up cooking a celebration
joy
of
A multi-faceted public relations campaign benefitting our local Habitat for Humanity
cooking
Introduction:
Cooking, like a public relations campaign, is a methodical process that integrates research, planning, implementation and evaluation. Ingredients need to be collected, measured and blended together to create a delicious dining experience. A successful menu, or campaign, can leave a person satisfied and wanting more. The menu the 2006 University of Florida Bateman Team prepared for Alachua Habitat for Humanity (Alachua Habitat) is no exception. Based around the needs of the Gainesville, Fla. organization, our campaign intended to satisfy the cravings outlined by the local affiliate. Four main needs -increasing awareness of the organization among students, increasing awareness of the thrift store, improving the relationship between the campus and local habitat affilliate, and implementing a lasting public relations process- were identified by the Alachua Habitat Executive Board. Ingredients were collected, a menu was planned and our kitchen was open for business. Our localized campaign whetted the appetites of our target public, 18- to 25-year-old University of Florida students, creating a hunger for all things Habitat. Alachua Habitats 20th anniversary acted as the centerpiece for the theme of our campaign. Cooking Up a Celebration combined the 20th anniversary, Alachua Habitats Celebration Oaks community, and college students love of food into an appetizing campaign. The celebration brought recognition, fundraising, media and student attention to our client. On behalf of Alachua Habitat and the University of Florida, we invite you to pull up a chair, tuck in your napkin and join in our delectable celebration.
Situation Analysis:
The Organization:
Alachua Habitat is a nonprofit housing ministry based on Christian principles seeking to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Since its founding in 1986, Alachua Habitat has built more than 60 homes in the Gainesville community. Alachua Habitat is poised to build another 60 homes in a unique neighborhood called Celebration Oaks over the next two years. Alachua Habitat is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Although established in the community for 20 years, the organization has recently shown significant development and growth in its building capacity. The progressive leadership and dedicated executive board are committed to helping the organization reach its aspirations for accelerated growth. The organization has an abundant volunteer pool for builds. Strong partnerships exist between Alachua Habitat and other organizations in the community, including the Builders Association of North Central Florida and St. Francis House. The Builders Association of North Central Florida represents the residential and commercial building industry. St. Francis House is a homeless shelter and soup kitchen that provides emergency food, temporary shelter and related support services to the hungry and homeless in Gainesville.
decreased profits for the thrift store. In addition, there Alachua Habitat operates with a committee structure. is heavy thrift store competition in Gainesville between However low involvement from committee members, Hospice Attic, Salvation Army and Goodwill. especially in public relations, threatens the organizations goals. Before implementation The limited budget for this campaign, of the campaign, the public relations Upon implementation of as well as the short implementation committee was inactive and had no the campaign, the public month of February, were potential programs in place for media relations, relations committee was threats. However, by focusing the camcommunity relations or publication currently inactive and had paign to one main week, we overcame production. The poor quality of the no programs in place for the possibility of overextending the clients Web site and printed materimedia relations, communibudget or diluting impact. Our camals were both results of this inactivity. ty relations or publication paign also had to compete with Black Additionally, the lack of communicaproduction. History Month events and Dance tion between Alachua Habitat and Marathon, a popular fundraiser for the University of Florida Habitat for Childrens Miracle Network. Humanity club (UF Habitat) prevented the organization from achieving its full fundraising and participaKey Publics: tion potential. Eighteen- to twenty-five year olds in Gainesville are an age group that demonstrates a great willingness to The organization relies on its thrift store to subsidize volunteer, according to Alachua Habitat leaders. This its operation costs. The organization hopes the thrift public has a subset of student activists who put both store will become the ideal place to donate unwanted time and energy into working on projects that will furniture at the end of the semester by offering a free benefit others and their communities. According to a donation pick up service. The thrift store serves dual focus group of prominent UF student leaders (XXX), purposes: providing quality goods at an affordable main weaknesses of students include low expendable price and raising funds for the home builds.. income, limited time availability and lack of professional skill.
The Situation:
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Alachua Habitat, creating a major opportunity for increased publicity. December marked a point of new beginnings for the client in terms of leadership. A new executive director and staff, all receptive and enthusiastic towards public relations activities, created a fresh start for the organization in terms of leadership. The organizations location in a college town was also another situational strength. Our target public, 18- to 25-year-olds, was easily accesible through the University. Lack of public awareness and a decline in local donations after natural disasters in the past year have led to
Students are bombarded daily with pleas from organizations for both time and money. Pre-existing allegiances and high competition among student groups and non-profit organizations are also prominent in the area. These ties make it difficult to engage student interest for other charitable organizations. Strong and effective communication channels exist to target this age group and include: Facebook, the UF Wednesday Update, organization listservs and campus publications such as The Independent Florida Alligator and The Gainesville Sun Campus Edition.
v. intr. 3. Slang. To happen, develop, or take place
preparation
Primary Research:
After scrutinizing the details of our kitchen (organization) and dining room (environment), our culinary team prepared to whip up a mouth-watering menu (campaign). We needed to carefully consider which ingredients (tactics) our guests would find delicious by researching which recipes (strategies) to use. Our young patrons are notoriously finicky, and it was important to research their unique palates and consumption habits. Through surveys, focus groups and in-depth interviews, we gathered enough information to develop a thorough shopping list.
Quantitative Research:
Our team administered a non-probability sample survey to UF students ages 18 through 25. The results established our target publics attitudes and behaviors toward Alachua Habitat, community service, fundraising events and thrift stores. The 634 surveys provided a solid cutting board for further research and recipe development. Significant results included:
75 percent of students did not agree with the statement, Habitat for Humanity reaches out to University of Florida students. Only 30 percent of students believed they could identify the Habitat for Humanity logo 85 percent of students did not agree with the statement, Habitat for Humanity does a good job keeping people informed of its projects and events. 60 percent of students donate household items to thrift stores. Only 10 percent of students agreed with statement, I am familiar with Alachua County Habitat for Humanitys thrift store and resale center. 48 percent of students who donate choose the location based on convenience, while 33 choose based on the organizations cause. Less than 3 percent of the students who donate items have donated to Alachua Habitats thrift store. 25 percent of respondents were most likely to participate in an outdoor fundraising event, a higher percentage than all other event types. 26 percent of students would most likely participate in an event on a weekday afternoon, while 28 percent would like to participate in a weekend afternoon event. 30 percent of students said the primary way they learn about events is through word of mouth; 26 percent chose The Independent Florida Alligator as their information source for local events.
Qualitative Research
As qualitative research, our team conducted a focus group, distributed a questionnaire to the UF Habitat chapter, and completed in-depth interviews with Alachua Habitat executives. The focus group of student communityservice opinion leaders gave insight into nonprofit campaign practices. The measures used to evaluate the campus organization and the client were performed to gauge the strength of the relationship between them. The indepth interviews with Alachua Habitat executives highlighted key issues the organization deals with. Key findings: -The focus group revealed that most students are not aware of Alachua Habitats central mission. -The questionnaire showed that communication between Alachua Habitat and UF Habitat is somewhat weak. -The executive board explained that volunteer recruitment was their lowest priority and suggested our campaign should focus on awareness and fundraising efforts.
n. 6. Actively leading to skilled behavior
Challenges and Opportunities:
Challenge: Alachua Habitat was undergoing major staff changes and, as of February 2006, every staff member had been with the organization for less than a year.
Opportunity: Alachua Habitats new staff members were energized and optimistic about the changes to the organization. Their enthusiasm and open-mindedness for new public relations tactics made implementation of the campaign much easier.
Challenge: Due to the transient nature of a college town organizations have to work hard and leave lasting impressions to maintain their volunteer base.
Opportunity: Alachua Habitats 20th anniversary was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the organizations achievements and create a sustained interest among students.
Challenge:
Students are constantly bombarded with messages from organizations and companies and tend to tune out those messages.
Opportunity: Delivering our messages through
varying avenues, such as Facebook, the UF Wednesday Update, newspapers, fliers and word of mouth increased the likelihood that our target audience would recieve our messages.
Challenge: Alachua Habitats office and thrift
store is located on Southwest 13th Street, which is far from student hot spots and main highways. The location severely limited student awareness of the ...
2006_UF_Bateman_Entry