,270 average
inmarket impressions. We suggest the billboard display an
African American man interacting with his assigned CASA
child in a positive way. We would feature one of the “Be the
Man” statements and add the CASA logo, CASA website
and #BeTheMan at the bottom. One of the campaign’s
strengths is its flexibility. CASA can make ads with a variety
of ages, demographics and “Be the Man” phrases.
Possible locations of a billboard in Baton Rouge

15. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
15
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS

16. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
16
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS

17. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
17
not feel ready to volunteer. Even after discussing CASA at
length, participants still said they needed to know more
before they signed up. We therefore believe two of CASA’s
problems, intimidation and lack of awareness, can be
solved with information dissemination.
We suggest CASA hold an informational event
titled “CASA Cookout.” This will be a fun, casual event
where men can come enjoy good food and learn more
about the organization. Both CASA employees and current
volunteers would be present to help serve food and talk
more about their CASA experience. As an extra incentive
for men to come, CASA should ask Les Miles, or a popular
local figurex, to speak at the event. In addition to Les Miles’
speech, we will also present a success story. Either a CASA
volunteer or a young adult who successfully went through
the program as a child could give a speech on their CASA
experience. There would be a table specifically for signing
up to get involved and a giant board for people to write their
thoughts on the statement “CASA is important because…”
CASA has held informational sessions in the past,
but they have not been advertised enough. We have
several suggestions on how to get the word out about
the CASA Cookout. Current volunteers could promote
it at their churches and men’s club meetings—personal
invitations work best when trying to get men to come to
events. Many law firms require its attorneys to participate
in community service, and companies like ExxonMobil are
big promoters of employee volunteering. CASA should
contact these organizations when trying to get the word
out. Another way to do a personal invitation would be to
set up a CASA table in Free Speech Alley to talk directly
to students and professors. Radio spots are relatively
inexpensive. We suggest buying a few spots a week or
two from the event, with Les Miles as the narrator. Lastly,
posting flyers and getting the word out on social media
through Facebook events and reminders would also
be helpful.
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
Similar to outdoor, buying a few radio spots during
rush hour traffic times would help individuals become
aware of CASA. Because so many men said success stories
would motivate them to volunteer and rush hour yields a
large listening audience, a man and child narrating a short
success story would be an excellent way to reach our target
audience. With the “Be The Man” campaign, the dialogue
could be similar to the following:
Volunteer: “Hi, I’m Mark, and I decided to Be The Man
that changed 8-year-old’s Trevor’s life. He was living in
foster care with no constant adult presence in his life. I
heard about CASA and, after training, was able to speak
up for his needs. He is now the star on his youth basketball
team and is a much happier kid.”
CHILD: “Let’s go shoot some hoops Mark!” -
Volunteer Laughs
MAN: “I challenge you. Be the man who changes a life.”
A narrator would then say CASA’s name, website and
phone number.
This would be a less intimidating way to bring in
men for CASA. Radio is one of the cheapest advertising
media, so CASA could buy several spots. While traditional
advertising is an expense to the organization, the amount
of volunteers gained could be worth it in the long run.
Radio
CASA Cookout
Our two focus groups had very different responses to
CASA-related questions because a former CASA volunteer
attended the second one. Because the former advocate
was able to explain what CASA is really like, the second
focus group participants seemed much less intimidated
by CASA. Without this information, most participants did

18. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
18
Improve Pamphlets
We also recommend improving CASA’s current
print pamphlets by using color more effectively and using
higher quality images. Rather than being merely used for
decorative purposes, color should be used to highlight the
key elements and information in the brochure such as the
logo and titles. Using color in this way will also be more
aesthetically pleasing. Higher quality images will help CASA
to look more professional and inviting. When coming up
with new images, putting an image of a man placing his
hand on a child’s shoulder on the inside of the pamphlet
would be a good idea. This image gives an encouraging
tone, helping the target audience to understand they are
capable of making a positive impact on a child’s life.
These changes could help increase CASA’s awareness and
inform the target audience of how volunteering for CASA
is truly an empowering experience.
Social Media
In this digital age, it’s essential for CASA to keep up a
solid social media presence to attract more volunteers. This
is especially important with gaining young adult volunteers.
To do this, we first recommend keeping posts that could
be seen as depressing to a minimum. We have found our
target does not respond well to something that involves a
high emotional risk. Though we do not want to hide that
volunteering for CASA could be emotional, it would be more
effective to focus on “lighter” aspects when advertising on
inherently casual media like Facebook and Twitter. Second,
many of CASA’s posts are “call to action” posts, asking
followers to attend informational sessions or telling them
to vote for CASA in a contest. While these posts should not
be eliminated, mixing in general content would add variety
that could attract more people to the pages. Examples of
this content include links to success stories and a social
media execution of the Be the Man campaign. Lastly, we
recommend CASA use the hashtag #BetheMan in any
post targeted to men. Because men can use the hashtag
in their own posts, #BetheMan will become an interactive
method for empowering men and unifying the campaign as
a whole.
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS

19. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
19
CONCLUSION
Conclusion
With only a 17 percent male volunteer base, Capital
Area CASA is in a position where it cannot fulfill an objective
of its mission. To help CASA become an organization
whose volunteer diversity reflects that of the children
it serves, our team conducted primary and secondary
research. From running qualitative focus groups and
interviews, we discovered how males perceive volunteering
and CASA. We found men want to make an impact, desire
personal connection in volunteering and feel intimidated
by CASA. Considering our findings, we recommend CASA
market itself in a lighter, positive tone, while emphasizing
the importance and intimacy of its cause. The “Be the
Man” campaign will do this, empowering men to embrace
the challenges and rewards of working for CASA. We
recommend executing the campaign in outdoor and radio
advertisements, supplemented by improvements of CASA
social media and print materials. In addition, the CASA
Cookout will make CASA less intimidating by offering easy-
to-obtain information in a fun setting. By implementing
any or all of these tactics, CASA can gain male volunteers,
strengthen its mission and, most importantly, continue
to be a positive force for change in the lives of Baton
Rouge children.
PROBLEM
SECONDARY RESEARCH
PRIMARY RESEARCH
DATA ANALYSIS
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
RECOMMENDATIONS
TAKING THE NEXT STEPS

20. CAPITAL AREA CASA Research Proposal
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
SITUATION
ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND
&
OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
& LOCATION
SAMPLE SIZE
KEY FINDINGS
CREATIVE BRIEF
PROPOSAL &
NEXT STEPS
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
20
APPENDIX
Appendix
INCLUDED
-Focus Group Moderator Guide
-Focus Group Particpant Guide
-Interview Guide
-Select Interview Notes
-Pictures Used In Project Techniques
-Collages Created In Focus Groups
-Data Collected
ONLINE SOURCES
http://www.casaforchildren.org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/b.5301303/k. 6F
http://www.casabr.org/staff.aspx
http://www.wafb.com/story/15171612/casa-orientation-held-tonight
http://masscampuscompact.org/resources/wp-content/up-
loads/2011/11/Recruiting-Male-Volunteers-A-Guide-Based-on-Ex
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22033.html
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/la/baton-rouge/crime/
http://suburbanstats.org/population/louisiana/how-many-people-live-
http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/factsheet
http://bigbuddyprogram.net/web/
http://www.nola.com/news/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2014/09/east_brp
http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/print.pl/news.release/volun.nr0.htm
http://www.brclubs.org
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/02/27/charts-new-da-
ta-show-women-more-educated-doing-most-volunteering
http://www.census.gov/compendia/databooks/2010/tables/sma.pdf
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/product
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_12940.htm#00-0000
http://economics.fundamentalfinance.com/povertycrime.php
http://www.nola.com/news/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2014/09/is_ebrp
http://nc.casaforchildren.org/files/public/community/programs/com-
munications/graphic_messaging.pdf
https://www.facebook.com/CapitalAreaCASA
https://twitter.com/casa_br
http://www.lamar.com/InventoryBrowser