WRITING & EVENT PLANNING
Whole Foods Strategic Communication Plan
In one of my classes we created public relations plans for two different organizations including Whole Foods Market. The company is opening a new store in Eugene, Oregon on March 1, 2016. However, many residents have resisted the new store due to its corporate nature. To help improve perceptions of Whole Foods Market in the community my team and I created an integrated public relations plan.
Our approach focused on highlighting the economic, social and environmental contributions the new store will have in the local community. To get this information across we created a variety of different strategies to reach our target audiences consisting of activists and consumers. One strategy I conceived involved producing a Thanksgiving Day event to showcase the partnership Whole Foods will have with a local, high profile nonprofit - Food for Lane County. I researched all of the logistics involved with executing the event and outlined the steps related to raising awareness around the event. To see the overview of this strategy click here and to view the full strategic communication plan click here.
Event Planning for Mascots for a Cure
I worked as an intern for Mascots for a Cure, a nonprofit
organization that works to help raise awareness and money for childhood diseases. When I came on, the organization was planning a huge event at the Portland Rose Parade with mascots from organizations, companies and schools all around the nation.
To encourage mascots to participate, my team and I contacted all of the organizations, schools, and companies. We also ran the organization’s social media sites, creating content to increase enthusiasm about the event and encourage more people to participate. Additionally, we created a media kit to gain attention around the event. To view the fact sheet I created click here.
We succesfully gained media coverage on a local radio station, in addition to other outlets, and I assisted with the radio segment.
The event itself, which I helped orchestrate, ended up being highly successful with over 100 mascots attending.
News Release, Market Research Report & Nonprofit Direct Mail Letter for CASA
During my time in school I took a market research class in which we conducted research and created a full market research report with recommendations on how to create a successful campaign for an organization. We worked with real local clients and my team was assigned CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) of Lane County. Our client came to us in need of information about the best ways to gain more volunteers for their nonprofit. To create our campaign concept we had to start by conducting research on why the organization was lacking a larger number of volunteers. We started by identifying a target audience and then creating surveys, which we distributed amongst this audience in the community to gather information on what people knew about the organization and how likely they were to become a volunteer. We also surveyed existing volunteers to find out why they became volunteers. After conducting and analyzing all of our research we designed a campaign strategy and compiled everything into a market research report for the organization. To view the full report click here.
In my strategic communications class we were asked to write and develop a mock direct mail letter for a nonprofit organization of our choice. The assignment called for the letter to be written from the president of the organization. The purpose of the letter was to ask for donations while also incorporating a testimonial. I chose to write mine for CASA, because I had worked for this organization in the past and I care deeply about the organization’s cause. To view the letter click here.
Additionally in my strategic writing and media relations class we were assigned to create a news release for CASA. The news release was created to announce the results of a large event CASA had put on in Virginia. To view the news release click here.
Mock Apple Shareholder Letter
For another assignment in my strategic writing class we had the opportunity to write a mock shareholder letter from Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple Inc. In order to write the letter, I researched examples of letters written by Cook in order to imitate his writing style. I also calculated Apple’s fiscal year financial earnings and read Apple press releases from the previous year to create the most accurate letter possible. To view the PDF click here.