public relations case study

1125 Kingsley Ave, St. Joseph, MI 49085 Phone: 269-325-2912

E-Mail: [email protected]: Web: www.christineokonwaterhouse.com

Christine Okon-Waterhouse

September 23, 2013 St. Joseph Public Schools

PUBLIC RELATIONS CASE STUDY

Christine Okon-Waterhouse September 12, 2013

Samples of Work at SJ Public Schools

2

As Director of Communications for St. Joseph Public Schools, I work with the superintendent, principals and other special groups to get messages out to students, parents, alums and the community on a daily basis. The District has over 2800 students and is known for its academic success, being technologically advanced in the classroom, and are proudly supported by a great community. My work is done through a combination of traditional print, digital media, social media, an extensive web site and also a community sign. It is my job to construct the message as well as determine the best avenues to reach the appropriate audience. In this publication I have provided some links and samples to give you an idea of what and how I accomplish this communication as well as screen shots of various web sites and social media. This is just a small amount of the work I have done. If you would like to see more examples, or my full portfolio, please let me know. Thank you,



3

Web Site: www.sjschools.org Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sjschools Twitter: #sjschools

Link to most current newsletter. http://issuu.com/cwaterhouse/docs/2013newsletterweb Note this is the only one printed and mailed each year and then the link is placed on the web site for visitors, alums and community. Link to latest calendar. http://issuu.com/cwaterhouse/docs/calendar2013_webEach year I design, sell the ads, write and publish this calendar which has become very popular with parents. They literally attack me at back to school nights to get their hands on it. Because of that, we are now fully funded for this project by the advertisements shown in the calendar. This is currently the fifth year for this project. Links to other publications and projects

SJPS Foundation Funding Report One of our major donors requested a report from us on how the money there were giving was being used. I compiled, wrote and designed the publication. After receiving this piece our donor doubled the amount to $103,000 this year. http://issuu.com/cwaterhouse/docs/fundingreport2012final_expanded

Brick by Brick program brochure This program raised over $40,000 for the school foundation. I not only developed the idea for the program but also produced the brochure and handled the project implementation. http://issuu.com/cwaterhouse/docs/brickbrochure

Celebrating 175 Years!

I planned a number of events last year to celebrate the 175th birthday of the St. Joseph Public Schools District. One challenge was reaching alums. This is a booklet I put together on-line that alums could look through to relive some favorite memories and also that current students could view to learn a little more about the history of their school. This booklet was show several times at different community events and talks as well as in every classroom in the district. http://issuu.com/cwaterhouse/docs/didyouknow_booklet

St. Joseph Public Schools Web Site (www.sjschools.org)

Twitter Page (#sjschools)

Facebook – main page Facebook – Events

Facebook – Videos

Facebook – Response to community post

Other Digital Messages Often for these I use Constant Contact. We currently have over 4400 subscribers, although that number is increasing every day. Below is an example of a digital newsletter that I composed and designed.

School Sign Coordinate messages with school events, city events and other non profits in the area.

Press Releases I have written many press releases for the St. Joseph Public Schools. Many have resulted in radio and television interviews and/or extended stories. Most have been happy, but a few have not including the flu epidemic and the passing of a teacher in the middle of the school year. I have included one typical example of a press release.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Director of Communications St. Joseph Public Schools & Foundation Coordinator, St. Joseph Public Schools Founda tion

July 2008 until present. In this position I am responsible for communications internally and externally including those with staff, parents, students, donors, alumni, Board Members and the community. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Work with Foundation Board to develop strategies to meet fundraising goals. Design program,

all collateral and marking material for the End-of-Year Giving Campaign, No Show Ball, and the American Girl Fashion Show® event. This includes coordinating over 200 volunteers, creating budgets and end of event reports, as well as selling tickets and creating new innovative ways of promoting the programs through traditional and social media, working with the AMG parent company to ensure brand integrity and awareness, all print and marketing material, as well as new ideas to encourage giving.

• Research and prepare grant applications to obtain additional funding. Successfully wrote several grants including one for over $100,000 for the Upton Planetarium renovation in 2010, $70,000 from Fairmount Minerals in December of 2011 and another $75,000 matching grant from the Upton Foundation for 1 to 1 Computing in December of 2011, Fairmount Minerals in January of 2013 for $18,000.

• Development of a plan for the school to reconnect with alumni through the Foundation. Including an alumni database, Alumni Mentoring network, Thank A Staff Member program, digital alumni newsletter, reunion packet and Planned Giving program.

• Create and develop all print and electronic material for District including, newsletter, school shopper materials. Annual report, school calendar, web site etc. Examples available upon request.

• Manage social media sites for the school and foundation, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

• Publish press releases on a regular basis as well as communicate with the press during times of crisis (i.e. flu outbreak, snow days, student successes, etc). This also includes planning and giving presentations to external groups with interests in the school system.

• Work closely with the Superintendent to create and communicate the Strategic Plan and other important messages to staff and community, specifically for the May 2009 bond proposal.

• Develop new marketing and fund raising strategies throughout the year. To date have raised over $2,500,000 for SJ Public Schools





Director of Development, Well of GRACE Ministries February 2007 until June 2008. Plan and coordinate all fundraising activities including annual Gathering, Mud Volleyball Tournament, Fall Fashion Show and Youth Concerts. Develop all print material necessary to promote the ministry, including posters, brochures, CD covers, displays and other material. Maintain donor communication, write and distribute press releases, quarterly newsletter and any other media relations including newspaper and radio interviews. Maintain web site. Responsible for researching, writing and maintaining all grant activity. Successfully obtained several local grants. Continue to work with the organization on a contract basis. For more information please visit www.wellofgraceministries.com. President & Artistic Director - CEODesign, Inc. August 1997 – February 2007. Designer and developer of corporate and commercial web sites, ecommerce solutions, multimedia presentations, packaging and print marketing materials. Employed and managed six full time graphic designers and sales personnel. Worked extensively with local and nationally recognized companies including Whirlpool Corporation. Graphic Designer – Whirlpool Fina ncia l (WFC) July 1994 – July 1997. Worked in the graphics center creating presentations for sales presentations, designed credit card applications, POP material, trade show signs and marketing materials.

EDUCATION

St. Joseph High School 1989 Lake Michigan College – various classes 1990-1994 Michigan State University – Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, May 1994 University of New Wales, Sydney – overseas Social Sciences program, 1994

AWARDS & AFFILIATIONS 2012-2013 Women’s Service League Member 2011-2013 Michigan Foundation Alliance Member 2008-2013 American Schools Foundation Alliance Member 2012 Powerschool & Powerscheduler Certified 2005 Adjunct Graphic Design Instructor with Lake Michigan College 2004 Top 40 Business People under 40 in West Michigan, Business Direct Weekly 2003 AHA Award for Print Design Presented by Heritage Papers 2002-2004 Member LMC CIS Advisory Committee Winner of 2000 Cornerstone Alliance Platinum Stake Award 1999 WCA Tribute to Women – Honored as a nominee Miss Southwest Michigan 1992 and 1994



TECHNICAL/SOFTWARE PROFICIENCIES Extensive software knowledge on MAC and PC Platforms including Microsoft Office Suite Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Macromedia Flash, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Quark Express, Adobe Acrobat, PHP and HTML coding.

REFERENCES Anna Abdelnour President, Blossomtime 269-428-0663 SJPS Foundation Board Member

Leslie Kroeze Director, Well of GRACE 269-428-WELL Dan Fette Berrien County Econ Dev 269-325-6569 Al Skibbe Former Superintendent, 269-930-6144 St. Joseph Public Schools PORTFOLIO Limited samples available at www.christineokonwaterhouse.com To view my complete portfolio, please contact me at 269-325-2912.

1125 Kingsley Ave, St. Joseph, MI 49085 Phone: 269-325-2912

E-Mail: [email protected]: Web: www.christineokonwaterhouse.com

Christine Okon-Waterhouse

September 12, 2013

THE END

public relations case study

Documents