Springfield School Volunteers
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Sector(s): Education, Nonprofit, Community Service
The Approach:
Run a Marketing and Communications Audit
Conduct a full analysis of SSV's past and present public relations, branding, and marketing methods. This includes a review of social media and email marketing, and a customer development deep-dive with key volunteers and stakeholders to understand their engagement with the organization and philanthropy.
Develop and Implement a Volunteer Recruitment Funnel
Design a new recruitment funnel to take advantage of past program alumni who deem the program valuable and will have a natural affinity to be program ambassadors, volunteers, and funders. Transition SSV from the linear AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) marketing model to a modern, closed-loop system.A new recruitment funnel is designed to guide potential volunteers from initial awareness to long-term retention.
Write a Comprehensive Marketing and Communications Plan
Create a detailed plan to address both online and offline strategies. This living document helps recruit new funders and partners and includes recommendations for automating routine tasks to help the small staff operate more efficiently.
Develop a Promotional Campaign
Develop a 12-month promotional campaign to celebrate SSV’s 50th anniversary. The campaign incorporates key activities, advertising, and media relations to increase the organization's visibility.
Impact:
Over a 30-day period, SSV conducted a full marketing and communications audit, including internal assets (volunteer database, marketing collateral) and third-party channels (social media). As part of this process, 2.5% of the organization’s 2,000+ annual volunteer pool participated in customer development interviews. This group was carefully chosen to represent SSV’s three primary target audience categories, ensuring that insights reflected the full spectrum of volunteer engagement.
Based on the audit's findings, a comprehensive marketing and communications plan was created for SSV, including the planning and promotion of its 50th anniversary. A special "50" logo was created for all collateral that year, and the marketing plan used the organization's strategic goals as its foundation. The plan included key initiatives for volunteer retention, referrals, and partnership opportunities, building upon SSV’s existing successes and addressing areas for improvement.
SSV transitioned from the linear AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) marketing model to a closed-loop system. This new model allows the organization to re-engage alumni, automate outreach, and continuously evaluate marketing outputs. This strategic shift enables SSV to reconnect with past program participants as potential funders or volunteers, track which messages resonate, and use data to identify patterns and behaviors for more tailored messaging.
We worked with a five-person committee to host the 2019 “Forward Fifty” 50th anniversary gala at MGM Springfield. Over 300 people attended the event, which recognized 50 honorees for their contributions to SSV. Each honoree received a personal phone call to announce their recognition. The event program we designed included a centerfold of major organizational milestones over the last 50 years, including its recognition by First Lady Rosalynn Carter in 1979 as a model for the spirit of volunteerism. The gala received press coverage from several media outlets, including print and television.
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