Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave FALL 2023 Kayleigh Knight SALEM Report Author • School of Journalism and Communication Dean Mundy Associate Professor, Director • Public Relations Program J 453 STRATEGIC PLANNING AND CASES | SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION Acknowledgements This year’s SCYP partnership is possible in part due to support from U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, as well as former Congressman Peter DeFazio, who secured federal funding for SCYP through Congressionally Directed Spending. With additional funding from the City of Salem, the partnerships will allow UO students and faculty to study and make recommendations on city-identified projects and issues. The authors wish to acknowledge and thank City of Salem for making this project possible. We would also like to thank the following City of Salem staff for their assistance and contributions that were instrumental to the completion of this report. Courtney Knox Busch, Strategic Initiatives Manager This report represents original student work and recommendations prepared by students in the University of Oregon’s Sustainable City Year Program for the City of Salem. Text and images contained in this report may not be used without permission from the University of Oregon. Contents 4 About SCI 4 About SCYP 5 About City of Salem 7 Course Participants 7 Course Description 8 Executive Summary 9 Introduction 10 Situation Anaylsis 11 Operational Context 13 Analysis of Key Publics 15 SWOT Anaylsis 18 Core Problem Statement 24 Strategies and Tactics 26 Implementation 27 Conclusions and Recommendations 28 Appendix A: Student Group Campaign Details Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave About SCI The Sustainable Cities Institute (SCI) 2. Our Urbanism Next Center, which is an applied think tank focusing on focuses on how autonomous vehicles, sustainability and cities through applied e-commerce, and the sharing economy research, teaching, and community will impact the form and function of cities. partnerships. We work across disciplines that match the complexity of cities to In all cases, we share our expertise and address sustainability challenges, from experiences with scholars, policymakers, regional planning to building design community leaders, and project partners. and from enhancing engagement of We further extend our impact via an diverse communities to understanding annual Expert-in-Residence Program, SCI the impacts on municipal budgets from China visiting scholars program, study disruptive technologies and many issues abroad course on redesigning cities for in between. people on bicycle, and through our co- leadership of the Educational Partnerships SCI focuses on sustainability-based for Innovation in Communities Network research and teaching opportunities (EPIC-N), which is transferring SCYP to through two primary efforts: universities and communities across the globe. Our work connects student passion, 1. Our Sustainable City Year Program faculty experience, and community needs (SCYP), a massively scaled university- to produce innovative, tangible solutions community partnership program that for the creation of a sustainable society. matches the resources of the University with one Oregon community each year to help advance that community’s sustainability goals; and About SCYP The Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP) provide students with real-world projects is a yearlong partnership between SCI and to investigate. Students bring energy, a partner in Oregon, in which students enthusiasm, and innovative approaches and faculty in courses from across the to difficult, persistent problems. SCYP’s university collaborate with a public primary value derives from collaborations entity on sustainability and livability that result in on-the-ground impact and projects. SCYP faculty and students expanded conversations for a community work in collaboration with staff from the ready to transition to a more sustainable partner agency through a variety of studio and livable future. projects and service- learning courses to 4 About City of Salem The City of Salem is Oregon’s second largest city (179,605; 2022) and the State’s capital. A diverse community, Salem has well- established neighborhoods, a family-friendly ambiance, and a small town feel, with easy access to the Willamette riverfront and nearby outdoor recreation, and a variety of cultural opportunities. Kayaking at Riverfront Park The City is known for having one of food processing center. A plethora of Oregon’s healthiest historic downtowns, higher education institutions are located hosts an airport with passenger air in Salem, ranging from public Western service, and is centrally located in the Oregon University, private Willamette heart of the Willamette Valley, 47 miles and Corban universities, and Chemeketa south of Portland and an hour from the Community College. Cascade Mountains to the east and the ocean beaches to the west. Salem is in the midst of sustained, steady growth. As a “full-service” city, it provides State government is Salem’s largest residents with services such as police employer, followed by the Salem-Keizer and fire protection, emergency services, School District and Salem Health. The sewage collection and treatment, and City also serves as a hub for area farming safe drinking water. Salem also provides communities and is a major agricultural planning and permitting to help manage 5 Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave growth, as well as economic development of the economy. The City is in the midst to support job creation and downtown of a variety of planning efforts that will development. The City also provides 2,338 shape its future, ranging from climate acres of parks, libraries and educational action planning and implementation, a programs, housing and social services, transportation system plan update, as public spaces, streetscaping, and public well as parks master planning. art. This SCYP and City of Salem partnership is Salem’s vision is a safe, livable, and possible in part due to support from U.S. sustainable capital city, with a thriving Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, economy and a vibrant community that as well as former Congressman Peter is welcoming to all. The City’s mission is DeFazio, who secured federal funding for to provide fiscally sustainable and quality SCYP through Congressionally Directed services to enrich the lives of present and Spending. With additional funding from future residents, protect and enhance the city, the partnership will allow UO the quality of the environment and students and faculty to study and make neighborhoods, and support the vitality recommendations on city-identified projects and issues. Wall art at Peace Plaza, Civic Center 6 Course Participants Aarin Leavitt, Public Relations, Kaitlyn Bullentini, Public Relations and Minor in Global Studies Advertising, Minor in Business Admin Alan Ruvalcaba, Public Relations, Kerrigan Carr, Public Relations and English Minor in Sports Business Kate Gunn, Public Relations, Ashley Hopper, Public Relations, Minor in Multimedia Minor in Sports Business Kate Merrill, Public Relations, Avery Clifford, Public Relations, Minor in Psychology Minors in Sports Business and Planning, Kayleigh Knight, Public Relations, Public Policy and Management Minors in Architecture and Sociology Elyssa Agresti, Public Relations, Maddy Kohnke, Public Relations, Minor in Sports Business Minors in Business Admin and Music Studies Elizabeth Briese, Public Relations, Maisie Mccarley, Public Relations, Minor in Spanish Minor in Sustainable Business Emily Quandt, Public Relations, Mia Singh, Public Relations, Minor in Economics Minor in Sports Business Emma Keogh, Public Relations, Molly Babcock, Public Relations, Minor in Sports Business Minors in Environmental Studies Faith Nelson, Public Relations, and Nonprofit Management Minor in Entrepreneurship Nicole Duda, Public Relations, Hannah Hertel, Public Relations, Minor in Legal Studies Minor in Sports Business Phoebe Ransco, Public Relations, Jenna Tsuchida, Public Relations, Minor in Business Minor in East Asian Studies Sophie Dileva, Public Relations, Julia Johannesen, Public Relations and Minor in Business Admin Advertising, Minor in Sports Business Tanner Smith, Public Relations and Journalism, Minor in Sociology Course Description J 453: STRATEGIC PLANNING AND CASES This course focuses on campaign planning, administration, crisis communication, and issues management, encompassing research, writing objectives and tactics, evaluation methods, and constructing budgets and timelines. 7 Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave Executive Summary The Strategic Planning and Cases course (J 453) at the University of Oregon worked with the City of Salem to develop outreach campaigns to address the City’s volunteerism and community engagement needs. Although each student team developed Specific recommendations to improve a campaign plan that focused on a volunteerism and community engagement distinct target audience, all teams had ranged from expanding the City’s social two common goals: 1) Improve and media presence to incorporating new generate a stronger volunteer base ideas for in-person participation within through social media and 2) Increase current efforts. The most common outreach accessibility for all ages and target publics were Gen-Z/young adults backgrounds, which could then lead to ages 14-24, and the Hispanic/Latinx increased volunteer rates and community community. The suggested timeline of the engagement. campaign ranges from four to 12 months, with a maximum budget of $4,700. The The methodology for each group included campaigns include resource allocation conducting primary and secondary such as suggested staff hours and hiring research around Salem’s current volunteer of an intern to help with social media efforts, community engagement data, and objectives. demographics. Based on their findings and research, each team designed a campaign around a targeted public. 8 Introduction Robust volunteers serve as a gateway to civic engagement and provide a critical connection to everything from city government goings-on to neighborhood events and activities. Student teams provided creative suggestions for how the City of Salem could involve more diverse community members and identify what the next wave of volunteers could look like and how their engagement could be improved now and into the future. With history, context, and current efforts • Strategies and tactics and opportunities around volunteerism • Messaging shared by the City of Salem, student teams • Timeline/budget created plans that included: • Evaluation Plan • Situational analysis See appendices for individual team • Operational context strategies/tactics, along with graphics, • SWOT analysis mock-ups, or digital designs. The following • Target public(s) description sections provide a compiled overview • Goals and objectives from each group. 9 Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave Situation Anaylsis Engaging all ages, types of communities, high school or college students often need backgrounds, and cultural groups is a hours for external requirements. priority for the City of Salem. Specifically, the City is looking to strengthen The following sections incorporate the engagement with area youth, families with main takeaways from student research young children, and underrepresented and analysis. The next section walks populations such as Latinx and Hispanic through the City of Salem’s organizational communities. Community members background and operational context. The want to feel included and have equal final research section brings in statistics accessibility. Volunteer opportunities are regarding the core publics (audiences) that also important to younger generations, as Salem would like to better engage. FIG. 1 Volunteers at Englewood Park 10 Operational Context The class conducted secondary research prior to creating campaign plans to understand the current needs of the Salem community. Students used social media, websites, reports, and data to develop a creative yet realistic case to develop recommendations. ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND Current Volunteer Engagement In 2022, Salem updated its Comprehensive The City of Salem has a strong base of Land Use Plan, which includes goals, consistent, older volunteers. Most of objectives, and data on a variety of city- the City’s volunteers work with Parks specific topic areas. One topic addresses and Recreation, generating around “Citizen Involvement”, which strives to 80,000 volunteer hours annually, and the provide opportunities for the community Center 50+ organization. The Parks and to be involved in city planning efforts. Recreation section of the City’s website City staff, tribal government, a Technical offers robust information on options to Advisory Committee, a variety of school help with the parks and recreation needs. members, stakeholders and elected Center 50+ is a volunteer run group, officials, and neighborhood associations targeting a senior/older audience, that all contributed to the Comprehensive Plan hosts many varied events with strong content. These groups helped students volunteer attendance and engagement. narrow down the strongest potential Salem’s public libraries also benefit from target audience(s), along with who would many volunteer hours, including younger be best to direct a volunteer campaign. volunteers who work in the Library Discovery Room. In addition, Salem has a group of volunteers who work with police to help clean the police cruisers. Lastly, Salem’s board, commissions, and City Council are made up of unpaid volunteer positions. 11 Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave FIG. 2 Sample Instagram post for school-hosted event by Group 1 High School and Collegiate Engagement Creating an opportunity for Salem to Salem is home to several high schools design targeted opportunities for youth and colleges, many of which require focused on building engagement would outside volunteer hours. With a highly provide the younger generations with diverse population of students, Salem has leadership skills, future career interests, an opportunity to engage both the youth and opportunities to enhance social and underrepresented communities. engagement. 12 Analysis of Key Publics MAJOR PUBLICS this audience. Volunteer opportunities The major public for the City of Salem is also allow students to develop a strong young adults aged 14-24, which includes resume, portfolio, and general experience. high school through college aged Young adults are the future of Salem and students. Most of the members within set the bar for future volunteerism and this major public will be students, part- engagement. time workers, and/or live with guardians. This primary public was chosen to focus While not the primary public, younger engagement efforts due to their ability families are also important to the success to participate and interest in learning. of Salem’s volunteer and community This age group also has strong knowledge engagement efforts. Families participating of social media due to generational in community-based events instill the adaptions and would benefit from social value of volunteering in children and media campaigns, digital promotion, set the foundation for future interest in and virtual options. Connecting to young opportunities to give back. Volunteerism adults where they normally are, such as helps build a sense of community that is schools or clubs, sports, or extracurricular important to families with young children activities, allows a stronger source to or families new to Salem. FIG. 3 Sample Willamette University Volunteer Page Design 13 Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave SECONDARY PUBLICS Targeting this public can help with the A strong secondary public is the Hispanic Wellness on Wheels (WOW) program and Latinx community, contributing promotion and introducing it to north to 27% of Salem’s population as the and northeast Salem. The WOW Van second largest demographic group. provides mobile wellness services to Expanding campaign efforts to reach include fitness, nutrition, mobility and them would increase the amount of wellness programming, activities, lifelong community engagement and create more learning instruction, social check-ins, and diverse involvement. There are several technology tutoring. higher education institutions in Salem that could partner to target volunteer The City of Salem discussed expanding opportunities to this public. In addition, the volunteer services provided by focusing on the north and northeast Center 50+ to the north and northeast Salem neighborhoods and schools would neighborhoods, so this could create an tie in both the younger generation and opportunity to connect campaign ideas Hispanic communities. This public also to both the ethnic community and Center allows for Salem’s advertising, promotion, 50+. Senior citizens also located in the and marketing to include translation and north and northeast areas could benefit cultural and language-friendly information from resources provided by Center 50+ in Spanish. Having Spanish versions allows and the WOW Van. Establishing Center more accessibility to Salem’s resources, 50+ registered members as a public would and engagement across media outlets. connect different age groups across Salem’s communities, tying back to their An additional secondary public is the desire to be an inclusive city. seniors registered at Center 50+. As of 2022, there were 65,436 seniors registered In addition to Center 50+, “empty nesters” at the center but only 400 participated are a broader secondary public. Without in a volunteer-related activity. Most of children that have to be cared for, parents the seniors registered participate in may have more free time to volunteer. Center 50+ organized activities, such as They may also be open to exploring new exercises classes or bingo, contributing hobbies, and often spend more time on to the overall engagement in Center 50+. technology and media platforms. 14 SWOT Anaylsis A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis is a tool used to analyze the current situation of an organization. The intent is to consider an organization’s positive and negative internal structure and features to identify strengths and weaknesses. Examining external factors helps identify opportunities and threats. The below analysis is the combined perspectives of the student teams over the ten-week academic term. SALEM’S STRENGTHS • Strong sense of community and desire • Success with other volunteer to strengthen engagement with under- opportunities like the Friends of Trees represented groups volunteer group • Salem’s website is engaging, • Hybrid options for volunteer encouraging users to click through and opportunities and meetings find information and opportunities • Successful word-of-mouth • The website has a calendar with a large communication on events and variety and multiple events listed daily engagement opportunities • Variety of activities all age ranges can • High following on the Salem Facebook enjoy (riverfront carousel, gardens, page and embedded “Salem enchanted forest, museums) Volunteers Rock” page (30,000+) • Legislative and City support/funding • Making apparent action to improve the • Large demographic of volunteers over representation of the Hispanic/Latinx the age of 60 community and their overall quality of • Strong initiatives for combating the life sheltering crisis 15 Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave FIG. 4 Willamette Slough, Riverfront Park WEAKNESSES • Lack of measurable data on past • Few younger and diverse volunteers volunteers to reference overall • Lack of translators and inclusive • Lack of user-friendly platforms language in volunteer opportunities (confusing website layout, hard to find • Limited staff on communications team section on volunteering) (consists of three members) • Public perception of the sheltering/ • Limited budget due to budget cuts homeless crisis across the City • Low Instagram/social media following • Little understanding of social media (comparing to the overall population of and connection to younger audiences Salem and comparable cities) • Average median income for Salem is less than the median income for the entire state of Oregon 16 SWOT Anaylsis OPPORTUNITIES • Large potential for community • Showcasing the activities, board and engagement, specifically focusing on commissions, and groups that young the Hispanic/Latinx groups adults can join to boost community • Generating more use across social • Using the word-of-mouth tactic for media platforms, gaining a following, local schools, universities, businesses, starting with a new social media plan and community cente • The opportunity to be the primary • Increase awareness and exposure source of information for residents of the WOW van to the north and • Growing youth population, a chance to northeast sides of Salem highlight volunteer opportunities for • Creating a long-term group of service- high schoolers and college students minded people, targeting the younger • Targeting a younger population gives generations insight to an untapped and resourceful group THREATS • Language and cultural barriers, no • Unable to track followings, views, translation available for sources of and engagement rates across media communication platforms • Unorganized digital outreach • 60+ demographic of volunteers aging • Negative feedback from residents on out multiple topics • Growing homelessness population • Slow process to receive government • Communications team of three funding members • Economic crises affecting the budget • Neighboring cities have strong for a campaign community engagement and • City of Salem is competing with itself volunteerism, which could draw and could be cannibalizing volunteer volunteers to opportunities outside of opportunities Salem 17 Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave Core Problem Statement The core problem statement sums up the informative/translated resources, and situation: the initial request, research, and accessibility will help Salem improve the analysis. overall awareness of community volunteer opportunities. The City of Salem reported that it desires to increase participation and In a PR plan, goals and objectives are set responses from its volunteerism and to measure the success of a campaign. The community engagement efforts. Minimal goals are the broader statements for what participation and low volunteerism the campaign is trying to achieve, and rates may lead to a future that residents the objectives are the expressed SMART have not been involved in creating. (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, Increasing social media following and use, and timebound) purposes of the plan. GOAL The goal of this campaign is to increase volunteerism efforts and community engagement across the City of Salem, incorporating stronger participation from a younger and ethnic demographic. FIG. 5 Clean Streams cleanup crew 18 Core Problem Statement OBJECTIVES Hispanic/Latinx Community Gen Z, ages 18-24 Objective A (Center 50+) Objective A Expand use of the WOW program to To increase awareness and participation in connect 250 community members in volunteer opportunities identified by the Salem’s north and northeast areas from City of Salem for those aged 18-24 by 4% September 2024 to June 2025 through a (700 people) by the end of July 2024. pilot program called, “Spreading the WOW Factor.” Objective B To increase awareness of the volunteer Objective B opportunities towards helping the Establish a baseline number of homeless in Salem for those aged 18-24 by volunteerism, specifically for the Latinx/ 4% (700 people) by the end of July 2024. Hispanic community. Young Families, ages 23-38 High School and College Students Objective A Objective A (Center 50+) To increase volunteer participation from Increase the number of volunteers by young families by 5% in summer of 2025. 12% , focusing on high school students volunteering for the WOW program from Objective B September 2024 to June 2025. To encourage 100 people from young families to get out and volunteer at least Objective B once before summer of 2025. Increase awareness of the City of Salem’s volunteer opportunities among college Social Media students by 10% by August 2024, assuming Objective A the baseline is zero, based on the current Increase the number of Instagram combined student enrollment of 11,772 at followers on a new Service in Salem Chemeketa Community College, Corban account from 0 to 2.5K by the end of University, and Willamette University. August 2024. Objective C Objective B (Center 50+) Increase college student volunteerism Create awareness of the “Spreading the by 2% by January 2025, assuming the WOW Factor” pilot program through social baseline is zero, based on the current media from September 2024 to June 2025. combined student enrollment of 11,772 at Chemeketa Community College, Corban Objective C University, and Willamette University. Increase engagement on the City of Salem’s social media accounts and website by 30% by Hispanic Heritage Month 2024. 19 Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave PRIMARY PUBLIC MESSAGING Hispanic/Latinx Community B. Volunteering isn’t just about giving (with translations to Spanish) back; it’s an investment in your future. Gain valuable skills, experiences and A. Volunteering with the City of Salem connections that will set you apart fosters community connection and in college applications and future offers a chance to share your voice and endeavors. your culture. C. Small actions lead to significant B. Volunteering with the City of Salem change! Become involved in your creates representation and provides an community and offer guidance and example for younger generations. support to those who need it. By doing so, you contribute to a more C. Follow @ServiceInSalem and sign up to compassionate and connected volunteer to help the homeless in our community. community. We need your help! Gen Z, Ages 18-24 High School and College Students A. Volunteering is the first step to A. Embark on a rewarding career journey becoming an engaged member of your with the City of Salem. Elevate your community. Discover your passions resume and make a tangible impact on through community service and your home away from home through supporting efforts that are important meaningful volunteer opportunities to you. with Salem and its partners. Your journey toward a fulfilling career B. Follow us @ServiceInSalem to find begins here! opportunities to serve the community while hangin’ with your friends. Get those school requirements taken care of, give us a follow, and we will make your service hour troubles melt away! 20 Core Problem Statement Young Families, Ages 23-38 Center 50+/WOW Van A. You’ve decided to live in Salem and are A. Health and wellness services are a looking to plant your roots. Cultivate basic human need and right. Everyone a supportive, tight-knit community deserves a chance to look after their through volunteering with the whole health responsibly—and from the family. Connect with your neighbors on comfort of their home. the Salem volunteering Facebook page, where you can learn about a variety of B. Communities function best when community service opportunities, like you have others to lean on. Explore Pick-up in the Park, a beautification the Wellness on Wheels offerings and event designed to benefit our residents lean on them for physical, mental and like you. Build a better Salem for your emotional well-being support. children and generations to come. Social Media B. Salem is your home, you’re growing your heart, you’re growing your home. A. Do you want to make your community Stay connected in the development a better place? Are you compelled to of Salem through community and help the homeless population in your volunteerism. Be a part of creating a community? It sounds like a lot of safer City for you and your family. work, but we’ve taken the stress out of finding service hours by following @ServiceInSalem. Volunteer with us and tackle our community’s biggest issue, and let’s help our neighbors and friends transition into the homes they deserve. Follow us and sign up today to become a superstar with Service in Salem! 21 Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave FIG. 6 Mockup carousel post in English and Spanish 22 Core Problem Statement FIG. 7 Mockup carousel post in English and Spanish 23 Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave Strategies and Tactics Strategies and tactics are what must be done to implement the PR plan. Strategies are ways to accomplish the set objectives, and tactics are the “to-do” lists to achieve the strategies in full. Students were grouped into five teams, each focusing on a major public to target a specific campaign. A primary strategy and tactic from each team is highlighted below, with full details of each campaign included in the appendix. STRATEGY A STRATEGY B Ensure accessibility to service Partner with Willamette Career Academy, opportunities. Salem Academy High School, and North Salem High School to encourage student Tactic: conversation and involvement from 1. To ensure accessibility for the Spanish- students. speaking community, flyers and social media posts will be created in Tactics: English and Spanish. On social media, 1. Send surveys to bible study, National a carousel post will be made with Honors Society, KEY Club, student one slide in English and the next in ambassadors, student council, and Spanish, with both languages used in sports teams at Salem Academy High the caption. This way, all viewers can School; the Health Services program access and repost the slide that best at Willamette Career Academy; and the fits them. FBLA, MECHA, Islander, Native, Spanish 2. Hire a social media intern who is Honor Society, and Japanese clubs at bilingual in English and Spanish to North Salem High School. The survey add capacity and diversity to the will have a space to add an email communications team. address. 2. Based on the survey data, work with student groups who have shown the most interest in involvement and extend an opportunity for student clubs to adopt the program as their initiative. 24 Strategies and Tactics STRATEGY C STRATEGY E Promote volunteer events in public places Communicate volunteer and community that young families frequently visit. engagement opportunities to underrepresented communities in Salem. Tactics: 1. Have an informational booth located Tactics: outside of grocery stores. 1. Generate surveys, sign-in sheets, and 2. Hand out informational flyers about RSVPs for all hosted events. volunteer opportunities in Salem after 2. Use Hispanic Heritage Month to religious services on the weekends. create an event targeted towards the Hispanic/Latinx community, such as a STRATEGY D food truck block party. Conduct outreach to universities. 3. Continue the use of Viva Salem. 4. Advertise these events in schools and Tactics: churches. 1. Plug volunteer opportunities to college 5. Create a new Instagram account classes focused on public policy, social specifically used for cultural events. inclusion, or city planning. 2. Partner with Public Policy clubs STRATEGY F to develop relevant volunteer Create community outreach events at opportunities. local parks in the north and northeast 3. Table at public spaces on campus of area of Salem. local universities. 4. Collect contact information for Tactics: potentially interested students. 1. Host an event sponsored by Center 50+ and the WOW program at Weathers Park. Set up stalls featuring different services offered to introduce the program. 2. Highlight the event through a social media campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 25 Fall 2023 Volunteerism & Civic Engagement - The Next Wave Implementation This part of the plan shows the budget and timeline for implementing the tactics. Each strategy letter is associated with the strategies from the section prior titled “Strategies and Tactics.” BUDGET Strategy Tactic Cost Per Unit Number of Units Hours for City Staff Total Cost A 1 0 Post twice a week 10 hr. a week 0 30 min. per survey creation B 1 0 2 surveys a month 0 and evaluation B 2 n/a 2 groups a month 2 hrs. per group n/a C 1 16 cents a flyer 100 4 hrs. per weekend $16 C 2 16 cents a flyer 200 4 hrs. per weekend $32 1 round trip per D 1 $94 (driving costs) 1x a week $94/driving time university D 2 n/a Multiple groups 1x a week n/a $75 (table, D 3 1 per university 2 hr. per week 2 hr. per week/$75 tablecloth, snacks) D 4 n/a n/a 2 hr. per week 2 hr. per week 1 survey, sign-in E 1 n/a sheet, RSVP per 2 hrs. per event n/a event E 4 n/a n/a n/a n/a 1 Instagram E 5 0 20 hrs. 0 account park $200 + gas for 2 hrs. for park event, n/a F n/a $200+ event distance driven for WOW van services social 30 min. per survey creation F 0 1 survey per event 0 media and evaluation 26 Conclusions and Recommendations Students research shows that the City of Salem’s methods for volunteerism and community engagement have room for growth and creativity. Currently, Salem has a website and uses a variety of media platforms. However, community survey results showed that word-of-mouth was Salem’s main tactic. With Salem’s interest in increasing the participation from younger, diverse communities, there is the opportunity to focus on social media presence and in-person events. Based on the data and research, the student groups developed individual plans that can be found in the appendix. Student recommendations include the • Ensure equal accessibility through following: social media, flyers, and surveys with translations to Spanish and culturally • Expand Salem’s social media presence. appropriate language. Have captions Incorporate hiring an intern, tools with English and Spanish options and such as Canva, and posting timeline to carousel posts. simplify the posting process and relieve staff hours. Engage with members of Full implementation of the plan would the community online, post frequently cost a maximum of $4,700, requiring about volunteer opportunities, events, between 10 and 320 hours depending and chances to stay involved for all age on the range of tactics implemented. ranges. Evaluative measures range from social • Partner and work with local high media engagement and clicks to survey schools and universities to increase and QR code responses. In addition, involvement and awareness. Use Salem can evaluate success based on if surveys, giveaways, and sponsored there is an increase in physical volunteer events at schools. sign ups, engagement, and community • Work with Center 50+ to bring the participation. From those results, WOW program to new neighborhoods, Salem could design further volunteer tying together a younger and older engagement efforts to continue fostering generation. Use the younger aged inclusion and meet city goals using participants to help run the van and sources from the appendix. driving services to reach the north and northeast neighborhoods. 27 Appendix A Appendix A: Student Group Campaign Details 28 Student Group Campaign Details GROUP 1: SHELTERING CRISIS Aware of the potential negative opinions surrounding the city’s handling of the sheltering crisis, this group aimed to address the concerns of the 18-24 age range. To improve perceptions, they suggested creating a Service in Salem Instagram account and utilizing hashtags such as #salemservicestories. The group also emphasized using GenZ colors, fonts, and language in their communications to resonate with this demographic. Timeline Phase 1- Establishment (3 months) • Create the @ServiceInSalem Instagram account (completed by week 1 of the phase) and follow local volunteer organizations, other Oregon cities, other volunteer/social justice accounts, City of Salem accounts, and any relevant volunteer leaders or city officials (completed by week 1 of the phase) • Begin creating content for the social media (starts at week 1 of the phase - indefinitely) • Work on a monthly content calendar and develop a content bank to pull posts from for the rest of the campaign (complete by the end of the first week of the month) • Design service opportunity flyers, QR codes, and sign-up links monthly (for the first month by the end of week 2) (by the first of month after month 1) • Print flyers for each new month and hang them up at the desired locations at the start of each month (for the first month by the end of week 2) (by 2nd day of the month after month 1) • Sponsor a halftime free throw contest at local high school basketball games to promote volunteer opportunities. (all in the month of Feb, month 1 only) • Start finding people for #SalemServiceStories, filming the needed content, and signing media release forms for those in the video. (complete by the end of week 6) • Post 3 three times a week on the account using analytics for the best posting times once the information is available (weekly basis) (in our example, we use Mon, Wed, Friday) • Keep high engagement on the account by replying to comments, reposting any relevant posts, responding to DMs, and commenting on tagged posts (weekly) Phase 2: Growth and Engagement (2 months) • Continue to post at least three times weekly using the analytics to adjust to the best posting times (weekly basis) • Continue to keep engagement high with followers by replying to comments, reposting any relevant posts, responding to DMs, and commenting on tagged posts (weekly) • Run an Instagram giveaway post where if you follow the account and comment on what service opportunities you are interested in, you will be entered to win City of Salem merch and a $25 Visa gift card. Promote the post via the Instagram Ad Center for a higher reach in the area (start giveaway in May; giveaway runs until the end of June). • Continue working on creating more content for the content bank in the future (weekly) • Start the #SalemServiceStories series, posting one every week (weekly from May to June) • Keep updating the flyers at the desired location and track the number of QR scans to see their performance (monthly) 29 Appendix A Phase 3: Consistency (3 months) • Promote 2 Instagram posts per month from July-Sept via Instagram Ad Center to keep increasing reach (monthly) • Continue posting the #SalemServiceStories (once every other week) • Continue posting 3 times weekly using the analytics to adjust to the best posting times (weekly) • Continue to keep engagement high with followers by replying to comments, reposting any relevant posts, responding to DMs, and commenting on tagged posts (daily) • Continue updating flyers as needed (monthly) Evaluation Plan Objectives 3.A, 3.B, and 5.A (referenced on p. 19) The campaign will be evaluated by the number of people who scanned the QR code on flyers to the Google Form sign-up link and by the average monthly number of profile views on the Instagram page. This data will be readily available on a spreadsheet, which will be updated periodically to track the demographics and number of form completions. QR codes can be scanned on flyers, which will be available on campuses, hung up at the sponsored basketball games, and will be at popular Gen Z locations in the summer months. Seeing who just scanned the QR code by reading the flyer and who viewed the Instagram account showcases the awareness gained on the service opportunities. The goal is to have 700 people scan the QR code and an average of 700 monthly views of our profile by the end of July 2024. This will be monitored by tracking the number of followers gained on the new Instagram account. In 7 months, the plan is to gain 2.5K followers by observing the number of followers monthly. This will be tracked through Instagram’s in-app analytics already provided through the app, with demographics being accounted for, and the numbers will be compared monthly by being tracked on a spreadsheet. This will be evaluated by finding the total number of 18-24-year-olds who fully completed the Google Form sign-up through the QR code. Workers will track the number of volunteer sign-ups by counting the number of completed forms the day before each event and logging it onto a spreadsheet. These volunteers’ demographics will also be noted to be aware of communities that are and are not getting involved with these events. The hope is to see our sign-ups increase by 3% by the end of the campaign. 30 Student Group Campaign Details GROUP 2: HISPANIC COMMUNITY AND GEN Z Recognizing the desire of the Hispanic community and GenZ individuals to be civically engaged, this group proposed conducting an interest survey to identify community needs and preferences. They recommended leveraging existing community-based events, such as Hispanic Heritage Month, to create engagement opportunities. in addition, students proposed strategies such as establishing a Latino Business Alliance spokesperson and launching a Ciudad de Salem Instagram to reach these demographics. Timeline Phase 1: Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th-October 15th) - Establishment • Create a new Instagram for Salem cultural events • Revitalize the Facebook page • Reach out to the Latino Business alliance (LBA) • Host Hispanic Heritage Month Food Truck Kickoff Event • Promote volunteerism and gauge interest within churches in the Salem community • Host Viva Salem Hispanic Heritage Festival Phase 2: October 16th- Day of the Dead (November 1st) - Involvement • Offer community Ofrenda with Salem Public Library • Begin recruiting volunteers for Day of the Dead event using data from food truck event • Promote volunteer opportunities via Instagram and Facebook • Promote Day of the Dead Parade event • Host Day of the Dead Parade Phase 3: December 2024- Growth and Engagement • Continue partnership with LBA • Recruit volunteers for Salem tree lighting event • Host volunteer celebration event • Promote current volunteer opportunities through City of Salem and track with new baseline numbers and continue to record data Evaluation Plan Objectives 1.B and 5.C (referenced on p. 19) To evaluate how the events go, baseline data will be needed to measure growth in the future. To be able to see that data, staff will need to evaluate engagement on social media, attendance at the events, and the citizens’ survey responses. Engagement: Instagram offers analytics at no cost when having a business account. By having these insights, staff will be able to see followers, visits, the best time of follower engagement for posting, and more. By seeing these engagement analytics on the new Instagram account, staff can tailor outreach to the target audience. Attendance: At the kickoff event, a Salem volunteer opportunity stand with the QR code will be available to all to scan to how many people are interested. This can help provide baseline measurements to calculate growth in the future. Survey Response: After each event, there will be a survey that the volunteers and public can take. The survey results will help staff figure out what is successful, where there is room for improvement, and provides an opportunity to compare across events. 31 Appendix A GROUP 3: IMPROVING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT OF YOUTH AND UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES Recognizing the difficulty that youth and underrepresented communities may face in navigating the City of Salem’s website, this group proposed partnering with local universities and public policy majors to organize internships and volunteer opportunities. They suggested conducting volunteer “pitch” competitions and intercept interviews on campus to increase engagement. Students recommended a tailored website for students and a strong presence on multiple social media platforms. Timeline November December January February March April May 1.1 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 2x/week 2x/week 2x/week 1.2 1x/month 1x/month 1x/month 1.3 2x/week 2x/week 2x/week 2x/week 3x/week 3x/week 3x/week 1.4 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 2x/week 3x/week 2.1 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 2x/week 2.2 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 2.3 Biweekly Biweekly Biweekly Biweekly Biweekly Biweekly 1x/week 2.4 1x/month 3.1 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 1x/week 3.2 1x/month 1x/month 1x/month 1x/month 1x/month 3.3 3.4 1x/month 32 Student Group Campaign Details White key: Conduct outreach to universities. 1.1= visit colleges 1.2= visit college job fairs 1.3= table at public spaces throughout schools 1.4= collect contact information from students Light grey key: Develop a social media campaign. 2.1= Develop social media graphics to advertise volunteer opportunities 2.2= Partner with students to promote volunteer opportunities on social media 2.3= Collaborate with students on campus to create short intercept interview videos 2.4 + 3.4= Announce winner of competition via social media channels Dark grey key: Revamp volunteer opportunities. 3.1= Develop internal comms to promote idea of increasing volunteer opportunities or internships 3.2= Send colleges a survey to gauge student interest 3.3= Develop annual competition where students vote on new volunteer opportunities with Salem 3.4 + 2.4 = Announce winner of competition via social media channels Evaluation Plan Objectives 2.B and 2.C (referenced on p. 19) • Track the contact information collected. Track engagement KPIs on TikTok and Instagram. • Track the number of college students volunteering with Salem and its partners during January 2025. 33 Appendix A GROUP 4: 23–38-YEAR-OLDS AND YOUNG FAMILIES Understanding the importance of building community and engaging families, this group proposed partnering with churches and schools to improve family messaging. Students proposed park beautification events involving families and children to create a sense of pride and belonging within the community. Timeline Phase 1: June 2024-October 2024 • Plan for informational booths outside of grocery stores to inquire about volunteer opportunities June 2024 • Create informational flyers about volunteering after church services on the weekends • Implement the informational booths outside grocery stores July 2024 • Create a partnership with public schools to plan a promotional booth at school events • Plan a park beautification event for families with an educational August 2024 portion for the kids • Host promotional booth at back-to-school night at Chavez September 2024 Elementary School and Eyre Elementary School, pass out flyers about park beautification event • Plan a park beautification event for families with an educational October 2024 portion for the kids Phase 2: November 2024-January 2025 • Pay for a section in the two elementary school’s quarterly newspaper to advertise for volunteer events November 2024 • Send out advertisements regarding upcoming volunteer events to the school’s newspapers • Card writing event hear the holidays for families to make holiday December 2024 cards for Center 50+ • Host the first park beautification event (include educational aspect January 2025 for kids about how to plant) 34 Student Group Campaign Details Phase 3: February 2025- May 2025 • Send promotional messages to neighborhood group platforms (i.e., February 2025 Facebook and Nextdoor) • Continue to send out advertisements to schools/churches regarding upcoming volunteer events March 2025 • Create a QR code linked to a survey and collect data based on their volunteer involvement • Host an Easter craft event at churches (decorating eggs or making April 2025 an Easter bunny from paper objects); family oriented and adults can volunteer to bring supplies • Host a spring beautification event (can be as simple as planting flowers) May 2025 • Send out more surveys and collect data based on the community’s volunteer involvement over the last year Evaluation Plan Objectives 4.A and 4.B (as referenced on p.19) The City of Salem will release flyers with QR codes at the start/end of summer 2024 and 2025. The QR codes bring volunteer opportunities throughout the community. Through the QR codes, the City of Salem can track how many people are scanning them and learning about the volunteer opportunities. The City of Salem will partner with local churches and schools to gain exposure. Through doing this, they can monitor how many community members get involved with the organizations. This will be tracked by anonymous QR code check in/out surveys offered by Salem. This can help give feedback about the volunteer service and track how many community members are involved. The City of Salem will motivate the target public by hosting family volunteer opportunities. This includes the park clean-up event that will allow families to help beautify the community parks and officials will teach children about nature. 35 Appendix A GROUP 5: SPREADING THE “WOW” FACTOR This group focused on bridging the gap between the north and northeast neighborhoods and city government to tackle potential mistrust. They proposed using the Center 50+ WOW Van to create community and connection with residents utilizing empty nesters to provide mentorship to high school students that are providing tech support to older adults. Timeline The recommendation is to pilot the program over a school year, allowing student awareness to grow over the year as more students learn about the program, joining their friends. August/September Send out first survey to student groups to raise awareness and gauge interest September/October Collaborate with most interested student groups and pitch our program October Begin WOW Van program December-June Send surveys for feedback at the end of each school semester Evaluation Plan Objective 1.A, 2.A, and 5.B (as referenced on p. 19) Benchmark Measurements (Before): Record the number of followers and age demographics for both Instagram and Facebook. Record average engagement rates and analytics on Facebook posts for age demographics. Continue to track these results after surveys are sent out. Check for a 10% increase in high school students who liked the Instagram posts. Starting in the fall of 2024, the goals is to have a steady increase in high school volunteers. Example: before the fall of 2024 there were 0 volunteers. Quarterly the goal would be to have 13 new volunteers. Create a timeline of increase to measure if the goal of 10 new volunteers every 2 months is plausible. Continue to evaluate the social media engagement and check age demographics for each. Increase in 14–18-year-old for Instagram? Are there at least 50 high school students following Instagram? Increase in 50+ for Facebook? Is there at least a 10% increase in followers from the beginning metrics? Check engagement rates on Facebook posts. Cross-reference with age analytics and demographics. 36 Student Group Campaign Details ALL MOCKUPS AND IMAGES FIG. 8 Mockup of QR Code for Group 2’s kick-off event FIG. 9 Mockup of a Twitter point for a survey from Group 2 to gage community engagement 37 Appendix A FIG. 10 Mockup of a flyer in both English and Spanish for Group 2’s Día De Los Muertos event 38 Student Group Campaign Details FIG. 11 Mockup of a flyer in both English and Spanish for Group 2’s Día De Los Muertos event 39 Appendix A FIG. 12 Sample Willamette University Volunteer Page Design FIG. 13 Sample Instagram Post from Group 3 40 Student Group Campaign Details FIG. 14 Sample Instagram Post from Group 3 41 Appendix A FIG. 15 Sample flyer for events and volunteer interest from Group 4 42 Student Group Campaign Details FIG. 16 Sample flyer for events and volunteer interest from Group 4 43 Appendix A FIG. 17 Social media and poster mockup from Group 5 44 Student Group Campaign Details FIG. 18 Social media and poster mockup from Group 5 45 Appendix A FIG. 19 Social media and poster mockup from Group 5 46 Student Group Campaign Details FIG. 20 Suggested Style Guide from Group 1 47 Appendix A FIG. 21 Mockup carousel post in English and Spanish 48 Student Group Campaign Details FIG. 22 Mockup carousel post in English and Spanish 49 Appendix A FIG. 23 Sample Instagram post for school-hosted event by Group 1 FIG. 24 Sample social media post for suggested giveaways from Group 1 50 Student Group Campaign Details FIG. 25 Sample Instagram feed from Group 1 51 Appendix A FIG. 26 Sample flyer in English and Spanish from Group 1 52 Student Group Campaign Details FIG. 27 Sample flyer in English and Spanish from Group 1 53 SCI Directors and Staff Marc Schlossberg SCI Co-Director, and Professor of Planning, Public Policy and Management, University of Oregon Nico Larco SCI Co-Director, and Professor of Architecture, University of Oregon Megan Banks SCYP Director, University of Oregon Lindsey Hayward SCYP Assistant Program Manager, University of Oregon Zoe Taylor Report Coordinator Ian Dahl Graphic Designers Danielle Lewis