2014

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

Graduate Student, Georgetown University, Masters of Professional Studies Public Relations and Corporate

Communications Program Capstone

July 30, 2014

Jacquelyn Bavaro

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Program…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2

About the Author……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2

Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4

Background…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5

Situation Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………14

Problem………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….14

Goal………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..15

Objectives……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15

Key Publics……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..15

Brand Positioning and Framing……………………………………………………………………………………………….18

Messaging………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………19

Strategies and Tactics…………………………………………………………………………………………………………....21

Calendar…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………24

Budget……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………25

Evaluation……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...26

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..27

References……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..28

Appendix A: SWOT Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………………29

Appendix B: Probably Key Publics…………………………………………………………………………………………..29

Appendix C: Original Research-The greater D.C. public Survey……………………………………………….30

Appendix D: DC Green Volunteer Questionnaire…………………………………………………………………….39

Appendix E: Competitive Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………..45

Appendix F: Food Justice Search V. Farm to School Google Search…………………………………………47

Appendix G: Creative Sample #1—Infographic……………………………………………………………………….48

Appendix H: Creative Sample #2—Optimization of Instagram content…………………………………..49

Appendix I: Creative Sample #3—Press release template……………………………………………………….50

Appendix J: Creative Sample #4—Website Redesign………………………………………………………………51

Appendix K: Creative Sample #5—Polished version of website………………………………………………52

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About The Program

Georgetown University’s Master of Professional Studies in Public Relations and Corporate

Communications (MPS), focuses on developing forward-thinking, digital leaders. The program

provides students with unique, immersive, and global learning opportunities that emphasize

concise writing, strategic thinking, responsible communication, and practical evaluation.

Students are equipped with the skills to ethically and effectively respond to any

communications challenge in a constantly evolving industry.

MPS is recognized as one of the premier communications program in the world and is a three-

time winner of PRWeek’s “PR Education Program of the Year” award.

About The Author

Jackie Bavaro is currently finishing her Master’s degree from Georgetown University in Public

Relations and Corporate Communications (PRCC). Jackie has a communications background in

health care, working with Fortune 500 Company, Cardinal Health, to develop creative

campaigns to raise awareness of prescription drug abuse on college campuses. Jackie also has

experience working in communications on Capitol Hill, where she has

worked on behalf of two Florida Congressmen and was involved in

staffing a historic congressional hearing during the government

shutdown.

While enrolled in Georgetown’s PRCC program, Jackie was selected to

travel to The Hague, Netherlands and work on behalf of the premier

public relations firm, Weber Shandwick. Jackie had the opportunity to pitch a successful

Facebook activation campaign to client, NOGEPA, the Netherlands Oil and Gas Exploration and

Production Association. Jackie also has first-hand consulting experience working for local

organizations in the non-profit sector as well as writing strategic communication plans for The

National Retail Federation and Komen for the Cure Foundation.

Jackie is expected to earn her Master’s degree in Public Relations and Corporate

Communications from Georgetown University in August 2014. She previously attended Ohio

University where she received a B.A. in Communication Studies from the Scripps College in June

2011.

Jackie is impressed by the positive impact DC Greens has made in Washington, D.C. and is

honored to be working with the organization for her graduate thesis project. She looks forward

to watching DC Greens continue to improve the lives of many through its diverse services.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In Washington, D.C., 50 percent of children are at risk of hunger, 40 percent are obese or

overweight, and 80 percent do not get the USDA-recommended daily servings of fruits and

vegetables. According to the D.C. Department of Health, the percentage of residents

considered overweight or obese exceeds 70 percent in certain areas of the District. Lack of

access to healthy food options in the lowest income communities has been cited as a major

contributor to this crisis.1

With a growing interest and demand to solve the hunger gap, many organizations, lawmakers,

corporations, and renowned restaurants have made food justice a priority in Washington, D.C.

DC Greens is one of those organizations that exists to connect communities to healthy food in

the nation’s capital through food access and education. The

organization offers innovative and diverse services that cater

to schools and communities across the city. However, due to

its wide-range of services, the ability to understand its core

mission can be misperceived among key publics. This hinders

DC Greens ability to move forward effectively as an

organization. To maintain the increasing number of donations,

innovative services, expansion of operations, and more than

50 local partnerships, it is critical that communities across the District not only recognize DC

Greens as a distinct organization in the food justice movement, but also comprehensively

understand its services and mission. DC Greens must hone in on strengthening messaging to

key audiences, to remind them that it has the versatility and efficiency to serve schools and

communities across the District.

The purpose of this communications plan is to strengthen messaging, increase brand

awareness, and position DC Greens as a thought leader in the food justice movement. To

achieve this, DC Greens must strive to deliver its messages clearly, succinctly, and creatively.

Through researched-derived strategies, improvements to its overall messaging will provide key

publics a more comprehensive and clear understanding of the organization. To achieve results,

certain improvements must be made including: updating the website, optimizing content on

current social media pages, growing a strong volunteer base, cultivating a community of brand

ambassadors, and fostering relationship with the media. As a result of implementing these

strategies, DC Greens will be able to deliver compelling and consistent messages that will define

its brand and ultimately achieve its goal. For a modest budget of $1,500, DC Greens can more

effectively connect with its key stakeholders by September 2015.

1 “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future,” Trust for America’s Health

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INTRODUCTION

In 2009, Lauren Shweder Biel started a farmers’ market in her

neighborhood. It was both a response to community demand, and an

attempt to create a vibrant community space oriented towards kids.

Through organizing the market, Biel quickly became involved with the

DC Farmers’ Market Collaborative convened by DC Hunger Solutions

where she was able to build relationships with market managers across

the city. She heard directly about their shared struggles to increase

farmers’ market food access for low-income community members.

At the same time, Sarah Holway Bernardi was

working as an art teacher at Bancroft Elementary. She accompanied her

students to the White House to break ground with the First Lady for the

White House Kitchen Garden. Inspired by this experience, Bernardi

doubled her efforts to integrate garden and farm to school programming

into the curriculum at Bancroft and tried to support the staff in using the

garden as a teaching resource. Brought together by their shared ideals,

Lauren and Sarah established DC Greens in March 2009, to provide

creative solutions to the problems they witnessed firsthand across the city.2

BACKGROUND

External Environment

Since 1980, the number of young people considered overweight in the U.S. has more than

tripled3 and, if current health patterns don’t change, half of all Americans will be obese by

2030.4 A recent study suggests that poverty is the biggest indicator of poor health.5 In many

communities across the U.S., limited access to healthy food plays a significant role in poor

dietary decisions, rising obesity rates, diabetes, and chronic illness.6

2 DC Greens website 3 “Facts About Obesity in the United States,” Center for Disease Control 4 “Michelle Obama Speaks Out Against Childhood Obesity,” U.S. News and World Report 5 “Providing Support, Promoting Health: Maximizing SNAP Dollars for Good Nutrition,” Community Health Partnership: Oregon’s Public Health Institute. 6 “When Healthy Food is Out of Reach,” D.C. Hunger Solutions

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The 2008 Farm Bill defined a “food desert” as an area in the United States with limited access to

affordable and nutritious food, particularly an area

composed of predominantly lower-income

neighborhoods and communities.7 The Center for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) further

clarified these areas as lacking access to affordable

fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and

other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet.8

In the nation’s capital, one in eight families, find themselves struggling against hunger and

lacking adequate access to fresh fruits and vegetables.9 While the nation’s federal nutrition

programs have had a wide reach in the District, too many adults and children continue to slip

through the cracks when it comes to opportunities to eat healthy. As a result, the estimated

annual health care costs associated with obesity in Washington, D.C. are $372 million and

rising.10

The uneven distribution of the 43 full-service grocery stores in D.C. plays a large role in this

issue. The current grocery gap leaves many residents of lower-income areas with considerably

higher barriers to healthy foods than residents of higher-income areas. This is especially true

for Wards 7 and 8, which have the District's lowest average household income, while having the

highest obesity rates.11 It is hard for residents of these areas to follow the recommended steps

to maintain a healthy weight for themselves and their children. As a result, the child obesity

rate in D.C. is well above12 the national average with a staggering eighty-one percent of children

not getting the USDA-recommended five fruits and vegetables a day.13

Access to healthy food and nutrition programs can play a critical role in preventing obesity and

improving overall health and well-being. Below is a chart depicting the demographics with

access to grocery stores in the District.14

7 “Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food,” USDA 8 “The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy,” Congressional Research Service 9 “When Healthy Food is Out of Reach,” D.C. Hunger Solutions 10 “Why the Act is Needed,” D.C. Healthy Schools Act 11 “Facts on Hunger in D.C.,” D.C Hunger Solutions 12 “America’s Childhood Obesity Crisis,” DC Scores 13 “Why The Act is Needed,” D.C. Healthy Schools Act 14 “When Healthy Food is Out of Reach,” D.C. Hunger Solutions

D.C. has the highest child

obesity rate in the country and

nearly a quarter of the

population is classified as low-

income.

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Client

Founded in March 2009, DC Greens is a nonprofit organization focused on connecting

communities to healthy food in the nation’s capital through food access and education. The

organization puts emphasis on three key areas: growing healthy schools, nourishing

communities, and empowering local nonprofits. DC Greens advances its mission through

innovative services that provide educational workshops, job-training opportunities, immersive

internship programs, and helpful resources to communities and schools across D.C.

In 2012, DC Greens was selected to be the designated

“state lead” for the National Farm to School Network

(NFSN). In this role, the organization convenes DC

stakeholders from the classroom, cafeteria, farm, and

garden for nutrition best practices while providing

teacher trainings and resources for food literacy

cultivation in schools.

DC Greens also champions food policy in the District. In the past several years, DC Greens has

lead advocacy initiatives for several food justice related pieces of legislation including:

Healthy Schools Act of 2010;

Healthy Tots Act of 2014;

DC Urban Agriculture and Food Security Act of 2014; and

DC Food Policy Director and Council Establishment Act of 2014.

DC Greens has rallied for

several legislation related to

food justice. Properly

articulating these efforts is

essential when highlighting

DC Greens versatility.

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In addition, DC Greens recently advocated for municipal support of the District’s thriving

food access programs. As a result, DC City Council put $200,000 into the 2014 budget to

support a District-wide incentive program, Produce Plus, that supports food access at all of D.C.

farmers’ markets.

DC Greens’ services have reached 75 D.C. schools, 15,000 students and 3,000 low-income

community members struggling to afford healthy food in the District. The organization has

partnered with more than 50 local nonprofits in an effort to work collaboratively to bridge the

hunger gap in Washington, D.C.’s local food system. In addition, DC Greens was selected as one

of the region’s best community-based charities by the Catalogue for Philanthropy in May 2014.

Industry

The food justice movement aims to ensure that the benefits and risks of producing, distributing,

and consuming food are shared fairly by everyone involved and to

transform the food system to eliminate injustices. This includes efforts

to create urban farms, community-supported agriculture projects

(CSAs), programs focused on getting fresh produce to people who live

in food deserts and much more.15

Across the country, an increasing number of schools have begun to

source more foods locally and provide complementary educational

activities to students that emphasize food, farming, and nutrition. The nationwide movement

to enrich children’s bodies and minds while supporting local economies is often referred to as

“farm to school.” There are more opportunities than ever to help connect local and regional

farm products to school meal programs, support school gardens, and teach students about the

importance of healthy eating and how food is produced.16

In the last decade, “farm to school” programs have

grown rapidly. The Farm to School Network, estimated

that there were 2,051 farm to school programs in the

U.S. in 2009; twice as many as in 2005-2006. As of

August 2009, 41 States had implemented some kind of

farm to school program. Today, the District has more

than 90 school gardens and 46 farmers’ markets.

15 “Why The Food Justice Movement Matters,” Working-Class Perspectives 16 “Farm to School,” USDA

In 2001, there were six

documented Farm to School

programs. Today, however,

there are 2,350 programs

across the U.S.

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The local food movement in the United States is rapidly expanding as well. The number of U.S.

farmers’ markets have increased by 92 percent from 1998 to 2009. 17 In the past five years,

Washington, D.C. has seen a significant increase of farmers’ market incentive programs that

allow low-income community members to access foods from local farmers.18

In 2006, only one of Washington D.C. farmers’ market

accepted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

(SNAP) Benefits. However, in the summer of 2012, 40

markets benefitted lower-income residents and 24

accepted SNAP Benefits.19

Services

DC Greens is involved in many aspects of the food justice movement. From establishing food

gardens as connection points in the community, to implementing farmers’ market incentive

programs, and providing teachers with professional food development, DC Greens creates

positive change through its innovative and diverse services. These services focus on three key

areas: growing healthy schools, nourishing communities, and empowering nonprofits. In order

to comprehensively understand the wide-range of services DC Greens provides, it is necessary

to group them into appropriate categories to better convey their relevancy to advancing its

mission.

1. Growing Healthy Schools

DC Greens grows healthy schools by building and maintaining school gardens and providing

training for teachers on how to use gardens as effective learning tools for their students. DC

Greens school services include:

Cooking with Kids Program

Through hour long, hands-on lessons, DC Greens engages students with seasonal ingredients to

prepare healthy, affordable recipes while having a conversation on larger food system concepts

such as the impact of our food choices on the environment.

17 Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts, and Issues,” USDA 18 DC Greens Website 19 “Farmers’ Markets…,” D.C. Hunger Solutions

Of the 46 farmers markets in

D.C., 37 accept SNAP Benefits

and 24 allow federal benefit

recipients to purchase twice as

much.

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Growing Garden Teachers (GGT) Workshop

A year-long series of trainings and workshops for educators to learn how to best utilize school

gardens and farm to school techniques in their lesson plans.

Cafeteria to Classroom Workshop

Similar to Growing Garden Teachers, Cafeteria to Classroom is a series of workshops for

educators specifically training them on how to connect healthy food served in the cafeteria to

classroom lessons and experiential learning.

School Garden Markets Program

Participating schools host a weekday market after school where teachers, parents, students and

community members can shop for food. Students learn hands-on math and marketing skills

while raising money to further cultivate their school garden programs.

School Garden Army Internship

DC Greens matches undergraduate and graduate students with DC school gardens to provide

an education experience and internship opportunities.

“GGT allows

me to be equipped with the necessary

technical skills and resources, but

also to be part of a robust professional

network of garden educators

throughout the city to exchange best practices.”

Ryoko Yamamoto, School Garden Coordinator at

Capital City Public Charter School

“The School Garden Market has taught me the

value of supporting local farmers and

promoting healthy food to Hardy family and

friends.”

Valerie Lopez, 6th grader at Hardy Middle

School

and member of their School Garden Market

team

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Farm to School Approved Rubric

A farm serves as an extension of the classroom, rooted in educational

standards. DC Greens helps take the guesswork out for teachers and

provides a rubric for which farms can be rated for their educational

programming. If the farm meets the standards on the rubric, DC Greens

rewards with a stamp of approval.

2. Nourishing Communities

DC Greens nourishes communities by providing outreach and access to healthy food in lower-

income neighborhoods across the city. DC Greens community services include:

The Farm at Walker Jones

This educational school farm is a unique resource for teachers, students and parents at Walker

Jones and the surrounding community. It is also a professional development training site for the

DC Greens network of school garden coordinators from all 8 wards of the city.

THEARC

In partnership with THEARC, a community-based arts, education, and health center, DC Greens

co-manages an urban garden site where it provides a job-training program run by DC Greens

garden director.

Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program

In 2012, DC Greens launched a Fruit and Vegetable Prescription

program in partnership with local health clinics. Since then, more than

200 at-risk D.C. residents have received prescriptions from their

doctors for free farmers’ market produce. These prescriptions can be

filled at participating “farmacies” expanding access to affordable

nutrition.

Produce Plus Program

In the 2012-2013 season, DC Greens operated a farmers’ market incentive program at five D.C.

markets. Matching WIC and SNAP purchases at these markets, DC Greens gave out more than

$67,00 to those most in need in the city. These extra dollars enabled community members on

food assistance to stretch their dollars on healthy fruits and vegetables.

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3. Empowering Nonprofits

DC Greens empowers nonprofits by convening with local stakeholders in the area and working

collectively to bridge the hunger gap in Washington, D.C. DC Greens empower nonprofits

through services which include:

DC Farm to School Network

DC Greens is the “state lead” for the National Farm to School Network.

In this role, DC greens provides teacher trainings and resources for

food literacy cultivation, supports experiential education so that

students form a lasting understanding of and appreciate for heathy

foods and their origins.

Sustainable DC Model Schools Framework

DC Greens, the DC Environmental Education Consortium, and the Anacostia Watershed Society

are working toward developing an Environmental Literacy Framework for Washington, D.C.

schools. This framework will provide students with the essential knowledge and skills to

become environmentally literate.

Rooting DC Annual Conference

Along with other local organizations, DC Greens co-hosts an annual conference that provides

education about urban food productions and consumption to cultivate heath and preserve the

environment.

Market Share

Due to low market share data in regards to the number of organizations in the local food justice

movement, competitive analysis and market share are combined. A complete competitive

analysis is in Appendix E. Since there is limited

data that accounts for approximately how

many food justice organizations exist in the

U.S. or Washington, D.C., it is difficult to gauge

how much of the market share DC Greens

owns.

Due to this, a comprehensive competitive

analysis of three organizations similar to DC

Greens was conducted. These organizations, all of which are located in Washington, D.C.

include: Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, Common Good City Farm, and

DC Greens prides itself on

partnering with local nonprofits to

collectively close the hunger gap in

D.C. However, there is not much

differentiation among these

organizations when a potential

donor is deciding on which one to

support.

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FRESHFARM Markets. Furthermore, DC Greens financial report indicates that in 2013, its total

revenue was $582,923 and total expenses were $511,836, with a net surplus of $71,087.

Promotions

DC Greens relies mostly on its website, printed materials, social media channels, and word-of-

mouth communication to promote its services. There are two staffers responsible for outreach

coordination, which involve building relationships on the ground at program events and

distributing printed promotional materials and organizational brochures. DC Greens

communicates with its supporters through a quarterly Enewsletter, which has 725 subscribers

and a monthly Farm to School Enewsletter, which has 879 subscribers.

Furthermore, DC Greens carries out direct outreach to District residents to spread the word

about farmers’ market incentive programs citywide. Outreach efforts include but are not

limited to: working with service providers at health clinics, convening community conversations

with stakeholders, and leading farmers’ market

tours. In addition, DC Greens champions food

policy initiatives in the District by rallying

residents to testify against food justice related

issues. Staff provides outreach via emails,

personal phone calls, and social media channels.

Resources

DC Greens is staffed by nine full-time employees, a board of advisors, and a board of directors.

Lauren Shweder Biel, the executive director, conducts the majority of the organization’s donor

relations and is responsible for the bulk of large donations primarily due to her personal

network and relationships with funders. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, a close friend of Biel, signed

on as a member of the board of advisor in 2013.

DC Greens hosts two donor drives throughout the year and

has had one small fundraising event since its inception.

Currently, due to DC Greens limited staff, the organization

does not have robust volunteer network and as a result,

lacks a committed volunteer base. However, resources are

not currently set in place to accommodate a large group of

volunteers.

In order to strengthen messaging,

enhancements to the organization’s

website, improved social media

strategies, earned media opportunities,

and a more robust volunteer operation

is needed.

There is a committed donor

base but a need to expand

and diversify a new

audience of donors.

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In terms of financial resources, DC Greens relies heavily on government grants and major

donations to support its operations. Major donations include large monetary gifts from

individuals. In 2013, DC Greens was awarded a two-year grant from the District Department of

the Environment to help realize the Mayor’s vision of building a strong school-based foundation

for a Sustainable DC. Below is a snap shot of DC Greens’ total revenue over the past three

years:20

20 DC Greens website

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SITUATION ANALYSIS

After five years, DC Greens has proven to be a credible and active organization

dedicated to providing food access and education to schools and communities

across the city. The services it provides are innovative, effective, and reach

several target populations in the District. However, due to its wide-range of

services catering to several different demographics, DC Greens’ mission can be

misperceived among key publics. This is particularly true for donors who, in the

past, have associated the organization as solely a farmers’ market or garden

resource. Furthermore, while DC Greens prides itself on working collectively to

end food hunger by maintaining over 50 local partnerships, the need to set

themselves apart from “competitors” is not a priority.

Looking to the future, DC Greens wants to be seen as a thought leader—an

organization that serves as a connection point and resource hub in the food

justice movement. However, since it is difficult for key publics to

comprehensively understand how the organization advances its mission, DC

Greens is not able to move forward effectively as a brand. The organization must

enhance messaging around its diverse services and illustrate its unique

characteristics so that it does not lose opportunity to reach a new audience of

donors and become overshadowed by similar organizations in the food justice

space.

CORE PROBLEM

DC Greens need to strengthen messaging in order to become a distinctive organization or it will lose the opportunity to move forward as a brand and reach a new audience of donors.

Wh

ere

We

Are

W

her

e W

e W

ant

To B

e

Currently, messaging is

fragmented since DC Greens

provides diverse services

catering to a variety of target

populations. These services do

not seem connected in the eye

of its key publics and therefore

brand confusion is happening.

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GOAL To strengthen messaging, increase brand awareness, and position DC Greens as a thought leader in the food justice movement.

OBJECTIVES

Increase traffic to website by 20% by September 2015.

Increase online engagement across owned social media

channels by 25% by September 2015.

Obtain three to five articles in local publications by

September 2015.

o This includes: Washington Post, The

Washingtonian, Washington City Paper

KEY PUBLICS

This strategic communications plan will address DC Greens need to engage current donors and

leverage their networks to increase brand awareness in the community. Communication

efforts will also be directed toward volunteers who have a background in food, health,

nutrition, and sustainability to advocate and enhance organization’s mission. The internal staff

at DC Greens will play a pivotal role in this capacity.

BIG WIGS IN THE CITY (Current Donors) Demographic: Members of this key public are Fortune 500 companies, prominent foundations

and nonprofits, and wealthy individuals in Washington, D.C., who have a vested interest in the

food justice movement.

Motivating self-interests: Members of this key public are

committed to enriching their local community, developing

sustainable solutions to create positive change, and to be seen as a

“company that cares.”

Status of current relationship with the organization/issue: This key

public has a close relationship with the executive staff at DC Greens

and are loyal supporters of its mission.

The goal is a broad

statement of the core

problem.

Objectives are outcomes

to be accomplished to

reach the goal. Strong

objectives are “SMART:”

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-bound

ESTABLIHING THE GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

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Third party influential and other opinion leaders:

Local government, community, colleagues, media, political ties

Additional Supporting Facts:

Current donors are strong supporters of the DC Greens mission, however, as mentioned

previously, they do not comprehensively understand what that mission entails. Stronger

messaging to this key public is essential, in order for them to effectively spread the DC

Greens mission to their personal and professional networks.

BRAND AMBASSADORS (Volunteers)

Demographic: Members of this key public are 25-35 year-old young professionals living within

10 miles of DC Greens. They are highly educated, generally with at least a Master’s degree, and

are knowledgeable, passionate, and eager to be more involved in the food justice movement.

Motivating Self-Interests: Members of this key public lead

an active, healthy lifestyle, and value nutrition. They enjoy

gardening and being outdoors21 and when purchasing

groceries, they prefer Trader Joes, Whole Foods, or a local

farmers’ market. They enjoy activities that give them a

feeling of inclusiveness and like giving back and being

involved in enriching their community.

Status of current relationship with the organization and issue:

Members of this key public have been volunteers for at least two months to one year. They

volunteer once a week for 2-4 hours at the Walker Jones Farm and are well-informed about

information pertinent to current food justice related issues.

Third party influential and other opinion leaders: Personal social media networks, colleagues,

community, family, political ties

Additional Supporting Facts:

63 percent of millennials volunteered in 2011.22

This demographic is essential to utilize in order to

advance the DC Greens mission and leverage

community involvement.

21 “Millennials are by far the fastest-growing group of food gardeners,” Juice 22 “The Surprising Truth about Millennials and Nonprofits,” Givelify

75 percent of millennials

gave money to charities

during 2011, and 63 percent

volunteered their time.

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Member of this key public have the time, energy, and passion to commit to DC Greens

since they are looking to transition to food justice professions and want to boost resume

by helping out with DC Green’s volunteer opportunities.

THE INSIDE (WO)MEN (Internal Staff) Demographic: Members of this key public are college educated, many of whom possessing degrees in fields applicable to food justice. They are professionals between the ages of 20-35 who have expertise in the food justice movement due to work and educational experiences prior to joining the DC Greens team. Motivating Self-Interests: Members of this key public are motivated by

how the organization positively impacts communities in D.C. They are

dedicated to advancing the DC Greens mission and are committed to

making a difference in their community with the positive work they do

at DC Greens.

Status of current relationship with the organization and issue:

Full-time staff at DC Greens.

Third party influential and other opinion leaders: Colleagues, lawmakers, family, social media

Additional Supporting Facts:

This key public plays a pivotal role in moving the DC Greens brand forward. Clear and

succinct messages begins with the internal staff and it is their responsibility to craft

messages that help key publics will understand regarding DC Greens mission and

services.

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BRAND POSITIONING

As a newly established, credible, and active organization, DC

Greens has the opportunity to be a powerful voice in the food

justice movement. DC Greens strives to educate children on

valuing a healthy lifestyle while providing food access and

education to communities and schools across the District. In

order to achieve the most success, DC Greens must properly

articulate its purpose as a food justice organization by

highlighting the diverse services it provides, while promoting

its leadership advocating for food justice related legislation.

Furthermore, DC Greens serves as the designate “state lead”

in the National Farm to School Network, which will help

leverage its credibility and profile in the community, as well as

highlight its versatility. In order to achieve the most success,

DC Greens must concisely articulate its purpose to the greater

public and clearly position itself as a thought leader in the

food justice movement.

By using these three frames, DC Greens will shift its brand positioning.

Framing Cues

Uniqueness: Position DC Greens as a distinct organization in the food justice movement by

emphasizing variety of services and food justice advocacy work. It is essential to highlight what

makes DC Greens unique in order to increase donations and reach a new audience of donors.

Credibility: Convey to the general public of Washington, DC that DC Greens is a credible

organization by highlighting that it is the “state lead” for the National Farm to School Network.

It is important to also mention that in May 2014, DC Greens was selected as one of the region’s

best community-based charities by Catalogue for Philanthropy.

Emotion: Use emotion when conveying the lack of food access among children and families in

the D.C. area. Incorporate compelling statistics and powerful images on social media and the DC

Greens website to motivate audiences to become involved in the food justice movement and

support DC Greens mission.

Branding is the space in

the public’s mind occupied

by an organization or

issue.

Framing is the approach

of using “cues” to direct

the public’s attention

toward an aspect of the

brand that the

organization wants

audiences to recognize.

BRAND POSITIONING AND FRAMING

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MESSAGING

Messaging Set #1 Target Public: The Inside (Wo)Men (Internal Staff) Primary Message: DC Greens connects communities to healthy

food in the nation’s capital through food access and education.

‘Like’ us on Facebook to learn more about our services and how

we make an impact in communities and schools across the

District.

Secondary Messages:

DC Greens is a food justice nonprofit with an emphasis

on providing “farm to school” programs. In 2012, we

were designated as the “state lead” for the National

Farm to School Network. In this role, we act as a liaison

convening DC stakeholders from the classroom,

cafeteria, farm, and garden for nutrition best practices.

DC Greens is a food justice nonprofit that advocates for

food policy initiatives in the District. In the past several

years, DC Greens has led the push for several food justice related pieces of legislation

including:

o Healthy Schools Act of 2010;

o Healthy Tots Act of 2014;

o DC Urban Agriculture and Food Security Act of 2014;

o DC Food Policy Director and Council Establishment Act of 2014.

DC Greens’ innovative and diverse programs have reached 75 schools, 15,000 students,

and 3,000 low-income community members struggling to afford healthy food in the

District.

Messaging Set #2

Target Public: Brand Ambassadors (Volunteers) Primary Message: In the nation’s capital, one out of every eight families are struggling against hunger. Your passion is needed to enhance our mission and become a DC Greens brand ambassador. Visit www.DCGreens.org to sign up and get involved.

Primary Message:

Brief sound bites that

include the action you

want the key public to

take that cater to their

self-interests.

Secondary Message:

Details to support the

primary message that

include testimonials,

facts, anecdotes, and

examples.

MESSAGE STRUCTURE

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Secondary Messages:

Four of the poorest wards in Washington, D.C., have the lowest number of full-service grocery stores, and in turn have the highest percentages of overweight or obese residents.23

According to a recent report, 31,000 children in D.C. don’t know how they’ll get their next meal.24 That’s enough to fill almost two full Verizon Centers.

Message Set #3 Target Public: Big Wigs in the City (Current Donors) Primary Message: Estimated annual health care costs associated with obesity in D.C. are $372 million and rising. Tell a colleague to visit www.DCGreens.org and help end childhood hunger in the District and decrease our city’s rising health care bill. Secondary messages:

Food Security is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.25 Washington, D.C. has a higher rate of food insecurity among children than any other state in the nation.

Washington, D.C. is home to an increasing number of food deserts. More than 37% of households report having insufficient means to buy food that they need for themselves or their family.26

23 “The Grocery Gap: Who has access to healthy food and why it matters,” The Food Trust 24 D.C. Has Nation’s Highest Rate of Food Insecurity for Children,” Huffington Post 25 “Food Insecurity,” Oxford Dictionary 26 “Food Hardship in America 2010,” Food Research and Action Center

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STRATEGIES AND TACTICS

Strategy 1

Improve online presence through website enhancements to clearly highlight DC Greens mission.

Tactics:

Redesign website to incorporate up-to-date web best practices. (See Appendix J & K) o Enhance blog with testimonials from volunteers, DC Greens staff, teachers,

students, board of advisors, etc. o Reorganize website content to better explain programs, highlight

achievements. o Improve website navigation to easily access important information. o Create YouTube account and develop videos that explain DC Greens

organization and highlight key messages and calls to action. o Apply basic SEO best practices to the DC Greens site.

Modify the “Donate” section of the website with content that will help set a clear distinction between supporter’s donations and impact.

Publicize the need for an intern with web development and/or digital graphic design experience. Use this individual to manage the suggested updates.

Strategy 2

Grow social media presence to drive conversation and create a stronger online community.

Tactics:

Create Hootsuite account to schedule regular content.

Develop a social media content calendar for 2014-2015 year.

Develop and sustain activity and engaging dialogue on Facebook account. o Send surveys on Facebook to gauge understanding of supporter’s knowledge

of DC Greens mission and services.

Follow and engage with prominent stakeholders on Twitter.

Feature donors monthly and thank them via Instagram photos or videos.

Strategy 3

Strengthen content on DC Greens Facebook account to engage audience and effectively showcase its impact in the community.

Tactics:

Write storytelling component to showcase impact of DC Greens programs with quarterly human interest stories

o Interview recipients/participants of DC Greens programs.

Create infographic highlighting DC Greens impact since inception (See Appendix G)

Update Facebook cover page photo to one that is more engaging.

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o Photos could include: interaction at events, staff teaching students in the classroom, etc.

Upload compelling videos and images to showcase DC Greens work. o Use existing videos and create new videos highlighting services.

Strategy 4

Engage stakeholders on Twitter to establish a constant dialogue with thought leaders

Tactics:

Host monthly Twitterchats on a chosen topic or theme using a specific hashtag. o For example, one topic would inform followers about food insecurity and how

it affects the D.C. area. #foodinsecurityinDC

Post photos using one daily or weekly topic with a hashtag theme like #CookingwithKale or #FruitFactFridays.

Share “Photo of the Week” or “Food tip of the Day” to help link back to website, blog, and other social media platforms.

Participate in ‘Follow Friday’ by sending out #FF tweets to other influential/prominent Twitter accounts.

Use social media analytic tools like Klout, SocialMention, PeopleBrowser and Twitter Lists to find influencers and organizations in similar sector and begin engaging with them.

Use Twitter best practices to effectively reach new followers. o Follow the 60-30-10 rule:

Sixty percent retweets from other users or organizations; Thirty percent conversation and responses; and Ten percent announcements and events.

Strategy 5

Optimize Instagram content to tell a visual story about DC Greens’ mission.

Tactics:

Showcase DC Greens personality by posting brief “behind-the-scenes” videos of the staff preparing for a program event.

Leverage relationship with Maggie Gyllenhaal and ask her to promote DC Greens through a video on Instagram.

Feature a staff member reading an inspirational quote or powerful statistic that applies to DC Greens mission via an Instagram video.

Incorporate key words as hashtags with each photo/video e.g. #foodjustice #access #education #nonprofit #urbanagriculture

Showcase direct impact with compelling photos and content. (See appendix H)

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Feature donors and partners. With their permission, post photos thanking/honoring donors and add a short caption describing who they are and why they support DC Greens.

o Add links to donors’ social media channels and websites.

Strategy 6

Leverage existing network of DC Greens volunteers to become “brand ambassadors” and further promote organization to additional audiences.

Tactics:

Hire one volunteer to serve as a brand ambassador. o This will be a mock trial to better gauge how to utilize ambassadors in the

future

Write a brand ambassador onboarding packet o This will include: responsibilities, goals, expectations, rules, etc.

Express gratitude toward volunteers on social media using hashtag #ThankfulThursday.

Ask volunteers to use their social network to talk about DC Greens and share information.

Assign a staff member to be responsible for volunteer duties and roles.

Include a volunteer profile in the quarterly newsletter.

Invite volunteers to write guest blog posts about experience as brand ambassadors.

Create and distribute short talking points to help volunteers explain why DC Greens is a worthy organization.

Expand volunteering opportunities quarterly to increase involvement and grow volunteer base.

Strategy 7

Seek media coverage to increase brand awareness in the greater D.C. area.

Tactics:

Identify influential news outlets, reporters, prominent food bloggers and develop press list accordingly.

Use press release template and send to media contacts when DC Greens does something note-worthy. (See Appendix I)

Designate a staff member to be media contact.

Write succinct talking points for staff to reference when speaking to key publics.

Create a press kit to send to media.

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Calendar

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Budget

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Evaluation

The objectives in this plan should be evaluated periodically in order to track progress and tailor

communications efforts effectively. DC Greens can measure each objective as follows:

Objective 1: To increase traffic to website by 20% by September 2015.

Set up Google Analytics to run reports and gauge the frequency and origin of traffic to

gain valuable insight about your visitors.

Track keywords driving web traffic to your site and adjust content accordingly.

o Compile and compare data monthly.

Conduct a quarterly review of the number of unique visits to the website and compare

to the baseline.

Define website structure, content, and messaging and begin redesigning website by

January 2015.

Objective 2: To increase online engagement across owned social media channels by 25% by

September 2015.

Use Google Alerts to monitor news surrounding DC Greens.

Perform daily monitoring of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to identify progress and

opportunities.

Use Facebook insights tool to measure reach, engagement, likes, and comments on

Facebook page

Use Twitter analytics like Klout and SocialMention to measure engagement with DC

Greens on Twitter. This includes retweets, replies, clicks, and favorites.

Use Instagram analytics tools like Followgram to acquire new data and insights about

Instagram account.

Objective 3: Obtain three to five articles in prominent local publications by September 2015.

Media analysis and report tracking will be used to evaluate the achievement of this

objective.

o Actively monitor the media conversation around DC Greens using Google Alerts,

Twitter Lists, and setting up RSS feeds.

o Review progress and track media relationships on a quarterly basis.

o Document all contact in a calendar to determine if follow-up is necessary.

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Conclusion

DC Greens is an organization dedicated to its mission—connecting communities to healthy food

in the nation’s capital. With five successful years of service and extraordinary impact and

progress, DC Greens has proven to be a credible organization that truly cares about the well-

being of its community members. By implementing this strategic communications plan, DC

Greens will be better positioned to engage with its key publics more effectively. The strategies

to be implemented from this plan, are designed to strengthen messaging around DC Green’s

mission and services, increase brand awareness in the D.C. area, and to position the

organization as a thought leader in the food justice movement.

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References

DC Greens website, www.DCGreens.org Accessed April 2014, May 2014, June 2014, and July 2014

“Facts About Obesity in the United States,” Center for Disease Control,

http://www.cdc.gov/pdf/facts_about_obesity_in_the_united_states.pdf Accessed on June 2014

Lea Howe, Personal Interview, June 10, 2014

Lillie Rosen Personal Interview June 10, 2014

DC Greens Facebook Page

Capstone Survey, Primary Research via SurveyMonkey.com 2014

“Michelle Obama Speaks Out Against Childhood Obesity,” U.S. News and World Report,

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2013/03/11/michelle-obama-speaks-

out-against-childhood-obesity Accessed on June 2014

“When Healthy Food is Out of Reach,” D.C. Hunger Solutions,

http://www.dchunger.org/pdf/grocerygap.pdf Accessed on June 2014

“Providing Support, Promoting Health: Maximizing SNAP Dollars for Good Nutrition,” Oregon’s Public

Health Institute, http://www.ophi.org/download/PDF/SNAP%20final%20report.pdf Accessed on July 2014

“Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their

Consequences,” USDA, http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/242675/ap036_1_.pdf Accessed on June 2014

“Why The Act is Needed,” D.C. Healthy Schools, http://dchealthyschools.org/whats-in-the-act-2/draft-

why-does-the-healthy-schools-act-matter Accessed on June 2014

“The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy,” Congressional Research Services,

http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-a-livable-

future/_pdf/projects/FPN/how_to_guide/laws_policies/USDA%20Local%20Food%20System.pdf Accessed

on July 2014

“Farm to School,” USDA http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school Accessed on July 2014

Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture website, http://arcadiafood.org/ Accessed on June

2014

“Why the Food Justice Movement Matters,” Working-Class Perspectives,

Wdies.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/why-the-food-justice-movement-matters/ Accessed on July 2014

“Diabetes in the District of Columbia,” Department of Health,

http://doh.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/doh/Diabetes%20in%20the%20District%20of%20Columbia

%20Fact%20Sheet%2011052012.pdf Accessed on July 2014

“After School Nutrition Programs,” Food Research and Action Center http://frac.org/federal-

foodnutrition-programs/afterschool-programs/ Accessed on July 2014

Garden to Table: A five year look at food gardening in America,” National Garden Association,

www.hagstromreport.com/assets/2014/2014_0402_NGA-Garden-to-Table.pdf Accessed on July 2014

“D.C Has Nation’s Highest Rate of Food Insecurity for Children,” Huffington Post,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/01/dc-food-insecurity_n_3528446.html Accessed on July 2014

“FoodRoutes Network and the Local Food Movement,” Journal of Agriculture and Food Information,

“F as in Fat,” Trust for America’s Health,

http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/TFAH2012FasInFat18.pdf Accessed on July 2014

“The Grocery Gap: Who has access to healthy food and why it matters,” The Food Trust,

http://thefoodtrust.org/uploads/media_items/grocerygap.original.pdf Accessed on July 2014

“Millennials Are By Far The Fastest Growing Group of Food Gardeners,” Juice,

http://dmjuice.com/millennials-are-by-far-the-fastest-growing-group-of-food-gardeners/ Accessed on July

2014

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Appendix A: SWOT Analysis

Strengths Weaknesses

Mission and Core Values

Provides valuable services/programs

Offers a variety of services/programs

Very active

Committed donor base

Designated “state lead” for National Farm to School Network

Rallies individuals to testify for food policy initiatives

Fairly new organization

Small staff

Limited resources

Offers a variety of services and programs that do not seem connected

No dedicated volunteer base

Brand confusion among funders

No media relations set in place

Fragmented messaging

Opportunities Threats

Organizational Expansion

Broader donor reach

Expanded brand awareness

Increase in volunteer opportunities

Enhanced online presence

Becoming a more distinct organization

Competition for grant funding

Many similar organizations in the local food justice space

Becoming overshadowed by organizations that are social media savvy.

Appendix B: PROBABLE/POTENTIAL KEY PUBILCS

Elementary School teachers

Professors who focus on food justice issues

Restaurants that serve local, organic food

Renowned Chefs

Greater D.C. public

Potential Donors

College students studying health and nutrition

DC Greens Board of Advisors

DC Lawmakers

Lobbyists

Food trucks

Healthcare trade associations

DC Greens emphasizes food education in schools, therefore, it

would be smart to partner with food industry professionals to

help build credibility. For example, have a nutritionist as a

blogger, and partner with farmers and renowned chefs to advocate for DC Greens in the community.

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Appendix C: Original Research-The greater D.C. public Survey

The following survey was sent out via email to 53 individuals living within the D.C. area.

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Appendix D: DC Green Volunteer Questionnaire

Please note that the answers below are verbatim and may contain grammatical errors.

Interview Question Set #1:

Name: Leeron Avnery

Age: 30

Gender: Female

Occupation: I was a lawyer but left large firm in February. I’m trying to switch into nonprofit

space because I’ve always been interested in nutrition, food access, and anti-obesity issues.

What is your zip code? 20017 (NE DC, near Catholic U)

Where do you shop for groceries? Sometimes the Giant at Rhode Island Row, but ideally the farmer's market here at our apartment complex (Monroe St. Market) and Trader Joe's. How do you get your news? Online...CNN. What social media platform do you use the most? Facebook. Do you support any other causes? My other passion is the environment...I have been a member of the National Geographic Society for a long time!

How many years volunteering at DC Greens: I’ve been volunteering for one month, I’ve known

about the organization for a long time (at least a year).

Ethnic background: Parents are Israeli, Check the white box.

Married: Engaged

Children: No

Highest level of education achieved: Law degree

When you aren’t volunteering for DC Greens how do you spend your time? Job searching,

outdoor activities, wakeboarding, and surfing, cooking and eating as healthy as I can.

How did you hear about DC Greens? Through a job search, applied for a job at DC Greens

didn’t get it, but decided to get some networking experience volunteering.

What is your volunteer role and how many hours do you volunteer per week? Twice, once on

Sunday from 10-3 at Walker Jones farm, built a fence that Sarah wanted, came back following

Monday 2-3 hours that day. One event a week. I’m also interested in doing other types of

volunteer work and learning about how they run, do more things are more substantive, plan

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events. Signed up online to volunteer. “I have a lot of availability so if you need help with

anything let me know” Response was volunteer more at the farm. I’m a lawyer so I’m willing to

use my expertise that way. Response was quick, communicate via email. Mainly Lea or Sarah

contact me.

What’s your favorite part about volunteering? “I like gardening and being outside and knowing

that what I’m doing is helping the community. DC Greens is really great about giving you

something to do. They have all the tools you would need and provide snacks. DC Greens staff is

very welcoming.

Can you provide a story on what has impacted you the most? N/A

How would you explain DC Greens in an elevator pitch? (How would you describe DC Greens

to someone who has never heard of it before)? “A farm-to-table food access organization that

helps low-income individual have access to healthy foods, including schools.” I know what they

do but now how they do it. “I know they have Farmers market program where you can double

SNAP benefits. I’ve never had anyone explain it to me or asked to help. I think there could be

more different types of opportunities for volunteers in different capacities.

What do you think are DC Greens greatest strengths? The number of different types of

programs they have. They are really doing a lot and it is all centered around food access and

nutrition, which is really cool. All programs that they are doing based on one idea. “They’re the

only organization that does this many things.” I can’t rattle off the top of my head that do this

but they’re not the only one.

What do you think DC Greens should improve upon? I don’t know if I would have heard of

them if I wasn’t specifically looking.

How does DC Greens communicate with you? Email

Do you think volunteers could be a bigger part of enhancing DC Green mission? I think they

could involve volunteers for other programs. I only had one option for volunteer work which

was the Farm at Walker Jones.

If someone asked you why they should support DC Greens, what would you say? I think

they’re doing a really important mission. I think anti-obesity is the biggest thing DC Greens does

as well as getting access and teaching kids healthy lifestyle.

Do you give your permission to let DC Greens use your responses in promotional materials?

Yes.

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Interview Question Set #2

Name: Caroline Saap

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Occupation: Strategic Planner for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

What is your zip code? Live in the neighborhood where Farmer’s Market in Glover Park (DC

Greens used to own it but sold it) I work at Mount Pleasant 20010. U St. Farmer’s Market and

Bloomingdale.

Married: No

Children: No

Where do you shop for groceries? Farmers market, Trader Joes, local grocery store.

How do you get your news? All online, google news, Washington Post,

What social media platforms do you use the most? N/A, I’m not that into social media, not

super attached to my phone, can’t have phone at work.

Do you support any other causes? Volunteer for Alumna board, I worked with capitol Cause-

growing of young philanthropist.

How many years volunteering at DC Greens? Since summer 2012 in July I worked with them on

their fruit and veg prescription farmers’ market match program. Worked for DC Greens as food

access administrator. Instructed food demonstrations and worked at Farmers market every

Saturday for 7 months through a match program with WIC and SNAP. Prescription program run

by Wholesome Wave.

How often do you volunteer? Once a week in the summer. Mainly at Farmer’s Market.

Highest level of education achieved: Undergrad at Sweet Briar College in Central Virginia. Went

to grad school in the UK.

When you aren’t volunteering at DC Greens how do you spend your time? I am a member of a

young professionals in foreign policy group, (WPFP). I grew up in a family where we always sat

down together as a family. Diabetes and heart disease runs in my family. Eating well is

important to me. I had a lot of weight problems as a kid. I didn’t start at being passionate about

food justice but I like being actively involved. I definitely feel like their making a difference

What is your favorite part about volunteering? Getting to know the people living in the

neighborhood. It’s wealthy but quite diverse. I wanted to get all my neighbors not just the ones

like me.

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Can you provide a story on what has impacted you the most? I got to know this lady across the

street from the market. She was ashamed by using federal assistance (senior checks) because

she owned her own business. She started feeling more comfortable once she began getting to

know me and speaking with me.

DC Greens elevator pitch (How would you describe DC Greens to someone who had never

heard of the organization before? A food justice nonprofit

Would you be able to comprehensively describe all the programs DC Greens has? No

What do you think are DC Greens greatest strengths? They really push for action, and

implement programs.

What do you think DC Greens should improve upon? They have a lot of potential to have

community involvement but don’t have capacity for volunteering. They should find a way to

harvest that. It’s hard to get an opportunity to volunteer in a meaningful way. I want to

volunteer on a regular basis and there wasn’t anything out there for me at DC Greens.

Volunteering at Walker Jones is the only option. I want to do stuff and get my hands in the dirt.

I felt like I could have done a lot more.

Do you think volunteers could be a bigger part of enhancing DC Green mission? “We have all

these people really interested in food justice in DC and they should harness that. I’m right out

of college, I can’t give a tony of money but I can help in other ways. I don’t meet many other

volunteers since I only volunteer at one event. I signed up for their general newsletter. Had to

be assertive. Not that great at communicating with volunteers. They don’t have a ton of

volunteers because they try to pay people.

How did you hear about DC Greens? Verbally.

Interview Question Set #3:

Name: Tom Discroll

Age: 30

Gender: Male

Do you live in Washington, D.C.? Yes

Where do you shop for groceries? Primarily farmers markets, CSA, butcher shops, Eastern

Market, Glen’s Garden Market, Trader Joes.

How do you get your news? Twitter and specialty newspapers, like Eat.ly

Do you support any other causes? Marriage equality and reproductive rights. Also volunteer at

Common good city farm.

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Highest level of education: Law degree

How many years volunteering at DC Greens? 2 months. A couple weekend work sessions at

Walker Jones. Have been hands-on and worth your time.

How did you hear about DC Greens? I have an interest in food and nutrition policy. I was

looking for opportunities to get involved locally; found out primarily through Twitter account;

went on website and

Married: Yes

Children: No

When you aren’t volunteering at DC Greens how do you spend your time? Reading, exercising,

work a lot on the weekends, cooking pasteurized pork, fancy sausage,

What’s your favorite part about volunteering? I like knowing that my work is helping educate

young people about nutrition, food production, I like meeting people with similar interest, and

it’s nice to have an excuse to be outside. Learning a lot of gardening skills.

Can you provide a story on what has impacted you the most? N/A

Are you active in any other organizations? I do some work at another city farm. I do like DC

Greens better because they are active on policy stuff which was my original interest I was

watching city council hearing on why DC should have a food policy director. I saw executive

director of DC Greens offering testimony.

DC Greens elevator pitch: (how would you describe DC Greens to someone who has never

heard of the organization before? Nimble, local food policy advocacy group. I was impressed

with all the diverse activities. They are a very active local food policy group with a lot of hands-

on opportunities.

Can you describe their programs? I wouldn’t be confident that I know everything they do.

What do you think DC Greens greatest strengths are? Gardening skills, educating about food

access. Helping being a part of the solution. It’s very rewarding to help out in a hands on

positive way. The opportunity to affect change in a positive way.

What do you think DC Greens should improve upon? They are fairly active online and are

policy savvy as well.

Do you think volunteers could be a bigger part of enhancing DC Green mission? Yes, USDA

hearings.

How do you stay in contact with DC Greens? I get email updates and I watch their Twitter feed.

Is DC Greens Enewsletter helpful? I think Twitter is more helpful.

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If someone asked you why they should support DC Greens, what would you say? I think they

have a good approach of addressing nutrition crisis, and increasing people’s understanding of

where their food comes from.

How often do you volunteer? I volunteer once every week or once every two weeks at Walker

Jones. I also volunteer at DC Central Kitchen (DCCK). DCCK is more sophisticated and able to

track volunteers more effectively with a very user friendly sign-up sheet. Although, it’s more

established so it’s hard to compare. They have a better organized, effective website that

explains what they do and who they serve and what they are about.

What do you like most about volunteering at DC Greens? I feel a part of the organization, I like

the people I’ve met when I volunteer. I lost my wedding ring and had to jump the fence to find

it. I really like to work when I’m there and they do a good job of utilizing that. They would do

better to utilize my expertise. They could do more with my interest in agriculture. The staff is

very responsive and appreciative. Everyone’s approachable and friendly and I feel involved. I

can’t really go on the weekends. If they had other events and other opportunities I would be

able to do more.

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Appendix E: Competitive Analysis

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Organization Arcadia Center

Common Good City Farm

FRESHFARM Markets

Location Alexandria, VA Washington, D.C. Washington, DC

Founding 2010 2007 by EcoShawVillage and Bread for the City

1997

Mission To improve health of community, support viability of local farmers, and preserve the environment for future generations.

To grow food, educate, and help low-income DC community members meet their food needs

To build and strengthen the local, sustainable food movement in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Programs -Arcadia Farm -Mobile Market -Food Hub -Farm to School

-Youth education -Seed to table workshop -CSA program -Herbal Apprenticeship -Small Enterprise

-Chef at market -Foodprints -SNAP/Matching dollars -Gleaning -Jean Wallace Douglas Farmer Fund

Website Easy to navigate, provides helpful resource links, clear distinction of programs, clear donate button on front page

Welcoming, comprehensive, well-organized, helpful information/ resources, explains several ways to get involved

Easy to navigate, comprehensive understanding of programs and mission, very visual

Twitter 2,098 Followers 1,886 Followers 9,150 Followers

Facebook 2,528 ‘Likes’ 1,834 ‘Likes’ 2,927 ‘Likes’

Instagram 282 Followers N/A 1,439 Followers

Uniqueness In 2012, mobile market pilot program successfully established Arcadia as a credible information hub.

N/A 50,000 pounds of food donated annually to local charities

Impact N/A In 2013, it provided over 5,200 pounds of fresh food to low-income families.

Provided $47,000 in matching dollars redeemed for WIC, SNAP benefits in

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Staff members 7 3 8 including a Communications Director

Volunteers N/A 2,500 volunteers since 2007

N/A

Funding N/A N/A -46% market fees; -24% individual gifts and foundation grants; -30% special events and corporate organization donations.

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Appendix F: Food Justice Search V. Farm to School Google Search

A recent google search indicates that “farm to school” is an easier way to find DC Greens on the

web. It is essential for DC Greens to use appropriate language when describing the organization

to key publics.

As compared to a “Farm to School” search

“Food justice” search.

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Appendix G: Creative Sample 1 – Infographic

Due to restrictions transferring Infographic to Word, there is a line near the

bottom of the infographic, however, it does not appear on the final version.

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Appendix H: Creative Sample #2: Optimization of Instagram Content

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Appendix I: Creative Sample #3: Press Release Template

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT NAME

Date PHONE NUMBER

EMAIL

DC Greens Does Something (Guess What?) Interesting detail goes here and usually in present tense;

If too much for a single line, divide into separate ideas (SO WHAT?)

Sub-subhead (optional)

LOCATION- This single-sentence paragraph describes what you want to publicize by restating the headline

in prose and adding a date and time phrase.

This short paragraph, no more than two or three sentences, provides details of the announcement, often

as a restatement in prose of the subhead.

“This is usually a quote,” by a person with authority or knowledge to comment, followed by their title.

“The quote” continues here. Quotes are a chance to provide some opinion and color instead of just fact,

which is what should be provided in a press release.

This is the middle of the press release—which is called “The Sandbox.” Provide a few short paragraphs of

further information, and perhaps another quote. So even though this example is just one paragraph, it is

marking a place for one or more paragraphs. Think of this as the important information a reporter could

glean from. It helps them when they are given information they don’t have to search for themselves.

*Keep a press release to a single page. Two pages max. More than that and nobody’s going to read it.

This is the last paragraph. Use it to sum up what you’ve written, and/or re-iterate the main point while

adding extra detail. There might even be a “call to action” or an “appeal,” which is just shorthand for

saying that you might be asking the reader to do something, take action, etc. This last paragraph can be a

quote, if you like; it depends on if you’ve been using a lot of quotes so far. Don’t overdo it.

***

Boilerplate goes here. Boilerplate is language that goes at the end of every press release, and it describes

the company or group sponsoring the release. This is usually provided for you and is standard throughout

the operation. Someone wrote it long ago, vetted it with an attorney, and everybody in your organization

inserts it at the end of every press release. DC Greens should too.

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Appendix J: Creative Sample #4—Website Redesign

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Appendix K: Creative Sample #5: Polished version of Website

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Notable changes to Website include:

Rewording categories at the top

Adding an “About Us” Section

Adding a “Resources” Section

Adding a clear “Donate” button

Including a video describing DC Greens mission and

services

Adding recognition of being one of the “Best

Charities in the Region”

Using different language to describe DC Greens three

focus areas

Including a YouTube button at the bottom