Big Brothers Big Sistersof Stillwater

Media Kit

Big Brothers Big Sistersof Stillwater

Communication Audit1513 Sangre Road Stillwater, OK 74074

405.624.9922

Key AreasThe Big Brother/Big Sister organization’s message is clear and concise. The clear message that is brought across is through brochures, business cards, an abstract logo, and website. Since BB/BS organization’s communications are nationally and statewide ran, it does not send a consistent message to the local residents of Stillwater.

One aspect that the organization needs to change is the consistency of their color scheme. Looking through different brochures, I noticed completely different color schemes throughout. With this being said, it definitely throws off the reader with the company’s overall theme.

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Past CommunicationsThe sources of past communications used are traditional mail, email, Stillwater News Press ads, radio ads, fliers and social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube).

The strategic plan changes in detail every three years (pushed down by the state). This keeps the key message simple and consistent: “The littles in the BB/BS program benefit from its existence”

The organization has three key audiences it is attempting to reach:Littles - pulled from local schoolsBigs - pulled from the communityDonors - pulled from the community

Look OutwardAccording to a survey on SurveyMonkey:

• 93% had heard of Big Brother Big Sister. • 58% knew that there was a Big Brother Big Sister in Stillwater. • 78% were likely to volunteer. • 89% had never seen any social media for Big Brother Big Sister.

This shows that the main problem is not knowledge about Big Brother Big Sister, but rather awareness about what they are doing and how to get involved.

With only 30 big/little matches their communication seems to be lacking with both the bigs and the littles.

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Look InwardEmployees of the organization have noticed that traditional media has worked the best in the past. BB/BS employees have not been satisfied with the outcome of their social media. It is national and state ran, so it is not consistent with Stillwater. The employees are somewhat tired of traditional media and want to take a hard step forward into the social media world.

Analyzing Media CoverageWhen looking for media coverage, the most attention was given through traditional media outlets:

• Radio spots • News television • Newspaper

There was little to no social media coverage outside of Facebook. They need to be utilizing that outlet. When looking at frequency and reach, it ’s important to point out that the majority of the organization’s media is controlled by the organization’s state office, so it seems to have an evident state-wide focus. Stillwater is rarely covered in BBBS’s self-promoted news in comparison to the Oklahoma City office or the recently opened Ponca City office. It seems that some areas are much more effectively promoted than others. If there were more media freedom on a local level, there is potential that Stillwater could be better promoted.

Regarding the message, the organization holds tight to its mission statement. In self-promoted informational pieces, the organization leans on an emotional appeal. The press-promoted pieces seem to have more of an acute call-to-action message. In a KFOR segment, a reporter states that “the organization is in desperate need of more volunteers.” This phrase in itself implies that the organization is not utilizing its full potential in terms of audience and media reach.

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SWOT AnalysisStrengths • 7 different locations in OK and nationwide• Messages are clear consistent with national platform

Weaknesses• Limited social media control • Low social media coverage • Limited matches

Opportunities• Transition from traditional media to electronic, gradually• Exponential growth

Threats• Inconsistent themes in fliers • Low amount of followers on social media--extremely small reach • Restricted from making local strategic plan/decisions

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Recommendations• Gradually make transition from traditional media to electronic. • Create newsletter--monthly/quarterly. • Expand reach and frequency on social media. • Find “loophole” to soften limitations on social media.

Big Brothers Big Sistersof Stillwater

Corporate Communication Plan1513 Sangre Road Stillwater, OK 74074

405.624.9922

Updated SWOT AnalysisStrengths • Prepared to make changes and move forward• Understand weaknesses, where company is lacking• Have concrete short term and long term goals• Current number of matches is a strategy, not a downfall

Weaknesses• Budget cuts• Under-staffed, heavy workloads

Opportunities• Participant feedback• Fundraisers/Events• Match Opportunities

Threats• State organization inflexibility• Completing action plan within a year

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Goals• Gradually transition from traditional media to electronic• Implement monthly newsletter to reach donors• Negotiate local social media freedom • Implement and utilize Twitter, Instagram and Facebook• Hire interns• Appoint a campus representative at Oklahoma State and establish BBBS as a club• Increase Big/Little matches by 50 percent

Stakeholder Analysis

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Communication StrategiesWe will focus on four main platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and email.

• Facebook- older generation volunteers and donors• Instagram- generation specifically the college age (fundraise and volunteer)• Twitter- combined platform for the younger generation and the older generation• Email- all generations (newsletter)

• Anyone who is involved somehow with the Big Brother Big Sister nonprofit• Volunteers “Bigs”• Children “Littles”• People from the surrounding area who donate money, equipment, etc.

Message Frequency• Facebook- 1 daily• Instagram- 2-3 weekly• Twitter- at least 1 daily• Email Newsletter- Quarterly (Alternating focus between volunteers and donors)

Communication Strategies

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Pictures and videos grab the most attention.

The difficult part about this is that Big Brothers Big Sisters cannot use most pictures of their kids (for confidentiality purposes).

Ways to improvise: • Volunteer of the month spotlight• Funny or motivational pictures on Canva (Motivation Monday, Why Wednesday, etc.) • Take pictures of the kids without showing their faces

Action PlanOver the next year, we hope the nonprofit will:

• Establish a Big Brother Big Sister club/organization on campus at OSU• Launch the release of a steady monthly newsletter• Hire interns to help with data entry and social media updates • Increase number of matches by 50%• Improve internal communication • Raise reach and frequency on social media• Gain more freedom to control and implement strategies locally

Assessment/Evaluation

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To evaluate our plan’s results, we will assess the organization’s input, output and outcomes. We will designate Sarah Manuel, the Stillwater BBBS area director to quarterly review the success of our Communications Plan by looking at intermediary benchmarks and organizational objectives.

The following information can be used to measure results:

• Baseline examples: • There are currently zero daily posts on Stillwater BBBS’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages • There are two full-time employees and zero interns • There are 30 local Big/Little matches

• Quarterly reviews: to help navigate between what goals need attention and where our plan is already proving to be effective

• Within a year, we hope that our goals have been met. While not all of our goals can be metrically measured, we hope there is obvious growth in the areas of internal and external communication.

1513 Sangre Road Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074 405.624.9922