Start Here…Go FurtherHelp Implement a National
College Access Initiative
Session 6
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The Need for Communication
• What students and families know about financial aid
• What are we doing to communicate and how well are we doing it?
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Limitations of existing outreach efforts• Information/awareness-focused• Lack of clear, compelling messages to
action• Insufficient understanding of the
audience• No message delivery in popular culture• Targeting parents is often not a priority
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CAM – a model of successful communication• Social marketing is the application
of marketing concepts and tools to causes that advance the social good (anti-smoking campaigns, designated drivers, get out the vote)
• College access marketing is social marketing that persuades people to engage in college-going behaviors.
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Core principles of college access marketing• Know your audience and look at
everything from their point of view.• Build on your audience’s existing
beliefs, attitudes, values, and motivations.
• Be very clear about what you are encouraging people to do.
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Core principles of college access marketing (continued)
• Remove unnecessary barriers (make it as easy as possible).
• The best techniques aren’t necessarily the flashiest.
• Remember that success depends on getting your audience to act.
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College Access Marketing website
www.collegeaccessmarketing.org
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Create a Campaign – College Access Marketing1. Define the purpose and focus of your
campaign: what problem are you trying to solve?
2. Identify your target audience and their primary influencers
3. Set objectives: what do you want your audience to do?
4. Research your audience as a reality check
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Create a Campaign - College Access Marketing5. Plan: Build a strong marketing plan
(resources, strategy, tactics, messages)
6. Implement your plan7. Learn as you go: track results and
make adjustments8. Evaluate results and share your
efforts with the field
FUNDRAISING BASICS
Securing Financial Resources for Your
Program
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PROCESS
• Identify prospects through research• Educate prospects through appropriate
materials• Cultivate prospects through relationship-
building activities and events• Engage prospects through meaningful
involvement• Solicit them through personal contact
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PROCESS – Essential Elements• LEADERSHIP – Who in your
group will take charge?
• CASE - Tell your story! Why is your program important?
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PROCESS – Essential Elements• PROSPECTS – Who might be
interested in this program?
• RESOURCES - Commit a sufficient level of resources to the effort. Form a special fundraising/sponsorship group.
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PLAN – An essential tool
• Gives you a road map so you know where you’re going and when you’ve gotten there.
• Helps to build ownership among all participants.
• How will money be spent?
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PLAN – An essential tool
• Tells everyone what their role is; assigns responsibilities.
• Tracks what works and what doesn’t.
• Saves time and reinventing the wheel at each meeting.
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PLAN – What’s in it?
• Mission-Drive Programs – What needs funding? How do those programs relate to your mission?
• Diverse Sources of Funding – Take advantage of the many sources for funding. One contribution or ongoing?
• Dollar Goals – How much do you plan to raise?
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PLAN – What’s in it?
• Staff Assignments – Who is responsible?• Volunteer Assignments – Who will be in
charge?• Monthly Tasking – What tasks need to be
done when?• Costs – What is the time and energy level
volunteers have to put into a plan and implementation?
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PEOPLE• Fundraising is all about
RELATIONSHIPS.• This applies to individuals,
corporations, foundations – everyone!• Everybody knows somebody.• The main reason why people give
– The right person asked them for the right gift at the right time in the right way.
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Create a Campaign – Fundraising
1. Define the purpose and focus of your campaign: what initiatives are you trying to fund?
2. Identify your potential donors, sponsors or partners, as well as their primary influencers
3. Set objectives: what do you want these prospects to do?
4. Research your prospects as a reality check
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Create a Campaign - Fundraising
5. Plan: Build a strong fundraising plan (resources, strategy, tactics, messages)
6. Implement your plan7. Learn as you go: track results and
make adjustments8. Evaluate results and share your
efforts with the field
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Recap:PROCESSPLANPEOPLE
For more information, visit www.capdevstrat.com
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College Goal Sunday
• Free assistance to low-income families and first-generation students to complete the FAFSA.
• Funded by Lumina Foundation for Education; managed by NASFAA.
• 25 states plus DC.• Additional nine states in 2007.
www.collegegoalsundayusa.org
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Create a Campaign – College Goal Sunday Marketing1. Define: Increase FAFSA filers within the
target population.2. Identify: Ex. Urban low-income youth.
Primary influencers: Parents, religious leaders, peers
3. Set objectives: Get them to attend prepared to complete the FAFSA.
4. Research: Knowledge of this population, i.e. attitudes, incentives and barriers.
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Create a Campaign - College Goal Sunday Marketing5. Plan: Using marketing toolkit, include
partners, develop working groups, develop messages outreach plan.
6. Implement: Develop timeline, responsibilities, follow up and accountability.
7. Learn: Report back to working group and task force, respond to opportunities and challenges.
8. Evaluate: Who came? Who didn’t? Attendees prepared? Participation by site?
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Audience Research• Trends in Youth Culture
– Where they hang– Where they spend their money– Popular technology– What they listen to– Where they spend most of their time
• Adult Population– Where they work– What are their day-to-day lives like
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Create a Campaign – College Goal Sunday Fundraising1. Define: Sustainability of program following
Lumina grant; diversification of funding sources.
2. Identify: Identify prospective donors in the state, i.e. businesses, foundations, individuals.
3. Set objectives: Secure financial support, in-kind support, sponsorships, recruit volunteers.
4. Research: Market to the needs and motivations of the donor. For example, the wealthy self-made man who “made it” because of education.
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Create a Campaign - College Goal Sunday Fundraising5. Plan: Using the fundraising toolkit, establish a
fundraising working group; set dollar goals.6. Implement: Develop timeline, responsibilities,
follow up and accountability.7. Learn: Report back to working group and task
force, respond to opportunities and challenges.8. Evaluate: Dollars raised, sponsors and
volunteers recruited, in-kind gifts secured, etc.
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For More Information…• Karen Cheng, Project Manager
– Pathways to College Network– [email protected]
• Marshall H. Ginn, CRFE– Capital Development Strategies– [email protected]
• Marcia Weston– Director of College Goal Sunday Operations– [email protected]
