Date: 2-8-15

Project: IMC Plan

Project Team Members:
Kaitlyn Maskalenko, Cassandra Clemons, Grace Brigham. Max Mirabile
Product and Market Background:
Since 1967 Pathways for Children has been an essential part of early education and care
programs on local, state, and national levels. Pathways teaches a diverse range of children in
order to educate them with the values of community, respect, and academics. Children learn to
value the world around them, and themselves. It has always been Pathways mission to provide
disadvantaged children and their families with quality education, social development and support
services that strengthen the family unit as a whole.
Pathways position in the current market is fairly unknown and underrepresented in the
Beverly Massachusetts area, as well as in Salem, Peabody, and Danvers. Pathways for Children
is headquartered in Gloucester MA, where the program has seen the most support according to
Pathways Development officer, Ilya Stacy.
Pathways provides various programs to the public in need. Infant and toddler care, The
Head Start Preschool program, Family child care, and more are offered to further enhance the
lives and education of less privileged children. Pathways is a unique organization because it goes
beyond early education, and provides programs for parents as well. What makes Pathways
unique is the variety and abundance of family support services offered throughout our programs.
We believe that parents are their childs first and most important teacher (pw4c.org, 2015).
Social workers, family involvement specialists, and behavior specialists are all available to
Pathways families.
Currently Pathways has loyal donors and supporters, and has been able to put on
successful fundraisers such as their Harlequin Holiday Snowball, which brought in $160,000
dollars to go towards building indoor play spaces at Pathways locations. Pathways has been
recognized on media stations for their work and the benefits they provide the community. A CBS
news article suggests that involvement with the Head Start preschool program is linked to lower
cases of childhood obesity. Head Starts structured schedules and active play allow for children to
maintain a healthier lifestyle (Wariatka, 2015).
For this marketing communications campaign, Pathways is looking to increase visibility
in the Beverly, Salem, Danvers, and Peabody area of Massachusetts. There is a need for an
increase in donors for Pathways programs to be improved, and the best way to gain more support
is to spread Pathways mission as well as its unique features around the community. This
campaign will include spreading word about Pathways upcoming event celebrating the 50th
Anniversary of The Head Start program. This campaign is needed for the pathways organization
to gain the visibility it needs to better its programs, as well as the community.
Competition:
The most relevant competitors of Pathways for Children are Beverly Bootstraps, NAFI
and The YMCA of the North Shore. Beverly Bootstraps is a social service agency that provides
families with food assistance and educational services for both adults and children. They also
have a thrift shop that relies on donations from the community (Beverly Bootstraps, n.d.). The
North American Family Institute (NAFI) is a human service agency specializing in communitybased care for children, youth and adults with emotional or behavioral problems. They work to
transform individuals into their best self. Youth services at NAFI engage the youth and

communities in positive social change to reduce violence and gang involvement. They have
multiple locations on the east coast, and the closest one to Pathways is in Peabody MA (NFI
Massachusetts, n.d.). The YMCA is a well known non-profit that focuses on bringing
communities together for a positive change. Their mission is to strengthen communities, educate
and nurture children, and promote a healthy mind and body (North Shore YMCA, n.d.). There
is a clear difference between the YMCA, NAFI, Beverly Bootstraps and Pathways however
because they all benefit families and the community, they are competitors when trying to reach
donors in the North Shore.
Both of these organizations have updated and modern websites. The North Shore location
for the YMCA has 2,573 likes with 312 page visits on Facebook, 2,118 followers on Twitter, 345
followers on Instagram, and a Youtube channel with 74 subscribers. Beverly Bootstraps has
1,368 likes on Facebook with 100 visits on Facebook and 865 followers on Twitter. In
comparison, Pathways for Children is only active on Facebook with a total of 391 likes and 79
page visits. The YMCA and Beverly Bootstraps has more visibility in the community however in
comparison to NAFI, they are also only active on Facebook and have 56 likes on their page.
Pathways for Children stands out from its competitors because of the unique services
they offer families. If they can gain awareness in the community, they will be an equal
competitor to other local nonprofits. Pathways is competing for donations. We have to give
donors a reason why their money should be donated to Pathways over other organizations. With
an increase in donations, Pathways will be able to help more people.
Marketing objective:
Through our marketing efforts, we are looking to send the message to the public that
Pathways for Children is a trustworthy organization whose work will benefit the entire North
Shore community. We want to emphasize that donors are investing in future generations, and the
well being of children who do not have access to all the things they need.
In this marketing plan we are looking to expand our brand share within the current donor
market. Pathways unique selling point is that their programs extend beyond early childhood
education, and look to benefit entire families and communities. Pathways is looking to raise
awareness of their programs around the North Shore area. By raising more awareness, Pathways
is looking to see an increase donors, volunteers, and community support.
Target Market/ Audience:
The target audience for Pathways is potential donors. As stated in an article from
Network for Good (n.d.), the people most likely to give to a charity are those who feel an
emotional connection to that charitys cause (Andresen, Rovner, & McKee, n.d.) People dont
always respond well to numbers and statistics. Sometimes its better to tell real stories about real
people to get people motivated to give. A mixture of statistics and testimonials is probably the
best tactic. A survey from The Chronicle of Philanthropy (2009) also found that volunteers
typically give 10 times more to charities than people who dont volunteer (Preston, 2009). If
people already volunteer it shows that they want to give back, and that they probably already feel
an emotional connection to the cause. These are good people to target as well.
As stated in an article by The Chronicle of Philanthropy (2012), young adults The age
demographic we will target is the older Millennials, ages 25-30. The second group is the Gen
Xs, ages 30-50. Although Pathways current target market is Baby Boomers and older, targeting
these two other generations will be beneficial because of their involvement in the community.
(the older Millennials) tend to be naturally philanthropic (2012 Millennial Donor Impact Report,

2012). This study found that 75% of young adults gave to charities in 2011. People in this
demographic are also inclined to urge friends and family members to give to the cause if they
feel strongly enough about it. The only downfall of targeting this age group is that, although
most of them give, they dont give as much. They usually give $100 or less. This group is also
more likely to donate if they feel a connection to the charity, and/or if they volunteer.
The second age group targeted is Gen X. They should be targeted because most people at
this age are financially established and fairly stable, therefore more likely to be able to donate to
charities. Many also have kids, which would make them much more likely to feel an emotional
connection to Pathways cause. The drawback to targeting to this age group is that, according to
an article by Pew Research Center (2014), 44% of Gen Xers arent confident about having
enough money for retirement (Taylor & Gao, 2014). Because of this fact, they may be less likely
to give to charities. If they do give, they probably need to feel a very strong connection to the
charity they give to.
Both males and females are included in the target market for the Pathways campaign.
Both married and unmarried people will also be targeted, but parents are more likely to feel
strongly about this cause. Potential donors belonging to the middle to upper classes will be
targeted, as they are most likely to have the money to donate.
Potential donors for Pathways most likely partake in community and civic activities and
domestic activities. If they already partake in community and civic activities, such as
involvement in Ryal Side Civic Association in Beverly, or the North Shore Chamber of
Commerce, they will more than likely be open to helping this important cause. If they participate
in domestic activities, they probably have kids, so this cause would be something they would
want to give to (Barry, 2012). We could find these types of people in the North Shore
Having children could definitely make potential donors more likely to want to give to this
cause. These people would probably be in the Gen X category. Millennials that either grew up in
poverty, or knew someone close to them that did would also feel close to this cause, making
them more likely to want to donate to Pathways. People who already give to charities and feel
strongly about philanthropy would be likely to give to another if they feel strongly enough about
the cause. Showing these people how beneficial and important Pathways is to the community,
and how well their money would be used, could persuade these people to contribute.
Media:
Narrowing down our target audiences proved to pave the way for the direction Pathways
media needed to go in order to be most successful. A Facebook campaign targeting Gen X will
best reach the older generation of our target audience. This is based off our research and Jay
Ehrets article, How to Market to Generation X (2011). Pathways current social media presence
is basically inexistent. Since most of the audience is on FaceBook (Millennials and Gen X)
going through with an interactive campaign using this social media site will successfully carry
message. With FaceBook, you can post statuses, pictures, share events, spread the news about
Pathways programs new and old, but mainly it allows you to keep in touch with those who
donate. Those who contribute to Pathways whether it be in time, money or both, can now be
easily accessible with a stronger online presence. As part of the online campaign, we are going
to work to create and film success stories from past Pathways children and families, focusing on
where they were before, how they progressed as people during and where they are now. These
videos will be posted to YouTube and shared to our FaceBook account once a week. Our
audience wants to see where their money is going and by introducing them to success stories of
people from the same community, it could help them see the need for why Pathways needs

donations (Lesonsky, 2014). There would also be a focus on those who helped these people get
to where they are and thats where the impact of donors would come in to effect. Convince
donors to fund more and more success stories.
In recent years, Pathways has had articles written on them in local publications,
specifically the North Shore Magazine. Granted, that article was back in 2013, there is still a
strong audience presence in local publications. Sending press releases to local North Shore
publications such as North Shore Magazine, Kids and Family North Shore publication and North
Shore Parents Magazine would be ideal places to start. Good publicity is something Pathways
should showcase and journalists in the North Shore community would like to hear more about
their mission. We intend on sending an email blast to local newspapers such as the Salem News
(Salem), North of Boston (Danvers), Beverly Citizen (Beverly) and the Town Common News
(largest community newspaper in North Shore) regarding advertisements. Uploading and
sharing the news of events on Massachusetts Patch pages is also a tactic we could use to reach
out to donors.
Pathways believes in a strong community and the sense of making you feel like part of
the family. By making our media as personal as possible, our target audience will feel
comfortable learning more about the donating process and how they can get involved within the
Pathways/early education community. Word-of-mouth is going to be another beneficial part of
the campaign. We want to get people talking about Pathways, in a positive light, and spreading
word of what they do. We know, they know and the Cape Ann community knows how
wonderful what they do is, but it needs to shine through in the North Shore.
Message/Tone of voice:
As a family-oriented organization focused on equal education for children living under
less fortunate circumstances, we agree the campaign should be light-hearted and friendly.
Asking for donations and giving our audience a reason why they should donate to Pathways
rather than the YMCA or other family-oriented programs, should be a personal interaction. A
point we intend on emphasizing is this: Our community, their community, your community. By
playing off this tag-line, it allows us to emphasize the importance of community and by
addressing donors as You and being as direct as possible it makes it seem very personal (Klein,
2007). Making the audience feel like they're making a difference is key. So, getting the message
across that they are making a difference in the community, the future and within themselves are
the areas of focus. Its a community driven message.
The top three messages we would like to get out to our target audience are: Community,
cant spell it without u or i, Funding the future of your community, and you are directly
benefitting (bettering) education for your children, grandchildren and their friends. We want to
emphasize that every donor is just as important as the next. Every bit of money and time put
towards this organization and what it stands for, is appreciated. Help fund the path and we will
pave it.
Budget:
Print Components Direct Mail = 250 standard postcards (suggested quantity)
Staples: does not include postage = $54.99 (for 250)
Postage = $.49/ postcard
250(.49) = 122.50 + 54.99 = $177.49

 VistaPrint: includes postage and mailing service = $133 (for 250)

Addressing and handling fee = $19.99
133 + 19.99 = $152.99
*VistaPrint has a mailing service, and sometimes has discount codes for
marketing materials. For example, right now they are having a promotion for 40%
off marketing materials with the code MARKETING40. The price above also
includes a full color back side, whereas the Staples quote includes a black and
white back side. Therefor our suggested source is VistaPrint.
Digital Components Digital video
no cost
Public relations plan
no cost
Social media plan
no cost
Website
no cost
E-mail newsletter = quantity depends on mailing list (suggested source is
Mailchimp.com)
Mailchimp.com
Price varies based on quantity, but under 12,000 emails per month
is free
Total Budget Estimate = $152.99
250 Direct Mail Standard Postcards = $152.99
Digital Video = $0
Public Relations Plan = $0
Social Media Plan = $0
Website = $0
E-mail Newsletter = $0
Deliverables:
1. Digital Video, slideshow, or image based project with audio that is
good for sharing
2. Print components (print ads, postcard, flyer, direct mail, etc.)
3. Public relations plan/strategies and tools
4. Social media plan and completed content, platforms, and social
media specific campaign with connected social media (Instagram, Facebook,
Twitter, as necessary)
5. E-mail newsletter template with content that can be sent to their
list
6. Website with appropriate content for the campaign
Deadline:

In order for maximum effect, the message should reach the audience before their May
20th event. Having the message reach the target audience by the beginning of May would be the
most effective, so that possible donors will want to go to the event.
Evaluation:
The client could measure the success of this campaign by keeping track of the numbers of
followers, likes and page visits they have on social media. They can also keep track of the
number of donations they receive and how many people are volunteering. Another way to track
the success of this campaign would be to notice how many people are attending events and
compare to events in the past. If these numbers increase it would show that the community is
more aware of Pathways for Children and are getting more involved with them as well.
Some analytical tools that Pathways can use for tracking after our role on this project is
over would be free websites such as Quintly, Cyfe and HowSociable. Quintly allows access to
analytics for up to three Facebook pages giving stats on likes, comments, shares and follower
growth. Creating a custom dashboard on Cyfe will allow Pathways to view stats from multiple
social media networks at once. HowSociable gives a social score for each social media network.
The score factors in any activity around a brand over the past seven days (Lee, 2014). These
tools will help Pathways quantify the results of this campaign and determine its level of success.

Works Cited
Andresen, K., Rovner, M., & McKee, A. (n.d.). How to get donors to relate to your nonprofit and give more. Retrieved from http://www.fundraising123.org/article/how-get-donorsrelate-your-nonprofit-and-give-more#.VO4JbbB4q_S
Barry, P. (2012). The Advertising Concept Book. New York, New York: Thames & Hudson.

Beverly Bootstraps. (n.d.) Youth and family services. Retrieved from

http://www.beverlybootstraps.org/YouthAndFamily/AfterSchoolHomeworkClubs.php
Ehret, J. (2011). How to market to Generation X. Retrieved from
http://themarketingspot.com/2011/06/marketing-to-generation-x.html
Klein, R. (2007). Marketing to Gen X, Y, Boomers and Seniors. Retrieved from
http://www.thematuremarket.com/SeniorStrategic/-9409---5.html
Lee, K. (2014). Know whats working on social media: 19 free social media analytics tools.
Retrieved from https://blog.bufferapp.com/social-media-analytics-tools
Lesonsky, R. (2014). Gen X: How to market to the forgotten generation. Retrieved from
https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/gen-x-how-tomarket-to-the-forgotten-generation/
NFI Massachusetts, Inc. (n.d.) Programs & Services. Retrieved from
http://www.nfima.org/nafinfi/Programs.aspx
North Shore YMCA. (n.d.) Programs. Retrieved from
http://www.northshoreymca.org/programs/
Pathways for Children. (n.d.). For parents and families. Retrieved from
http://www.pw4c.org/what-we-offer/for-parents-and-families
Preston, C. (2009). Volunteers give 10 times more than other Americans, survey finds. Retrieved
from http://philanthropy.com/article/Volunteers-Give-10-Times-More/63200
Solomon, R. (2008). The Art of Client Service. New York: Kaplan.
Taylor, P. & Gao, G. (2014). Generation X: Americas neglected middle child. Retrieved from
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/05/generation-x-americas-neglectedmiddle-child/

Wariatka, M. (2015). Head Start program helps reduce childhood obesity. Retrieved from
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/head-start-program-helps-reduce-childhood-obesity/
2012 Millennial Donor Impact Report. (2012). 75% of young adults gave to charity last year,
study finds. Retrieved from http://philanthropy.com/article/75-of-Young-Adults-Gaveto/132217/