CSA Marketing Guide

community foundationSOUTH DAKOTA

Success through community caring

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IntroductionBeing aware of reliable ways to promote your Community Savings Account will pay off in two ways:

• It will raise public awareness of your local foundation.• It will increase your donations, enlarging your asset base.

These two essential CSA objectives are connected at the hip.As your foundation and its mission become better known, the number of donors will also increase. And conversely, as donations increase and your foundation board uses these donations to make more grants in the community, public awareness will grow.

The purpose of this Marketing Guide is to help you develop a marketing campaign with little or no budget. It will give partnership ideas, as well as provide sample marketing tools that can easily be customized for your specific project.

In reading this guide, you will visualize a campaign come to life as we show Anytown, South Dakota, as it markets a Community Savings Account and reveals plans for a new playground.

If you require any assistance in campaign name and/or logo ideas, please don’t hesitate to contact the South Dakota Community Foundation. We are here to help your vision succeed!



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A solid foundation is essential when building anything new. Therefore, the first step is to have your Community Savings Account established and in operating order. By following the “Little Instruction Book for Community Savings Accounts,” you already have organized a committee, elected officers and established by-laws. A contract is in place with the South Dakota Community Foundation and you are now ready to move forward with a goal in mind.

Creating your Community Savings Account is like establishing any new project or proposal. The public must understand it and buy into the premise that it is needed. This holds true for your new CSA, a swimming pool, or a new playground. The marketing methods are similar regardless of the project. GIVE YOUR GOAL A NAME

It should be short and sweet, and convey the message in a simple, creativemanner. For instance:

Building a CSA... A Firm Foundation for Our Future! Building a swimming pool… Take the plunge! Building a new auditorium… Let the Show Begin! Building a new playground… Get into the Swing of Things!

You get the idea!

If you have the budget and talents, it would be beneficial to have a logo that complements your theme. It’s much easier to make an impression when there is a symbol that triggers an emotion, such as a solid concrete block foundation for your CSA, the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness, and the yellow ribbon for those in the military.

Step One

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of things

Sample Logo

Sample Logo



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Marketing your Community Savings Account fund drive can be done in a variety of ways. In many cases, small towns offer unique opportunities that larger municipalities cannot due to zoning requirements and othercity-governed guidelines.

Before you begin your campaign, you will find it helpful to understand the different habits of citizens that make up your community.

• TheBusinessCommunity: They are most likely middle to upper income. Once committed, they want others to know they are involved. And, many times they get involved because other businesses did. Once you have a big player or players on board, the rest will soon follow.

• AverageCitizen: They are anything but average and, in most cases, will make up the majority of your population. They can be married or single and with or without a family. They are low to high income and can most easily be reached by touching their sense of compassion. Those that can’t make financial contributions will be your best volunteers.

• Youth/Teens: It depends on your goal. If they don’t see a direct benefit to themselves, they are less likely to get involved. They respond better to events rather than direct marketing. They work better as a group, so if you can get them involved as a class, youth group, team, etc., they will be more effective. Some schools now require community service hours before graduation.

• Seniors:Some are looking to leave a legacy; many have spent their entire life in the community. They tend to respond better to small monthly commitments than one lump sum. They, too, are a great volunteer pool. Getting them involved can help build empathy and commitment.

Marketing Your CSA Fund Drive



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... Continued• TheLeaders:They have the connections and the desire to get the

campaign off the ground. You need them from the beginning and they must tell your story daily until it becomes second nature. They are your cheerleaders! You’re looking for quality, not quantity and they must be good motivators.

• TheDoubters:Yes, you will have them. Listen to what they have to say, respect their decision to disagree, and prove them wrong! They will not come on board until they are pursuaded. Do not direct your marketing directly to them. It is a waste of time and money and only validates their opinions.

• TheAbsentees:Hometown roots run deep. Don’t forget those who have moved away but still have ties to the community. Establish a data base and keep them informed. A good resource is your local newspaper subscription list or your school alumni committee.



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Your traditional forms of media include newspapers, television, radio and billboards. If your community has any of these resources, it is vital to have them on board from the beginning.

• Print: A local newspaper, be it a daily or weekly, is a great way to market to the majority of your citizens. And don’t forget the free distribution shopper. Ask your local newspaper for support in the form of advertising, news stories, or distribution of fliers or brochures. In many cases, it can also be a resource to print posters and collateral material for a reduced fee or donation. When using the newspaper, it is best to provide it with a completed ad or a written story as a starting point.

• Television: If you have a television station in your town, don’t hesitate to ask for assistance. In addition to running a promotional schedule for you, it may also be willing to run a news story and give weekly or monthly updates on the progress. If it is involved in the early stages, it is a great resource for statistics and can be instrumental in “selling” the idea to the public. And most importantly, do a live interview if at all possible. The impact of a personal interview is three-times that of a news story.

• Radio: Radio stations are big on events and public appearances. They are great to use during a “kick-off” celebration or any crowd drawing event. A benefit to radio is the immediacy of the message. If you have news that you need to get out right away, radio can usually add it to the talking points immediately. And unlike television, you can change your message often because radio production is not nearly as costly and time-consuming as television. When doing a live interview, have your talking points established and provided in advance to the interviewer. You have precious little time to convey your message so stick to the facts and have your answers well rehearsed.

Traditional Marketing Tools

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Sample Newsprint Ad



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... Continued• :30SecondSampleRadioScript

It is said that the children are our future. Truer words have never

been spoken, especially in regards to our own hometown. “Get into

the Swing of Things” has been organized to develop a much needed

playground. With support for the “Anytown” Community Savings

Account, plans are in “full swing” to develop, build and maintain a

park that we call all be proud of. Whether it be time or money, we

need everyone’s help to make it happen. Call Jane Smith today at

555-5555 to see how you can help. That’s 555-5555. Get into the

Swing of Things, and get involved for our kids.

• Billboards: Most of these companies are corporately owned and require lengthy contracts. But don’t rule out partnering with a billboard user in your community. If ABC Corp. has numerous billboards, ask it for a banner sponsorship, whereby you place a banner or logo on the existing board. It can be as simple as “A proud supporter of the Community Savings Account Project.”

• Internet: Evaluating the effectiveness of the Internet as a communication tool is a work in progress. However, the number of viewers continues to grow. One easy and inexpensive way to tell the story of your community foundation is to have an on-line presence with your own web page. Starting in 2007, the South Dakota Community Foundation began to establish a web page for each of its more than 60 affiliated community foundations. When all CSAs are on-line, each will have its own unique look, with information about upcoming events, grant applications and donation list. If you have not already done so, contact the SDCF office for details about getting your own web site up and running. Here again, this works best if one person on your board takes responsibility for this developing area.

Sample Billboard Sponsorship



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Marketing is not advertising. It is much broader than that. Marketing encompasses any idea, event or partnership that assists in telling your story.

Following are some examples; you will have to decide what is realistic and best for your community.

• DoorHangers: This is an inexpensive way to get the message to each household and a great way to get the teens involved. Boys and Girls Clubs may be willing to help to earn a badge or points, and high school clubs may help for a small donation to their cause. A word of caution…be sure to have a brief training session so your volunteers can answer any questions that are asked, or at least be aware of the contact information on the door hanger to point out to the home owner.

• Posters: They are an effective way of communication and have been used for years. Keep them clean and current. You will want to devise a committee to be your eyes and make sure any tattered or graffiti posters are promptly removed or replaced.

• WindowClings:They are subtle traveling billboards. They should be kept simple; their purpose is to bring Top-of-Mind-Awareness to your community. It is important to buy locally if at all possible, but the Internet is a great and inexpensive resource for window clings.

• WaterTower:Does your community have one, and are there restrictions to advertising on it? This is not available in all communities, but worth a phone call to find out the possibilities.

• GymnasiumBanners:Do you have the opportunity to market through your local high school gymnasium? Perhaps this will require a “trade-off.” School administrators are always looking for ticket takers, cashiers and chaperones.

Non-traditional Marketing Tools

Sample Door Hanger

Sample Poster



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... Continued• YardSigns: We can all learn a thing or two from the politicians. Yard

signs are effective because they are in neighborhoods when the traffic speed is reduced. They can also serve your purpose when “The Smiths” are trying to keep up with “The Joneses.”

• ParticipateinCommunityEvents:Have a presence in the next parade and get involved in the Easter Egg Hunt or Fireworks Display. Anywhere a crowd gathers, have your representatives there to talk about your project. It doesn’t need to be a captive audience with a microphone. Just walk through the crowd, hand out a brochure or card, and make sure your community is aware of what’s going on.

Sample Yard Sign



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Getting the business community involved is essential for two reasons. First, you want their financial support; and second, you want their help in marketing your campaign. We already discussed partnering for billboard space, but there are many other opportunities a business partnership can offer.

• Formalpresentations: Community clubs and organizations are always looking for programs. This is an ideal opportunity to introduce your local foundation to key members of your community. If you’ve already told your story, ask to tell it again – after a year or so – in order to update the members on your activities and make another appeal for support. Larger communities are likely to have a greater number of service clubs and fraternal organizations and all are good candidates for programs. However, even smaller communities have church and booster clubs that would be interested in learning more about the community foundation. And don’t forget farm organizations. Those in farming, ranching and agribusiness have a stake in your community, as well, and with the transfer of wealth now well under way, the rural constituency is of the utmost importance to community foundations. See if you can obtain some presentation time in front of organizations that serve farm and ranch country, such as rural cooperatives, ag groups, and grain elevators.

• Marqueemessages: Take that creative campaign slogan and put it on marquees all over town.

• RestaurantPlaceMats: For a minimal cost you can print up place mats to place in local diners and restaurants. These could double as a coloring contest when they are later displayed in establishment’s window.

Community Partners

Sample Place Mat



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... Continued• TableTents:These use the same concept as a place mat, but are

more suitable for fast food establishments and social gatherings, such as bars and pool halls.

• CorporateNewsletters:More and more companies are providing monthly or quarterly newsletters, and the biggest challenge is finding content. Provide them with a story idea and let them share your information.

• UtilityCompanies:Check with your power and telephone companies -- municipal and rural -- to see if they will include information in their mailings about your foundation. Some of these utilities will do so at no charge while others impose a fee. Visit with the utilities manager, or better yet, make a presentation before the utility board. Even if a free mailing isn’t forthcoming, you’ll be spreading the word about your foundation. Utility mailings also supply an opportunity to raise funds through a program called “rounding up.” This is when utility customers are offered the chance to donate pennies on the dollar to your foundation. For example, say your water bill is $54.62 for the month. Under an agreement worked out with the utility company, its customers and your foundation, you the consumer would pay $55 with the 38 cents going to the foundation. With enough customers signing up, it adds up, and the program itself is a “talk about” topic for your town. Check with your local government entity to see if you need its approval and to make sure you’re following local guidelines.

• VisualDisplay:If your campaign is a new building, put up a 3-D display of the project in the bank lobby. If a display isn’t cohesive to your project, then display a progress chart with a visual poster or display of the details. This can be done in any high traffic area such as a grocery store, library, city hall or shopping center.

Sample Table Tent



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... Continued• Jean/T-shirtDay:Again, using the employee pool of the local bank,

grocery store, or any retail establishment, employees can wear jeans for a $1 donation. The campaign gets the money and the marketing benefit of the entire staff wearing T-shirts (that you provide) with your slogan on the front. You may even get a business to provide the T-shirts by offering them the space on the back for self promotion.

• BagStuffers:Contact your local drive-through restaurants or grocery stores and research the possibility of them stuffing your information in all their bags. This does not necessarily require an additional promotional piece. You can over-run on door hangers or utility bill inserts for this purpose as well.

• CreateaSpectacle:Tie ribbons around the trees in the park, and have the elementary children send off balloons, and place 50 posters on the side of one building. Do something that makes a visual impression and gets people talking. This also creates a great topic for a news story!



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Make an impact from the beginning. Let the community know you are there and you mean business. Ideas are a dime a dozen, but how many actually come to fruition? It takes a community to make that happen, and before that it takes leadership to rally the troops. A kick-off campaign validates your purpose and sets the tone for the entire campaign.

If you have the resources, create a gala. If possible, tie it into a holiday or event such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Halloween or News Year’s Eve.

If you need to tone it down, throw a community picnic or barbeque. Make it a potluck. This can be centered on Father’s Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day or your annual community celebration.

Coordinate a community walk, have a street dance, sponsor a fireworks display or host a sporting event that teams the firefighters against the bankers. The objective is to get the community out for a fun afternoon or evening and provide an audience to introduce your message.

Kick Off Your Campaign in Style



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Regardless of which marketing approach you take, the formula for success generally includes the following:

• Set the goal.• Brainstorm, strategize, and then design your plan to achieve your goal.• Agree on a timetable.• Use the marketing ideas that best fit your plan.• Celebrateyoursuccess!

Conclusion

Documents

CSA Marketing Guide