Final Campaign Report

April 17, 2019

Presented by:

Executive Directors:​ Mekenna Eisenga & Ashley Davidson

Research and Marketing Directors:​ Kara Ingersoll & Julia Kent
Creative and Media Directors:​ Nicole Johnson & Emily Praske
Finance Logistics Directors: ​Carlie McCabe & Oralia Funez
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Table of Contents

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Problems, Goals and Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Project Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-7

Gantt Chart Proposal Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-9

Gantt Chart Post-Campaign Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10-11

Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-19

Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17-26

Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
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Introduction:

On January 23, 2019, Connect PR visited the Santa Anita Family YMCA to explore the facilities
and opportunities the organization provides for the community. Connect PR discussed with
Executive Director, Eric Boyd, the short-term and long-term goals he and his staff had in mind.
After we met with Eric, Connect PR developed a strategic communication plan for Santa Anita
Family YMCA. On February 25, the SAF YMCA team came to Azusa Pacific University to hear
the presentation of our plan’s goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics. After the presentation,
Eric and Connect PR came to an agreement on the strategic communication plan we would
implement for them, in discussion with Agency Director Denise Ferguson. The campaign started
on February 27 and ended April 12. The overall campaign included the production of marketing
materials that will help gain recognition and awareness of their organization. This final report
includes the following elements:

● Goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics for the strategic communication plan, according
to the contract
● Evaluation of the strategic plan’s success in meeting these goals
● What each member of Connect PR contributed
● The proposed and actual strategic plan calendars
● Recommendations for the SAF YMCA
● Connect PR’s overall success and challenges
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Problems, Goals and Objectives:

The challenges of Santa Anita Family YMCA are as follows:

Threats: ​Other organizations that offer similar services such as gyms. Metro LA YMCA approval
is required for any changes in the website. Many people see the YMCA as a family brand,
therefore if they don’t have young children, they may see the YMCA as a brand that is irrelevant
to them.

Weaknesses: ​Communication efforts with members and other publics. Reliance on traditional
forms of communication and marketing techniques rather than digital and social media.
Outdated design of the branch newsletter. Website design, navigation, and content, as it is
connected to the overall YMCA website and isn’t personalized to the SAF branch. Social media
presence is weak, as the Facebook page is only used for announcements. The staff also lacks
advertising techniques.

Goal #1:​ Increase Membership Retention

Objective:​ Create promotional materials to support the increase of membership by 10% by
September 2019.
Strategy 1: ​Promote three new classes: Gymnastics, Ballet and Volleyball.
Tactic 1: ​Craft promotional materials for the new classes.
Strategy 2: ​Develop plan and tactics to send to surrounding communities of the
SAF YMCA.
Tactic 1: ​Send information and pictures to the 5 cities that encompass the
Chambers of Commerce.
​ reate sample Yelp posts/reviews.
Tactic 2:​ C
Strategy 3: ​Promote community engagement with local organizations and
universities.
Tactic 1: ​Send email invitations to surrounding businesses; promoting
community collaborations.
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Tactic 2: ​Partner with local universities to implement extra curricular

activities.

Goal #2: ​Create a Renovated Branch Identity

Objective:​ Create and personalize a new branch identity through strategic, consistent content by
April 12, 2019.
Strategy 1: ​Redesign Newsletter geared toward current SAF YMCA members as
well as a recruitment tool for non-members.
Tactic 1: ​Take New Photographs for Recruitment
​Implement new photography standard and take photographs that serve as
a visual representation of events.
Tactic 2: ​Implement New Writing Style
Produce shortened and concise writing style throughout the newsletter, a
contrast to the existing length of content provided.
Strategy 2: ​Revise promotional content featuring message strategies that
highlight Santa Anita Family YMCA values and distinctions
Tactic 1: ​Promote the family and community element.
Tactic 2:​ Create a clean, structured design for promotional materials.

Goal #3: ​Redesign the Santa Anita Family Website

Objective: ​Create a redesigned website capitalizing on personalization and values of the Santa
Anita Family Y by April 12th 2019.
Strategy 1:​ Create a design layout of the redesigned website that illustrates brand
identity
Tactic 1:​ Provide colors, fonts, and design layout.
Tactic 2: ​Create easy access navigability through design
Strategy 2:​ Incorporate the SAF YMCA’s distinct values of faith and community
through content
Tactic 1:​ Promote the chapel at the Santa Anita Family Y
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Tactic 2: ​ Create a section on the founding of the YMCA through the voice of
John 17:21
Tactic 3: ​Direct key publics to volunteer opportunities.
Strategy 3:​ ​Create a schedule for when the website should be updated
Tactic 1: ​Provide a list of what should be regularly updated
Tactic 2:​ Regularly update and change the to-do list items on the schedule

Goal #4:​ Increase Social Media Presence

Objective #1:​ Update Facebook page and create @friendsofsafymca “Instagram” to improve
social presence and to maximize Santa Anita Family YMCA community interaction by April
12th, 2019.
Strategy 1: ​Create Facebook & “Instagram” Strategy
Tactic 1: ​Take new photographs for Facebook & “Instagram” page
Tactic 2: ​Create a Timeline for when to post and how often to post
Tactic 3: ​Create a sample document that clarifies what should be included
to create a quality Facebook and Instagram caption.
Strategy 2:​ ​Create Hootsuite account
Tactic 1: ​Provide a basic understanding of how to use Hootsuite to
whomever is currently running the Facebook page
Tactic 2: ​ Create 3 posts for SAF YMCA through Hootsuite to engage on
Facebook and “Instagram”
Strategy 3: ​Create Social Media Internship to sustain social media presence
Tactic 1​: Create Internship Job Description
Tactic 2: ​Promote Social Media Internship to local colleges
Tactic 3: ​Set Internship Expectations & Goals
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Project Management:

Each member of Connect PR participated in the following regular scheduled activities:

● Researched information and logistics regarding the SAF YMCA

● Reported findings, questions and concerns to the Agency Director as well as Executive
directors
● Attended weekly meetings to discuss updates and changes concerning the client
● Communicated weekly with each other and with client
● Compiled all information into a completed campaign/final report.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS (Ashley Davidson & Mekenna Eisenga)

The Executive Directors act as leaders among their peers, and have the role of managing the
team’s activities. The following are other tasks the Executive Director performs:
● Coordinate group work among agency members
● Promote and ensure professionalism throughout the teams activities and helped the group
stay on track with their work.
● Served as liaisons between Connect PR, the Agency Director and SAF YMCA
● Participated in weekly meetings with the Agency Director and communicated with the
SAF YMCA as needed.
● Maintained project deadlines and the schedule of the campaign by monitoring the
progress of the group.
● Communicated with SAF YMCA all agency updates and needs from organization.
● Redesigned the internal newsletter
● Implemented the Graphics Standards Manual within each design for consistency
● Crafted Promotional Materials and organized the promotion of community engagement

RESEARCH AND MARKETING DIRECTORS (Kara Ingersoll & Julia Kent)

Assists in evaluating the client’s needs through research, in turn establishing effective campaign
goals.
Kara Ingersoll
● Communicated final due dates.
● Delegated jobs of each member.
● Proofread and organized drafts and final briefs.
● Crafted flyer templates for the Santa Anita YMCA.
● Created a list of local colleges, universities, and athletic programs for the Santa Anita
YMCA to reference to create new classes and community outreach.
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Julia Kent
● Communicated final due dates.
● Delegated jobs of each member.
● Proofread and organized drafts and final briefs.
● Created Mock-up Website

CREATIVE AND MEDIA DIRECTORS

The Creative and Media Director is primarily responsible for media relations but, depending
upon the nature of the campaign, should be involved in shouldering responsibilities in other
capacities as well.
Emily Praske
● Served in partnership as lead creative strategists for the Santa Anita Family branch of the
YMCA.
● Bridged the gap between the agency and all media organizations through social media
coordination and evaluation.
● Contributed to the development of creative and collateral material. Specifically, event
photography and photo editing.
● Ensured that the agency’s professional standards were maintained and the team stayed
organized and efficient in meeting its campaign objectives.
Nicole Johnson
● Served as the link between the agency and all media organizations.
● Coordinated media relations.
● Researched social media internship descriptions.
● Created social media internship job description for SAF YMCA.

FINANCE AND LOGISTICS DIRECTORS

Carlie McCabe
● Maintained the budget and ensured that the campaign stays within the given budget
● Gathered quotations from vendors for materials necessary for proposed campaign
● Kept track of the campaign to make sure it stays within budget
● Made every effort to reduce total costs and minimize the budget for the campaign
● Contributed to the development of creative material including the social media strategy,
the hootsuite “how to” document, as well as photographed stock imagery for the SAF
YMCA.
Oralia Funez
● Gathered quotations from vendors for materials necessary for proposed campaign
● Made every effort to reduce total costs and minimize the budget for the campaign
● Created Mock-up Website
● Researched and organized specific programs for SAF YMCA
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Gantt Chart Proposed Timeline:

Below is the originally stated timeline of proposed goals. Due to uncontrollable factors such as
delayed communication, pre-planned organization events, and unrealistic expectations from
Connect PR, a few of these goals were not able to be achieved by this timeline. In that case,
some strategies and dates were altered to accommodate more achievable tactics in the end
(please refer to “Post-Campaign Timeline” below).
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Gantt Chart Post-Campaign Timeline:

In the process of executing each individual tactic, Connect PR realized that both objectives three
and four propelled our involvement with objectives one and two. Building the website and
evaluating existing social media allowed us to better direct our focus in working on promotional
materials and visual elements.
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Budget:

The proposed budget for this campaign began with a total of $910.00. That included the costs of
objectives pertaining to promotional materials, the personalization of brand identity, and
increasing social media content. Throughout this campaign period, Connect PR has not spent any
of the projected budget. Moving forward, Connect PR has taken out the cost of hiring a student
photographer, as two Connect PR members were able to provide imagery for the branch for free.
As the SAF YMCA begins to implement these following objectives, the actual budget needed to
complete such is a total of $610.00, taking out the cost of hiring a student photographer.
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Evaluations:

Goal #1:​ Increase Membership Retention

Objective:​ Create promotional materials to support the increase of membership by 10% by
September 2019.
Strategy #1: ​Promote three new classes: Gymnastics, Ballet and Volleyball.
While Connect PR wanted to help the SAF YMCA increase membership retention, the
goal was meant to be reached months after our partnership with the SAF YMCA. Due to
this, Connect PR changed several of the original strategies to accommodate scheduling
conflicts for more attainable goals. Connect PR was successfully able to create and
deliver promotional flyers as well as a guiding sheet to create flyers.
Strategy #2: ​Develop plan and tactics to send to surrounding communities of the SAF YMCA.
As seen in the original timeline, the strategy for free class trials and community barbeque
were created for the SAF YMCA. The the SAF YMCA had pre-planned events for this
spring season, which left Connect PR unable to continue with the proposed plans. Having
to shift the strategy, Connect PR created a sample Yelp review of the YMCA as well as
materials for the SAF YMCA to share with the surrounding Chambers of Commerce.
Strategy #3: ​Promote community engagement with local organizations and universities.
Connect PR crafted a list of local universities and programs as a resource for the SAF
YMCA. Connect PR wanted to help Eric’s vision of community engagement by creating
classes with locals. The list of contacts is meant to lead the SAF YMCA to reach out to
the local programs in order to create new and off-campus courses for members, while
reaching into the community.

Goal #2:​ Create a Renovated Branch Identity

Objective:​ Create and personalize a new branch identity through strategic, consistent content by
April 12, 2019.
Strategy 1: ​Redesign Newsletter geared toward current SAF YMCA members as well as a
recruitment tool for non-members.
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The Neighborhood MAPS conference served as a photographic opportunity to represent

the Y’s involvement in the community. Connect PR was able to capture 24 photos that
visually portray the event in its entirety. These photos are intended to fulfil the need to
elevate the visual appeal on printed and online materials.
Strategy 2: ​Revise promotional content featuring message strategies that highlight Santa Anita
Family YMCA values and distinctions
The experience within our goal of redesigning and revising current promotional materials
was quite smooth. Connect PR was confident that we were able to implement changes
that render the potential for an increase in membership. Challenges involved with these
tactics include not knowing about the graphics standard manual until later in the process,
however it was awesome to keep it concrete and consistent within YMCA as a whole.

Goal #3: ​Redesign the Santa Anita Family Website

Objective: ​Create a redesigned website capitalizing on personalization and values of the Santa
Anita Family Y by April 12th 2019.
Strategy #1:​ Create a design layout of the redesigned website that illustrates brand identity
The process for creating the website was mainly focused on doing extensive research to
see how other YMCA branches create their own customized site. Along with that
Connect PR focused on incorporating and presenting Eric’s vision for the Santa Anita
Family YMCA on the website as well. Our ultimate goal with creating the layout and
design was to make it easy to navigate and easy to find information. Connect PR was able
to put all the information and images Connect PR had access to on the SAF YMCA
custom website.
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Within this goal, a customized website was created for Santa Anita Family YMCA. The
pages incorporated share information such as programs that are provided specifically at
the SAF YMCA, volunteer opportunities tied directly to SAF, and how to be an active
member of SAF community. From the feedback given at the proposal, Connect PR was
able to also focus on making the website easy to navigate. Easy tabs and links were
created to direct guests to specific SAF YMCA resources and questions. Overall, the
customized website is an opportunity for SAF to share what makes them unique and a
space for their community to go to for questions and interactions.
Strategy #2:​ Incorporate the SAF YMCA’s distinct values of faith and community through
content.
Based on our initial meeting with the YMCA staff, it was expressed that faith is an
important foundation for SAF YMCA. It was important to make sure to express the
importance of faith in the history of the YMCA, and the mission statement with faith
being integrated into creating a community and accepting all who go to SAF YMCA.
Talking to Eric, Connect PR used a lot of his storytelling to reflect through the website as
well.
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Strategy #3:​ ​Create a schedule for when the website should be updated
The website was designed so that there is minimal maintenance needed. Originally, it was
preconceived that there would be multiple components that needed to be updated.
However, the renovated website design allows for user-friendly tabs and minimal
sections. Instead of including a schedule with things to be regularly updated on the
website, all links and contact information are up-to-date and accurate to SAF YMCA.

Goal #4:​ Increase Social Media Presence

Objective: ​Update Facebook page and create @friendsofsafymca “Instagram” to improve social
presence and to maximize Santa Anita Family YMCA community interaction by April 12th,
2019.
Strategy #1: ​Create Facebook & “Instagram” Strategy
For this campaign, Connect PR was able to create a Facebook & “Instagram” strategy
document outlining a specified social media strategy for the SAF YMCA, and a sample
document including details for content and captions. Additionally, an agency member
was able to make a trip out to the SAF YMCA and take 54 new “stock” images that will
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be able to be utilized across many platforms including all social media. This stock
imagery was provided to the SAF YMCA through a google drive folder.
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Strategy #2:​ ​Create Hootsuite Account

Connect PR was able to provide a basic understanding of how to use Hootsuite by
creating a “How To” Hootsuite document and 3 sample posts that the SAF YMCA can
reference when utilizing the platform of Hootsuite.
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Strategy #3: ​Create Social Media Internship to

sustain social media presence
To aid the SAF YMCA in sustaining social media presence, Connect PR created a
“Social Media Internship” document that can be put out to local colleges in the area.
Connect PR does not have the authority to do the actual hiring of a Social Media Intern,
so have left the actual hiring to the discretion of the SAF YMCA. Connect PR feels that
the social media expertise we have provided and have in place will significantly increase
the SAF YMCA social media across multiple platforms. Once an intern is hired, Connect
PR believes the social media plan we have provided, along with the photos we were able
to take for the SAF YMCA will fulfill this goal.
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Recommendations:

Goal #1: ​Increase Membership Retention

Strategy #1:​ ​With the hope of promoting new classes for the SAF YMCA, Connect PR was able
to craft flyer material for the SAF YMCA to use in the future. To honor the official YMCA
brand book, we utilized the exact color scheme and fonts to stay consistent with the YMCA
brand. The templates are meant to guide the SAF YMCA to create their flyers with conciseness.
A guide sheet was created to be a resource for the SAF YMCA to use when creating new
promotional material for their classes. This will allow for more approachable flyers with designs
that highlight images and color, and contain limited text. Our suggestion is for the SAF YMCA
to use their promotional materials around their SAF campus to attract more participants in
classes and events. These fliers can also be put into the newsletter or added digitally to the
website as well.
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Strategy #2:​ ​Connect PR crafted Yelp review posts for both non-member & member community
of the SAF YMCA to see when searched online. When an organization has reviews, it attracts
outsiders to the organization depending on what current members are saying about it. The more
positive reviews, the better potential to attract more interest in members (increasing that
membership retention) and class sign ups. Connect PR suggests for the SAF YMCA to create or
update a reviews section on their website. This will help generate credibility and create
transparency between the organization and its members. Asking members to leave a review on
facebook or even a site similar to Yelp would also be beneficial.

Strategy #3: ​In order to gain more memberships, partnering with local universities to implement
extra curricular activities would allow more community engagement. In order to do so, Connect
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PR crafted a list of several local university programs for the SAF YMCA to refer to when they
are ready to partner with the community for new and off campus classes. Another component of
community engagement is the partnership with the Chambers of Commerce. We have created
sample photos/posts for the YMCA to send to each Chamber when needed.

Goal #2: ​Create a Renovated Branch Identity

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Strategy 1:​ In conjunction with the second goal, Connect PR has taken several photographs to
implement across all platforms. These photos can be embedded in the newsletter, to serve as
visual support for written content. Event photos can be uploaded on social media accounts, in
order to convey the organizations’ community involvement and commitment to their
neighborhood. The Neighborhood MAPS Conference photo folder can be utilized for highlights
in internal and external email communication, as well as updating members about recent events.

Strategy 2: ​The vision behind the improved newsletter was to produce a platform to share news
and updates in a clean, concise manner. The newsletter was exuberant in color, however it was
very wordy and had no structure. Therefore, I wanted to design something that had both the
visual content as well as description. Our society completely disregards newsletters that has more
words than pictures. Furthermore, to prevent people from avoiding reading the rewarding content
that is packed into the newsletter, I created room for description but only enough room to get to
the point. Lastly, I chose the color scheme with the brightest colors to catch the eye.

*** Newsletter follows the graphic standard manual - font, color, logo, etc.
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Goal #3: ​Redesign the Santa Anita Family Website

Strategy 1: ​The website is designed so that there is minimal maintenance needed. All links and
contact information are up-to-date and accurate to contact SAF YMCA. Previously, it was
difficult to navigate the corporate YMCA website, especially when trying to find information
specifically about SAF YMCA. The first recommendation Connect PR has for SAF YMCA is to
purchase the website domain from Weebly so that the website would read, ​www.safymca.com​.
Strategy 2:​ Once this is purchased, the next recommendation would be to continue to make the
website more personal to SAF by adding staff pictures and bio’s/profiles to connect with guests.
Connect PR recommends using the pictures provided from Goal #4 to personalize the website
further.
Strategy 3: ​Another recommendation would be adding a tab of monthly events to keep guests
coming back. Overall, there is room for creativity and flexibility to make the website even more
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personable. The website Connect PR created was a foundation for further growth in SAF
YMCA’s brand image.

Goal #4:​ Increase Social Media Presence

Strategy 1:​ As Connect PR created a Facebook & “Instagram” strategy document outlining a
specified social media strategy for the SAF YMCA and a sample document including details for
content and captions, Connect PR recommends that the SAF YMCA uses this as a base for when
to post and what to post in the future. We additionally recommend that the SAF YMCA begins to
use the 54 stock images taken for multi purposes.
Strategy 2:​ ​Connect PR was able to provide a basic understanding of how to use Hootsuite by
creating a “How To” Hootsuite document and 3 sample posts that the SAF YMCA can reference
when utilizing the platform of Hootsuite. We recommend that the SAF utilizes the 50% off
opportunity for non profits, and that they begin to utilize the platform of Hootsuite to help stay
organized and on brand.
Strategy 3:​ ​To aid the SAF YMCA in sustaining social media presence, Connect PR has created
a “Social Media Internship” document that can be put out to local colleges in the area. We highly
recommend putting this document out to the public and to additional local colleges so that a
Social Media intern can be hired and can truly help to sustain social media presence moving
forward.

Conclusion:

As our campaign period comes to a close, Connect PR has enjoyed working with Santa
Anita Family YMCA to create a campaign that strengthens their specific branch brand. Our
agency has high hopes that this strategic communication plan and the many deliverables we have
provided will be able to be well utilized moving forward. Connect PR believes that what has
been provided will allow for opportunities for growth and improvement in regards to the SAF
Y’S communication initiatives. Connect PR believes that our agency’s uniquely tailored and
implemented strategies and tactics will be able to sustain many of the SAF Y’s communicative
needs moving forward.