STACEY HALLAMHOSPITALITY & TOURISM MANAGEMENT 498FALL 2012

THE MARSHALL FAULK FOUNDATION

• Enclosed in this proposal is a comprehensive public relations plan for The Marshall Faulk Foundation, a non-profit organization. The plan includes extensive research and planning in hopes that it will increase the volume of participants in the organization’s programs.

• The mission of The Marshall Faulk Foundation has several parts, but the following two are addressed in this proposal; the first is to improve the quality of life for San Diego youth by increasing opportunities for them to lead healthy, fulfilling lives. The second part is to execute multiple events every year, which includes donating from corporate partnerships within the San Diego community. The Marshall Faulk Foundation is not operating at full capacity; it has the potential to positively affect more San Diego youth by having several events in a year, but with having more participants in future events in comparison to previous years.

• The goal of this plan is to increase the amount of donations with corporate sponsorships within the San Diego community with The Marshall Faulk Foundation by executing events with more participants in future years. The plan includes a situation analysis, a statement of the problem and goal, action strategies, and all the target audiences. It also includes media methods, which are ready to be executed by the Executive Director of the organization.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Problem StatementSituation Analysis

Internal Factors, HistoryCurrent Organizational StructureInternal StakeholdersMission Statement, Current ProgramsFunding/BudgetPoliciesControlled Communication MediaExternal Factors, Media CoverageExternal Stakeholders

Goal StatementAction StrategiesTarget AudiencesObjectives by AudienceAppendices

Appendix A – Appendix F

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• The Marshall Faulk Foundation is not operating at full capacity, therefore it is not serving San Diego youths as best it could. There is currently one problem The Marshall Faulk Foundation is experiencing. The organization presently supports The Aztec Club, The YMCA, Boys To Men Mentoring Network, Field of Dreams, and several more programs but was only able to raise funds with one event, Aztec For Life Celebration, in 2012. There was a decrease in participants in 2012 in comparison to previous years. In order to continue to support their programs, the foundation needs to attract more individuals to attend their event.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

• The Marshall Faulk Foundation was created during Marshall’s time with the Indianapolis Colts. Upon beginning his tenure with the Rams, Marshall dedicated an initial $500,000 to fund projects that would focus on improving the quality of life for St. Louis area youth. Marshall’s generosity continued to his hometown of New Orleans where he helped fund a recreation center in his old neighborhood. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Marshall hosted numerous fundraisers to assist with the city’s rebuilding efforts. The foundation donated $70,000 to distribute food, personal care items and toys to hungry children and families in New Orleans. In 2008, the Marshall Faulk Foundation relocated to San Diego, which is now the permanent home of Marshall Faulk. The Foundation is currently building relationships and working alongside organizations within the San Diego community. To date, The Marshall Faulk Foundation has provided more than $1,000,000 in financial assistance and hands-on involvement to programs in Indianapolis, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Southern California.

SITUATION ANALYSISINTERNAL FACTORSHISTORY

As a 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Marshall Faulk’s on the field accomplishments have been matched only by his philanthropic efforts.

• The structure of The Marshall Faulk Foundation was originally organized by Marshall Faulk himself. After elected into the Hall of Fame in 2011, Marshall wanted to give back to his hometown, New Orleans, as well the city he went to college in as well as his current home, San Diego.

• Marshall established a non-profit corporation that was dedicated to improving the quality of life for San Diego youth by increasing opportunities for them to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

• Marshall’s team consists of three coordinators and an elected Board of Directors.

SITUATION ANALYSISCURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

• The Marshall Faulk Foundation has four levels in its structure; the man behind the foundation, the coordinators, and the Board of Directors, and volunteers.

• The man behind the foundation is the one and only Marshall Faulk. He is the main man in charge. No decision can be made without running it past Mr. Faulk.

• The coordinators are made up of three women who run the show. Executive Director, Brandi Greenleaf, is currently the foundation’s leader. Brandi was hired by Marshall to run his foundation for him. So Brandi is responsible for planning the fundraising events, contacting corporate sponsorships, and donating the funds raised to the San Diego programs they support. Due to many responsibilities, Brandi also has on board Logistics Coordinator, Alyssa Boyd, and Assistance Coordinator, Brittney Flores.

• An elected Board of Directors, involving volunteers in the San Diego community who truly believe in Marshall’s philanthropic efforts, are in part, responsible for the success of the foundation. Their dedication and passion to help San Diego youth is what motivates them to donate their time to the foundation. They are responsible for the marketing efforts for the foundation, as well as getting the right people to the events. The Board of Directors include Rick Ahumada, Carlos Becerra, Melissa DeVita, Terry Gilmore, Carlos Guiterrez, Mike McNeill, Chad Moore, Fred Pierce, and Elizabeth Ruch.

• The volunteers consist of family and friends of Marshall, Brandi, Alyssa, Brittney, or those on the Board of Directors. A non-profit organization is dependent on their volunteers and are thankful for any sort of volunteering from an individual.

SITUATION ANALYSISINTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS

• The Marshall Faulk Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life for San Diego youth by increasing opportunities for them to lead healthy, fulfilling lives. By building corporate partnerships within the community, we are able to provide financial assistance to projects focusing primarily on sports development and education. Through our efforts we are able to touch the lives of children in Southern California in a positive way, encouraging them to become the leaders of tomorrow.

SITUATION ANALYSISMISSION STATEMENT

• AZTEC CLUB: The Marshall Faulk Foundation provides football scholarships to SDSU athletes from the greater San Diego community. Proceeds from the foundation's annual Aztec For Life event benefit the Aztec football program. Marshall began his football career as a running back at SDSU. The opportunity to sponsor the football program is a fundamental way to give back to his Alma Mater and to reward hard-working young men. To date, The Marshall Faulk Foundation has awarded The Aztec Club $125,000 for scholarships.

• THE JRYMCA: The Marshall Faulk Foundation provides funding for The JRYMCA’s youth sports programs and after care. These programs support children and young adults in San Diego’s most critical service area, South East San Diego. Marshall’s ties to the YMCA program began in his early childhood years. In Marshall’s words, “the YMCA was the best experience when I was a kid. I learned teamwork, how to share and most of all how to respect others. The Marshall Faulk Foundation has donated over $60,000 to the JRYMCA since 2009. By supporting the JRYMCA, Marshall hopes that he can give kids the opportunity to learn the values that he has carried with him since those childhood years.

• BOYS TO MEN MENTORING NETWORK: The Marshall Faulk Foundation is proud to partner with Boys to Men Mentoring Network, which is based on the firm conviction that boys need good men as role models to help them become good men. To date, the Marshall Faulk Foundation has donated $20,000 to the Boys to Men organization. Boys to Men give boys hope, support and guidance. They help them become good men and provide a complete program with community, mentoring, and a Rite of Passage adventure that serves both boys and men. They give each boy a chance to decide what kind of man he wants to be. The challenge for boys in today's world is greater than ever. Too many good boys get caught up in a path they may not have chosen if they had a mentor to help see options, weigh consequences and make positive choices.

• FIELD OF DREAMS: The Marshall Faulk Foundation is proud to support the 9th Ward Field of Dreams, a project dedicated to bringing a $1.85 million dollar football field, track, lighting system, and stadium seating to New Orleans. The stadium will be located on the campus of George Washington Carver High School, Marshall’s alma mater, which was destroyed as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Once completed, the stadium will be open to all area high schools, middle schools, and community members free of charge. This will be what revitalizes youth sports in New Orleans.

SITUATION ANALYSISCURRENT PROGRAMS

• Because The Marshall Faulk Foundation is a non-profit organization, it is eligible to receive donations from anyone at anytime. Many San Diego State Alumni donate to The Marshall Faulk Foundation as well as local San Diego businesses. The profits from the Aztec For Life Celebration every year, are donated directly to the programs the foundation supports.

• After completion of the Aztec For Life Celebration in 2011, more than 600 guests attended the event and netted more than $115,000, which was about $50,000 more than 2010. In 2012, about 250 guests attended the event and the foundation netted about $88,000.

SITUATION ANALYSISFUNDING/BUDGET

• ???????

SITUATION ANALYSISPOLICIES

• WEBSITE: The current website for The Marshall Faulk Foundation is http://www.marshallfaulk.com/. The website is currently up to date with photos, videos, and descriptions of previous years’ events. It contains the foundation’s mission statement, brief background, staff, programs it supports, and their corporate sponsorships. It also provides an explanation of Marshall Faulk, as a player and as a person, which is very important in order to understand what Marshall’s motives are behind creating a foundation. Also available on the homepage is a link that takes you to a PayPal site to donate to the foundation directly.

• TWITTER: The official Twitter page of Marshall Faulk and The Marshall Faulk Foundation can be accessed @marshallfaulk. This page is updated daily in order to reflect Marshall Faulk as a previous football player as well as the creator of a non-profit organization. Here, people follow this page to see updates regarding Marshall. This page focuses more on Marshall as a football player rather than being used as a social media for the foundation.

• FACEBOOK: In order to connect with Marshall Faulk updates, whether it is about the foundation, his past football achievements, or current NFL Network appearances, they can be viewed at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marshall-28-Faulk/121589641246109. There are photos of past events available to view and people are allowed to leave comments about Marshall Faulk for everyone to see. The foundation’s mission statement is present on this page for its viewers to see.

• LINKEDIN: The Marshall Faulk Foundation can be viewed on Linkedin at http://us.linkedin.com/company/marshall-faulk-foundation. If you are a member of Linkedin, you can connect with the foundation to read more about their efforts in the community. You can also look for opportunities to work for them if the foundation is looking for employees.

SITUATION ANALYSISCONTROLLED COMMUNICATION MEDIA

• There are many print articles as well as videos online about Marshall Faulk regarding his high achievements as a former NFL player but several articles cover The Marshall Faulk Foundation.

• The first article is about the success of the fourth annual Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration in 2011. The article focuses on fundraising efforts doubling 2010’s efforts with having more than 600 guests attending. The article also gives a brief description of the event as well as a background on the foundation. It was written by ScatenaDaniels Communications, Inc.

• A second article focuses on the donation from The Marshall Faulk Foundation to a humanitarian campaign called Embrace The Philippines. The donation enables local student organizations and youth ministries to compete to collect the most canned goods and cases of water.

• A YouTube video focuses on The Marshall Faulk Foundation’s partnership with The Jackie Robinson YMCA. The video showed its gratitude for the foundation, thanking them for helping kids from San Diego County’s most critical community join teams, not gangs. It was uploaded by Michael Brunker on October 17, 2010.

SITUATION ANALYSISEXTERNAL FACTORSEXTERNAL MEDIA COVERAGE

• The external stakeholders include all individuals who have the potential to be served by The Marshall Faulk Foundation. This includes all members of the programs partnered with the foundation in the San Diego Community.

• Other stakeholders include all individuals who donate directly to The Marshall Faulk Foundation.

SITUATION ANALYSISEXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS

By the end of the Sixth Annual Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration in 2013, the goal for The Marshall Faulk

Foundation is to have 500 guests attend the event as long as $100,000 or more is netted. It is important to

raise attendance numbers and money raised so increasing exposure about the event will allow new supporters/donors and the opportunity to gain more

community support.

GOAL STATEMENT

• ACTION STRATEGY 1: COMPILE A MEDIA DISTRIBUTION LIST FOR TELEVISION.An employee working for the organization needs to compile a media distribution list, which should include the contact information for all appropriate media outlets in San Diego and the surrounding communities. The list should contain the contact names and numbers for all periodicals, radio stations, and TV stations that service San Diego County and nearby communities.

• ACTION STRATEGY 2: PUT AN EMPHASIS ON THE FOUNDATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA.Although almost every social media is used to promote Marshall Faulk and his foundation, not a lot of emphasis is put on the foundation. An employee working for the organization needs to go through every social media the foundation is connected with and put a bigger emphasis on what the foundation is all about. There needs to be a donation link on each social media so viewers can donate right away. If necessary, create new and separate social medias solely for The Marshall Faulk Foundation in order to market the non-profit organization more visibly.

ACTION STRATEGIES

• AUDIENCE 1: All residents living in San Diego and the surrounding communities who can benefit from attending the foundation’s fundraising event, Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration. In addition to these individuals, this audience also includes non-participant residents who can help increase awareness about the fundraising event, Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration.This audience is vital in achieving the first part of the goal which is to increase the amount of people who attend the fundraising event, Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration.

• AUDIENCE 2: All residents living in San Diego and the surrounding communities who are able to give back to their community by donating to The Marshall Faulk Foundation. In addition to these individuals, this audience also includes non-participant residents who can help increase awareness about the programs the foundation supports.This audience is just as significant as audience #1 because it is vital in achieving the second part of the goal, which is to increase the amount of corporate sponsorships in the San Diego communities in order to receive more donations. Many of the messages and media will be directed at residents who are San Diego State Alumni and those that are currently in a high position at a corporate company in the San Diego community.

• AUDIENCE 3: All individuals who currently benefit from the support of The Marshall Faulk Foundation.This audience is especially useful in increasing awareness about The Marshall Faulk Foundation and its Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration. According to Brandi, Executive Director, the programs the foundation supports need to win the hearts of the residents in San Diego communities. This will give the foundation the best chance possible of attracting more guests than ever at the Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration in 2013.

TARGET AUDIENCES

AUDIENCE 1: All residents living in San Diego and the surrounding communities who can benefit from attending the foundation’s fundraising event, Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration. In addition to these individuals, this audience also includes non-participant residents who can help increase awareness about the fundraising event, Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration.

OBJECTIVE 1: To increase the amount of guests that attend the Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration from 250 people to 500 people.

MESSAGE 1: The Marshall Faulk Foundation supports the San Diego State University’s Football team as well as troubled San Diego but we need your help and support in coming together at the Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration 2013.

MEDIA 1: 30 Second Public Service Announcement (Appendix A)

MEDIA 2: Flyer (Appendix B) – to be distributed throughout the community to local

businesses, community centers, and SDSU

MEDIA 3: Special Event Concept – Open House (Appendix C)

MEDIA 4: News Release (Appendix E)

OBJECTIVES BY AUDIENCE

The Marshall Faulk Foundation

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR RADIO:30 secondsRun Between August 1, 2013 and October 11, 2013

APPENDIX A