strategic communications plan 2012-2013 · situation but also by a personal connection to the cause...
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Strategic Communications Plan 2012-2013 Bailey S. Yeager
Georgetown University Public Relations and Corporate Communications Capstone – Fall 2012
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 BACKGROUND 4
MESSAGING AND CONTENT LANDSCAPE 4
THE NON‐PROFIT SECTOR 5
NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS 6
ISSUE AND SERVICES 8
PROMOTIONS 9
NAMI’S MARKET SHARE 11
COMPETITION 12
RESOURCES 15
DIRECTION OF COMMUNICATIONS 16
SITUATION ANAYLSIS 20
CORE OPPORTUNITY 21
GOAL 21
OBJECTIVES 21
KEY PUBLICS 22
BRAND POSITIONING 25
FRAMING 27
MESSAGING 29
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS 31
CALENDAR 37
BUDGET 38
MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION 39 CONCLUSION 41
APPENDICES 42
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is above all an inspiring voice in the mental
health non‐profit world. Positioning the organization as one that assists, inspires and
empowers those affected by mental illness is essential to driving year‐round fundraising efforts
among varying donor profiles. Donors are motivated not only by their current financial
situation but also by a personal connection to the cause and seeing their contributions at work.
Delivering the NAMI message in a personal way is a challenge for the organization. Recent
online initiatives (You Are Not Alone in This Fight video submissions) have stalled due to an
apprehension about self‐identifying by NAMI members. The following NAMI Strategic
Communications Plans recommends tactics for engaging current and new publics with still
frame photographic content creation. These recommendations stand to unite publics through
elements outside of their connection to mental illness and to use the momentum of
photographic content and mobile application access to spur awareness about the cause.
Included in this plan are suggested tactics for engaging current NAMI members, NAMI state and
affiliate offices, public health influencers and socially conscious college students. Developing a
conversation between invested publics (NAMI members and NAMI state and affiliate offices)
will allow NAMI to leverage these relationships when reaching out to new publics.
The strategies and tactics listed in this plan seek to establish a deeper understanding of the
challenges and opportunities that lie in the five organizational goals for NAMI’s future.
Suggested tactics to reach out to NAMI members through Google+ talks will render new
perspective on the task of rethinking the NAMI education premise, efforts to engage college
students through participation in health fairs and freshman orientations will give insight into
messages and ideas that resonate with those publics.
In addition to strategies and tactics which address new approaches to organizational goals and
achieve the communications objectives detailed, this plan also includes a calendar, budget and
recommended measurement and evaluation benchmarks.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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Messaging and Content Landscape
Currently, United States media coverage is focused on the economic uncertainty of the
American family. The American family is faced with difficult holiday/year‐end spending
decisions in the midst of a plateauing national economy and Congressional indecision
regarding tax increases. Despite the end of a long and message‐heavy election year, domestic
concern about the “fiscal cliff” and its implications for middle‐class Americans is at a fever
pitch and this has dramatic implications for year‐end non‐profit fundraising.
According to a 2012 Blackbaud survey “US respondents’ decisions to increase charitable
contributions were most often impacted by a change in their personal financial situation.” In
addition American donors are increasingly motivated to donate to a cause because of the
impact of their donation and seeing the impact of their money spent.
In 2012, all potential contributors have been touched by
the presidential campaign and candidates’ wide‐sweeping
efforts through calls to their homes, visits to their front
doors and political messaging over various channels of
media. As in any year‐end fundraising campaign
organizations are challenged to make their messages heard
among their core organizational publics. They are also
challenged to attract new audiences that are sympathetic to
their organization’s mission.
Motivations for becoming a regular donor to a non‐profit are noted as “an improvement in
[donor] their personal financial situation, having passion about an organization’s mission,
[and] access to information that proved the impact of their contributions.”i
In 2013, the challenge will be to continue to leverage existing relationships to create a
stronger presence in the mind of growing and mobilizing new publics. NAMI will need to
present an evolved online presence to gain new publics and ultimately raise awareness. This
BACKGROUND
Motivations for becoming a regular donor to a non-profit:
1. An improvement in a donor’s personal financial situation
2. Having a passion for the organization’s mission
3. Access to information that proved the impact of contributions
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will mean creating a two‐way dialogue online between the organization and members
invested in the core mission of the organization.
The Non‐Profit Sector
Successful non‐profit organizations in both mission and fundraising are using the strengths of
their members and advocates through mediums that they use every day. Often non‐profits
are interested in the use of social media to tie their members together but do not have the
time or human capital to create a thoughtful strategy.
According to Holly Ross, Executive Director for the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN),
“Transparency, immediacy, and integrity are the new norm. If nonprofits can embrace that,
then they will be prepared for the future of communications and fundraising. The potential is
undoubtedly there, but it's even newer than email fundraising, so it will just take some time.”
It is well understood that traditional methods of fundraising still far out‐perform digital
strategies but this field is rapidly changing and the non‐profits that are able to keep pace and
navigate the new landscape will be able to maximize their fundraising strategy long‐term
among varying publics.
Success in the non‐profit field is tied to online fundraising
through employing technology thoughtfully and using sites
that facilitate and reward giving and giving in a social way.
Many non‐profits are offering supporters the opportunity to
publicize their giving on Facebook and other social media
sites thus attracting new donors based on the personal
connection to the first donor.
Many non‐profit health related organizations face the challenge of
appealing to supporters by addressing all injustices that surround
mental illness treatment and services. This requires these
organizations to provide a service (education programs),
advocate for the cause (for government funding for research and
resources for families) and spread awareness among the public
“Transparency, immediacy, and integrity are the new norm. If nonprofits can embrace that, then they will be prepared for the future of communications and fundraising. –Holly Ross
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(ways to get help, ways to help). The multi‐pronged interests of mental health organizations
makes it difficult to execute streamlined messaging and address all publics in a way that
reinforces their self‐interests. One way to create success online is to use what has already
been produced. There is a surplus of content on NAMI’s pages that could be funneled to social
media to reach a wide audience.
Many non‐profits are employing dynamic content marketing to:
1. Leverage your story
2. Employ a multidimensional multimedia approach
3. Harness the power of user‐generated content
4. Empower staff to be creative
5. Stay true to your brand
National Alliance on Mental Illness
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health
organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by
mental illness. NAMI advocates for access to
services, treatment, support and research and is
steadfast in its commitment to raising awareness and
building a community of hope for all those in need.ii
From its inception in 1979, NAMI has been dedicated to improving the lives of individuals
and families affected by mental illness. Financial contributions allow NAMI to offer an array
of programs, initiatives and activities in support of the NAMI mission.”iii
The National Alliance on Mental Illness has a wide audience: 1 in 4 people in a year are
affected by mental illness. It touches many communities: families, physicians,
pharmaceutical companies and mostly people around us every day on the street. It affects
new mothers, veterans of many wars, young adults, college students and many more
groups.
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Organizational Goals for 2012‐2013:
1. NAMI 360 rollout: training field offices, redesign of website, re‐imagining member
information collection and database
2. Chartering: all state offices and affiliates will be trained and chartered by mid‐2013
3. Rethinking NAMI education: format, presentation, distance learning, making
education digital and available from home
4. Making NAMI younger: diversifying publics/supporters, seeking to create a virtual
social media presence that resonates with the younger demographic
5. Diversifying funding: seeking out new targeted audiences, seeking to make these
audiences consider donating to NAMI and the mental health causeiv
The aim of the organization is to provide support for those that are unsupported: providing
help to those that need help and providing a way to involve those that are willing to help. In
order to realize the full potential of NAMI’s reach is to break down “mental illness.” To start
to think in terms of the person: the individual and what a single person encounters in one
day. Connecting people based on shared experience is a way to build community outside of
diagnosis.
NAMI has the opportunity to create community among members by seeking to create
storytellers of their established publics and employing the use of photography in their
social media and general web strategy.
From there the National Alliance on Mental Illness can group
audiences by their shared experiences. People feel empowered
and “not alone” when they can see themselves in others. NAMI has
a responsibility to segment messages and deliver them directly to
the audience seeking information that aligns with their self‐
interest. Delivering the NAMI member audience with the stories,
faces, people they want to hear about. And the stories that are
familiar and show members they are indeed “not alone.”
To continue to show “mental illness” is to choose to not provide a voice to individuals. Each person’s story matters. The stories of individuals need to be seen as of value to NAMI and the work to de-stigmatize mental illness.
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Issue and Services
NAMI’s impact statement reads, “For thousands of people, NAMI serves as the frontline
contact in providing support, education and empowerment to individuals and families
affected by mental illness. We advocate for access to treatment, services, supports and
research on behalf of the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.”v
NAMI’s focus is providing: support for families and individuals, access to resources and
information and advocacy on behalf of the community.
The focus of NAMI is on a larger scale (mental health vs. depression, women’s health vs.
heart disease) than many other niche health‐related organizations. This is a challenge
because NAMI has competition for donation revenue among organizations that focus on
specific mental illnesses where all the stories of those affected may be strikingly similar,
thus creating a feeling of shared experience and community.
The membership of the organization is primarily comprised of women in their 40s and 50s
that have children living with mental illness. This is important to note because attachment
to a cause comes from people being affected by it personally.vi US respondents from
Blackbaud’s 2011 Nonprofit Survey were most likely to make their last one off donation
because of a personal circumstance connected to the issue of the organization.vii Connection
to a cause can come in the form of friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers being personally
affected by mental illness and can offer insight into the self‐interest of each through their
personal connection to mental illness.
NAMI should focus on those people that are affected, tap into those that they know are
concerned while reaching out to new publics incrementally for support through careful
research and thoughtful planning. This means showing new publics how they are connected
to the cause through delivering key organizational messages.
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Promotions
NAMI was presented with the opportunity to shape their message to the public recently
through two new PSAs titled, “You Are Not Alone in This Fight.”
The successes in the development process are clear. By
incorporating historical figures into the storyline the
announcement seeks to build a sense of commonality among
people while also breaking the stereotype that mental illness
equates to less able or less capable. It is successful in showing that
mental illness is and has been unnecessarily stigmatized and
illustrating the falsehood of mental illness as debilitating.
In 2013, NAMI will need to define how the tagline, “You Are Not Alone in This Fight” will fit‐
into the shape of NAMI. The PSA could function as a long‐term theme of the organization or
one of many themes that help to further the mission to de‐stigmatize mental illness. NAMI
will also need to establish how the tagline will contribute to the messaging of the
organization. Then attempting to differentiate the organization from other organizations
with similar taglines and owning “the fight” in the minds of NAMI’s publics.
It is important also that NAMI’s publics understand the potential outcomes of spreading the
message of the PSA and spreading the message to a larger audience. NAMI must
demonstrate the importance of the PSA in spreading awareness and thus creating action for
families and individuals. Outreach about the PSA must tie directly to the success of
individuals—to show an increase in the services that they are provided and how lessening
stigma in society contributes to healthy lives.
Successfully campaigning for airtime means understanding that relevance to the targeted
audience is the most important criteria for selection and pick up. viii In conjunction with a
strong PSA campaign these messages can be spread through year‐end fundraising emails
and mailings to members and education participants.
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NAMI’s Market Share
NAMI is an established voice and organization in the mental health advocacy world. Yet,
NAMI is also one of many voices throughout the year fighting for social, health and other big
changes in society.
NAMI is viewed as a commanding voice in the mental health world but are still rivaled by
Mental Health America and locale‐based mental health associations which appeal to
individuals’ sense of community, shared experience and empathy.
In 2011, NAMI raised over $250,000 in year‐end fundraising. The goal for the 2012 year‐
end fundraising campaign is $300,000. In years beyond 2012 it can be expected that NAMI
should aim to exceed $300,000 in year‐end fundraising.
However, the structure of the organization presents an inherent impediment to fundraising.
NAMI’s competition is both found in other health‐related organizations seeking social
change and also in NAMI state and affiliate offices. In addition to competition from well‐
known physical health non‐profits NAMI must also compete with their own local affiliates
for donation revenue.
In addition to messaging through email, PSA and otherwise NAMI members will also receive
a call for donations from their area affiliate offices. In most cases, it will be a call from
someone that they may have met, a person that has been present at their education classes
or interacted with them during meetings in their neighborhood area. This also presents a
challenge to the national office as local offices have the benefit of having met some of these
people and impacted their life on a very personal level.
The national NAMI office appeals to people on a social impact/movement level but is
challenged to present its mission as personal. NAMI succeeds in delivering personal
messages through communication of hope and inspiration digitally.
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Competition
In 2010 there were 16,945 public charities in the United States that were categorized as
mental health/crisis intervention related.
NAMI is one of over 80,000 health/disease/medical research charities in the nation.ix
A well‐known mental health non‐profit that competes with NAMI is Mental Health America
(MHA).
“Mental Health America (formerly known as National Mental Health Association) is
the country’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping
ALL people live mentally healthier lives. With 240
affiliates nationwide, we represent a growing
movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well‐
being of the nation – everyday and in times of crisis.”x
Mental Health America’s mission reads:
“achieve victory over mental illnesses
and addictions through advocacy,
education, research and service.”xi
MHA is similar to NAMI in that the organizational focus is similar yet the approach
to the mental health crisis is different. MHA uses affirming language to assert their
position on mental health and why it should matter to all Americans. MHA does this
on their website mission page by stating all stakeholders in the mental health crisis
and the ways that they are being affected through a series completing the prompt,
“We are…” MHA, similarly to NAMI, employs the “fight” metaphor for the mental
health crisis through using language like, “achieve victory over mental illnesses.”
Through a careful social media analysis over 30 days found in Appendix D it has
been noted that while members are highly receptive to inspirational text they are
The general tone of MHA is empowerment—while the tone of NAMI
is inspirational. Those affected by mental illness are seeking a thought-leading organization to provide both.
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energized by combative approaches to fighting stigma. In this way the “You Are Not
Alone in This Fight” PSA speaks to the self‐interest of NAMI members.
Mental Health America’s success in social media is tied to their understanding of the
power of a distinct call to action (as demonstrated on their Facebook banner) and
harnessing the power of multimedia storytelling. Mental Health America has been
successful in showing rather than telling the social impact of mental illness in
America.
MHA faces a similar challenge to NAMI on Twitter—creating conversation and
sustaining relationships with key publics.
MHA’s Twitter feed provides insights and up‐to‐date information but lacks the
ability to engage, this is a challenge to all mental health organizations’ online
presence.
Another organization competes with NAMI is the American Psychological Association
(APA):
“The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional
organization representing psychology in the United States. APA is the world's
largest association of
psychologists, with more than
137,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its
members.”xii
The APA’s mission is the “creation, communication and application of psychological
knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.”xiii
NAMI remains a source for new research for those seeking mental health
information but may be rivaled by the American Psychological Association and the
organization’s focus on research. Pharmaceutical developments are key to the self‐
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interests of NAMI’s membership base and therefore retaining the trust of this public
is vital to the success of NAMI’s framing.
The APA is using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ (the latter two have links
to the professional side of the association and may not be mediums that best serve
the interests of NAMI).
The APA has found success by integrating new ideas and partnering with other
organizations on Facebook. The APA has less conversation on Facebook than NAMI
yet this may be attributed to professional nature of the organization. The APA has
had zero interaction and conversation on Twitter.
To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a non‐profit that is
“dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people
struggling with depression, addition, self‐injury and suicide.
TWLOHA’s focus is encouraging, informing, inspiring and
investing directly in treatment and recovery. The organization
originated with the intent to tell a story and help a friend in
spring 2006. The TWLOHA founders began selling t‐shirts to pay
for their friend’s treatment, the name of the organization comes
from a poem written by the friend affected.
TWLOHA has a very successful online strategy overall. They have a Tumblr account
that asks those people they meet “What’s your biggest fear? What’s your greatest
dream?” It is the Fears vs. Dreams campaign that shows the faces of depression and
informs people that 19 million people live with depression and that suicide is the
third‐leading cause of death among those 15‐24 years old.
Additional Competitive Considerations:
NAMI also has to be heard among the voices of many other major health initiatives/brands:
Cancer (Komen, American Cancer Society)
Heart Disease
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Diabetes
AIDS
And other specific health initiatives/brands to which people share a personal connection:
Parkinson’s disease
Specific types of cancer
Alzheimer’s
Autism (still under the NAMI “umbrella”)
Initiatives for causes outside of the United States/concern for global health
causes (appeals to quality of life, drawing stark comparison to life in the United
States)
Resources
NAMI’s communications team is comprised of thoughtful individuals that have varied
organizational responsibilities. Director of Communications, Katrina Gay, contributes to
communication strategy, day‐to‐day social media interaction, organizational vision and
community and affiliate outreach. Ms. Gay is supported by Brandon McLean and Courtney
Reyes. Ms. Reyes provides social media support and Mr. McLean provides insights on web
initiatives in support of NAMI’s communications strategy.
Director of Media Relations, Bob Carolla is a voice of NAMI through
published stories on the NAMI blog and in other publications
produced by the organization. Don Lamm, Director of Web Services,
has been working over the course of the last year to develop strategy
for implementing a new website offering in conjunction with the new
NAMI PSA and theme “You Are Not Alone in This Fight.”
As demonstrated in NAMI’s five goals for the coming years the organization aspires to
create real organizational change. The current team is responsible for completing all
Dynamic content marketing means harnessing the power of user-generated content and empowering staff to be creative.
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communication objectives without having the benefit of allocating time to strategize the
completion of these tasks long‐term.
To assist in measuring the success of current initiatives to boost fundraising efforts and
general awareness NAMI has a wealth of historical participation data from members and
education services participants. There is also a well of information related to member and
fundraising activity from the 2011 year‐end fundraising effort.
The demographics of NAMI’s key publics are also available. The NAMI membership is
majority comprised of mothers in their 40s and 50s seeking assistance for their children
with mental illness. The same demographic is commonly found of those people
participating in community NAMI affiliate education programs. This information provides a
clear view of “who” NAMI is and how they respond to services and outreach by the
organization on the national and local level.
In addition to demographic and contact information there is also information pertaining to
key publics’ self‐interests. There is research from surveys that provides background about
the views of key publics.
Direction of Communications
In the final month of 2012 and the new year of 2013 NAMI has the opportunity to use the
mission and focus of the organization as an issue that blurs party lines. NAMI has an
opportunity to shine a light on the human rights issue of mental illness in the United States
through state and affiliate grassroots efforts combined with a new social media strategy.
NAMI’s message of inspiration has the potential to become a message of personal
empowerment for all to act (and give) to a cause that has a human and familiar face.
NAMI must appeal to their people—and get personal. For the overall communications
strategy this means appealing first to connections among people and feelings and unifying
subjects (likes, dislikes, concerns, beliefs). NAMI must then show the faces of those people
affected by mental illness once commonalities among those affected are established.
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Effective year‐end fundraising campaign messaging will boost contributions from NAMI’s
invested stakeholders but ultimately a failure to bring NAMI’s message to those affected by
mental illness is a missed opportunity at generating new fundraising revenue despite the
current economic climate.
Targeting groups that NAMI has established relationships with is essential, but reaching out
to new groups should remain a priority. Reaching out to the younger American
demographic (millenials) will mean long‐term connection to and support of the mental
health cause because of their interest in furthering social causes and their ability to be
relatively easily mobilized in support of a worthy cause.
The challenge remains to:
Unite all mental illness under one frame (post‐partum depression is prevalent
but not framed as mental illness, seeing depression, anxiety as well as major
disorders as all a part of the larger “mental illness”)
Stand up to conventional notions of health (being just of the body and free of the
mind) and show that the mind works with the body
Seeking to change these ideas through:
Using specific mental illness disorders and keyword placement in online content
and messages delivered externally (i.e. not “mental illness” but “depression,”
“anxiety,” “PTSD”)
Using visual content to shape the meaning of mental illness across publics
Tailoring messages to key publics around the causes they find “close to home”
(i.e. college students: depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, etc.) new
younger audiences
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Social Media Present and Future
NAMI is active on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter providing inspirational
messages and stories for members and advocates. NAMI’s strategy for engagement on
social media is proactive and reactive (responses for those in need are answered by the
HelpLine, and new information dissemination as it becomes available provided by NAMI
communications team). Despite NAMI’s limited human capital resources for social media
there are changes that can be made to establish a stronger presence on new and existing
social media sites.
Mental health organizations find it difficult to create and sustain
conversation on Twitter. Many mental health organizations find
wider success on Facebook where engagement is motivated by
“friend to friend” participation. “Friend to friend” interaction is
strong on NAMI’s Facebook page. NAMI has the opportunity to
become a valued partner in the conversation about mental
illness—not just a supplier of inspiration and information,
although that is a powerful part of NAMI’s social media persona.
NAMI should seek to capitalize on the success of “You Are Not Alone in This Fight” and the
campaign’s visual approach to target their existing member audience and the prospective
millennial audience in future social media efforts. Photographic media is fast becoming
recognized as content that is quickly digested online on tablets and mobile devices. Mobile
digital consumption is changing the way that millennials and many other demographics
consume digital content on a daily basis.
According to a recent study by the Pew Institute, “12 percent of online adults say they use
Instagram, which is dominated by young adults. Some 27% of the internet users between
ages 18‐29 use Instagram, which is a photo‐sharing service built around a smartphone app
that allows users to filter or tint photos they’ve taken and then share them with their
networks.” With Facebook’s acquisition of the photo‐sharing service the reach of photo‐
sharing on the Instagram platform has now extended to the entire Facebook community.
This makes this platform an attractive new option for providing new content to established
NAMI must seek to be a part of the conversation
online; NAMI will gain supporters by not only
providing information but providing members with
information about
why it matters.
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audiences while reaching out to the millennial public. In the traditional sense mothers have
a connection to their family’s story through photo documentation in hard copy form. This
provides an opportunity to use a traditional storytelling method for both publics in a way
that resonates and is personal to each.
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Where we are now:
The profile of the typical donor and NAMI member is mothers in their 40s and 50s of
children living with mental illness. The interaction between the national NAMI office and
personal advocates for mental health services, research and awareness is low. There is an
opportunity for NAMI to reach and engage these publics through a shift in online strategy
that mirrors local NAMI affiliate success.
At present NAMI is focused on a new initiative to train field offices, redesign the
organizational website and develop a new plan for capturing and utilizing database
information. The goal is to charter all state and local offices, to rethink the education format
and medium, to engage a younger demographic and diversify funding profiles.
Where we need to be:
In the midst of pursuing so many valuable organizational goals the challenge exists to create
a personal feeling of connection to the organization from stakeholders. Tackling this
challenge will mean seeing the value in small changes through web mediums and not
diminishing the value of creating a connection to individuals crusading for this cause.
NAMI is focused on delivering information to our publics as it becomes available and also
reaching out to new publics digitally and otherwise. NAMI seeks to diversify donor profiles,
advocates and all publics associated with the organization. The aim is awareness and
providing the public with information that is useful while improving the lives of those with
mental illness.
NAMI must appeal to new publics through mediums that are consistent with the publics’
self‐interests. NAMI must continually employ the use of user‐generated content and
multimedia content consistent with the mission and focus of the organization.
SITUATION ANALYSIS
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NAMI has the opportunity to convert new “fertile” audiences while engaging their current
members through aggressive year‐long fundraising campaigns focused on online content
management and social media.
Increase awareness and position the National Alliance on Mental Illness as the leading
organization for assisting, empowering and inspiring those with mental illness and those that
care about them.
1. Leverage existing relationships with NAMI members and those in the educational
database to increase photographic content by 50 percent by June 2013.
2. Inform 60 percent of NAMI state and local affiliate offices about new initiatives and
incentives for building awareness in communities and contributing to NAMI’s online
presence by April 2013.
3. Develop sustained relationships with five public health influencers/connectors by
September 2013 ensuring long‐term commitment to the cause.
4. Establish relationships with ten universities across the United States (that vary in
location, population demographics, etc.) by the November 2013 and the beginning of the
year‐end fundraising campaign.
CORE OPPORTUNITY
GOAL
OBJECTIVES
22
NAMI members and those in the NAMI education database:
NAMI members are motivated by the prospect of raising awareness, driving
research and seeing and realizing an increase in resources. This group is commonly
mothers in their 40s and 50s who have children affected by mental illness or those
living with mental illness themselves. There is an opportunity to profile this public,
to use them as a storytelling resource and to provide them with incentives for action
(this group wants access to information and the spread of awareness).
NAMI has the opportunity to attach the sentiments to times throughout the calendar
year—and to reinforce the idea that those affected by mental illness are “not alone”
based on commonalities among those affect. These sentiments can resonate among
those living with mental illness and also with those providing for family members
with mental illness.
A way to motivate this public is to provide incentives that hit close to home, to
demonstrate that they are being heard (and in turn, feeling heard), and access to
professionals that may help them personally.
NAMI state and local affiliate office employees and volunteers:
Affiliates want to feel considered on a local and national level, they have a desire to
feel heard by NAMI headquarters and their work valued. Office employees are
varying ages and many are volunteers that are interested in providing help to those
affected by mental illness. Many affiliates look to NAMI to provide a narrative to
“hang their hat on” and clear direction to community education service success.
This group needs to understand the importance of sharing stories and carrying the
water of NAMI digitally and seeing their members as storytellers.
KEY PUBLICS
23
Public health influencers/connectors (mental health care providers, experts, medical
professionals):
This group is interested in being thought‐leaders in the field and contributing to the
effects of new research, ideas about treatment and ultimately recovery for those
affected by mental illness. This group when properly informed is powerful and
offers a customized perspective to members and the NAMI community in general.
To use this public effectively NAMI must seek to build relationships and inform this
group giving them very specific and appropriate calls to action where their
strengths and time are properly utilized and valued.
Charitable and socially active college students:
According to NAMI’s “College Students Speak” two of the top five reasons “why
students disclose” their mental illness status:
“To be a role model and to reduce stigma.”
“To educate students, staff and faculty about mental health.”
Students between the ages of 18 and 22 are engaged when asked to be a model for
other people (regardless of age) on social issues over politics.
A Pew Research Report states, “Based on the uptick in voter turnout among DotNets
in 2004, their relatively high levels of civic engagement, and their willingness to
express their opinions to political leaders, the media, and their peers, this cohort of
Americans is not likely to be a silent generation.”xiv
This group should be targeted by reaching out to student body influencers at
universities sharing ways that the youth of America can affect change through being
a part of NAMI’s mission and helping their peers, friends and family members.
To educate this group on how they can be impactful and powerful in advocating for
this issue is to empower them. It will be important to highlight how this is
24
something that can affect people at many stages throughout their life and how
people should have the tools and help they need—to save lives.
25
NAMI members:
NAMI is viewed as a trusted source for information about mental illness and a place to go
for help. NAMI informs members about where to find help (through HelpLine and
information about local education services), new information about specific illnesses and
tips for success and recovery. On Facebook NAMI excels with this group by posting
inspiring messages, tips for success and contact information for the NAMI Helpline for those
in need. NAMI’s Facebook page is both proactive and reactive to the needs of members.
The opportunity on Facebook is to start conversations between the organization and its
people instead of the conversation being controlled and led by “friends” of NAMI.
NAMI should make members feel empowered to share their stories. This means NAMI must
position itself as leading the charge to raise awareness and de‐stigmatize mental illness in
the United States.
State and local affiliates:
NAMI functions as a resource for information and guidance for conducting local office
business for state and local affiliates. NAMI provides resources for conducting business
(website access, database information, etc.) but does not have the ability to have personal
relationships with each of these offices. NAMI has an opportunity to position the national
organization as being in service to local offices and providing these offices with new ideas
for spreading awareness.
Affiliates desire to feel heard and valued, to feel as if the national office has something to
offer local members and NAMIWalks participants.
Public health influencers/connectors:
NAMI is a resource for families and friends of the mentally ill when other services are
unable to address the concerns of the mentally ill.
BRAND POSITIONING
26
We want public health influencers/connectors to view NAMI as their first stop for spreading
messages of new research, treatment and how health professionals are helping the cause.
NAMI must bring light to mental health‐related accomplishments in the medical field to
encourage collaboration between influencers and the organization. NAMI should also be
viewed as a resource in highlighting the positive stories of relationships between
psychiatrists, psychologists and the mentally ill.
Charitable and socially active college students:
Mental illness is a relatively unknown cause for college students. For many this is an issue
that they will be affected by in many years to come or in the near future, assessing available
resources including NAMI is not prevalent among this age group.
NAMI should appear as a cause that this group can rally behind, a social injustice from a
time long ago. The absence of brand positioning with this group means that NAMI has the
ability to shape their perceptions from the beginning. However, this group is
technologically savvy and will seek out the best organization for supporting the cause of
helping the mentally ill in America.
27
Emotion:
The subject matter of mental illness is highly emotional. NAMI is artful at demonstrating
and understanding the challenges that come along with diagnosis and addressing mental
illness in a family member or friend. Often NAMI is able to show empathy without exerting
an overt sympathetic undertone. NAMI also appeals to the emotion of individuals through
their tagline, “Find Help. Find Hope.”
Inspirational:
The premise for NAMI’s new PSA “You Are Not Alone in This Fight” shows their
understanding of how context can shape meaning. The context of the PSAs being that
powerful, impactful historical figures have struggled with mental illness and that people
living with mental illness can be make real change in the world.
According to the Ad Council success in PSA advertising
means:
Creating media interest
Shifting the target’s framing of the issue
Simplifying the message
Producing creative that engages both the
target’s head (rational) and heart
(emotional)xv
NAMI understands that words of inspiration found
on their website and in their social media efforts
work. On the local level NAMI’s mission empowers
members through classes for parents that give
them the tools to deal with threats to insurance
coverage and receiving proper treatment.
FRAMING
NAMI has succeeded in producing multimedia that consistently appeals
to their audience’s head and heart. The challenge now is to deliver this
material directly to audiences through mediums they use every day and to
create clear “asks” of publics.
28
Informing:
NAMI succeeds in projecting the idea that mental illness is a real concern among people.
Often NAMI uses popular culture to show the prevalence of this issue, this is demonstrated
through articles written about Showtime’s “Homeland.”
The well of information compiled on NAMI’s Facebook and Twitter pages is astounding.
NAMI success is in disseminating information on the issue and highlighting the people in the
community contributing ideas and solutions.
Credibility:
NAMI credibility is demonstrated in their leadership in light of the new NAMI President,
Keris Myrick, a minority living with mental illness. She has shared her own stories about
life, giving mental illness and NAMI a facexvi NAMI also seeks to build credibility through
keeping members up‐to‐date on new practices and research and developing ideas in
treatment.
29
Key Public 1: NAMI members and those in the NAMI education database
Primary Message: NAMI relies on its members to spread the message of those
living with mental illness—your most important job is to tell your story.
Secondary Message: Thousands of members and supporters are the face
and voice of the NAMI movement—who come together to celebrate mental
illness recovery, to honor those who have lost their lives to mental illness
and to combat stigma, promote awareness and advocate for others.xvii
Secondary Message: De‐stigmatizing mental illness in America is possible;
NAMI relies on its members to spread awareness.
Key Public 2: NAMI state and local affiliate office employees and volunteers
Primary Message: NAMI understands the strength of its affiliate offices, the power
of the local education classes, and the impact of local and national storytelling—help
us tell the NAMI story.
Secondary Message: NAMI provides affiliates with the tools for mental
health service in the community—local offices make real change in the
community and those stories should be told.
Secondary Message: NAMI is committed to advocacy for those with mental
illness on a national and local level to ensure that services are provided for
those with mental illness.
MESSAGING
30
Key Public 3: Public health influencers/connectors (mental health care providers, experts,
medical professionals)
Primary Message: Partnerships with medical professionals are vital to NAMI’s
mission of providing valuable information to its members—partner with NAMI to
spread our message of hope.
Secondary Message: NAMI values the voices in the mental health medical
community and aspires to provide a platform for mental health providers
and experts to save lives.
Secondary Message: NAMI realizes the medical community is providing
real help to individuals living with mental illness—everyday.
Secondary Message: The effect that mental health professionals can have
on a single patient is tremendous and makes a better life for that person.
Key Public 4: Charitable and socially active college students
Primary Message: Over 30 percent of students at 2‐ and 4‐year colleges report
feeling depressed over the last year—this is a real problem that deserves your
support.xviii
Secondary Message: Depression and other mental illness may affect a
person’s academic performance and dependency on drugs, alcohol and
tobacco use.
Secondary Message: Mental illness impacts the lives of at least one in four
adults and one in 10 children—60 million Americans—NAMI will work
every day to save every life.xix
Secondary Message: Suicide is the third‐leading cause of death for people
ages 10‐24 years.xx
31
Strategy 1: Position NAMI as the leading resource for and aggregator of new mental health research.
Tactic 1: Monitor all articles related to mental health and focus on specific mental illnesses
for dissemination and targeting to certain key publics.
Develop a taxonomy of terms that NAMI will search the internet for related
articles (see sample taxonomy in Appendix E.2). Conduct monthly media
including multimedia storytelling on media websites (i.e. Keris Myrick’s profile
for the New York Times)
Create a series of Google Alerts that bring key articles relating to mental health
to NAMI’s communications teams’ attention.
Use research to support thematic interests of key publics (A list of topics for
college students and NAMI members can be found in Appendix E.3).
Purchase a subscription to HootSuite for a year and conduct research to support
an increase in hashtag use yields an increase in followers.
Tactic 2: Develop a social media calendar for March 2013.
Use the theme of the first day of spring and the build up to it (a seasonal
“rebirth” and setting aside winter) for March 2013 as a “storytelling”
introduction on social media. See Appendix E.4 for ideas about how to depict
the season and its meaning.
Put together a list of potential tie‐ins to the theme of the dawning of
spring, inspirational quotes that have ties to the time of year, images of
new growth in the outdoors and affirmations about what the season
means for all people.
Employ this tactic across mediums (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and
record every attempt on an Excel spreadsheet noting response and enthusiasm.
Set up an Instagram account, make sure the account is linked to NAMI’s
Facebook page and Twitter feed.
Release photos via Instagram and quotes via Facebook and Twitter.
Additional idea for theme: National Nutrition Month (show the effects
of a healthy lifestyle on mental health: scientific implications as well as
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
32
addressing the reality of weight‐gain among those taking anti‐psychotic
medications regularly)
Tactic 3: Use research of successful hashtag strategy to create a
series of hashtags that should be utilized during 2012 and 2013.
Use a selection of hashtags (examples given in Appendix
E.5) in nearly 65 percent of tweets from mid‐October
until the end of the calendar year.
These hashtags should be longstanding (#FightStigma, #HopeHelpsMe)
and also short lived for use at the end of the year (#helpNAMI).
Include a hashtag in all tweets that reference a specific type of mental illness (ex.
Children Developing Anxiety Disorders #anxiety).
In the same way that NAMI will be able to aggregate and use the data easily by employing hashtags
it will also make it easier for the audience to seek out help relating to specific symptoms or
diagnoses. This does not diminish the focus of NAMI to not identify a person with his or her
illness. It just makes it easier for people to find the information they need.
Strategy 2: Establish a relationship with NAMI members through conducting a personalized outreach
and engagement campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Tactic 1: Create a model for periodically customizing responses to “friends” of NAMI.
Develop a Facebook responder “persona,”
determine the tone of all social media responses.
Create an internal guidebook and “style guide”
for Twitter and Facebook responses.
Provide a list of examples of personalized
responses from comments on Facebook and
replies on Twitter.
Using hashtag themes will allow NAMI to quickly aggregate and analyze tweets to measure the success of Twitter tactics.1
This will provide the opportunity to delegate a portion of the social media responsibilities to communications interns (NAMI is now advertising for an intern through Georgetown University’s Public Relations and Corporate Communications program).
33
Tactic 2: Develop a series of “asks” of NAMI members over Mental Health Awareness Week
(MIAW), informing members that they are important to the cause of spreading awareness
and de‐stigmatizing mental illness.
Develop a series of posts (photos, short affirmations from those affected and
inspirational quotes)
Launch this series on MIAW for each photo, quote or affirmation NAMI over the
course of the week NAMI must ask members to share the post.
NAMI must ask members, “friends” and “followers” to pass on the word.
NAMI must ask members to show the people in their world that they
may be affected by mental illness but they will not be a part of the
stigma.
Strategy 3: Leverage the existing relationship with NAMI members to secure health professional and
affiliate buy‐in.
Tactic 1: Create a contest to encourage the creation of visual (photographic) content—
winners receiving a Canon Powershot SX50 digital camera to tell their stories and record
his or her life.
Create a flyer with information about this content to local affiliate offices.
Develop a deadline and clear rules for submission.
Send contest information to state and affiliate offices and provide an incentive to
local offices for bringing attention to the national contest and encouraging
members to participate (i.e. providing a credit toward new education materials,
the creation of local advertising for area NAMIWalks, or sending materials for
the creation of a “Hope Helps Me…” stand for their upcoming NAMIWalks event).
Create an online submission page that allows members to upload photos and
provide a storyline in captions to accompany them—to give context.
Feature five member submissions on the NAMI blog, Facebook page and
Instagram account and ask for feedback from members.
Ask members to vote on their favorite “storytelling” piece (through an
application on the NAMI Facebook page).
34
The winner and two runner ups are awarded the Canon Powershot SX50 digital
camera.
Tactic 2: Launch a series of Google+ call‐ins with a mental health specialist, NAMI
representative, an expert in mental healthcare rights and NAMI HelpLine representative.
Reward members for submitting stories that rendered positive feedback by inviting them to
attend the Google+ talk and ask questions that apply to their specific situation.
Compile a list of potential public health influencers analyzing field of study and
interest and potential self‐interest.
Develop a call for mental health professionals interested in being a part of the
new NAMI initiative to bring information to those affected by mental illness
digitally.
Write five “public mental health influencers” asking for help with new initiatives
to spread awareness and understanding.
Reach out to influencers and ask them to be a part of a public health
service initiative to provide guidance to those affected by mental illness
through participating in Google+ talks.
Use those in the NAMI organization that are knowledgeable about healthcare
and the new implications of the Affordable Care Act on mental health services to
serve as NAMI resources along with a representative from the NAMI HelpLine
on Google+ talks.
Conduct a series of Google+ focus groups with NAMI members interested in
receiving information from health professionals regarding treatment and
medication for love ones.
Use these insights to better inform the self‐interests of this group and
use to revise NAMI positioning as well as to clear up any technological
glitches.
Conduct a series of Google+ talks leading up to mental health awareness week in
October 2013 (these will be a good indicator of how NAMI education services
may work digitally).
35
Strategy 4: Engage new publics by encouraging online visual content creation by established NAMI
publics.
Tactic 1: Create a series of “picture books” or “photo albums” on Facebook and Instagram.
Compile a database of photos of people, inspirational quotes and inspirational
images (historical and current) and then group them thematically.
Use the theme “Hope Helps Me…” to show the impact of NAMI and how hope
helps people affected by mental illness (refer to Appendix E.7)
Contact and engage local affiliate offices asking them to
be a part of the “Hope Helps Me…” campaign.
Send “Hope Helps Me…” materials to state and affiliate
offices that are interested in the new campaign.
Ask affiliate offices to take photos of walk participants
with “Hope Helps Me…” whiteboards with their
answers to that prompt written on them.
Create a “picture book” of images from the NAMI national office (use photos of
employees’ feelings about working for the organization, found in office reception
area).
Place it on NAMI’s Instagram account, homepage, Facebook page and
feature it on the Twitter feed periodically (use a single photo as a
TwitPic)
NAMI has successfully launched a thematic push on their web
and social media platforms through “You Are Not Alone in This
Fight.” NAMI should continue to support initiatives to drive
thematic content over the course of the year.
Use the list of proposed themes (found in Appendix E.3) to evoke an
inspirational and empowerment theme among key demographic (mothers in
their 40s and 50s) and new millennial college student demographic.
Images are global. Images are distributable.
Images are digestible.
NAMI should be using their ability
to inspire
through social media to
empower.
36
NAMI will need to challenge its members to become online creators and curators—to bring something
to the table to help with the cause of mental health awareness. NAMI members will need to see how
this works and be shown that their voice and action creates awareness.
NAMI needs to show members that they are able of creating change in attitudes, small and large.
Strategy 5: Initiate the mental health conversation on college campuses between students and active
NAMI members.
Tactic 1: Implement outreach plan to college campuses through health fairs using the help
of state and local affiliates.
Reach out to a group of 10 college
campus health centers to find
information about exhibiting at on‐
campus health fairs and
disseminating information during
freshman orientations.
Ask local affiliate offices to
represent NAMI at on‐campus
events (health fairs and freshman
orientations) to provide
information and recruit students
as NAMI ambassadors.
Ask NAMI ambassadors to use the “Hope Helps Me…” campaign to
those students interested in participating (provide ambassadors
with cameras, banner and flyer relating to the initiative).
Develop a series of informative and inspirational fliers to accompany surveys on
college campuses.
Create a small take away sliver of paper with NAMI’s Instagram account
information and include information that shows the prevalence of mental illness
in campus communities.
37
CALENDAR
38
BUDGET
39
Success for the social media campaign will mean an increased understanding about what works in
social media for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. To determine if the overall strategy is
successful NAMI will need to conduct a social media analysis over the course of a month. NAMI
should see an increase in overall retweets on Twitter and “conversation” where NAMI has
personalized responses to members of the NAMI online community. Themes will begin to emerge
over time to show what NAMI action spurs reaction among key publics in the social media
community.
Objectives: Leverage existing relationships with NAMI members and those in the education
database to increase photographic content by 50 percent by June 2013 and inform 60 percent
of NAMI state and local affiliates about new initiatives and incentives for building awareness
by contributing to NAMI’s online presence.
The progress and success of the incentive programs for already “engaged” NAMI members
will be determined ultimately by participation. The organization must understand that
success of the contest will come from awareness about its incentives for members. Failure
to promote this new incentive through local affiliates and accompanying literature would
result in low participation. If NAMI is able to render participation in its contest for photo
content on a larger scale than other initiatives with or without incentives it will be a
success. If members actively vote and comment on submissions it will also be deemed
successful.
The idea of adding a visual element in the way of a “picture book” can be measured by
comments on the album on Facebook, responses on Twitter, “likes” (hearts) on Instagram
and visits to the book on NAMI’s homepage. Success can be measured less in the amount of
interaction but in the quality of the interaction and what it brings about from new and
consistent supporters of NAMI. Photos are a quick look into what it means to be human, the
likes and dislikes of life, and what moves us.
MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION
40
Objective: Establish relationships with ten universities across the United States by November
2013 and the beginning of the 2013 year‐end fundraising campaign.
Reaching out to college‐age students is a natural idea. The change that comes along with
adjusting to a new environment coupled with the common age of on‐set for mental health
concerns make college‐age students a public that is deserved of awareness and the potential
of realizing services.
In this way we will rely on the feedback of representatives at campus health fairs and
student orientations—these representatives will provide us with their perceived
“impressions” among student groups. The results of reaching out to this group may not be
able to be measured short term. Impressions made on students especially female students
may encourage support years later as the issue becomes personal. In the short‐term
however NAMI will rely on a social media analysis on Twitter and Instagram to monitor
views and conversation to determine if engagement among the demographic has increased
and if there is a wide response to the “Hope Helps Me…” campaign with photo submissions
from affiliates’ visits to college campuses.
Objective: Develop sustained relationships with five public health influencers/connectors by
September 2013 ensuring long‐term commitment to the cause.
The success of Google+ chats will be measured by feedback from all parties that
participated. That will mean creating forms for feedback in short answer that address the
format of the interaction and ways to improve the initiative and the interaction between
public health influencers and NAMI members. Success will mean that the Google+ chats
have resulted in positive feedback and a call for more opportunities to discuss personal
situations in this forum and making the sessions accessible for all members to view.
41
The implementation of this plan and the current services and advocacy slated for future years NAMI
will create new relationships among new key publics. Through the creation and dissemination of
user‐generated photographic content NAMI will begin to appeal to audiences that have the
potential to position the mental health awareness and action cause as a leading health concern in
the nation.
Making the communications mission of the organization more personal will help further mental
health awareness in the United States and NAMI funding in years to come. In giving NAMI publics
and donors a look into the work of the organization and NAMI’s effort to give a voice to those
affected the organization will earn continued support from donors. By using public health
influencers and state and affiliates offices to carry the message of the organization and earning the
support of millenials, NAMI stands to create a culture of young Americans seeking change and wide‐
spread support for mental health crisis.
CONCLUSION
42
APPENDIX A – SWOT Analysis 43
APPENDIX B – Probable and Potential Publics 44
APPENDIX C – Summary Table of Strategies and Tactics 45
APPENDIX D – Primary Research: Social Media Analysis 46
APPENDIX E – Supporting Creative Materials 54
E.1 – Why Photos Will Work for NAMI 54
E.2 – Taxonomy of Search Terms 55
E.3 – Themes/Topics for Social Media Engagement 56
E.4 – Spring “Rebirth” Example 57
E.5 – Hashtag Strategy 58
E.6 – To Write Love on Her Arms Whiteboard Example 59
E.7 – “Hope Helps Me…” Flyer 60
E.8 – “I love NAMI…” NAMI Employee Contribution 61
E.9 – Potential Vendors 62
E.10 – Website Donation Page Recommendations 63
APPENDIX F – References 64
APPENDICES
43
Appendix A: SWOT Analysis
STRENGTHS
‐ Received funding through Google grant ‐ Active grassroots affiliates spreading the
word to state and local communities ‐ Local organization is strong—
community NAMIWalks and NAMIBikes events are well attended and widely supported
‐ Strong sense of storytelling
WEAKNESSES
‐ No strategic communications plan for year‐end fundraising campaign
‐ Small staff with many time demands in light of current organizational priorities and current website redesign
‐ Does not receive contact information from those people that participate in NAMIWalks across the U.S. (those interested in spreading message not inclined to become NAMI members)
OPPORTUNITIES
‐ To diversify audiences—tap into new “fertile ground”
‐ Ability to solicit and receive “user‐generated” content – to give a voice to members and those affected
‐ To adopt an integrated, thoughtful approach to the organizational goals of the Alliance and new content on the web
‐ Through content management storytelling will thrive, become part of “inspiration” of NAMI
THREATS
‐ NAMI messaging being lost in December among chaos and volume of other non‐profit voices
‐ Competition is strong among groups with specialized health causes—NAMI addresses a health theme spanning specific causes
‐ Audiences not able to see the human face and touch of the organization prompting them to act
44
Appendix B: Probable and Potential Publics:
PROBABLE PUBLICS (direct link to problem/solution): Connector: army moms Military officials living with post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
1. These people can be influencers as mavens and information leaders POTENTIAL PUBLICS (direct link to issue):
College‐age students on or off‐campus 1. This is the age of onset for some major mental health illnesses 2. People this age are interested in issues over politics 3. People this age will begin to see the effects of mental illness on friends,
brothers, sisters, etc. 4. Create an understanding of link between substance abuse and mental
illness Fathers of children with mental illness Siblings of people with mental illness
45
Appendix C: Summary Table of Strategies and Tactics
46
Appendix D: Primary Research: Social Media Analysis
Likes: 56,133
Facebook Thematic Photo Use Analysis:
DATE QUOTE LIKES SHARES COMMENTS NOTES
11/13 “At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” –Frida Kahlo
2,474 929 56 /notalone
11/13 “NAMI reminds you to pause when you need to remember – You Are Not Alone.”
1,100 273 28 /notalone
11/7 “I may be branded by war, but I will not be defeated by it.” Audie L. Murphy
632 177 20 /notalone
11/6 “TFTD from our friends at Empower: ‘ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU ARE BRAVER THAN YOU BELIEVE STRONGER THAN YOU SEEM AND SMARTER THAN YOU THINK.’”
916 685 22
11/1 “mental illness is not a barrier to the possibility of great achievement. [LINK]: ‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.’ Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt”
1,091 463 38 /notalone
ANALYSIS:
The “You Are Not Alone in This Fight” campaign has successfully integrated a theme of
empowerment and inspiration while retaining the general tone of NAMI. However, the
messaging of the campaign and the “ask” of the campaign is not clear. NAMI’s audience is
challenged to decipher what the call to action is in this situation. On the NAMI website the
call to action it is to donate. The NAMI Facebook page is used as a tool for generating hope.
The purpose of the PSA and the theme was to generate awareness to do this successful PSA
advertising and pitching should be the call to action for members.
47
@NAMICommunicate
Tweets: 3,576
Following: 353
Followers: 15,379
ANAYLSIS OVER 30 DAYS (1 October – 1 November 2012):
TWITTER ANALYSIS OVER 30 DAYS (1 OCTOBER – 1 NOVEMBER 2012)
TOTAL RETWEETS 799
AVERAGE RETWEETS/TWEET 10.5
TOTAL REPLIES 27
TOTAL FAVORITES 195
TOTAL TWEETS USING HASHTAGS 21
AVERAGE RETWEETS/INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES 17.5
HASHTAG ANALYSIS:
HASHTAG ANALYSIS OVER 30 DAYS (1 OCTOBER – 1 NOVEMBER 2012)
#vote4mentalhealth 8
#mentalhealth 3
#MIAW 3
#notalone 2
#ADHD 1
#autism 1
#depression 1
#mentalillness 1
#nccamchat 1
#NDSD 1
#schizophrenia 1
#therapyworks 1
#vote2012 1
ANALYSIS:
To use hashtags once within a span of a month is to miss the opportunity of linking to
people seeking information that NAMI is able to provide. In that way, NAMI is missing an
opportunity to position themselves among a new public as a primary source for information
on mental health research and advocacy. This is also a missed opportunity to reach new
publics who are able to use the NAMI mission of inspiration and hope to help in their own
lives.
48
Topics like PTSD among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans should be highlighted through
the use of hashtags to display the impact and priorities of the organization in relation to
new groups that would be served by the organization’s mission.
49
TWITTER ANAYLSIS – 1 OCTOBER 2012 – 1 NOVEMBER 2012
50
TWITTER ANAYLSIS – 1 OCTOBER 2012 – 1 NOVEMBER 2012
BLOG
Building Awareness: Mental Illness’ Special Week – October 2, 2012
4 comments
Quote:
“Off‐late mental illness is becoming common because of this busy life schedules. I
Suggest people to practice yoga and meditation to attain peace and calm in life. It
automatically reduces the stress.” –Kelly Crofton
Megan’s Story – October 5, 2012
16 comments
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Quotes:
“patience, perserverance, holding on to the tiniest of hopes…families of people with
mental illness are heroes in their own right…silent saints who endure the heartache
with courage and bear the burden with humility and love. Megan is one of the fortunate
ones. Thank you for sharing your story.” –Anne Costa
“I am a mother of a 41 year old daughter who suffers with mental illness and substance
abuse. She is currently an inpatient in a hospital with a dual diagnosis program and am
hopeful this will be the approach that works for her. We can never give up on
changing the way mental illness is viewed in our society.” –Anonymous
“I am celebrating my 45 birthday today and spent a good portion of our family dinner
talking about our long journey with our bipolar son. He is 12 and our story is so very
similar to this one. You can not appreciate the joy of seeing a child overcome such a
hurdle and be successful! Everyday I am so proud of my son and all that he has
accomplished in life! Congratulations to the Megans and Guidos of the world! You are
true inspirations!” –Anonymous
“I can’t thank you enough for this story. As someone who suffers from Schizoaffective
Disorder, and has for some time, it’s so comforting to know that there is hope for
someone so young.” ‐‐Sary
“Grandmother, thank you for posting, for speaking out, for sharing your family’s story.
Blessings to you all.” ‐‐Val Blackburn
Halloween Protests: Haunted Asylums and Mental Illness – October 12, 2012
No comments
Living Well with ADHD – October 16, 2012
No comments
Why I Vote for Mental Health Care (and More) – October 18, 2012
1 comment
Making a Difference with Just a Phone Call – October 19, 2012
No comments
Is American Horror Story Stigmatizing or Just Silly? – October 23, 2012
3 comments
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Quote: The Bipolar Pianist said, “I’ve only seen one episode, but it’s hard to take seriously when
they’re portraying some of the most extreme situations a writer can possible concoct. Even with
the lack of any real mental illness, it is always frustrating to feel like we’re all being put on
display for America’s amusement. I’m tired of mental illness equaling scary unknown possibly
live threatening individuals. I have a hard enough time trying to get my family to understand
without this kind of crap interfering. Having said that, I’ve seen worse on television like Law and
Order SVU, which I believe always portrays the mentally ill in the worst possible way. We all
need to start writing our own TV shows and movie scripts since Hollywood seems to struggling
so much with this.”
Besides Voting, Let’s Talk with the Winners – October 31, 2012
No comments
ANALYSIS:
NAMI’s blog content and user‐generated responses reveal the self‐interest of their most valued
stakeholder, the NAMI member. Feature stories written by those that have been affected by mental
illness receive many comments. Some comments are hopeful, some are thankful for the writer
sharing their story, but most detail the commenters’ similar situation. Often messages from non‐
profit leadership fall on deft ears because they lack a personal connection to the everyday
challenges of living with mental illness (as the affected, or a family member of the affected).
The personal stories that detail the struggle to understand mental illness, the struggle to receive
proper treatment and the struggle to create a plan for moving forward from those affected are the
stories that receive the most comments. Most of which are affirming the challenges of living with
mental illness and are seeking to find a voice that tells a story similar to their own.
YOUTUBE
Date Joined: 7 March 2008
Subscribers: 409
Video views: 333,139
Playlist Number of Videos Date Posted
You Are Not Alone 6 One month ago
Schizophrenia 4 1 year ago
NAMI’s Latino Community 8 2 years ago
A Conversation on ADHD 13 2 years ago
A Conversation on ADHD Pt. 2 16 2 years ago
Convention Day 11 2 years ago
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ANALYSIS:
The YouTube page in its current iteration does not have a singular focus. It functions more as a
depository for NAMI video content. The use of the YouTube page does not warrant its existence
and the access through the NAMI website to the YouTube page does not drive views.
Content like the profile of Keris Myrick and others affected by mental illness featured on the New
York Times website should be video content that NAMI seeks to share with members. To place this
content on the NAMI YouTube page would render very few views compared to featuring it on the
NAMI homepage on Ms. Myrick’s birthday and then linking to it on Facebook.
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Appendix E: Supporting Creative Materials
Why Photos Will Work for NAMI:
Making NAMI “personal” is no small feat. Despite the focus of the organization to
de‐stigmatize mental illness the reality is that mental illness is still stigmatized by
those affected by it as much as those not affected by it.
While it is a core belief that NAMI should disassociate with diagnosis and the
breaking down of categories of mental illness it is important that members and
advocates see themselves and their love ones when they see NAMI. Photos are the
gateway to faces. To start NAMI will ask for preferences or “likes” of members and
those online. NAMI will request a look into the world of others first through things
and not faces. NAMI will show the reality of the organization the details first, then
faces. To begin they will ask state and affiliate offices to take part in the “Hope Helps
Me…” campaign to show the person behind mental illness.
The use of inspirational photos on NAMI’s Facebook page is a proven strategy for
engagement online. The transfer of this strategy to other online mediums has
already begun through the “You Are Not Alone in This Fight” campaign. Long‐term
success covering all three organizational objectives means continuing to tell stories
because members and advocates are receptive to them. This means creating photos
and quotes that tie to the larger theme of what it means to be human and at times,
admittedly struggle, and then, overcome.
This photographic storytelling will resonant with college‐age students because of its
familiarity of photos on social media but it will also resonate with NAMI’s core
public (mothers) as they will identify with the collection of photos like an album
that is in their living room.
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Taxonomy of Search Terms
1. Research
a. Anxiety Disorders
b. Autism
c. Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and ADD and ADHD
d. Bipolar Disorder
e. Borderline Personality Disorder
f. Depression
g. Dissociative Disorders
h. Dual Diagnosis
i. Substance Abuse
j. Eating Disorders
k. Obsessive‐Compulsive Disorder and OCD
l. Panic Disorder
m. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and PTSD n. Schizoaffective Disorder
o. Schizophrenia
p. Seasonal Affective Disorder
q. Suicide
r. Tourette’s Syndrome
s. Psychosis
t. First Episodes of Psychosis
u. Sleep Apnea
v. Tardive Dyskinesia
2. Mental Health Medications
3. Organizations
a. National Institute of Mental Health
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Themes/Topics for Social Media Engagement
Mothers of children affected by mental illness:
1. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) 2. New treatment 3. Pharmaceutical developments 4. Taking time for yourself 5. Rest and relaxation 6. “Inside NAMI” (a look at the people and work of the organization
through photos like those in Appendix E.8) a. This will tell members (and presumably donors) what their
moneys fund and give them insight into the organization that has previously been shielded from the public.
Charitable and socially active college students:
1. Coping with academic stress 2. Summer break 3. How to navigate life after college 4. How to help a friend in need 5. How to adjust to a family members’ mental illness
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Spring “Rebirth”
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Hashtag Strategy
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To Write Love on Her Arms Whiteboard Example
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“Hope Helps Me…” Flyer
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Images and Quotes from NAMI Employees (for “picture book” use)
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Potential Vendors
Blue Bug Digital (a digital branch of Delucchi Plus) $150.00/hr
Contact: Stephanie Lynch, 202‐333‐8982, bluebugdigital.com
Tasked with creating digital storytelling pieces
Interested in working with local non‐profits
Optima Graphics $12.99/whiteboard
www.printeddryerase.com
Motivators Promotional Products $0.54/custom dry erase marker
www.motivators.com
Customized Stickers $0.16/sticker
www.customizedstickers.com
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Website Donation Page Recommendations
(Suggestions listed below are considerations for in‐progress NAMI website redesign.
These concerns may have already been addressed internally.)
1. Ask for information but make collection simple and quick. Collecting information from donors and those that access education services through NAMI
is a priority of the organization. When donors visit NAMI’s donations page they
are willing to contribute monetarily to the organization but research suggests
they would also be willing to donate information. This may mean asking
members why they are donating but using radio buttons on the form for quick
answering.
2. Place all options for donation on a single donation form. At present,
there are several ways to donate,
several pages a donor can visit. To
better organize and streamline the
process NAMI may consider just having
one page and making it the simple click
of one button to select “reoccurring” for
monthly donations over the course of
different time spans.
3. Show donors what their money provides. Because donors are often
motivated by seeing or hearing of their
donation in action NAMI may want to
consider attributing a dollar amount to
a service provided in a text box off to
the side of the form ($30.00 means
supplies for researchers in Nebraska).
4. Be conscious of the changing atmosphere of online non‐profit
donation (as demonstrated in chart).
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Appendix F: References
American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org/about/index.aspx. Carey, Benedict. “A High‐Profile Executive Job as Defense Against Mental Ills.” Lives
Restored. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/health /23lives.html? pagewanted=all&_r=0.
Chng, Grace. “Want to donate? Join crowd online; Two new websites tap growing popularity
of crowdfunding to raise money for projects.” The Straits Times (Singapore). “Civic Engagement Online: Politics as Usual.” Pew Research Center. September 1, 2012.
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1328/online‐political‐civic‐engagement‐activity. “College Students Speak: A Survey on Mental Health.” National Alliance on Mental Illness.
http: //www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Find_Support/NAMI_on_Campus1 /collegereport.pdf.
“Content Marketing: 5 Non‐Profit Success Stories to Learn From.” Mashable. http://
mashable.com/2012/03/02/content‐marketing‐non‐profits/. Cullum, Brannon. “How to Use Hashtags on Twitter to Spread, Share and Organize
Information.” Movements.org. http://www.movements.org/how‐to/entry/use‐hashtags‐on‐twitter‐to‐spread‐information/.
“Depression and College Students: Answers to college students’ frequently asked questions
about depression.” National Institutes of Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/ publications/depression‐and‐college‐students/depression‐college‐students.pdf
Fitzpatrick, Michael. National Alliance on Mental Illness. September 26, 2012. Foleno, Tony, George Perlov and Mike Hess. “Rules of the Road for Public Service
Advertising.” The Ad Council. http://www.adcouncil.org/Impact/Research/Rules‐of‐the‐Road‐for‐Public‐Service‐Advertising.
Gay, Katrina. National Alliance on Mental Illness. September 20, 2012. Guidestar. NAMI. http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/43‐1201653/nami.aspx. Kanter, Beth. “Is Instagram useful for nonprofit marketing?” Socialbrite. http://www.social
brite.org/2012/09/27/is‐instagram‐useful‐for‐nonprofit‐marketing/. Keeter, Scott. “Politics and the ‘DotNet’ Generation.” Pew Research Center. May 30, 2006.
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/27/politics‐and‐the‐dotnet‐generation. LaMountain, Joseph. Grassroots Communication. Public Relations and Corporate
Communications.
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Mental Health America. www.mentalhealthamerica.net. National Alliance on Mental Illness. www.nami.org. Online Giving Statistics: Network for Good’s Online Giving Index. Charity Navigator. http://
www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1360. Petronzio, Matt. “10 Inspiring Non‐Profits on Instagram.” http://mashable.com/2012/
06/09/instagram‐non‐profits/. “Photos and Videos are Key Social Currency Online.” Pew Research Center. September 13,
2012. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/2355/online‐photos‐videos‐pinterest‐instagram‐tumblr‐social‐networks‐internet‐users‐image‐sharing.
“Photos and Videos as Social Currency Online.” Pew Internet. Pew Research Center. http://
www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2012/PIP_OnlineLifeinPictures.pdf. Rubel, Steve. “The Revolution Won’t Be Televised; It Will Be Instagrammed.” http://adage
.com/article/steve‐rubel/revolution‐televised‐instagrammed/236266/ Sherman, Aliza. “Top 12 Online Fundraising Platforms for Donors & Non‐Profits.” Mashable.
http://mashable.com/2011/03/14/social‐good‐fundraising‐tools/. The Ad Council. www.theadcouncil.org. The Blackbaud Index of Online Giving. https://www.blackbaud.com/bb/index/bb‐online‐
index.aspx. To Write Love on Her Arms. http://www.twloha.com/index.php. Urban Institute. National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS). Number of Public Charities
in the United States, 2010. http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/PubApps/profileDrill Down.php ?state=US&rpt=PC.
“What’s Working in Digital Non‐Profit Fundraising [INFOGRAPHIC].” Mashable. March 21,
2012. http://mashable.com/2012/03/21/non‐profits‐digital‐infographic/.
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i https://www.blackbaud.com/files/resources/downloads/10.12_DonorProfile_whitepaper_FINAL2.pdf ii www.nami.org iii http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=About_NAMI iv Fitzpatrick, Michael. v http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/43‐1201653/nami.aspx vi LaMountain, Joseph. vii https://www.blackbaud.com/files/resources/downloads/10.12_DonorProfile_whitepaper_FINAL2.pdf viii http://www.adcouncil.org/Impact/Research/Rules‐of‐the‐Road‐for‐Public‐Service‐Advertising ix http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/PubApps/profileDrillDown.php ?state=US&rpt=PC x http://mentalhealthamerica.net/go/mission‐vision xi http://mentalhealthamerica.net/go/mission‐vision xii http://www.apa.org/about/index.aspx xiii http://www.apa.org/about/index.aspx xiv http://pewresearch.org/pubs/27/politics‐and‐the‐dotnet‐generation xv http://www.adcouncil.org/Impact/Research/Rules‐of‐the‐Road‐for‐Public‐Service‐Advertising xvi http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/health/23lives.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 xvii www.nami.org xviii http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression‐and‐college‐students/depression‐college‐students.pdf xix www.nami.org xx http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=About_Mental_Illness&Template=/ContentManagement/ ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=53155