Truscello 1 Kylie Truscello Public Relations 1

Public Relations Plan for the UPJ Tennis Club Situation: The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Tennis Club is an active student organization on the campus. The club is active in the sense that they meet two to three times per week to play tennis. I am currently the president of the tennis club. Therefore, the organization is something that is very important to me. The club is still lacking some recognition from the UPJ and Johnstown communities. However, more people have become aware of the clubs existence since I began my plan. The organization is also still lacking membership and participation. The UPJ Tennis Club has begun advertising. Our methods of advertising include: Table setup at annual UPJ Activities Fair o We obtained over 25 member signups from the fair. All of those prospective members have not committed to the club. Flyers across campus o We have advertised for an introductory meeting and our fundraiser. Article featured in the UPJ Advocate and Our Town newspaper. Advertisement on Macaroni Kid blog o I contacted the publisher of the blog and she was willing to advertise out fundraiser on her website. Advertisement in Our Town newspaper

Truscello 2 o I contacted the editor of the newspaper and they published a short advertisement regarding the clubs fundraiser. Social media o The club has a private Facebook page, which is only accessible to members of the organization. o I have recently created a public Facebook and Twitter account for the club. We have minimal likes and followers; however we are still getting the word out. Facebook- 26 likes Twitter - 26 followers Even though we have the same number of likes and followers on both websites, they are not necessarily the same people. Other Organizations: The most popular and successful student organizations on campus reach the student body in a number of ways. Many groups set up tables, in addition to posting flyers and banners in campus buildings to advertise their club or a specific event. Also, the Student Life office sends a weekly email, which the tennis club has been a part of, to every student regarding upcoming promotions and events for organizations. Survey Analysis: I have obtained feedback from both UPJ students and members of the community via surveys at the beginning of the plan. Results: The club needs to increase its recognition.

Truscello 3 o Many people in the community did not know about the club prior to taking the survey. The majority of the people surveyed believe that a club is a good activity for students to participate in. The tennis club needs a Public Relations plan because their forms of communication and advertising are almost nonexistent. Several areas of the club need to be improved in order to be more successful.

Objectives: There are several things that I would like to accomplish for my Public Relations plan. Increase membership for the tennis club. o In order to increase the membership, the knowledge and recognition of the club must increase throughout the Johnstown community. Generating awareness about the club is the main objective.

I would like to advertise the club, their functions and their events more. The overall communication within the club, and also within the Johnstown community, must be greatly improved.

Audience: Primary audience: Students at Pitt Johnstown.

Truscello 4 o Both male and female students are encouraged to participate in the club. Secondary audience: Members of the Johnstown community and members of the faculty at Pitt Johnstown. o This is mainly focused on other tennis players in the community. I have attempted to reach both audiences via social media websites and flyers. I have also held a special event to communicate to the audiences.

Strategy: The message for the tennis club: The organization is a great group of students who enjoy playing tennis. The tennis club is a wonderful opportunity for students to create new friendships, exercise and improve their tennis skills. The club is also a way for students to relieve stress after a long day in classes. I plan to communicate my message through multiple forms of social media, which I have created for the club. I have held a special event to communicate to the audiences. I have also conducted surveys with the members of the club and tennis players within the Johnstown community.

Tactics: I have created a public Facebook page and Twitter account for the tennis club. Both pages are new for the club; therefore, they only have a small amount of likes and followers. I

Truscello 5 manage both pages for the organization. I post important updates regarding the club and any events that will be held. I post updates regarding the clubs meetings and fundraiser. I also post my contact information for anyone interested in joining the organization. Posts: 1-2 times per week depending on if the club has any upcoming events. o I post information regarding meetings, events and how to become a member. o The club increases the number of followers mainly through retweets and reposts from current members and other student organizations or offices. The club has also organized a fundraising event recently. The members of the club participated with members of the community in a round robin tennis tournament. The members were responsible for obtaining sponsors to donate money. All proceeds from the event benefited future endeavors of the organization. Event details: Friday, November 1, 2013 from 7-10 PM. Ebensburg Tennis Center, 257 Lakeview Rd, Ebensburg, PA 15931 Over $450 was raised.

Timetable: I am the president of the organization; therefore, I am very involved with it. I will continue to be involved with the tennis club for the rest of my time as a student at Pitt Johnstown.

Truscello 6 Primarily, I will be involved with the plan until April of 2014, which is the end of my presidency. However, my timetable for my public relations plan will be the remainder of my time as a member of the club. Most likely, this will be until I graduate in the spring of 2016. I plan to continue making improvements to the club until I graduate. This is because tennis is something that I am passionate about and I would like to improve the club for current and future members. OBJECTIVE Social Media Increase Membership Generate Awareness WHEN Already done; continue through April 2014 January 2014 April 2014

Budget: I must approve all purchases for the clubs use with our advisor, Jo Brant, in the UPJ Student Life office. There are usually no issues with purchasing something, as long as it is relevant to the club and it is approved in advance. For the clubs introductory meeting at the beginning of the year, I purchased pizza, drinks and paper products. I was reimbursed by UPJ for these purchases. I also purchased tennis balls and light refreshments for the fundraiser. The refreshments included cookies, chips and bottled water. Measurement: I have seen a lot of improvement in the club due to the changes that I have made. The public Facebook and Twitter pages have minimal likes and followers; however, people are still seeing the posts and spreading word of the organization. I measure the success of the club by the number of likes and followers that we receive.

Truscello 7 Facebook and Twitter likes and followers have increased since the beginning of the semester. Obtained two new members during this semester.

I also measure the success of the club by the number of participants and donors that we obtained for the event. We had 17 participants play in the event. Many people also donated money if they were not able to play in the tournament. The flyers which I have posted around campus have been successful. The club received two new members this year because they saw flyers. The members were able to contact me via my information on the flyer, and then attend our meetings. The UPJ campus newspaper, The Advocate, wrote an article on the tennis club. Club officers, including myself, were interviewed for the story. The article discussed the idea of the club attracting more members. The circulation for the newspaper, not including online readers, is roughly 1,800 people. The Our Town newspaper published a short piece for the tennis club. I contacted the editor of the newspaper, who was happy to advertise for our fundraiser. The brief story included information regarding the organizations first annual fundraising event. Implementation: I have followed through with several of my original objectives of obtaining more members for the tennis club.

Truscello 8 The organization has received two new members since the beginning of the semester. I was also able to communicate more efficiently with the UPJ and Johnstown communities. o I have posted flyers around the Pitt Johnstown campus on a few occasions and I have also held a couple of meetings. The tennis club held a fundraising tennis tournament on November 1, 2013. o Members of the club participated in a round robin with other tennis players in the local community. I have followed through with my original tactics and strategies for the plan. I have created public Facebook and Twitter accounts for the UPJ Tennis Club. o Both pages have minimal likes and followers, but I hope to continue to increase our audience in the near future. o I continue to post on both of the pages, usually once a week. Because I am president of the UPJ Tennis Club, I truly care about its success. I have made several improvements in the club. I have improved our communication methods and increased our recognition throughout the UPJ community. I hope to continue to improve the club in every aspect. Conclusion: In conclusion, I have learned a lot about the UPJ Tennis Club while completing my Public Relations plan. I have become aware of the many obstacles that the organization faces

Truscello 9 within their communication. I have also begun to implement some changes to the club and their methods of communication and advertisement. I believe that these changes have positively impacted the tennis club and will continue to benefit the club in the future. I hope to continue to make improvements to the organization as long as I am a member.