Power to Be Social Media Plan

7/31/2019 Power to Be Social Media Plan

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Power To Be

Adventure Therapy

Social Media CampaignCOMM 330Team 7

Date

CJ Bungay

Grace Campbell

Nicholas WhiteMax von Kleist


2/25

Introduction


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Challenges faced by non-profit organizations are largely

resource-based. 46% of non-profits claim that finding the

financial resources to accomplish their missions is their

primary concern, but another common concern is how tofind the human resources needed to staff non-profit

operations (Coffman, 2005). According to the most recent

Stats Canada report on giving and volunteering, almost 23

million Canadians 84% of populationdonated money to

non-profits and charitable organizations but only 46%

donated their time through volunteer work, a small minority

of which, the top 10% of volunteers, provided over half oftotal hours (Statistics Canada, 2007). A recent report on

the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary

Organizations in Canada claims that virtually all nonprofit

and voluntary organizations rely on volunteers to some

degree, and more than half rely solely on volunteers to

fulfill their mission. (Statistics Canada, 2005). Thus, without

the unpaid service of volunteers, many non-profits couldnot exist. These volunteers enrich the non-profit

communities by sharing not only their time, but also their

experiences, ideas, and expertise with organizations,

fellow volunteers, and non-profit beneficiaries.

As a non-profit, Power To Be struggles to gain thefinancial and human resources to operate, particularly

now with current economic instability and reduced

corporate charitable contributions. While Power To Be

holds high-earning financial fundraisers each year, its

volunteer recruitment program is less developed.

Attracting volunteers, particularly long-term ones, can

be difficult for non-profits in Victoria and Vancouverdue to the prevalence of non-profits competing for

volunteers and difficulty reaching preferred audiences

with Power To Be's key message of "Help Us Make A

Difference."

Current efforts to attract volunteers could be

enhanced through an updated social media campaign andcohesive, consistent, and audience-specific messaging.

Through this, Power To Be has the opportunity to

deliver its call-out for volunteers with increased clarity,

and a potentially increase its volunteer base.


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Research/Audience


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Data Aggregation/Research Methodology

Using the social bookmarking tool Delicious, 250 RSS feeds related

to Power To Be and their values were aggregated into a Google

Reader account. A random sample of 50 was then taken by

selecting every 20th feed and inputting them into a spreadsheet.

From there, the feeds were categorized to identify the major

themes within the content. Five major themes were found :

Volunteerism

Outdoor Recreation

Recreation Therapy

Youth Outreach

Nature Therapy


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Data Aggregation/Research Methodology Continued

The five themes found throughout the discourse related to the adventure therapy community (volunteerism, youth outreach,

recreation therapy, nature therapy, outdoor recreation) were inputted into Google Trends to decipher which themes are trending

most frequently in the community.

Using the Rule of Five, the three trends including and above the median (youth outreach--0.30) were used to conductaudience research.


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Identifying the Audience

Through the data aggregation of over 250 feeds and an analysis of top blogs on applicable issues to Power To Be's

volunteer challenges, we have identified possible audiences. These consist of the following groups, the first three of which are

the segmented audiences:

Greater Vancouver and Victoria volunteer communitiesGreater Vancouver and Victoria outdoor communities

Youth

Outdoor non-profit organizations

Current and potential Power To Be staff, volunteers, and participants

Considering that the segmented audiences are Vancouver and Victoria's volunteer and outdoors communities, as well as youth,

the following are value profiles of each group, in order to inform the tone, content, strategies, and messaging of the

campaign. See next page.


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Audience Values

Volunteer Communities:

Altruism

Giving back directly to both

geographic and socialcommunities

Community development

Youth and family support

Chance to make a difference

Chance to work directly with

those in needWell-structured volunteer

opportunities

Healing power of giving back

Outdoor Communities:

Access to outdoor recreation

Time spent outdoors

Sharing outdoor experiences with others

Opportunity to be active both physicallyand within the community

Healing power of nature

Youth:

Require service learning experience

Looking to add volunteer

experience to resumes

Adventurous/thrill seakers

Energetic

Social media savvy

Visually stimulated


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Research Findings


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Volunteerism

A strong theme in the discourse of recruiting and retaining

volunteers is how to provide appropriate and tangible incentives;

bloggers in the volunteer community emphasize the importance

of volunteer recognition, tangible incentives, and the emotional

benefit to becoming a volunteer.

The benefits of volunteering go beyond helping others andimproving the community. While the volunteer experience is

selfless, it often has other benefits. The bloggers at the

volunteering and service blog point out that volunteering can

help advance ones career. They say, you should be

volunteering if you have plans to attend college. Admissions

offices love to see a solid history of volunteer work on your

resume. (Admin, 2011).

Volunteering provides a place to practice skills in a low risk

environment before heading into the workplace. No matter what

an individuals talents and abilities are, there is a place for them

in the volunteer community. The volunteering and service blog

says, You could combine your artistic abilities with other

interests by volunteering with virtually any non-profit organiza-

tion by helping to create pamphlets or websites. (Admin,2011). Skills will not only be appreciated, they will be developed

by practicing them for a good cause.

A theme that emerges amongst volunteer blogs is the volunteer

profile, or volunteer spotlight where one volunteer is highlighted

on their blog. Profiling one volunteer shows that the

organization appreciates those who give their time. The

volunteer profile often ends with a call to action for others to

sign up to volunteer. Ruth Mckenzie president and CEO of

Volunteer Canada emphasizes the importance of recognizingvolunteers. She says, Its important that we take time to

express our gratitude to all volunteers. The most effective way

to thank them for their great efforts is to highlight how their

voluntary contributions are making a positive impact. (CEO of

Volunteer Canada, 2012). This is easy to do through

spotlighting or profiling your volunteers.

Not only does the topic of volunteerism trend in the online

community of wilderness therapy non profits, it is a common

trend amoungst all non profits. Volunteers are changingit is

much more difficult to recruit and retain volunteers for any non

profit. Ruth Mackenzie, President and CEO of volunteer Canada

says,The traditional view of volunteers as service providers no

longer resonates with all Canadians. (CEO of Volunteer Canada,

2012). How to recruit new volunteeers and retain current onesis a hot topic and open to many different solutions.


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Outdoor Recreation

While originally a term for leisure nature activities, outdoor

recreation now encompasses a growing non-profit sector.

Organizations within the sector are dedicated to providing

participants with opportunities to gain life and leadership skills

while engaging in outdoor activities.

In her recent blog post, Christian outdoor leadership bloggerAshley Denton explains the 5 Essentials of an Authentic

Wilderness Experience: Humility, primitiveness, chucking the

clock, solitude, and caring for someone besides yourself (Denton,

2012). Each of these essentials serves to remove participants

from their city selves and immerse them into an outdoor

experience that seems timeless, isolated, and encouraging of

co-dependency.

In its blog post titled Adventure Therapy Services, OMNI youth

services describe how adolescents can benefit from the intense

experiences of an adventure excursion. Participants learn to

work with others, improve team leadership skills, develop trust,

increase self esteem,[and] experience a sense of

accomplishment and achievement (Omni, 2011).

While the preceding two posts focus on the situational

characteristics and ideal outcomes of outdoor therapy, a blog

post titled Exploring the Idea of the Third Place, discusses

sociologist Dr. Ray Oldenburgs argument for the social value

of creating a space separate from home (1st Place) and work

(2nd Place). Oldenburg claims that social well-being and

psychological health depend upon community, which relies on aThird Place that can assist in bringing you to the outdoors,

and other places where you are a participant in enjoying the

company of those around you (Brack, 2012).

As a trending topic in the online non-profit outdoor and

volunteer community, outdoor recreation is largely described as

a positive and potentially life and community altering initiative.

While content varies widely, the loose consensus is that access

to outdoor adventure provides an escape from civilization, and

community and personal development which could not take place

without an extreme shift in environment.


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Youth Outreach

Youth involvement, whether as program participants or program

volunteers, permeates online discussions regarding recreation-

based non-profit initiatives, and demonstrates the not-for-

profit sectors dependence on active, engaged youth.

Non-profit heavyweight, United Way, and Nike, Inc. recently

announced a joint initiative to engage youth across the[United States] in reading, tutoring and mentoring activities

(Cobb, 2012). Their goal is to create volunteer opportunities for

student-youth to act as ambassadors in schools and

communities, and to meet a rising demand among youth for

chances to give back throughout the year, not only at athletic

camps during the summer months.

The University of British Columbias (UBC) online Centre for

Student Involvement further demonstrates the demand for youth

volunteers among non-profits through postings for youth

volunteer opportunities. For example, recent postings include a

call-out for youth participants for the following initiatives: To

sign-up for six-month development projects focused on

environment, health, or gender equity (Marie-Claude, 2012); To

volunteer at CampOUT, UBCs summer camp for queer, trans,two-spirit, questioning, & allied youth, and help create an

empowering camping experience by providing practical social,

spiritual, educational, health, and leadership tools in an inspiring

and welcoming space for BCs queer youth and their friends

(Campout, 2012). Proving the market for recreation-based

non-profits is growing thus it is more competitive to recruit and

retain volunteers for one non-profit.

In an article titled 6 Ways to Get Busy College StudentsInvolved in Service, on Tobis Nonprofit Management Blog, Tobi

Johnson provides six suggestions for non-profits looking to

engage students as volunteers. Citing the fact that in 2010,

8.3 million charity-minded young people (age 16-24) dedicated

844 million hours of service to communities across the [United

States of America], she argues that there is a well of passion

and energy for volunteerism among youth (Johnson, 2012).

While the content regarding youth involvement in non-profit

initiatives is primarily framed as rewarding for both the

organizations and individuals involved, the unspoken trend is a

demand for unpaid youth labour among non-profits. Whether

sanctioned by large organizations such as United Way and Nike

or by smaller programs through UBC, content clearly indicates

that non-profits rely on the active recruitment of unpaid youthto provide services and opportunities, often to less fortunate

youth.


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Conclusion

The data collected from the 250 aggregated RSS feeds from a community of volunteers and non-profits related to Power To

Be has revealed three major themes that reoccur. Those themes are:

Volunteerism

Outdoor Recreation

Youth Opportunities

These sources showed the community is concerned with recruiting and retaining volunteers with creative incentive and benefits.

The community is also concerned about educating the public on Outdoor Recreation as therapy. The community prefers to see

images, videos, and text in the form of testimonials from participants of the programs. Power To Be can benefit by utilizing

social media platforms to spread their message.


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The Campaign


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Campaign MessageAn Overview

While temporary and one-time volunteers benefit non-profit organizations with their time and efforts, non-profit organizations

require a consistent, quality network of volunteers in order to best serve their communities. The time and energy requirements

of volunteer work often outweigh the perceived benefits of volunteerism in the minds of potential volunteers. Also, without

consistent messaging across social media platforms, potential volunteers might find it difficult to connect with the activities and

values of non-profits that require their service. Many individuals decide not to donate their resources without first gaining a

clear understanding of what their roles and rewards might be and without a clear understanding of an organization such as

Power To Bes mission and accomplishments. The goal is to provide potential volunteers with this clear understanding and

emphasis the low pressure of attending a volunteer orientation.

Volunteering with Power To Be is easy and worth it. In two days you can be ready to

change lives.

JUNE 8-9, 2012 is the next Power To Be Vancouver volunteer orientation. The event will cover paper work, history, mission,

disability awareness and etiquette on the Friday evening, then all day training on the Saturday.


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Implementation Plan

The social media campaign would utilize Power To Be'scurrent social media platforms to potentially reach

previously specified audiences. Using the findings of

our research, the campaign's goal would be to increase

awareness of Power To Be's volunteer orientation

events. Power To Be's social media campaign wouldallow the organization to build upon its existing online

presence and interactions, and potentially add, and

increase the usage of, certain platforms.


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Blog

Broadly-supported blog platforms, such as tumblr.com, wordpress.com, and blogger.com, allow users to leverage influence within

existing user-bases, provide structure for content creation, and guide users to tag content. Through the frequent and consis-

tent blogging of content, users have the potential to specifically target preferred audiences. Blogging platforms also provide

users with the ability to track how audiences discover and access blog content.


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Facebook

As a social networking system that nearly half of Canada is on, Facebook offers opportunities for discussion, event promotion,

and visual representation, if used consistently and strategically. Events pages can be used to inform followers of upcoming

events. Facebook offers a wide reach to multiple audiences potentially reaching new volunteers. Individuals are also much more

likely to volunteer for an organziation of they can see the types of activities they would be part ofFacebook is an

excellent tool for providing this through its photo sharing capabilities.


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Twitter

As a real-time, free, interactive service, Twitter provides a forum in which individuals and organizations can build and share their

online brands while interacting with a broader community. Through the use of 140 character direct messages and "tweets," users

can both build direct connections and broadcast messages. Through the use of hashtags, which are words or phrases preceded

by the "#" sign, users can also tag content so that it can be found by other users searching for similar topics. Conversely,

users can search out hashtags that represent topics of interest and become connected with other users who express the

same interests and values. Hashtags offer a tracking system allowing Power To Be to evaluate the reach of the message.

As a micro-blogging platform, Twitter provides an opportunity for users to not only connect with similar users, but also drives

traffic to content, such as blogs or facebook pages.


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YouTube

YouTube is a website that allows users to share video content within a broader community of both YouTube users and the

general public. The site allows users to search for videos based on content (largely through titles) and to "follow" the video

content of other users.


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GOOD. IS

GOOD.IS allows users to aggregate information through the collaboration of small businesses, and non-profit organizations so

that users can spot developing trends within the non-profit community. Topics include current news, business, culture, design,

technology, and other socially-oriented schools of thought. The primary topics are broken into categories to demonstrate the

most utilized posts. On every specific post there is link to the authors profile. There, a list is presented of all the posts

generated by that specific author. This list is designated as finds. Furthermore, there is also a window to display the UPS

of a each post. This is a voting system to validate approval of an individual post from other users in the community. Lastly,

there is a comment window to see constructive criticism and recommended links from other users to promote or correct the

premise of the post. On the homepage, there is also a search engine capability that allows a user to hunt for any small business

or non-profit organization in the system.


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Wikipedia

Wikipedia is an online resource composed of aggregated feeds constructed by multiple users. This online platform allows content

to be distributed around the globe through a networking system of data and feeds. The information presented in this online

community is extensive, including definitions, biographies, and detailed explanations of past events. This community presents data

with both a scholarly and nonacademic perspective. Every user has the potential to correct, or add to current data indicating

currently developing topics. Wikipedia also provides a search engine tool to encompass all data compiled under this community

umbrella.


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Success Matrix: Key Performance Indicators

Blog Facebook Twitter YouTube

4 articles/weekPost

Frequency

TargetComments/

Engagement Per

Post

Target Number

of Subscribers

(3 months)

Views/Impressions

(3 months)

Inbound Links (6

months)

For this organization to successfully maximize its multimedia footprint, it is suggested that it implements a regime of constant

updates, downloads, and data entries. It is recommended that Power To Be perform quarterly evaluation of their online resources

and adapt accordingly to new media trends to enable a readily available resource for devoted supporters and potential clients.

GOOD.IS

2 posts (finds)

/week

2 comments/post,

3-5 UPS/post

N/A

N/A

50

4-6 comments/

article

150 subscribers

500 Rank Avg.

1500

6-8 posts/day

4-8 comments/post

900 Likes

N/A N/A

N/AN/AN/A

500 views/video

10-12 tweets/day

3-5 comments/post,

4 re-tweets/day

1000 followers

2 video/month

10 comments/video

200 subscribers

The following logic tree illustrates strategies to be considered during the initial 3 month implementation phase along with some


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The following logic tree illustrates strategies to be considered during the initial 3-month implementation phase, along with some

options for maximizing the performance of each social media channel in the instances of both successfully and unsuccesfully

meeting the target goals laid out previously in the success matrix:

3-Month Social Media Campaign Strategy Tree

Blog Facebook Twitter YouTube GOOD.IS

150 Subscribers

Continue 4articles/week

Increasearticle

frequencyto 5/week

Increasepromotionof blog on

otherplatforms

1500inboundlinks

900 Likes

Continue6-8

posts/day andcomment

responses

Increasepost

frequencyto

8-10/day- continuepromotion

Continueposts andresponses

to allcomments

1000 Followers

Continue10-12tweets/

day

Followsimilar

people -Increasetweets to12-15/day

Increasepromotionof blog on

otherplatorms

Continuetweets andretweets -tweet @influentialpeople

200 Subscribers,500 views/video

Increasepromotionon other

platforms tostimulatetraffic

3-5 UPS/post

Continue 2posts/week,

respond tocomments

Promoteposts onother

channels

50 Inboundlinks

Continue 4-5 posts/weekand responses tocomments, maintain

cross-platform promotion

Continue 6-10 posts/day,respond to commentsdaily, maintain cross-

platform promotion

Continue 10-15tweets/day, retweets, andmentions, maintain cross-

platform promotion

Continue posting 2-3videos/month, interactionwith related users, maintaincross-platform promotion

Continue 2video/month,

respond tocomments

Comment onothervideos,

subscribeto related

users

PromoteYouTube

channel onother

platforms

Increasepromotionon otherplatforms

Increasepost

frequencyto 3/week

Maintain a minimum of8-12 posts/month,

respond to comments,

interact with relatedusers, maintain cross-

platform promotion


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References

Admin, (2011). Adventure Therapy Services. OMNI Youth Services. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from http://www.omniyouth.org/programs-services/adventure-therapy-services

Admin, (2011). Benefits of Volunteering in the Community. Volunteering and Service Blog. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from pitchin.org2011http://www.pitchin.org/benefits-of-

volunteering-in-the-community.htm

Admin, (2011). Put Your Creative Side to Work by Volunteering. Volunteering and Service Blog. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from http://www.pitchin.org/put-your-creative-side-to-work-by-volunteering.htm

Brack, R. (2012). Exploring the Idea of the Third Place. River House Outdoor Program. Retrieved February 28, 2012, fromhttp://eugeneoutdoorprogram.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/exploring-the-idea-of-the-third-place/

Campout: Leadership Oppritunities, (2012). University of British Columbia. Retrieved February 28, 2012 from http://www.involvement.ubc.ca/2012/02/23/campout-leadership-opportunities/

CEO of Volunteer Canada, (2012). About National Volunteer Week. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from, http://nationalvolunteerweek.ca/about-national-volunteer-canada?

Cobb, M. (2012). United Way and NIKE, Incs Elite Youth Basketball Partner to Promote Volunteering. Live United. United Way. Retrieved February 28, 2012,http://liveunited.org/blog/entry/united-way-and-nike-incs-elite-youth-basketball-partner-to-promote-voluntee/

Coffman, S. (2005). Nonprofits' Three Greatest Challenges. Guide Star. Retrieved, March 2, 2012, from, http://www2.guidestar.org/rxa/news/articles/2005/nonprofits-three-greatest-challenges.aspx?articleId=780

Denton, A. (2012). 5 Essentials of an Authentic Wilderness Experience. Christian Outdoor Leadership. Retrieved February 28, 2012, http://www.outdoorleaders.com/5-essentials-of-an-authentic-wilderness-experience/

Johnson, T. (2012). 6 Ways to Get Busy College Students Involved in Service. Tobis nonprophit Management Blog. Retrieved February 28, 2012,

http://tobijohnson.typepad.com/tobisblog/2012/02/6-ways-to-get-busy-college-students-involved-in-service-.html

Marie-Claude, B. (2012). Canada World Youth is Recruiting for 2012/13. University of British Columbia. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from

http://www.involvement.ubc.ca/2012/02/10/canada-world-youth-is-recruiting-for-201213/

Statisics Canada. (2007). Caring Canadians Involved Canadians. Highlights from the 2007 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating. Retrieved, March 2, 2012, from,

http://www.givingandvolunteering.ca/files/giving/en/csgvp_highlights_2007.pdf

Statistics Canada. (2005). Cornerstones of Community: Highlights of National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations. Small Business and Special Survey Division Business and

Trade Statistics Field. Retrieved, March 2, 2012, from, http://library.imaginecanada.ca/files/nonprofitscan/en/nsnvo/nsnvo_report_english.pdf

volunteerweek/message-from-ruth-mackenzie-president-and-ceo-of-

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