Boys & Girls Clubs

2007 Marketing Plan

Organizational Overview

Give an Overview of what your organization/Club does.

SAMPLE
Boys & Girls Clubs of ______serves approximately ______youth in the ______areas and surrounding communities of ______. The Club operates ___ before and after school care facilities, two licensed preschools and a performing arts center, offering a wide array of programs for children ranging in age from 6 weeks to 18 years old. The Club’s programs target the working poor of our community, ensuring that all children, including those from disadvantaged circumstances, have access to the resources they need to succeed in school and in life.

Mission

Put your Club’s mission here, making sure to keep it in the forefront of all your marketing efforts.

SAMPLE
To inspire and enable the healthy development of all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens

S.W.O.T. Analysis

The S.W.O.T. analysis lets you determine your Club’s strengths, areas for improvement, areas for growth or advantage and things that threaten the perception of your Club.

SAMPLE
Strengths

·  High Quality Programs. ______offers programs that have been recognized for their quality at the local, state and national levels, including ______awards. The Club maintains the high caliber of its programs by staying attuned to the needs and interests of its members, providing continuing education and professional development for staff, and evaluating its programs and adapting them based on results of evaluations.

·  Pricing. Rates for Club programs are at or below market rate for similar programs and scholarships will be offered to low- and moderate-income families, ensuring that no child is turned away for inability to pay.

·  Dedicated youth facilities. By providing programs at dedicated youth facilities, ______can offer a wider array of programs than youth programs located on school campuses.

·  Community Institution. ____ has a ___ year history of serving the ______communities and is the largest provider of youth services in the community.

·  Community Partnerships. ______partners with local schools and numerous nonprofit agencies to leverage resources and reach out to the children and families who need Club services.

·  Effective Communication. ______marketing and communications efforts have a long history of increasing membership, increasing fundraising revenue, and winning national awards for their quality and effectiveness.

SAMPLE
Weaknesses

·  Limited reach. ______is not yet able to serve all the children in the community who need Club programs. Current locations limit the Club from fully reaching children in ______, one of the most underprivileged areas in the community. A new Club to be built in 2010 will overcome this weakness.

SAMPLE
Opportunities

·  Immigrant Population. There is an ever-growing immigrant population in the communities we serve. ______works to expand services and marketing for these groups.

·  Community Partnerships. ______works to enhance and grow its community partnerships each year to help gain access to greater resources to benefit the children who attend the Club.

SAMPLE
Threats

·  Community perception of lack of need. Because ______is located in a relatively affluent area, the general public often does not realize that there are still disadvantaged children in need of the Club’s programs. Further, because the Club is an established community institution with highly visible successful fundraising events, some community members have a perception that the Club has all the money it needs.

·  Competitors. ______competes with groups like the YMCA and after school programs located on school campuses.

The Club marketing strategies outlined below will work to highlight Club strengths, overcome weaknesses by promoting a campaign to build a new Club, capitalize on opportunities to reach out to immigrant populations and community partners, and overcome threats of competition and community perception of lack of need.

SAMPLE
Marketing Objectives & Strategies
Three basic objectives will be kept in mind as the goals of all Club marketing activities:

1.  Increase club membership by promoting the organization as the Positive Place for Kids. Give parents and kids the information they need to feel comfortable participating in our programs. Continue to offer fun and exciting programs and activities that promote education and mentoring. Participate in community events to provide member outreach.

2.  Enhance relationships with donors and supporters by promoting the organization as a viable resource for after-school care and educational support. Continue to measure program and member success. Insure to the public that outside support will be effectively and efficiently used. Provide compelling marketing materials that effectively show our purpose and our need. Give each supporter a personalized token of appreciation for their efforts.

3.  Create brand awareness by using our logo, positioning statement and theme whenever possible and in the correct format. Promote our organization in positive and memorable ways.

SAMPLE
Target Audiences

Highlight your most important target audiences here.

a.  Current and potential members and their parents

b.  Current and prospective donors

c.  Current and prospective community partners

d.  Current and prospective volunteers

e.  ______

f.  ______

SAMPLE
Action Plan
Utilize the resources, talents, and relationships of the staff, board, and committee members to:

·  Produce informative and compelling marketing materials and publications of the highest quality and distribute them in the most effective and economical ways.

·  Increase media coverage through frequent press releases and development of relationships with staff at local media outlets.

·  Continue to produce very successful special events that help build on our reputation as one of the premier non-profit organizations in our community.

·  Use technology to reach a greater number of community members and continue to improve the quality and scope of our award-winning Web site.

·  Continue to build partnerships and alliances with local businesses and organizations to generate increased community awareness and publicity.

SAMPLE
Annual Theme
To the greatest degree possible, all marketing materials and activities should incorporate the Annual Theme: ______

The phrase, logo, overall look and colors should be incorporated in all donor-related materials as appropriate in order to brand the Club for this year’s marketing efforts.

Graphic Standards
All print and online materials promoting the Club and all logo usage must conform to Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Graphic Standards. These can be found at http//:marketing.bgca.org.

Publications

SAMPLE
Goals & Objectives
The goals of ______’s print publications are to:

·  Raise community awareness about ______and the Boys & Girls Club movement and present materials of the highest quality to enhance the reputation of both.

·  Increase membership. Membership is expected to increase by ______%, with ______% of new members reporting that they learned about the Club from our publications.

·  Cultivate current and new supporters by keeping them informed about Club activities, inviting their support as donors and volunteers and thanking them for their support.

Activities
To achieve these goals, the Club’s Development Department will:

Development

·  Produce and distribute quarterly newsletters

·  Produce and distribute annual report

Programs

·  Produce seasonal school flyers

·  Produce sports and performing arts flyers

·  Produce fall and summer programs

·  Produce field trip flyers

·  Produce other program flyers or materials as needed throughout the year

·  Produce membership cards, contracts, etc.

Administration

·  Produce letterhead, note cards, envelopes, business cards

Publications Guidelines

·  All publications will conform to Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s graphic standards, found at http://marking. bpca.org.

·  Newsletters and annual reports will incorporate the annual theme.

·  A graphic designer will be the main point of contact for all outside printing services.

·  All publications must be approved by the development director and CEO before being sent to the printer. Program materials must also be approved by the Unit/Athletics Directors, the Operations Director, and the Executive Director. During proofreading period, cover sheets will be included with each publication, giving staff the opportunity to give final approval for printing the publication with changes indicated or to request seeing the publication an additional time prior to printing. All appropriate staff must give final approval prior to printing.

Advertising

Goals and Objectives
While the Club has no advertising budget, advertising may sometimes be used to help grow membership and increase event participation at the discretion of the CEO or unit directors who allocate funds from their budgets for program promotion.
SAMPLE
Activities
On an as needed basis, advertisements will be placed in family-oriented publications at the launch of new programs. Ads for existing programs will be placed when free advertising can be negotiated and/or when deeply discounted nonprofit rates are available.
The Club will use its physical presence in the community as a means of advertising, utilizing signage at each building and Boys & Girls Club clothes worn by staff and members to promote the organization.
SAMPLE
Advertising Guidelines
To ensure consistent branding of the organization:

·  The Club’s name and logo and/or site logos will be used in all advertisements.

·  The Graphic designer will create all advertisements and receive approval from the Development Director and CEO before submitting artwork to any publication.

Media Relations/Publicity

Goals & Objectives
It is important for the Club to receive frequent recognition in local media seen by residents of ______and immediate surrounding areas, in particular, parents of potential members as well as potential donors. This frequent media attention helps the Club:

·  Increase membership and participation in Club activities and events

·  Educate the community about Boys & Girls Clubs, the programs we offer and their benefits to the local community

·  Continue to build a positive reputation and name for the Boys & Girls Clubs of ______

Activities
To achieve these goals, the Club’s Development staff will:

·  Send regular press releases to local media outlets, approximately every two weeks, more frequently if newsworthy events occur.

·  Develop relationships with local media contacts,
Press releases shall be sent on the following topics and any other newsworthy events that occur throughout the year:

o  Ongoing Topics

§  Sports league sign-ups

§  Sports league standings

§  Clubhouse Theater auditions and performances

§  Awards won by the Club

§  Awards given by the Club

§  Major gifts and grants received by the Club

§  Visits from high-profile people

§  Member-run Club fundraisers

·  Launch of new services or programs
Special Events

SAMPLE
Goals & Objectives
The goals of our special events are to:

·  Raise community awareness about the Boys & Girls Clubs of ______and the Boys & Girls Club Movement

·  Raise funds for Club programs, including scholarships

·  Increase membership

·  Provide fun and informational activities for the Boys & Girls Club family (including members, members’ families, staff, board, and volunteers) that help build community

·  Give disadvantaged kids special experiences and opportunities

SAMPLE
Activities
To achieve the above stated goals, the Club’s Development Department will create all promotional materials and promote the following events to media outlets:

(Sample)Revenue Generating Events

o  Golf
Tournament Goal: $70,000 (Donations)
To the greatest degree possible, all materials will co-brand sponsors and the Club, serving as an excellent opportunity for cause related marketing. Materials to be
produced:

§  Save the Date postcards

§  Brochures

§  Raffle solicitation letters and response form

§  Sponsor posters

§  Table signs recognizing sponsors

§  Table signs promoting sale of raffle tickets, mulligans and other fundraisers

§  Bid boards for raffle items

§  Golf balls (with sponsor logos)

§  Sponsor plaques

o  Annual Benefit Dinner and Auction
Goal: $430,000 (Fundraisers)
Materials to be produced:

§  Theme/logo

§  Stationery, envelopes Solicitation letter and forms

§  Save the Date postcards

§  Invitation, envelopes, RSVP cards, return envelope

§  Preview Catalog

§  Program Sponsor Poster

§  Valet Poster

§  Table Signs

§  Sponsor plaques

o  Building Dreams Campaign
Campaign Goal: $6 million
Monthly cultivations events at people’s homes or at small businesses introduce prospective donors to the campaign to build a new Club.
Materials to be produced:

§  Theme/logo

§  Stationery, envelopes