Brief Marketing Plan Outline

HOF: Helping Our Families

Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County

Sherri Hof                  October 11, 2015

I. Executive Overview

 A. Implementation of a Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County West Virginia

  1. Boys and Girls Club of America is a national non-profit organization whose programs provide hope to young people across the country.1
  • Character development is thought to be the basic building block of personal development so all programs and activities stress this philosophy.1
  • Boys and Girls Club of America has been producing successful outcomes for kids for over 150 years, helping them reach their full potential.1

HOF: Helping Our Families, started as a graduate program assignment but after an exploratory of our community, determined children could benefit from a partnership between HOF: Helping Our Families and Boys and Girls Club of America.

2.    Success is most realized when solid relationships with other community organizations are developed, all contributing to the achievement of the youth served by the partnerships.1

  • Boys and Girls Club of America trains personnel and provides support to any local organization who wants to affiliate with the Boys and Girls Club of America.
  • The Chronicle of Philanthropy, in 2012 produced a Philanthropy 400 report and ranked Boys and Girls Club of America number 18 among all nonprofit organizations1 which demonstrates their competence in making a difference.
  • Capitalizing on the resources provided by the Boys and Girls Club of America and fostering relationships with other community organizations Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County West Virginia will flourish.

B. Why a Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County

  1. In Hardy County there are limited resources for children to play, grow, learn, and prosper in safe, supervised environment.
  • 28% of adults drive over 30 minutes one way to and from work2 which means for the majority, their children are left unsupervised at home after school.
  • During the 2011-2012 school year, 16% of residents reported limited access to healthy foods.2
  • During the 2011-2012 school year, only 83% of those entering the ninth grade graduated earning a high school diploma within 4 years.2
  • In Hardy County 26% of children under the age of 18, live in poverty, which means 715 children are at a disadvantage.2
  • Of the 2, 284 families in Hardy County, 997 are single parent family demographics which equal 35%.2

2. Nationwide statistics demonstrate between 3pm-7pm, 15 million children are left unsupervised.3

  • Lack of supervision results in higher juvenile crime.3
  • In America 3 out of every 10 children are obese or overweight stemming from a lack of physical activity or ability to access healthy foods.4
  • The lack of supervision results in poorer educational attainment, less social engagement and less family involvement.

C. Intended Intervention

  1. Working with other community organizations we will open a Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County on Monday, January 4, 2016.
  • By opening day on January 4, 2016, 100% of the children in Hardy County will be aware of the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County and the opportunities it provides.
  • Initially we will serve children from 6 to 15 years of age by providing a place for these boys and girls to go immediately after school: 3p.m. until 7p.m. Monday-Friday.
  • Seeking support from the county school system and the transportation department, we will attempt to provide transportation from the local schools to the Club for all who want to attend.

2. Accepting guidance from the national organization of Boys and Girls Clubs of America, we will open utilizing their basic universally implemented programs, providing supervision, producing educational opportunities, character building exercises and prescribing fitness activities.

  • Schedule an evaluation at the end of each quarter for expansion plans specific to our children’s needs as they become identified.
  • Implement additional programming to address the needs identified resulting from the evaluation and assessment each quarter.

3. By opening the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County we will decrease the number of children left at home alone after school by 50% within six months of opening.

  • All attendees of the Boys and Girls Club will experience and learn about healthier snacks resulting from participation in educational activities about the food pyramid and food groups and the provision of healthy snacks. This is an immediate goal.
  • By implementing programming inclusive of physical activity the fitness of children attending the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County will improve by 25% within six month. This is a short term goal.
  • After six months of operation, an evaluation will be conducted to evaluate the possibility of expanding the age limits beginning with 4 year olds to 17 year olds. This is a short term goal.
  • After one year, 50% of all of the children, whether at risk or not in Hardy County will be attending the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County. This is a long term goal.
  • After one year, Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County will expand to implement 3 programs addressing specific needs of children in Hardy County, in addition to the general programs offered by Boys and Girls Clubs of America. This is a long term goal.
  • After five years, Hardy County will recognize a 25% increase in those children beginning in 9th grade and graduating in the four year normally progressive timeframe attributing the improvement to participation in the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County.
  • After five years, Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County will acknowledge additional family needs and will begin implementing additional programs to improve not only outcomes for the primary audience but for the secondary audience and others in the community.

II. The Customers (Market Review)     

A. Primary Target Audience

  • Children in Hardy County between the ages of 6 and 15.
  • Latch-key children (Behavioral)
  • Children struggling in school (Behavioral)
  • Children in single parent family homes (Cultural)
  • Children who have limited social skills or opportunities for socialization (Cultural)
  • Children living in poverty (Demographic)
  • Children with limited access to healthy foods (Demographic)
  • Expand the allowed age of participation to children between ages 4-17 (Physical)
  • Obese/Overweight children (Physical)
  • Children who recognize their limited resources but want to improve their circumstances/outcomes (Psychographic)
  • Children who will benefit from supervision and are receptive to participating in programs for self-improvement (Psychographic)

B. Secondary Target Audience

  • Parents of children in Hardy County
  • Guardians (Foster parents, custodial parents, relatives) of children in Hardy County
  • Adult influential figures on children in Hardy County

III. The Product (Product Review)

 A. Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County

  1. A place for children to gather to play, learns, grow and prosper in a safe, supervised environment.
  2. Programs that offer services promoting positive development, enriching character, enhancing socialization, creating a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence, all while having fun.1
  3. The Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County creates well-rounded individuals due to the vast array of programs offered, partnerships created, and alliances forged to bridge gaps between community, academia and children.1

B. Boys and Girls Clubs of America have a record of over 150 years of successful community involvement and organizational partnerships resulting in an ability to identify specific needs within communities and provide resources to address those needs.

  1. Many celebrities attended Boys and Girls Clubs of America and attribute their success to that participation.
  2. Many experts, including the Chronicles of Philanthropy rank the organization number one in youth organizations.

 IV. Strategies 

A. Position

  1. We will portray the image that as a member of the national organization of Boys and Girls Club of America we have the resources to impact the community while maintaining independence to develop programs specific to the needs of our community.
  2. Unlike other organizations, Boys and Girls Club of America partners with such corporations as Coca Cola, Disney, Raytheon, Microsoft, Major League Baseball Charities, just to name a few. These alliances will extend opportunities to our youth that no other organization in the county can duplicate or compare.

B. Product

  1. Features: Starting a Boys and Girls Club in Hardy County means we have a place for kids to come hang out after school instead of going home alone and watching television while eating unhealthy snacks. We have tutoring for help with homework, healthy snacks, physical activities and games for improved fitness, drug, alcohol, tobacco, and sexual activity resistance training, leadership activities and community service projects.
  2. Necessity: When children are left home alone there are temptations for behaviors that cause problems and are counterproductive to successful outcomes. The lack of structure means homework and school productivity are jeopardized, promiscuity, drug and tobacco use increase, obesity and poor physical fitness manifest and social skills diminish. Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County partners with community resources to offer programs and educational activities to combat the effects of latch key kids by affording kids the opportunity to hang out, have fun and learn all in a structured environment with caring adults to serve as mentors.

C. Price

  1. Cost: Recognizing the low income levels of the families we need to serve most, we will charge $25.00 a month, which allows attendance in any Club program Monday-Friday, from 3:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m. This fee will include all activities, supplies, snacks, tutoring and transportation to the Club from school. For those who need the service but cannot afford the $25.00 we will partner with community organizations soliciting sponsorships for those children, enabling them to attend free of charge.
  2. Value: Many parents leave children unattended without any supervision. While there is a cost involved with the Club that many families would not normally incur, the success of their children make the Club fee worthwhile. Parents will see happier children, better students, productive community members and proud achievers with goals for continued improvement and success. Investment in children is the way to improve communities, reduce drug, alcohol and tobacco addictions, diminish teenage pregnancies and promiscuity, enhance citizenship, increase high school graduation rates, improve fitness, reduce obesity and ensure a future that is promising for those in whom the investment was made.

 D. Promotion

  1. While other organizations concentrate on building particular skills for future success, none extend the opportunity for children to enhance almost every aspect of their lives through participation in numerous programs like those offered by the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County. Partnerships and sponsorships are the collaborative effort that makes it possible for such a variety of programs to be possible all under the auspices of the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County. Children who attend the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County will become well rounded individuals with skills to help them excel in the future.
  2. The first introduction to the Club will be brochures handed out at Fall Festival occurring October 9th -11th and during the town parade on October 10th. The blog, HOF: Helping Our Families will continue with updates towards the opening of the Club. We will also do a Facebook page and encourage parents and children to “like us.” The blog will continue to publish updates even after opening of the Club and then notices on activities, special announcements about programs, etc. Parents and children will be encouraged to comment on the blog. The Boys and Girls Club will be promoted in each of the schools via posters in the hallways. The county libraries will also house posters and brochures to encourage viewing the blog and about the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County. Local businesses with whom partnerships exist will advertise by allowing posters in their store windows and brochures on their counters. Posters and brochures will also be placed at the Department of Social Services office, WIC office, and the Health Department. Finally, throughout the county, campaign signs will be strategically placed advertising the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County. A large banner will be hung across the front of the building promoting the opening of the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County.  The Moorefield Examiner will publish the press release regarding the new Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County and then weekly ads for one year. The radio station, WELD, will play the public service announcement regarding the opening of the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County. For $25.00 a week, WELD will play an advertisement twice a day. The advertisement can consist of one minute of important facts about the Boys and Girls Club. We will use this form of advertisement for 6 months and then further evaluate the advertisement effectiveness.

V. Budget

A. Our one year projected cost for the promotion and advertising of the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County is $4495.00.

  • The banner for across the building costs $125.00.
  • The brochures will be printed at no cost as a donation from DentaQuest, Sherri Hof’s employer. DentaQuest agreed to sponsor the printing of 1,000 brochures which should last one year.
  • The brief public service announcement on WELD is done at no charge because it is a public service announcement.
  • The ad in the Moorefield Examiner is $10 a week for 52 weeks totaling $520.00.
  • The campaign signs are $15.00 when 100 or more are ordered. For signs to saturate the county we will need 100 signs so the total will be $1,500.00 for signs.
  • The blog and Facebook are both free to operate.
  • The posters cost $5.00 a piece when 250 or more are ordered. We will order 250 posters totaling $1250.00.
  • The additional radio ads on WELD cost $25.00 a week for 24 weeks, totaling $600.00.
  • We will keep $500.00 in reserve for advertising in the case of a special event, a fair or some other opportunity to set up a booth or other form of advertising arises, we can be financially prepared for the investment.
  • All of the items above will be our budgetary items for advertising for the first year. The total cost for our first year of advertising is $4495.00.

B. We are able to advertise and promote the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County relatively inexpensively due to the donations from DentaQuest, WELD, the free blog and Facebook and the generosity of our partners.

This budget reflects the cost of advertising materials which will be placed strategically throughout the county advising of the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County; the new place for children to play, learn, grow and prosper in a safe, supervised environment. By partnering with local businesses, libraries, schools and governmental agencies, we will be able to place our posters throughout the county in visible locations where parents and children spend time. The blog and Facebook draw attention of the children and computer savvy parents, who after experiencing the Boys and Girls Club will want to share their experience with others. This advertising is free and personal experience is the best type of advertising available. Due to the fact that we are so rural, we need the 100 signs to make sure all children, even in the most remote areas of the county know about the Boys and Girls Club. While the public service announcement on WELD is free, we want to invest in additional radio ads to stir interest by providing a bit more information than can be shared in the public service announcement. Referrals are the best source of promotion, so we know once the Club opens and children get to actually experience the programs and enjoy the Club, they will share with other children and we will grow exponentially.          

References

1. Boys and Girls Clubs of America. The Boys and Girls Code. The Official Site of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. © Boys & Girls Clubs of America. http://www.bgca.org/whoweare/Pages/History.aspx. Accessed August 26, 2015. 

  1. County Health Ratings and Roadmaps. Health Rankings. http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/west-virginia/2015/measure/factors/82/data. Accessed September 7, 2015.
  1. U.S. Department of Juvenile Justice. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Statistical Briefing Book. http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/offenders/qa03401.asp?qaDate=2008 . Released on December 21, 2010. Accessed: August 26, 2015.
  1. Ogden CI, Carroll MD, Curten LR, et al. Prevalence of High Body Mass Index in US Children and Adolescents, 2007-2008. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2010; 303(3): 242-249.

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