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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

BIOGRAPHIESS & CODE OF ETHICS................................ ................................ ......................... 4

TEAM BIOGRAPHIES ........................................................................................................................................................ 5 CODE OF ETHICS............................................................................................................................................................. 9

DEFINITION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS..............................................................................................................................10 PUBLIC RELATIONS NEED .............................................................................................................................................11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...................................................................................................................................................12

FORMATIVE RESEARCH ................................................................ ................................ ........ 14

SITUATION ....................................................................................................................................................................15 INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT .............................................................................................................................................17 PUBLIC PERCEPTION .....................................................................................................................................................18

EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................................................19 PUBLICS.........................................................................................................................................................................21

RESEARCH PLAN ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 23

OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................................................................................24 CURRENT EAW EMPLOYEES ........................................................................................................................................25 CURRENT UC STUDENTS ..............................................................................................................................................29 PARENTS WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS............................................................................................................................34

PREVIOUS EMPLOYEES .................................................................................................................................................37

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 39

FLOW CHART ................................................................................................................................................................40

OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................................................................................42 GOAL 1 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 1 ......................................................................................................................................43 GOAL 1 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 2 ......................................................................................................................................46 GOAL 1 OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 1 ......................................................................................................................................47

GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 1 ......................................................................................................................................48 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 2......................................................................................................................................50 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 3......................................................................................................................................53 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 4......................................................................................................................................55

GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 1......................................................................................................................................57 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 2 .....................................................................................................................................59 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 3......................................................................................................................................60

GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 3 TACTIC 1......................................................................................................................................61 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 3 TACTIC 2......................................................................................................................................64

LOGISTICS ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 68

BUDGET.........................................................................................................................................................................69

CAMPAIGN CALENDAR ..................................................................................................................................................71 CALENDAR BRIEF ..........................................................................................................................................................73

APPENDIX A ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................ 74

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PART ONE: BIOGRAPHIES & CODE OF ETHICS

TEAM BIOGRAPHIES ................................ ................................................................ ............... 5

CODE OF ETHICS ................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 9

DEFINITON OF PUBLIC RELATIONS ................................ ................................ ...................... 10

PUBLIC RELATIONS NEED ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 11

EXECTUIVE SUMMARY ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 12

TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

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Maria Clark is a fourth year Communication major

with a Public Relations certificate at the University of Cincinnati. Throughout her three internships, she has learned to multitask, think creatively, and work closely with Fortune 500 companies in strategic

planning. She has been exposed to corporate communication at Great American Insurance for a

four month long internship. She worked with the marketing team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Medical Center. Later she went back to Great American Insurance, working in Corporate Human

Resources. If Maria is not working or in class, you will find her in the gym, hiking through the woods of Cincinnati, or cooking a gluten free dinner.

Bernadette DiStasi is a senior at the University of Cincinnati

studying Communication as a major, Public Relations as a certificate, and Marketing as a minor. She has already gained

three years of event planning and public relations experience. She first started out on the marketing and

events team at an internship with Cincinnati CityBeat. There, she helped plan and promote different events for that

summer/fall of 2014 including Margarita Madness, Sugar

Rush, and Iron Fork. This past spring, Bernadette interned with the Walt Disney World Company in Orlando, Florida

where she worked in attractions at the Magic Kingdom. She gained a lot of experience by interacting with guests and

solving guest problems. Bernadette has also worked at The Gymnastics Center in Cincinnati for seven years and has

recently started event planning for them as well. She is one of three employees that came up with the Creative

Committee which was put in place to help plan events. As the holidays are quickly approaching, Bernadette is currently

planning and organizing many exciting upcoming events for The Gymnastics Center.

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Dominique Dunn is a student at the University of

Cincinnati pursuing a Bachelor's of Arts in

Communication as well as a minor in Creative Writing and a Public Relations certificate. Dominique has strong

interpersonal, writing, and social media skills. She has worked as a social media manager for Annette’s Angels

Childcare Center, and a student aid at the Career Development Center at the University of Cincinnati. Both

positions allowed her to develop her organizational and problem solving skills. She will be graduating in May of

2017, and would like to pursue a career in the field of event planning and public relations.

Kyley Fredrick is a senior at the University of Cincinnati

obtaining a Bachelor’s of Arts in Journalism and Communication and certificate in Public Relations. She is expected to graduate in December of 2015. During her time at the University of

Cincinnati, she wrote as a staff reporter for the The News Record, the campus newspaper, in the entertainment section.

This included writing feature articles and TV, movie, concert and local event reviews. Kyley has spent time outside of the classroom completing two internships. She worked for Cincinnati Magazine in the Custom Publishing and Creative Services department. Her role involved conducting research and fact-checking to enhance overall content. Additionally, Kyley

interned with the Mill Creek Watershed Council of Communities as a communication intern. Her duties at the Council required writing press releases, blogs, and social media posts.

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Mitch Klein is a senior at the University of Cincinnati

earning a Bachelor's of Arts in Communication with a

minor in Electronic Media. Mitch is expecting to graduate in the spring of 2016. He has been heavily involved in Bearcast Media since his freshman year and has served as the promotions director for the past two years. Through Bearcast Media, Mitch has set up dozens of events including concerts, open mic nights, club socials, and biweekly campus remotes to promote the organization across the university. He has also written articles for the website as well as produced a radio show since his freshman year. He interned at The Owens Group, a public relations firm specializing in film

promotions, during his sophomore and junior years. As the Warner Brothers intern for The Owens Group, Mitch utilized his diverse skills in event planning, graphic design, and promotion to ensure each film had the best local campaign possible.

Erin Morris is a fourth year student obtaining a

Communication degree and a Public Relations certificate at the University of Cincinnati. Erin is a very strategic learner and an independent, creative thinker. Throughout her college

career, Erin has taken multiple Public Relations classes that have heightened her skills in this area. From courses taken,

Erin has learned interpersonal skills, communication methods , and how to understand body language. Erin also works at the

University of Cincinnati in the Romantic Languages department where she works with technology, and helps students learn how to adapt technology to their language needs. Lastly, Erin had a public relations internship at the American Red Cross. During this internship, Erin practiced and

improved her ability to write press releases, news features, and run social media accounts. Erin has a great understanding

of researching audiences, determining a proposal, implementing the strategic public relation plans, and

analyzing the results to see how to change and improve that plan.

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CODE OF ETHICS

Danielle Porter is a senior at the University of Cincinnati, and

will be graduating in December of 2015 with a Bachelor's of Arts in Communication with a certificate in Public Relations. While going to school full-time, Danielle has an internship with Funky’s Catering where she conducts the background work for the

events. This includes working with diagrams, floor plans, and price quotes. Also, on event days, she works with other

employees to help accommodate any last minute issues before the event. Danielle is a loyal and driven employee. She has

experience in handling large responsibilities.

Tayler Tarvin is currently a senior at the University of

Cincinnati that will be graduating in December of 2015. She is working towards earning a major in Communication, a certificate in Public Relations, and a minor in Business

Management. She has experience in the professional world. She has had two internships, one at a technology company,

Dotloop, and one at Skinny Mom, an online magazine. Tayler is a self-motivated, confident, and target driven student that

is dedicated to providing the best possible experience for anyone for whom she works.

Emily Pond is a senior at the University of Cincinnati

pursuing a Bachelor’s of Arts in Communication with a certificate in Public Relations. She is expected to

graduate in the spring of 2016. She is a task oriented worker and has used the skill set she has learned from

her course work in her two internships. She has worked with PromoWest Live Productions for two years as their corporate sponsor intern. She assisted in contract negotiations and private event planning. This past summer she was promoted to their music festival corporate sponsor intern. She was responsible for managing the accounts for over fifty sponsors for various music festivals in the Midwest.

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As a group we have chosen to adopt the Public Relations Society of America ’s code of ethics. The ethics statement consists of six pillars: Advocacy, Honesty, Expertise,

Independence, Loyalty, and Fairness.

A public relations practitioner is responsible for advocating on behalf of their client while

maintaining explicit honesty. Public relations practitioners are faithful to their clients and provide objective counsel while dealing fairly with clients, peers , and the general public. See the Public Relations Society of America’s website for further information on this specific code of ethics at www.PRSA.org/ethics.

DEFINITON OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

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Public relations is a combination of both promotions to and feedback from consumers. A public

relations practitioner must respond in kind to their target audiences. While this is a crucial aspect of preliminary research, it is paramount that the practitioner seek feedback from

consumers throughout their strategic process. Press agentry can easily be abused because it can, unknowingly, be particularly one-sided. When Press Agentry is used in conjunction with

Two-way Symmetrical communication, the risk of neglectful abuse is drastically decreased.

For Education at Work, it will be best to use the first of Grunig and Hunt’s four models of public relations, Press Agentry. This model is shaped around promotions and company image. We will focus on reshaping perceptions students have of Education at Work in hopes to hire more students from the University of Cincinnati. Our plans will also include parts from the last of the four models, the Two-way Symmetrical Model. We will use this model to gain insight and feedback from current employees to determine how to create the best possible work environment. This will also aid in the interest and initial experience of new employees.

PUBLIC RELATIONS NEED

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Education at Work is a nonprofit organization that offers college students the opportunity to

earn tuition assistance while gaining valuable real world experience. Students earn $9.00/ hour working part time, and have the opportunity to earn up to $6,000 per year in tuition assistance.

Through Education at Work, students work in customer service positions for companies such as Cincinnati Bell, Macy’s and Vanity. If hired, students go through 60 hours of paid training to

prepare them for the position.

Education at Work suffers from a negative reputation due to a number of reasons. In the past, there has been very little information available to college students about the company. Many students, when hearing about a company such as Education at Work, believe it to be a scam and too good to be true. The lack of readily available background information leaves students doubtful of the company’s authenticity. There are also cases in which students have never heard of Education at Work. Education at Work is present on many social media sites, Facebook and Twitter being their

most successful, both with over a thousand likes. The team in charge of social media does a

good job of responding to negative comments left on their page. Sites like their YouTube channel and Instagram are not being used to their full potential. Education at Work needs to make sure that all of their social media outlets are on one accord and updated regularly. There are many complaints about Education at Work on career search sites. Common complaints are about the management team, training techniques, and overall organization of the company. Multiple people have complained about the amount of time it takes for earned tuition to be transferred correctly. Comments such as these are easy to find for anyone looking up the company. These types of reviews further harm the company’s already lacking reputation.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Education at Work is a fantastic non-profit that needs to be recognized for the great

opportunities they provide to those pursuing higher education. There are so many financial concerns that college students face today, which makes student debt a very prevalent topic in

today’s society. EAW is a valuable asset to the University of Cincinnati community for allowing students the chance to lift a heavy financial burden. However, we feel the current

communication strategy at EAW has not maximized the various strengths this organization has to offer. Sometimes, people have a hard time believing in an organization that seems “too good

to be true.” The group working on this campaign is comprised of nine upper-level students at UC with a strong passion for public relations and communication. Our background in the field of communication and experience on UC’s campus makes us qualified to develop a campaign targeted towards our fellow peers. It is important to know that we drafted this public relations campaign with six pillars of ethics in mind: fairness, advocacy, honesty, loyalty, independence and expertise. Additionally, we are paying close attention to the Grunig and Hunt’s first model

of public relations, Press Agentry. This model has a strong focus on promotion and company

image. This will help us to reshape student perceptions about EAW. Another model, which has helped us, is the Two-way Symmetrical Model from Grunig and Hunt. This has assisted us when exploring the internal environment at EAQ and how we can help facilitate a positive work culture. During our background research we found that EAW unfortunately suffers from a negative reputation. One reasoning for this is the lack of information that was previously available about EAW. We understand the organization is fairly young so this was to be expected. However, through word-of-mouth some students have vocalized concerns about the authenticity of the company. Furthermore, online complaints that exist on career search sites and some social media platforms have hindered EAW from reaching its full potential.

The group started the process of changing public perception for EAW by completing some background research. One item that seemed of great importance is the company’s website.

Although it was very straightforward, it appeared the website lacked a human element. There were too many graphics and not enough anecdotal information from student employees. We

also suggest implementing this strategy to social media platforms to engage future employees and to make it look consistent. Public perception is at the heart of this campaign. Despite an effective internal environment at EAW, we found the external public does not have a positive attitude towards the organization.

Word-of-mouth communication and allegations being similar to a pyramid scheme has greatly hindered EAW’s public perception. Our overarching goal is to raise awareness about EAW to

students at UC and persuade them to apply for a job. We think it once the company appears to be more transparent and reputable, that UC students and their parents will be drawn towards

EAW.

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At this point in the campaign, we felt it was highly necessary to conduct research to back our

claims about what our target audience is feeling. It is not enough to make assumptions when a company’s reputation is on the line. The first method of research we conducted was by

surveying current EAW employees. We chose to keep the survey confidential so that we could elicit accurate responses. The goal was to find out how current employees found out about

EAW and what helped retain them as employees. We found tuition assistance was most attractive aspect of EAW and that the work culture was important. However, the survey

exposed some qualms with scheduling. Also, we decided to survey current UC students to see their level of awareness toward EAW. We found that UC is an untapped market for EAW because students are not taking advantage of reducing their student debt, but it is still a concern for them. This survey also acknowledged that EAW should make better attempt at influencing the parents of potential hires. This led us to survey parents of college students, so we could better access how to target them. Finally, an important audience we wanted to gain a better understanding of was former employees. Through a content analysis it was determined that despite former employees enjoying the work environment at EAW, they felt that

management was lacking valuable experience.

After analyzing our research findings, we were able to establish several objectives for EAW and then created tactics to reach our goals. Our goals included: enhancing EAW’s prominence on UC’s campus and strengthening the connection between EAW and potentia l/current employees that are UC students. With these in mind, we carefully drafted several tactics that with easy-to-follow directions. Some examples include, but are not limited to: creating informational flyers about EAW to hand out at specific locations and holding an event with the UC Development Center to talk about student debt. Each tactic has an example included that any employee or intern could use to facilitate the process. We firmly believe that if EAW takes into consideration some these tactics that their overall public perception will improve and thus a higher rate of job applicants from the UC.

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PART TWO: FORMATIVE RESEARCH

FORMATIVE RESEARCH ................................................................ ................................ ........ 14

SITUATION ....................................................................................................................................................................15 INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT .............................................................................................................................................17

PUBLIC PERCEPTION .....................................................................................................................................................18 EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................................................19 PUBLICS.........................................................................................................................................................................21

SITUATION

Former Convergys Corporation CEO, Dave Dougherty founded Education at Work (EAW) just a few short years ago in 2012. His goal was to create a work environment for college students

that would not only offer them $9 an hour, but tuition assistance on top of that. In order to

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make this goal a reality, Education at Work collaborated with different clients, including Macy’s,

HigherNext, and Vanity. They want to make this company a success, and they have different goals to prove that. By 2020, they hope to have 100,000 college students employed with them.

Dave Dougherty was cited saying “the training and experience on the job helps students develop their proficiency in problem solving and communication, two skills that get major

emphasis when employers are asked what they want in employees.”

Education at Work has a number of different outlets that summarize their organization. While researching Education at Work, we came across their personal website that was straight-forward, to the point, and easy for potential employees to navigate. However, the graphics that were included on the website didn’t seem to fit with the college student demographics they are looking to employ. The caricatures all throughout their website downplays the professionalism that Education at Work is working to advertise. The website contains a lot of important information through a good layout, but the caricatures have the potential of turning future college student employees away. Their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram include many diverse

pictures of their current employees and what they do on a regular basis that they could use on

their website instead of the caricatures to seem more legitimate to future employees. In this day and age, social media plays a huge role in the success of an organization. Education at Work has a social media presence on different mediums such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Their biggest social media following is on Facebook and Twitter. When you first look at their Facebook page, you see that they post frequently which is extremely important, and they have an overview of their reviews on the side of their page stating that they rank 4.2 out of 5 stars which is a positive statistic for their audience to see when they first get to their page. However, while looking through the reviews, they have a wide range of feedback. There are a number of people who mentioned that they loved working for their company, but a lot of others say that the job they initially signed up for turned out to not be what they expected. Although there are some negative reviews, Education at Work seems to

make it a priority to respond to all of the negative comments. This makes it seem more personal and that they really care about their employees, and the betterment of their

workplace. Their Twitter is also extremely similar to their Facebook. Education at Work has a pretty big following of 1,117 followers, and 1,686 favorites. Although they post frequently on

their Twitter, a lot of what they post are links to something else. If they made their Twitter more personal and more specific to what they do, they could potentially gain an even bigger following. On the other hand, Education at Work’s Instagram and YouTube do not have as many followers and need more work in order to get a bigger presence on those mediums. As for their

Instagram, they only have 124 followers and don’t post that often. Their most recent picture was posted five weeks ago, which is extremely surprising because a large handful of college

students use Instagram as their most preferred choice of social media for pictures. According to eBiz, a professional business guide website, claims that Instagram has over 100,000,000 visitors

monthly, therefore the presence must be there. Their profile picture on Instagram also doesn’t match the other profile pictures that they use for all other forms of social media which can be

confusing to their potential employees looking them up. Education at Work posts a lot of

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personal pictures of their employees and what they do around Cincinnati which is a great way

for future employees to get to know them better. If they posted more often, they could have a lot of success. Similar to their situation with Instagram, Education at Work has a smaller

following on YouTube as well, but their YouTube channel is a lot of fun and could be helpful in gaining new employees. They only post a video every couple of months, but it is a great way to

learn about what they do at Education at Work.

After doing preliminary research and speaking with Whitney from Education at Work, we found that we have a significant obstacle on our hands. The situation facing the organization is under exposure at the University are unaware of the opportunities that Education at Work provides. Only three people in our group of nine knew that Education at Work even existed. However, if people have heard of the organization, they think that it’s “too good to be true” or a pyramid scheme. This brings a lot of controversy amongst the student population. Not only have only a few selective people heard of this company, but if they have, they have only heard the bad stories. EAW can fix this, with hard work and a little rewording and better exposure, we can

bring light to the opportunity, not the obstacle.

Education at work has many unique opportunities for college students. Not only earning $9 an hour, but also receiving up to $6,000 in tuition assistance is something unique to this company. The importance of the situation is to showcase the opportunity presented within Education at Work to students to let them know that this is real and can give you real world experience. According to Whitney, this job is a bridge building job which is crucial for students to have before graduation. Working with EAW will offer you real world experience, resume building skills, and tuition assistance.

INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

Education at Work prides itself on the fact that they are able to provide a great experience to their corporate clients, employees/ students, and to their customers. According to Education at

Work’s online page their internal environment is aimed at being a place where college students can come to earn an hourly wage, student tuition assistance, and transferable jobs skills while

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providing a stimulating work environment. During our initial interview with Scott Blevins, who is

the Director of Educational Outreach at Education at Work, he expressed that Education at Work has reached a goal of giving a million dollars in tuition assistance to their student

employees. This is something that Education at Work is extremely proud of considering that they promote on their website that they are, “Dedicated to helping college students graduate

with as little to no debt as possible”. The quality of this organization's performance is directly related to the success of their students!

Student success is the core of Education at Work’s mission, and the clients they have support, share, and encourage this mission. Education at Work states on their website that, “Our business value is in helping companies reduce expense, increase revenue and differentiate their brands through great customer experiences - all by leveraging the talents of a U.S. college student workforce.” The way that they are able to achieve this value is by employing their Buy On Math Program, where student workers are only working and taking calls during high volume call times. By utilizing their Buy On Math Program, Education at Work is able to maintain a high

quality of performance by keeping both their clients and students happy.

Education at Work knows that their key to success is to get students actively involved in the organization. They are extremely open to public relations to help them achieve this goal. Education at Work utilizes a number of social media websites in order to promote student involvement and success in their organization. Education at Work also has received media attention from Fox19 and WCPO about the success of their students and organization. During our discussion we had with Scott, he stated that Education at Work has a budget of $6,000 that it used to promote and recruit students at the University of Cincinnati. Most of the budget is used for events held at the University of Cincinnati like the multiple career fairs that they attend that are hosted by the university. The rest of the budget is spent on promotional material such as flyers, brochures, stickers, pins, etc. Education at Work wants to continue using public relations in order to promote and recruit students to work for their organization.

PUBLIC PERCEPTION

Education at Work is not well known around the tri-state. Even though their organization connects with many of the surrounding colleges, most students believe the company is “too

good to be true.” Since word of mouth seemed to disengage those around campus, Education at Work’s success on awareness comes from many social media accounts that connect with their audience. Through the organizational side of their success, which has been very effective,

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Education at Work would like to reach out to other clientele in hopes to connect with their

business to raise awareness, and also an allowance for these students working through college. Currently, Macy’s is Education at Work’s largest partner in the company. Education at Work

currently provides Macy’s their employees to contribute to their call center with customer service. Macy’s and Education at Work both contribute their resources to the employees of

Education at Work in hopes to provide financial support to those students in need. Along with Macy’s, Education at Work has other clients who contribute to their success. Since Education at

Work provides their clients with their hard working employees, a company can benefit tremendously by these services. Even though Education at Work is not completely well known to the general public, we plan to provide a proposal to connect Education at Work and their clients to raise awareness about their business to the targeted audience.

Since Education at Work provides education assistance to students and hourly pay to those who a work minimum 16-30 hours a week, and maintain a 2.5 GPA, their overall public perception is becoming more well known. Our overall goal for Education at Work is to raise awareness about

this outstanding company, and use their clients to help this be successful. Although their

overall reputation is successful, there are going to be past employees who have not understood the responsibilities on having a job. Most of their previous employee reviews are based on their management skills. Several reviews have stated how Education at Work could potentially work on training their managers and supervisors with more skills to address any issue that could possibly happen. These reviews can be found on Facebook, and also on Glas sdoor, and they provide feedback on Education at Work that could overall try and affect Education at Work’s reputation. From using this information, us as a group can work with our client and provide a tactic to take charge in changing this reputation of the management at Education at Work. Our goal is to come up with a solution to help fix this issue with former employees, and take on the negative words as a learning experience. We would like to as a team target certain audiences to improve even more on Education at Work’s public perception. We have learned the tools this organization takes to attract college students, but we would also like to target

parents of the students to raise more awareness about the company. Since Education at Work does give tuition assistance, this is often passed by the student as a scam. Some individuals in

our group had this impression on Education at Work when we were presented with information about the company. We would like to alter this impression as a scam to those students, and

reach out to other audiences who could be more interested with more information. If our tactics are successful, the overall public perception of Education at Work will increase positively, and improve the growth of the overall company.

EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

Education at Work’s external environment has a large impact on the organization’s success and

image. This organization has large external factors that guide it including the organization’s supporters, opponents, and major competition. The organization’s largest competition can be broken up into four main based on an interview with the CEO Scott. These categories are as

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follows: student loans, student tuition assistant jobs located on campus, restaurant/retail jobs,

and other large call centers. Each category has unique reasons why Education at Work can say these are large competitors when trying to acquire student workers. During the initial interview

we had with Scott he revealed to us that student loans are currently Education at Work’s largest competitor. According to WhiteHouse.gov todays college students are now relying more

on student loans then ever to pay for their college, this is why they are Education at Works competition, because it is a simple way for students to pay for school. Student tuition jobs that

are located on campus are also a large competition for Education at Work. Scott expressed that students are deterred from working at Education at Work because they have to commute to Education at work’s Norwood office location. Scott vocalized that students would rather work on campus that offer tuition assistance simply because students want to work close to home. Restaurant/retail jobs are also seen as a large competitor when trying to attract students to Education at Work. Scott communicated that students are attracted to restaurant/retail jobs because students view these jobs as a way to earn easy and quick money that they can put right into their pocket. The last competitor is other call centers, Scott conveyed that this was not one

of their larger competitors. The reason for this is because most of the major call centers are not

located in proximity to a college campus. The next external factor that has a large impact on Education at Work’s success is their opponents. The main opponents that Education at Work has are past employees. When visiting the organization’s Facebook page, one can see reviews posted by past employees about the organization. On a major chunk of the reviews you see past employees giving bad reviews after working there, which other students can see, and might be a deciding factor of their decision to work at Education at Work or not. Some of the main complaints that are posted on the reviews are problems with scheduling, slow receiving of the promised tuition and rude, unfriendly managers. These reviews can be detrimental to the organization when other students see these reviews. Also word of mouth from these past employees can be faulty to the success of Education at Work.

Lastly, Education at Work’s supporters have a large impact on the success of the organization.

Their supporters can help bring in positive messages that encourage others to work their, and create a successful rise from the organization. Some of the main supporters of Education at

Work can be seen as their clients, Santa Ono, parents of students and students. The clients of education at work are supporters because they want the organization to do well since the organization is working with their personal customers. If the company is doing well that means that the customers are being treated well which gives positive credit to the clients. Santa Ono openly supported Education at Work through Twitter posts and openly supports Education at

Works active involvement in campus recruiting opportunities. The next supporters are the parent of students. According to InsideHigherEd, an online resource for news and information

about various companies, parents want their children to be successful in college. They also did a study that showed college students who work twenty hours per week or less do better

academically than students who do not work. This would be a reason that parents would want their children to work at Education at Work during their college years. Lastly, students are seen

as supporters of Education at Work. Education at Work allows students to stay successful in

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school, while also being paid and receiving tuition assistance. This support is shown through the

positive Facebook and Indeed reviews students gave Education at Work. Daniel White, a student employed by Education At Work, stated, “This is an awesome place to work! What

really sets these guys apart is the simple fact that they realize that college students need time to study and due to that they make themselves very flexible when it comes to scheduling” This

is an ideal situation for students. In summary, the external environment for Education at Work has a large impact on their success as a business.

PUBLICS There are three key publics that need to be addressed to have the most impact. The largest key public is first and second year UC students. These students will receive the most benefit if they

work for Education at Work, because they will have the most amount of time to accumulate

tuition assistance. According to the Institute of College Access and Success the average debt of students in 2013 at UC was $28,333. The proportion of graduates with debt was 68%. According to UC admissions, enrollment at UC in 2014 was 43,691.

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The second largest group to target are parents that have a child currently enrolled at UC. 853

had been enrolled in college or graduate school. Obtaining a bachelor's degree was most the popular educational asset as 35,319 adults earned their bachelors within a total population

190,767.

Lastly it is vital to reach out to Opinion leaders who are willing to support the EAW initiative to the student body. Santa Ono: President of UC who posts frequently to social media reaching

out to students and faculty of the University. The Wellness Center at UC offers peer financial coaching for students in need of financial advice. Media personnel whose beat pertains to education or the surrounding Clifton area. Both FOX19 and WCPO have written articles for EAW. These articles focused on the positive impact EAW has on college students. The articles also highlighted EAW as a positive alternative to outsourcing. Education at work has mentioned several times that they would like to attract more students at the University of Cincinnati to work for them. First, or second year UC students are facing a lot

of future debt. According to the Pew Research Center, about four-in-ten U.S. households

headed by an adult younger than 40 currently have some student debt, this is the highest share in record. This demonstrates that more than ever, larger groups of young people are accumulating student debt. This can be reflected in the student population at UC because it is obvious that now, more than ever students need tuition assistance to lessen the blow after graduation. PEW Research Center also found that millennials with just a high school diploma are far worse than their counterparts in earlier generations by most measurable economic situations. This demonstrates how a student will feel pressured to attend college so they can have a financially stable future; but ironically students will accumulate a debt during college, which will take years to pay off. Additionally, a Survey of Consumer Finances found that households headed by young, college-educated adults without any student debt obligations have about seven times

the typical net worth of households headed by young, college-educated adult with student debt. Education at work can offer students at UC an opportunity to graduate with little to no

debt.

When talking to representatives from Education at Work, it was determined that parents are a very important external public to contend with because of their influence over their own children. Parents who have potential or current students at UC with financial restrictions has become a larger demographic. The Pew Research Center found the tendency to borrow financial aid has increased for graduates of all income backgrounds --particularly for graduates

from middle and high-income families. So, even if a student is considered to come from an affluent family, they are still seeking a way to cope with college tuition. Therefore, this key

public needs an option to eliminate some of their child’s debt.

Also, now more than ever millennials are living at home with their parents, according to Pew Research Center. This definitely influences the way a parent is involved with a student’s

financial affairs. Education at Work can offer parents a way to help their child eradicate mos t of

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their student debt and not resort to taking out a Parent PLUS Loan--a federal loan awarded to

parents of college students to help pay education expenses.

In regard to targeting the UC students as future employees, Education at Work mentioned previously working with UC’s President Santa Ono to gain trust in that particular community.

Santa Ono is a public opinion leader who could really help to further Education at Work’s vision. On Twitter alone, Ono has 58 thousand followers. His social media presence combined with his

active student engagement makes him a prime public to target. In response to Governor Kasich’s Budget Proposal, Ono has vowed to cap tuition at a 2 percent increase in 2016 and at 0 percent in 2017, according to the University of Cincinnati’s website. This clearly illustrates Ono’s interest in student’s financial concerns. Furthermore, for three years in a row Ono has donated his $200,000 bonus to scholarships and other student and faculty programs. Not to mention, he has declined a raise simultaneously. This shows Ono is concerned with doing what he can to help students at UC, even if it requires

money coming out of his own pocket. He has an expectation to give back to students and this

also helps generate positive public opinion for his title. Education at Work can offer Santa Ono another outlet to help support UC students in a way that will generate positive publicity for him. The Student Wellness Center on UC’s campus offers free and private financial counseling for students. For this reason, it would be beneficial for Education at Work to target a relationship with this on-campus organization. The SWC is interested in helping students specifically with topics such as: budget, saving, debt management, credit and investing. They have a mission to reduce stress from student financial debt. Education at Work can offer the Student Wellness Center another resource to help students reduce debt at UC. Another public we would like to target is the local media whose beat pertains to education or

the surrounding Clifton area. This is essential because Education at Work has discus sed working towards better public perception. Specifically, Gordon Graham is a reporter for FOX19 and has

previously written about Education at Work. To write about this non-profit in the first place shows his personal interest in the organization, so it is likely he would be willing to do a follow

up story to provide more information about his previous article. Education at Work could offer a local media correspondent access and insight about its business to cover the story--it serves mutual interests. (See Appendix A for References)

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PART THREE: RESEARCH PLAN

RESEARCH PLAN ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 23

OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................................................................................24 CURRENT EAW EMPLOYEES ........................................................................................................................................25

CURRENT UC STUDENTS ..............................................................................................................................................29 PARENTS WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS............................................................................................................................34 PREVIOUS EMPLOYEES .................................................................................................................................................37

OVERVIEW In order to best formulate a Public Relations plan to encourage students to work for Education

at Work, we must first look at what is currently working and what is currently not in terms of promotions. To do this, we must conduct research on various groups of the target

market. First, we must survey current Education at Work Employees to find out why they decided to apply. Next, we must survey current underclassmen at the University of

Cincinnati. This is important because it will allow us to see what they already know about Education at Work and to see what various types of promotions entice them. Another large

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group we need to focus on is parents that have or have had children or dependents attending

college. Families often work together to pay for college and to decide how much debt they can take on. Parents also typically have a large influence over where their dependents work. Lastly,

we need to look into why previous employees chose to leave the company and how their experience could have been improved. This is also a good opportunity to see what promotions

tactics worked when they first chose to apply. Because this is a potentially sensitive issue, this will be done via one-on-one interviews.

CURRENT EAW EMPLOYEES

Survey:

THIS SURVEY IS OPTIONAL AND ALL RESPONSES ARE CONFIDENTIAL

Survey Questions:

1. Are you a current University of Cincinnati Student?

a. Yes

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b. No

2. How did you find out about EAW? a. Facebook

b. UC Career Fair c. Pandora

d. Other __________________________________

3. What attracted you to EAW? a. Tuition assistance b. Location c. Culture/ Environment d. All of the Above e. Other __________________________________

4. Is EAW meeting your expectations you originally had for the company? (Rate each option 1-5)

a. Financial 1 2 3 4 5

b. Flexibility

1 2 3 4 5

c. Creating Relationships

1 2 3 4 5

d. Environment

1 2 3 4 5

5. What benefits has Education At Work give you? a. Financial support

b. Relationships from the workplace c. Future career opportunities

d. None of the above

e. All of the above

6. Please describe the atmosphere at EAW in 1-2 sentences.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Reasoning:

We are creating a hard-copy survey to target current employees of Education at Work. We will be handing out the survey in the office on multiple shifts to receive a variety of responses from

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employees that have different duties. We are doing this to survey a large number of

participants at a time. The use of a survey, we believe, will be most successful in receiving responses, because it allows for fast responses and confidentiality.

This survey will allow us to gather information to create a successful promotional strategy for Education at Work.

The information we are hoping to gain from this survey will include how the employees found

out about Education at Work— which will allow us to see the most successful current marketing strategies. We also want to know what attracted the workers to the company, which will help us decide what to highlight on when trying to attract potential employees. This is also why we are asking about the benefits and atmosphere at Education at Work because we want to know what current employees like, so we can highlight these aspects to attract and gain potential employees. All of this information that we gain will be important in the future steps of marketing to and obtaining new employees for Education at Work.

Findings: How did you find out about Education at Work? Facebook 1 5.26% UC Career Fair 2 10.53% Pandora 3 15.79%

Other 13 68.42%

What attracted you to Education at Work?

Tuition Assistance 13 68.42% Location 0 0%

Culture/Environment 0 0% All of the above 4 21.05%

Other 2 10.53%

Is Education at Work meeting your expectations you originally had for the company? 1 2 3 4 5

Financial 5.26% 5.26% 31.05% 36.84% 31.58% Flexibility 21.05% 5.26% 15.79% 36.84% 21.05%

Relationships 0% 5.26% 26.32% 36.84% 31.58% Environment 0% 15.79% 26.32% 31.58% 26.32%

What benefits does Education at Work give you in your lifestyle?

Financial Support 6 31.58% Relationships 2 10.53%

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Future career opportunities 2 10.53%

All of the above 9 47.37% None of the above 0 0%

Describe the atmosphere at Education at Work in 1-2 sentences.

From the 19 responses we received on this survey, the short responses varied. Every response included the fun work environment Education at Work, and how they have

enjoyed the relationships they have made so far. Some responses stated the scheduling can be very hectic and non complying, along with the upper management.

Summary of Findings

Over a span of three weeks, 19 University of Cincinnati students currently employed by Education at Work completed this survey. A 68 percent majority of the survey takers said they

were attracted to Education at Work because of the tuition assistance program offered. The survey also highlighted that Education at Work was meeting the expectations their workers had for them in the three categories of finance, creating relationships, and decent work

environment. The survey exposed the common belief that the scheduling created by management was not as flexible as they would like it to be. There was a collective consensus

that the survey takers felt Education at Work had a relaxing environment and created good relationships between co-workers. Using this information, Education at Work should highlight

to potential workers these specific benefits they will gain while working for their company.

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CURRENT UC STUDENTS

Survey:

THIS SURVEY IS OPTIONAL AND ALL RESPONSES ARE CONFIDENTIAL

1. Have you heard of Education at Work? a. Yes

b. No

2. If yes, how did you hear of it? a. Facebook/Twitter

b. Word of mouth c. On-Campus Recruiting

d. Other__________________

3. What is your current image of the company? a. I would consider working for Education At Work.

b. Indifferent. c. I would not consider working for Education At Work.

d. I need more information on the company

4. Are you currently employed? a. Yes

b. No

5. How are you currently paying for your education? (check all that apply) a. Scholarships b. Federal Loans c. Grants d. Parents

6. Is paying for your education a topic you discuss with your family? a. Yes b. No

7. Are you actively pursuing opportunities that grant tuition assistance? a. Yes

b. No

8. Are you currently paying off debt in some capacity? a. Yes

b. No

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9. Do you live on or off campus? a. On b. Off

10. What year are you? a. 1st Year b. 2nd Year c. 3rd Year

d. 4th Year e. 5+ Years

Reasoning:

We created a survey for current students at UC to get an idea of their opinions on Education at

Work and examine what exactly they know about the company. This survey was important because we were able to see the current awareness Education at Work has with students on

campus. We chose to do a survey for this market because it’s brief, easy for students to answer and we were able to access the results quickly.

Findings:

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31

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Summary of Findings:

Based on the research we gathered from 85 students at the University of Cincinnati, we were

able to come up with a clear consensus about attitudes towards Education at Work. Most of the students we sampled were not aware of EAW, but those who had heard of the company were

mostly informed through word-of-mouth information. This shows us that EAW has not been able to directly influence public perception about the organization to the UC student body.

Therefore, EAW needs to make a larger attempt at marketing themselves and getting more information about what the company actually does, to the public. Furthermore, we found through our research that many students at UC are not taking advantage of reducing their student debt, which shows that UC is definitely an untapped market for EAW. Many students are not taking advantage of reducing their student debt and only about half are employed, which gives EAW a large group of students they could appeal towards. The only thing that stands in the way of these findings is that most students are having their parents help them pay for school and most students claimed they talk about paying for college with their family. So, it

would be for EAW’s benefit to target the parents of potential employees. Overall our research

proved that EAW has a potential market for employees at the University of Cincinnati, but it is important to focus on the parents of these individuals at the same time.

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PARENTS WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS

Survey:

1. Do you have a dependent that is currently or previously enrolled in college? a. Yes.

b. No.

2. What percentage of financial responsibility are you taking on for your dependent's tuition?

__________%

3. What percentage of financial responsibility is your dependent taking on for their education?

__________%

4. Have you and your dependent discussed the responsibility of taking on student debt? a. Yes, thoroughly. b. Yes, but not in depth. c. Only at the start of their college career. d. No, but my child will graduate with debt. e. No, my dependent will not graduate with debt.

5. Is your dependent currently holding a job?

a. Yes, my child is currently employed b. No, my child is not employed

6. If so, how do you feel about your dependent holding a job while enrolled in school?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Would you encourage your child to be employed by an organization that offers tuition

assistance? a. Yes, tuition assistance would help our family.

b. Yes, tuition assistance will reduce my dependent’s debt. c. No, I would rather my dependent earn money to put towards rent and other

living costs. d. No, I prefer my dependent not to work while in school.

8. How much sway do you have over your dependents job choice or your dependent

holding a job while they’re enrolled in college?

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______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reasoning:

This brief, online survey will be distributed to parents of college students. This survey will allow

our team to gain insight as to how much influence parents have over their student’s employment and finances. This survey will be distributed via email to encourage people to take

a moment to fill it out. We would not expect parents to have heard of Education at Work, therefore we are more curious about their feelings around the tuition assistance aspect of the company. Our survey consists of both multiple choice and short answer questions. This will

allow us to read and analyze their written responses as well as translating the multiple choice questions into hard data. Findings:

73%

27%

Percent of Financial Responsibility

Parents

Students

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Summary of Findings: We received 82 responses. Of those 82, 71 answered yes, indicating they have or have had a dependent enrolled in a four-year college program. For the analysis of our findings, we only used the 71 participants that initially answered “yes”. We found that most parents encourage

their students to be smart with how they use their money, especially if they are responsible for a portion of the tuition costs. In the free response sections, we found that parents have a

significant amount of sway over if and where their child is employed. This amount of influence seems to directly correlate with the percent of tuition costs parents are responsible for. From this data we can extrapolate that targeting parents is key to increasing the number of

applicants for Education at Work

33%

15%3%

28%

21%

Have you and your dependent discussed the responsibility of

taking on student debt?

Yes, thoroughly.

Yes< but not in depth

Only at the start

No, but my child hasdebt

61%

39%

Is your dependent currently holding a job?

Yes

No

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PREVIOUS EMPLOYEES Content Analysis

Reasoning:

A content analysis will be used to analyze data found on Facebook and Indeed from current and past employees. This data has been analyzed for themes and trends yielding insights into personal experiences at Education at Work. We believe that this information can help us use first hand experiences to market to new employees, and gain a better understanding of the culture of the company.

Findings:

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Summary of Findings: After researching Facebook and Indeed online, we found a pattern in positive and negative comments. Overall, Education at Work had an overwhelmingly positive response about the fun

environment that is offered. In addition, four people commented on the mission at Education at Work and four people commented on the tuition assistance program. Interestingly enough, people commented positively and negatively about being flexible with their school schedule and a low number commented on the take away experience Education at Work offered.

We also found a slope of negative comments on these sites. Many people were unhappy about management being young and inexperienced. Problems arose about the time management skills of the managers, and the overall a lack of communication between manager and employee. Many of the student workers believed they would receive tuition assistance at a certain time and ended up not getting it. Also, employees think that 15 minutes of a break is too short, after sitting all day behind a computer, and believe that their break should be a bit

longer and more frequent.

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PART FOUR: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 39

FLOW CHART ................................................................................................................................................................40 OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................................................................................42

GOAL 1 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 1 .......................................................................................................................................43 GOAL 1 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 2 ......................................................................................................................................46

GOAL 1 OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 1 ......................................................................................................................................47 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 1 ......................................................................................................................................48 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 2......................................................................................................................................50

GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 3......................................................................................................................................53 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 4......................................................................................................................................55 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 1......................................................................................................................................57 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 2 .....................................................................................................................................59

GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 3......................................................................................................................................60 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 3 TACTIC 1......................................................................................................................................61 GOAL 2 OBJECTIVE 3 TACTIC 2......................................................................................................................................64

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FLOW CHART

40

41

OVERVIEW

Education at Work has the ability to be one of the best companies for student work. Not only does Education at Work benefit the student, it can also be a relief for parents as well. From

learning this information, we wanted to provide ideas to reach more than just the student body. After researching the company, and learning more about what they offer to both parents

and students, we all as a group wanted to provide strategic ideas for Education at Work to grow even more. Education at Work has full potential to be a top rated company, and we as students

also wanted to provide ways from an outsider's point of view.

After discussing the situations that Education at Work is currently facing, we strategically

provided tactics that will eventually benefit the business. We want to give Education at Work all the tools possible, and these tactics are created to build success. For each tactic, we list the

goal, objective, and the overall tactic that should take place. We also provide examples of each tactic, along with supporting materials that will help you achieve the tactic successfully. Also,

for a certain number of tactics, we provide an evaluation tool that will help you as a company conclude your results. This will allow you to see the success in the tactic that we provided, as

well as the outcome in an event. These tactics are there for Education at Work to use as an advantage, and the tactics are provided with instructions on how to conquer the tactic

successfully. Along with well written instructions and examples, we provided illustrations to help those see the tactic visually, and the attraction on the idea at hand

GOAL 1

OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 1

Our recommendation is for Education at Work to hold an event with the UC’s Student Wellness

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Center to talk about student debt. This would be an opportunity to partner with an organization

on campus that has experience with counseling students on financial issues. EAW can contact

the Student Wellness Center by phone: 513-556-6124, or visit them at 675 Steger Student Life

Center. We believe it would be beneficial to hold this joint event in front of the McMicken

building where there would be high visibility and exposure. Setting up various booths with

information on reducing student debt would allow EAW an opportunity to inform the UC

community about their mission. Additionally, setting up games with trivia questions about

national student debt and best practices for management would engage people passing by.

BUDGET: $200

EVENT DATE(S): March 18, 2016.

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Educ a tion a t Work

[Marc h 18, 2016 Worried about your student deb t?

Wish you c ould b e reduc ing it NOW?

Mc Mic ken Join us in front of…

Cincinnati, OH 45221-0366

Phone: 513-556-6124

9 a.m.-5 p.m.

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Evaluation Checklist:

Did you contact Dr. Metzler about attending the Communication Spring Internship Fair?

Do you have promotional items and team members available to attend the fair?

Did you attend the Communication Spring Internship Fair?

GOAL 1

OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 2

The flyer I created for Education at Work is meant for distribution around UC’s campus and and

through the career center and job fairs. They flyer is extremely simple, easy to read and

45

streamlined for anyone to comprehend its message. The flyer is of high quality and should be

printed professionally to create the most beneficial effect. This fliers colors and images will

stand out from any others that may surround it. By strategically placing these fliers around

campus, EAW will become a more recognizable, and therefore reputable name, thusly

increasing the number of applicants.

BUDGET: $30

GOAL 1

OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 1

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The independent, student ran newspaper at UC is named “The News Record.” It is distributed

twice a week on all three of UC’s locations. Therefore, TNR would be a great outlet to persuade

UC students that EAW is a trustworthy company to work for. We suggest pitching a feature

story about a student at UC that currently works at EAW. We feel this type of story would

appeal to UC students because of its human element. To start this process, simply email the

editor-in-chief of TNR and explain how this story could be well received by their audience.

BUDGET: $0

GOAL 2

OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 1

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Create a monthly meeting where employees can share suggestions for improvement and create

an open dialogue with management. Because Education at Work is “Powered by the Students”

this type of meeting will give the employees an opportunity to share any concerns and

suggestions to help the overall communication with the management team.

BUDGET: $0

EVENT DATE(S): First Monday and Tuesday of every month. Starting January 4th and 5th 2016.

Quarterly Meeting Agenda

5 minutes- Ice Breaker Game (funny story, two truths and a lie game, etc.)

10 minutes- recognize one student by telling a success story that happened while working. Acknowledge and appreciate the students hard work.

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10 minutes- Action plans told by students... what are some suggestions,

concerns, ideas?

5 minutes- closing remarks from management

EVALUATION TOOL: Conclude with survey about meeting

1. How many students showed up?

_____________________________________________ 2. Was the feedback valuable?

_________________________________________________ 3. What was the repeated pattern of issues employees are having?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Should we do this again in the future? _________________________________________

GOAL 2

OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 2

While researching, we discovered business sites such as Inc.com and Business Planning that

implied one of the best ways to redeem a positive work culture among employees is for the

49

company to partake in open communication between employees and higher-level

management. We believe that if Education at Work implements a monthly newsletter,

employees will feel that there is more open communication between them and higher-level

management. This newsletter should be sent out monthly, via email, to the employees of

Education at Work from higher-level management. The most successful way to use this

newsletter is to send it out at the beginning of each month. The newsletter should cover the

past month’s progress, highlight the next month's strategies for improvement and describe any

important activities on the calendar for that upcoming month. This information will help

employees feel more apart of what is happening with the company. It will also enable them to

appreciate that higher-level management is communicating with them more, which will assist

in employees developing feelings of trust and respect. These positive images for management

by employees will aid in the process of redeeming a positive work culture for current

employees at Education at Work.

BUDGET: $0 This can be created by an intern that is hired.

EVENT DATE(S): This can be sent out the on the 3rd of every month.

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Monthly Survey

4&5: Employee Quarterly Survey

18: M artin Luther K ing, Jr. Day

23: M ixer @ EAW

This section can include tips for

college students. This can include

tips for saving money, places to

visit, or fun activities to do on the

weekend. This section connects to

the individual as a college student

rather than as an employee and lets

the individual see the company as

helpful.

Employee Spotlight:

John Doe

Dates to Remember

January 2016

Newsletter Issue 1: Jan. 3 2016

Newsletter Issue 1: Jan. 3 2016

On the Education at Work Facebook

an employee can post work oriented

or random survey questions that

incorporate other employees. The

feedback and results can be placed in

this section. This keeps the employees

connected to the social media and

enables them to see ways they

connect with their employees.

Insert a monthly joke here.

Write answer underneath upside down

This section can highlight an employee monthly. Things that can be

included in an employee spotlight are:

Positive attributes.

Their success habits.

How they benefit the company.

How they support employees.

Favorite movie.

Favorite food.

Favorite class.

Future goals.

End it with a quote about why he/ she enjoys working for

Education at Work.

Tips for college

students

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GOAL 2

OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 3

Send out a quarterly anonymous survey to employees to receive feedback about daily

operations via email. Conducting a survey will give management an idea of how the employees

are doing day by day in a new work atmosphere and position. Management must understand

how daily operations are flowing in order to conduct new metrics and ideas for the employees

to obtain.

BUDGET: $0

EVENT DATE(S): Every monday of each quarter- Starting January 4th, 2016.

I am satisfied with my opportunities for professional growth. Strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

I am satisfied with the job training Education at Work offers. Strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

I am inspired to meet my goals at work. Strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

I feel completely involved at work. Strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

I am excited about going to work. Strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

At Education at Work, employees adapt quickly to difficult situations. Strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

Employees in my organization take the time to help when difficulties arise. Strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

I am satisfied with working at Education at Work.

Strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

My manager and I have a good relationship. Strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

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I am satisfied with the total package of working at Education at work, including

tuition reimbursement, break times, and perks. Strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

I am happy with the flexibility Education at Work has to offer.

Strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

You may create the quarterly survey via surveymonkey.com. Free survey trails are available at your convenience and will result in data analysis on this survey. www.surveymonkey.com

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GOAL 2

OBJECTIVE 1 TACTIC 4

To successfully build relationships for employees in Education at Work, we suggest an offsite

team building activity to help the culture environment. This will not only help build stronger

relationships with Education at Work employees, it will also give the employees more drive

within the workplace. We suggest this team building activity to be somewhere relatively close

to UC campus and Education at Work. Some places we suggest are Sky Zone, Madison

Bowl, or any recreational place remotely close to the targeted area. Also, this is recommended

to be a bi-monthly event. Since there is not much down time in the work environment at

Education at Work, we believe this will benefit the employees, and also give them a chance to

build relationships within Education at Work.

BUDGET: 450.00 for 100 employees to bowl (including shoes)

ATTENTION

Education at

Work

Employees!

FRIDAY

April8,2016at9:00pm

BOWLING PARTY!

WHO DOESN’T LOVE FREE BOWLING? Come out to Madison Bowl 5 minutes from Education at Work, and

enjoy a night of free bowling with your co-workers! Pizza and drinks

will be provided. Let your supervisor know if you will be attending

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300.00 for drinks and food Total: 800.00 including tax for one event

***This number can be changed due to the amount of employees attending Evaluation Checklist:

Did you send an email reminding the supervisors to make an announcement? Is the flyer updated with the correct date(s)? Have you confirmed with Madison Bowl about the date? Do you have a confirmed number of employees attending the event?

Did you remind the supervisors to announce the event a week prior to the date?

EVENT DATE(S): April 8, 2016 & October 7 2016 at 9pm

GOAL 2

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OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 1

This tactic hopes to bring new direction to Education at Work’s website. They currently have a

lot of animation figures on their website that do not describe or exemplify who they are as an

organization. This tactic is to be used in order to create a new look for Education at Work’s

current website, and to bring a more professional aspect to it. Education at Work should

highlight more of the employee in order to be looked at as a more credible workplace. If

potential employees are looking at the website, and can relate to pictures of workers and

valuable information displayed there, they will then be more likely to be interested and apply

for a job. By implementing these different aspects to the future website of Education at Work,

there could be a better emotional response from those looking at the website.

Now Then

Facebook Cover Photo

Evaluation Checklist:

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Did you change the profile pictures on each social media platform from an animation to a current employee working for Education at Work?

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube

Did you feature the Employee of the Month article on each social media platform? Facebook Twitter

Instagram YouTube Did you evaluate how many people viewed, liked, commented, etc. on your posts on

each social media platform?

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube BUDGET: $0

GOAL 2

OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 2

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This tactic hopes to make use of social media to demonstrate the positive culture at Education

at Work between their employees. Education at Work has a presence on a number of different social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. However, they don’t

have a huge following on a couple of their different mediums, but if they could focus on highlighting more of the current and potential employees, that could definitely make a positive

impact. Education at Work can create a unique hashtag on Twitter for current and potential employees, post pictures of employees at work and at different events on Instagram, and

create more videos on YouTube to showcase the positive culture, what employees do at work, and different events/holidays. BUDGET: $0

Facebook: Instagram:

GOAL 2

OBJECTIVE 2 TACTIC 3

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Public Relations students at the University of Cincinnati strive to bring positive change to

organizations. We suggest that EAW goes to the Communication Internship Fair on the

University of Cincinnati campus in order to recruit a Public Relations intern that can carry out

the PR plans in this portfolio. Public Relations students will understand what, how, and when to

carry out the plans that we have suggestions and will be a valuable asset to EAW. EAW should

contact Dr. Metzler for more information about Public Relations internships and the

communication internship fair. Dr. Metzler’s office phone number is 513-556-4473 and her

email is M aribeth.Metzler@uc.edu

Job Description for 2016 Spring Internship Fair: Education at Work is looking for a Public Relations Intern that can implement a finished campaign. We are looking for a hardworking, outgoing, and independent intern that can assist with event planning, communicating with UC departments, and assist with enhancing internal

communication between departments. The best part about this internship is that you can work towards tuition assistance! To learn more about Education at Work and our tuition assistance

program, please visit our website! http://educationatwork.org/

BUDGET: $0 the fair is free to attend

EVENT DATE(S): Date is not nailed down but, it will be in March 2016.

Evaluation Checklist:

Did you contact Dr. Metzler about attending the Communication Spring Internship Fair?

Do you have promotional items and team members available to attend the fair?

Did you attend the Communication Spring Internship Fair?

GOAL 2

OBJECTIVE 3 TACTIC 1

To promote and exhibit the unique culture of Education at Work, we propose an open house

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networking event. This event will invite UC students and their friends and family to come see

the center and give them an opportunity to ask any questions they may have about the

organization. This event will also help enhance report among current employees. We urge you

to invite current employees to attend this event to speak to their experiences at EAW and

showcase the goodwill of the company.

BUDGET: $400 EVENT DATE(S): Saturday January 23, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (January 20, 2016) Contact Name

Education At Work

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Phone Number

Email Education At Work Hosting a Networking Mixer

Come Join Education at Work to Tour our offices and Speak with Students

Cincinnati, Ohio: Education at Work is a non profit organization devoted to making college affordable for all students. Since its opening, Education at Work has given out over 690,000 dollars in tuition assistance. Our goal by 2025 is to have given over one million dollars to help fund college tuition. On Saturday January 23, 2015 we will be hosting a networking mixer.

This mixer is open to the public. We encourage students and parents to come take a look at our facilities and enjoy good company and refreshments with us . Student employees will be in attendance to answer any questions you may have. We hope that by experiencing our culture, you will choose to come work with us.

Who: Education at Work What: Networking Event Where: Education at Work headquarters When: January 23, 2016 at 5 pm

Why: So that you can get to know us!

Applications will be provided to take home and fill out. There is no obligation after attending this networking session. We hope you consider attending and learning what makes us so unique. For any questions please contact our office at ENTER EMAIL HERE

Education at Work offers students up to 6,000 dollars in tuition assistance annually while

paying them a competitive hourly wage. Founded in 2012, Education at Work is dedicated to giving students a competitive edge in the ever-changing job market.

###

EVALUATION TOOL: On site survey

Education at Work Interview Survey

1. How did you hear about Education at work? o Flyer o Social Media

o On campus recruiter o UC job Center o Word of mouth

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o Other, please specify: 2. What encouraged you to apply for EAW?

o Tuition assistance o Fun work environment o Part time job

o Other, please specify: 3. What school do you go to? o UC o NKU o Mount St. Joe o UC Branch o Other, please specify: 4. What year are you?

o 1st year o 2nd year o 3rd year o 4th year o 5th + year

GOAL 2

OBJECTIVE 3 TACTIC 2

Education at Work will partner with HireUC in order to more aggressively target UC students. By

posting on the HireUC website, students are more likely to come into contact with open

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positions within the company. Having these openings posted directly onto a UC website will

eliminate suspicion about the legitimacy of Education at Work. Posting open positions on Hire

UC will also allow EAW to reach a higher number of students. Partnering with HireUC will

enable EAW to do things such as on campus interviews and information sessions.

BUDGET: $0

Step One, go to hireuc.com and click on New Employer Registration.

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Step Two, Under Find Your Organization type in Education at Work, check the box next to it,

and click continue.

Step Three, Confirm that the Employer Information listed is correct, then proceed to fill out the appropriate contact information.

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Step Four, Once you have filled out all the information and clicked Register, follow any prompts that may appear afterwards about further setting up the account. Job postings on HireUC will be accessible to students who are registered on the site and meet the qualifications set when the job is originally posted.

Evaluation Checklist:

Was an account on HireUC successfully created?

Were open positions successfully posted to HireUC?

Is there sufficient information available to interested students on available positions?

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PART FIVE: LOGISTICS

LOGISTICS ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 68

BUDGET.........................................................................................................................................................................69

CAMPAIGN CALENDAR ..................................................................................................................................................71 CALENDAR BRIEF ..........................................................................................................................................................73

BUDGET

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Funded:

If Not Funded:

Amount Allotted Object Notes

$200.00 Goal 1 Objective 1 Tactic 1: Event

@ UC Development Center

Includes food/drinks &

prizes

$30.00 Goal 1 Objective 1 Tactic 2: Info

flyers for UC campus centers

Per 50 flyers, priced @

Fed Ex

$0.00 Goal 1 Objective 2 Tactic 1:

Contact News Record Staff for

feature article

Intern can manage

$30.00 Goal 1 Objective 2 Tactic 2: Info

flyers in dorms & dining hall

Per 50 flyers, priced @

Fed Ex

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 1 Tactic 1:

Monthly meeting w/ employees

Hold during work hours

so employees are already

present

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 1 Tactic 2:

Monthly newsletter

Intern can manage

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 1 Tactic 3:

Quarterly survey to employees

$800.00 Goal 2 Objective 1 Tactic 4:

Offsite team building @ Madison

Bowl

Received Prices from

Madison Bowl

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 2 Tactic 1: Veer

away animation on social media

Intern can manage

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 2 Tactic 2: Social

media to highlight community

Intern can manage

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 2 Tactic 3:

Attend UC Comm Intern Fair

Free to attend fair

$400.00 Goal 2 Objective 3 Tactic 1: open

house at EAW

Includes food/drinks, &

fliers

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 3 Tactic 2:

Partner with Hire.uc

$1460.00 Total Amount

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Amount Allotted Object Notes

$0.00 Goal 1 Objective 2 Tactic 1: Contact News Record Staff for

feature article

Intern can manage

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 1 Tactic 1: Monthly meeting w/ employees

Hold during work hours so employees are

already present

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 1 Tactic 2: Monthly newsletter

Intern can manage

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 1 Tactic 3: Quarterly survey to employees

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 2 Tactic 1: Veer away animation on social

media

Intern can manage

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 2 Tactic 2: Use social media to highlight

community

Intern can manage

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 2 Tactic 3: Attend UC Comm Internship

Fair

Free to attend fair

$0.00 Goal 2 Objective 3 Tactic 2: Partner with Hire.UC

$0.00 Total Amount

CAMPAIGN CALENDAR

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71

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CALENDAR BRIEF

Tips for successful professional social media post

Throughout the calendar you will notice social media icons for either Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. These are the days where you should post on its appropriate media outlet.

Facebook should be used professionally to keep employees up to date while informing potential employees as well. For example, post about events being hosted at Education at

Work, ways encouraging students to apply, and post that value the fun, yet hardworking culture EAW has. This outlet gives you the opportunity to inform all of your viewers who you are and

what you do. We don’t recommend posting irrelevant articles, instead enhance culture, facts about debt, what EAW is doing to help students, success stories, and some funny post here and

there. Twitter is a perfect way to remind employees about events while being short, sweet, and

simple. Twitter can be used more frequently because there isn’t as much detail. We advise you to post Monday, Thursday and Friday, or whenever you feel it’s necessary! This platform is

more un-unified so it can be more spur of the moment. Pictures are worth a thousand works, Instagram is a perfect opportunity to highlight the events

that Education at Work offers, along with highlighting the culture and the environment. Use Instagram strategically to remind people that EAW is alive, fun, and a unique company to work

for. We also want you to capture that Education at Work is not just a call center, it’s a diverse environment with a plethora of opportunity. We advise you to post every Tuesday and Saturday, something professional one day and fun another.

Calendar Summary Throughout the calendar you will notice dates of events that we suggest Education at Work to do. For example, January 4th is to send out the quarterly survey to employees, this is the first of the Monday of the month, strategically made to make it easier on employees.

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APPENDIX A

References:

Author and former college president offers advice to parents on the first year of college | InsideHigherEd. (n.d.).

Retrieved September 30, 2015, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/08/18/author-and-

former-college-president-offers-advice-parents-first-year-college

Education at Work: Building Brighter Futures | Contact Center Services. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2015, from

http://www.education-at-work.org/

Education at Work signing clients, adding jobs. (2013, March 18). Retrieved September 30, 2015, from

http://www.wcpo.com/money/local-business-news/education-at-work-signing-clients-adding-jobs

Ghram, G. (2013, April 17). Non-profit bringing overseas jobs to local college students. Retrieved September 30,

2015, from http://www.fox19.com/story/22007907/education-at-work-brings-overseas-jobs-to-area-

college-students

It's the third year in a row the university chief has turned down his six -figure bonus, & Raise., D. A. (n.d.). University

of Cincinnati president gives away $200,000 bonus. Retrieved September 30, 2 015, from

http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/24/news/companies/university-cincinnati-president-bonus/

More Millennials Living With Family Despite Improved Job Market. (2015, July 29). Retrieved September 30, 2015,

from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/07/29/more-millennials-living-with-family-despite-improved-

job-market/

Peer Financial Coaching. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2015, from

https://www.uc.edu/wellness/services/peerfinancialcoaching.html

President Santa Ono's Statement on Governor Kasich's Budget Proposal. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=21163

SNA Boundary Changes Citywide. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2015, from http://www.cincinnati -

oh.gov/planning/linkservid/B4323A96-0FDE-C8F2-D90A5A899AD316BF/showMeta/0/

Statistical Neighborhood Approximation. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2015, from http://www.cincinnati -

oh.gov/planning/linkservid/B497DDAD-E93B-5987-72072BC1CD84942B/showMeta/0/

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The White House. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2015, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Working at Education at Work. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working -at-Education-

at-Work-EI_IE955643.11,28.htm

Young Adults, Student Debt and Economic Well-Being. (2014, May 14). Retrieved September 30, 2015, from

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/05/14/young-adults-student-debt-and-economic-well-being

(n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2015, from https://www.facebook.com/EducationatWork