Joplin Association for the Blind Blind, Blues and BBQ June 2011 1
Executive Summary 3 Situation Analysis 4 External Internal SWOT Problem Statement 6 Planning 7 Program Goal Strategies Action Plan Communication Plan Budget Target Publics Communication 9 Tactic I Tactic II Tactic III Timeline 10 Evaluation 12 Measurement of Program Goals and Objectives Reporting Results Conclusion 13 Appendices 14 References 17 2
Executive Summary The Joplin Association for the Blind is a regional low vision resource center for the four-state area. They provide services to the four-state areas of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. They help assist within a 100 mile radius of Joplin, Mo. They have expanded their facility to provide additional low vision services for their patients and more room for children s activities. The Joplin Association for the Blind holds annual events to help raise money for operating purposes. They included Blind, Blues and BBQ to these events as of last year. This event helped raise $2,125. The event also had 112 people that attended, 14 volunteers and $125 was spent on items necessary for the event. This year, we wish to raise attendance by 100 percent. We plan to use different media outlets to spread awareness of the event. We are trying to use as little money as possible to help advertise and put together the event. They have set aside $200 for this year s event. We have an ambitious goal and hope to exceed all expectations. 3
Situation Analysis Internal External Mission Statement : To help meet the changing needs of individuals with low vision or blindness, by addressing their needs from a physical, medical, social, and emotional approach Programs Joplin Association for the Blind (JAB) offers a number of services to its clientele. These services include: Regional Low Vision Center, Letha Dangerfield Children s Braille and large type lending Library, Joplin Service Club of the Blind, Joplin Association for the Blind support groups, transportation, and referral service. Each program is used to provide physical, medical, social or emotional support. The Regional Low Vision Center is a medical facility that gives care to patients in a low to moderate income group. The center sees about 3,500 individuals each year. Joplin Service Club of the Blind members meets for lunch every Tuesday; on average there are 60 people in attendance each week. The referral service works with other associations to inform area businesses and doctors about services at Joplin Association for the Blind. Special Events Each year the association hosts several specials events, such as an Easter egg hunt and biannual chili feed. Last year they hosted their first Blind, Blues and BBQ. The event raised $2,125 and 112 people attended. There were 8 barbecue teams and 22 cars for a classic car cruise-in. The association lacks public representation through media outlets. Apart from their website, Joplin Association for the Blind mainly relies on individuals to inform others about their services. 4
SWOT Strengths Joplin Association for the Blind is an established organization in the community and works with other area agencies to inform individuals about the services they offer. The organization also has a strong volunteer base. Weaknesses Joplin Association for the Blind has a limited number of volunteers and in their volunteer base there is no public relations committee. This makes it difficult to plan and carry out large scale events. There is also no media effort from the organization as a whole. Opportunities By hosting special events they have the opportunity to increase public knowledge about their organization, services and donation opportunities. In addition, they also have the opportunity to strengthen ties with Joplin residents and local businesses. Threats In this instance, Blind, Blues and BBQ takes place in the summer. While this is an ideal time it also means that community members may be away on vacation and others that come to the event may be vacationing in Joplin. Also, the association lacks awareness by community members about their services and events. 5
Problem Statement In 2010, the Joplin Association for the Blind held the first Blind, Blues and Barbecue event. There were 112 people in attendance and eight barbecue cook-off competitors. 6
Planning Program Goal Strategies The Joplin Association for the Blind has various events throughout the year to raise awareness and funds for their organization. In 2011 we hope to increase the number of attendees at the Blind, Blues and BBQ event. In addition we would also like to increase the number of competitors in the barbecue and chili cook-off. Our goal is to boost attendance at the event by at least 100 percent. Our goal for the cook-off competition is to raise the number of participants from 8 teams to 15 teams. Action Plan In order to increase the number of attendees and competitors at the 2011 Blind, Blues and BBQ event we plan on launching a media campaign accessing all available media outlets. Communication Plan We feel it is important to highlight many different aspects of Joplin Association for the Blind in our media campaign. By taking this approach there will be a heightened sense of interest about the association and their events while also promoting Blind, Blues and BBQ. This will result in long term benefits for the association because it will provide a larger group of interested publics after the event is over. We will seek access to as much free media as possible due to a limited budget. To best communicate our message to our target publics we will use multiple media sources, including but not limited to: Social Networking Print Media Broadcast Media Budget A budget of $200 has been allotted for all expenses of the 2011 Blind, Blues and Barbecue event. A portion of that budget will be available for media outreach however we will seek free media coverage in every way possible. 7
Target Publics Internal Board of Directors Volunteers External Media o Radio o Television o Social Networking o Newspaper Religious Institutions Community Local Businesses Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce Patients Area Schools Friends of Joplin Association for the Blind o Department of Social Services o United Way o Independent Living o Wolfner Library o Prevention of Blindness o Rehab Services of the Blind The main purpose of rationale for these external publics includes reach and informing audiences. This will also help to strengthen ties with the community and business sector. 8
Communication Tactic I Social Networking The first media outlet we will focus on will be social media. This will entail creating an interactive Facebook page which will be updated frequently. The page can be used as an extension of the association s webpage as an all-inclusive communication center. Specifically regarding Blind, Blues and BBQ this page will be utilized to: Create events and event reminders Post links to online articles regarding the association and the event Post general updates and current events Post pictures of previous events Facebook is a useful networking tool because it provides access to many different publics and is free to utilize. Tactic II Print Media An important media outlet for us to access for Blind, Blues and BBQ is print media. We will also concentrate our efforts on specific newspapers in the area such as The Joplin Globe and The Carthage Press. We will send out two press releases during this time, one covering the annual Easter egg hunt and the other focusing on Blind, Blues and BBQ. We feel it is important to highlight the Easter egg hunt in order to continue promotion of Joplin Association for the Blind. We will also contact the newspapers about running five feature stories over the course of four months, highlighting various aspects of the organization and the event. Tactic III Broadcast Media It is important to continue our communication plan into both radio and television media sources. We will focus our efforts on all local television stations including KSN, KOAM, and KODE. This will give our message a broader range of publics. We plan on utilizing television a total of four times over the course of five months. We hope to receive coverage of the association as a whole, events prior to Blind, Blues and BBQ as well as the actual event itself. We will seek out coverage during both morning and evening news programs. 9
Timeline January 2011 Begin seeking media donations from all potential avenues. Work with Joplin Association for the Blind s webmaster to launch interactive Facebook page. February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 Run feature story about the Joplin Association for the Blind in local newspapers. Run feature story in local newspapers. Contact local television stations about airing a general awareness piece about Joplin Association for the Blind and the services it provides. Run feature story in local newspapers. Send press release about upcoming Easter egg hunt event to local media outlets. Four weeks prior to event Run feature story in local newspapers. Send press release about Blind, Blues and BBQ to local media outlets. Schedule morning show interviews on local television stations for the week of the event. 10
Three weeks prior to event Begin radio advertising campaign on local stations. Two weeks prior to event Create Blind, Blues and BBQ event on Facebook. Post flyers about event in the Joplin area and surrounding communities. One week prior to event Run feature story about Blind, Blues and BBQ in local newspapers. Appear on local morning shows to discuss Blind, Blues and BBQ. June 2011 Tentative Blind, Blues and BBQ event. July 2011 Evaluate media campaign of Blind, Blues and BBQ. 11
Evaluation Measurement of Program Goal and Objectives To determine the success of our public relations plan for the Blind, Blues and BBQ event we will use several tools for evaluation. First and foremost we will compare the actual number of attendees to our goal of numbers forecasted. We will then compare those numbers to the previous data from last year s fundraiser. In addition, we would like to create and distribute short survey cards to people who attend the event. On these surveys we will ask for their thoughts, opinions and suggestions and inquire about how they heard about the fundraiser. We will then use the results of these surveys to help target media channels for the next year. Also, did the attendees of the event respond well and seem to enjoy themselves? We would also like to have a post-event meeting with the Joplin Association for the Blind to discuss how they felt the event went and listen to their ideas and feedback for improvement for the next year. After hearing from both the Joplin Association for the Blind and the individuals who attended the event we would like to have a meeting as a team to discuss the action plan s strengths and weaknesses. During this process we will discuss how prepared we felt. As a group we will decide if we thought the event ran smoothly, both during the planning process and the physical fundraiser. Reporting Results Creative Communications will take all of our research and information we have gathered including: the situation analysis, problem statement, planning strategies, communication tactics, visual aids, appendices and our overall goal to present to the Joplin Association for the Blind. We hope that they will use this information and integrate it into their Blind, Blues and BBQ event, which will lead to a more successful event overall. 12
Conclusion We at Creative Communications have made our main goal to increase attendance at the annual Blind, Blues and BBQ fundraiser by implementing several different methods. This event provides necessary funds to the Joplin Association for the Blind so that they can provide services for thousands of individuals in the four-state area. This organization also sponsors numerous enrichment events throughout the year for their clients and the local community. After meeting with individuals from the Joplin Association for the Blind, we learned about the problems that they faced last year with this event and how they plan on making it more successful. We also received a tour of the facility to see how they help individuals of all ages in the community. Last year the Blind, Blues and BBQ fundraiser made a profit of $2,000 and they would like to continue to see an increase in the amount of profit gained. We came to a common goal, that the most important thing to focus on for higher profits would be to increase the number of people present. We plan to increase attendance by at least 100 percent which will lead to higher profits overall. This event consists of several components including a car cruise-in, a barbeque ribs, chicken and chili cook-off, and live music. We suggested many other ideas to help make the event more successful such as raising the price for the food tastings, including a bake sale and seeking as many donations as possible for the entire event. We will start generating interest about the event and general awareness about the Joplin Association for the Blind several months in advance. We also would like to pursue as many available media outlets as possible to reach a broader audience. We will work with all types of media including social networking websites like Facebook, traditional print media such as newspapers and flyers, as well as broadcast media like radio programs and television to reach a larger market. By using this integrated marketing mix of media types, we will reach a large group of people across many age demographics. Overall, we believe that this will be a positive and fun event for Joplin and the surrounding communities and for the clients, staff, friends, and volunteers of the Joplin Association for the Blind. We are confident that we can achieve our goal and get the results that the Joplin Association for the Blind desires. 13
Appendices Appendix A sample press release 08 Dec 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Blind, Blues and BBQ Joplin Association for the Blind hosts annual fundraiser Summer means barbeques and good music, so it s time to get ready for the annual fundraiser, Blind, Blues and BBQ hosted by Joplin Association for the Blind. The daylong event will happen in June 2011. Individuals pay a small entry free for a day of good food, good music, and a classic car show. Like last year, they will host a cook-off competition featuring chili, ribs, and chicken and have a cruise-in. In addition they will also have a blues concert. All proceeds will go to support the Joplin Association for the Blind. Last year the association had 8 cook-off teams register, but this year they hope to expand that number to 15. They also hope to draw in around 500 people and raise $10,000. There is still a lot of planning to do for the event and the association is looking for individuals to enter the cook-off competition, a blues band, and others willing to showcase their classic cars. For all participants they will be a registration fee. Aside from that the association is also seeking donations for meats, trophies, and paper products. To register your team, donate, or for more information please contact them at 417-623-5721. ### 14
Appendix B feature story ideas Feature Story Ideas A background piece highlighting the Joplin Association for the Blind, who they are and what they do A story about all of the different events that the Joplin Association for the Blind hosts throughout the year An article about the dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to keep Joplin Association for the Blind going A profile of one of the doctors who donate their time and services to the Joplin Association for the Blind Specific stories about the seasonal events: Easter egg hunt, Christmas party for children, chili feed, Thanksgiving dinner, etc. Blind, Blues and BBQ 15
Appendix C attendance chart 300 Blind, Blues, & BBQ Attendance 2010 Projected 2011 250 250 200 150 112 100 50 0 16
References Regional Low Vision Center 311 S. Shifferdecker Ave Joplin, MO 64801 Phone: (417) 623-5721 Fax: (417) 623-1968 Contacts: Stephanie Mann ja4blind@att.net Calvin Churchwell blazingcane@sbcglobal.net Website: jaforblind.org 17