Helping People. Changing Lives. SHAE Communications Murfreesboro, Tenn. Andrea Nourse Account Executive Holly Keim Creative Director Elizabeth Dougan Editing and Planning Director Scott Colvin Research Director Table of Contents Executive Summary ........................................... 1 History .................................................................. 2 Current Situation ............................................... 3 Objectives ............................................................. 6 Press/Media Kit ................................................. 9 Media List ............................................................ 20 Crisis Communication Plan ............................. 35 Community Action Bash .................................. 37 Letter Writing Campaign ................................ 39 Calendar of Events ............................................ 42 Budget ................................................................... 54 Evaluation ............................................................ 55 Executive Summary At SHAE Communications we believe Mid-Cumberland CAA has an unprecedented opportunity to re-establish itself within the communities it serves. Currently, the name Mid-Cumberland CAA is not well known within Middle Tennessee. The public relations campaign we have created will help Mid-Cumberland CAA create, build and maintain its identity. It is important for an organization as large as Mid-Cumberland CAA to reach out to all of its publics, most importantly its clients, donors and volunteers and government officials. We feel these three publics are crucial to the success of Mid-Cumberland CAA. Through a series of Public Service Announcements we will highlight the good work Mid-Cumberland CAA does within the counties it serves. We will further provide the public with opportunities to help Mid- Cumberland CAA make a real difference. These PSAs will show that Mid-Cumberland CAA offers a complete “circle of life” (from birth to retirement) of services. 1 History and Mission Statement History For the last 38 years Mid-Cumberland Community Action Agency has helped countless Tennessee families get back on the road to self-sufficiency. Community Action Agencies were formed as a result of the Economic Act of 1964 to help battle poverty. Funding for the Mid-Cumberland CAA is received from the Tennessee Department of Human Services, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, United States Department of Energy, and other State, Federal and local sources. Mission Statement Mid-Cumberland Community Action Agency is committed to providing resources and opportunities for families, children and individuals to improve their quality of life. Our team of caring professionals addresses the needs of the people we serve through a wide array of agency programs and broad network of partners. 2 Current Situation Mid-Cumberland CAA has been serving the needs of Middle Tennessee for more than 30 years. With offices and services in Cheatham, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson and Wilson counties; their outreach spans a great portion of Middle Tennessee. Mid-Cumberland CAA has seven basic programs to help families affected by poverty in Middle Tennessee and is partially funded by the Community Services Block Grant provided by the Federal Government. Other funding sources include other non-CSBG Federal Programs, funding from the State of Tennessee, local public funding and private donations. With private donations making up nearly 50 percent of their overall funding it is crucial for Mid-Cumberland CAA to reach out to its donors. During 2008, Mid-Cumberland CAA had roughly 470 volunteers who logged 140,460 hours of volunteer time. Volunteers are fundamental to any non-profit organization, Mid-Cumberland CAA included. While 470 volunteers helped get the job done last year, it is important to continue to grow a database of dedicated and capable volunteers. Through the seven programs and services offered Mid-Cumberland CAA helped over 13,000 families in Middle Tennessee. The programs offered by Mid-Cumberland CAA are listed and described below; • Head Start and Early Head Start provides comprehensive development services to low-income children aged five and under, as well as their families. The program strives to enhance the child’s physical, emotional and cognitive needs as well as providing tools to make their parents better caregivers and teachers. • Nutrition Programs provide non-perishable food items to eligible individuals and families through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Tennessee Emergency Food Assistance Program. Furthermore, this program teaches proper nutrition and helps recipients make wise purchasing decisions with their food stamps. In addition to these services, the Nutrition Programs also teaches participants how to grow gardens to aide in the reduction of grocery costs. • Housing Programs provide housing-repair assistance for septic systems, safe water supply and the construction of wheelchair ramps. • Weatherization Program assists low-income families, senior citizens and persons with disabilities in lowering their home-energy costs through the instillation of proper building materials. • Low-Income Home-Energy Assistance Program assists low-income and vulnerable households with the cost of heating and cooling their home. • Transportation Program provides assistance with down payments toward the purchase of a reliable, used vehicle, which will aide in getting to and from work. This program will also aid in minor vehicle repairs required to keep the vehicle running properly. • Emergency Services Program provides financial assistance and counseling to individuals and families who are in need of emergency assistance with housing and utility costs. 3 • Self-Sufficiency Program assists low-income families in setting and meeting goals that promote self- sufficiency and to help eliminate the causes of poverty. Also, the program provides free electronic tax filing services for eligible participants. • Medical Support Program provides aid to those who do not have prescription drug insurance and assists eligible participants in obtaining medical supplies. • Retired Senior Volunteer Program recruits senior citizens (those aged 55 and older) as volunteers to help at schools, nursing homes, senior citizen centers and other service organizations. • Linkages search the community for links with other public and private organizations to complete the continuum care for low-income residents. Through these programs Mid-Cumberland CAA has the ability to make a real difference in the lives of Middle Tennessee Residents. Through our comprehensive public relations campaign, we aim to inform all necessary publics of Mid-Cumberland CAA’s services, programs and volunteer and donating opportunities. Key Publics Clients – Households at or below 125% of the poverty level are eligible to for programs and services Donors and Volunteers – Individuals that wish to contribute either time or money to assist Mid-Cumberland CAA in reach more clients. Government – The U.S. Senators and Representatives responsible for voting the Community Services Block Grant each year. SWOT Analysis Strengths • Mid-Cumberland CAA has an annual agency budget of $11 million, which is provided through federal, state and local funding. • The success that they have with their clients enables them to establish new clients through referrals. • Within Mid-Cumberland CAA there are five different core programs, which allow them to help a lot of different people within various age groups. • Each of the five core programs has a program director to oversee its daily functions. • Mid-Cumberland CAA has been granted $5 million as a part of the stimulus package (American Recovery Re-investment Act). Weaknesses • Mid-Cumberland CAA lacks consistent and uniformed identity/brand awareness. • Having so many core programs presents a staffing problem. They are unable to have formal training for their volunteers and have only one individual who interacts with the media. • They are not accessing all available media channels, which in turn does not allow for all of their good work to be made public within the communities. • Even though Mid-Cumberland CAA does not have a lot of employees it is very important that all use unified e-mail addresses. • Currently Mid-Cumberland CAA has no media list. • Mid-Cumberland CAA does not maintain a volunteer or donor contact list, preventing them from 4 communicating with an important segment of their public. • With the majority of Mid-Cumberland’s funding coming from non-CSBG Federal Programs it is imperative that they build a crisis communication plan. • Mid-Cumberland CAA does not currently maintain consistent and open communication with its publics and does not take full advantage of relationship building opportunities with its publics. Opportunities • Ability to generate a following through new social networking and traditional media to create improved brand recognition and easier volunteer/donor friendly website. • Potential to build donor and volunteer databases, while also building brand awareness by participating in local community events. • Without brand awareness, Mid-Cumberland CAA has unprecedented opportunity to create and maintain a professional looking and more easily recognizable brand, through teaming up with other well known nonprofits. Threats • Mid-Cumberland CAA is susceptible to economic downturns. • Other competing nonprofits that direct