Campaign Marketing Communications Plan

1. Campaign Marketing Communications Plan

2. Goals • Inform a wide range of alumni about Campaign • priorities and funding needs • Inspire and motivate alumni, parents, and friends to engage with Cornell and support the Campaign • Support efforts to identify and cultivate the “next generation of donors” • Celebrate Campaign milestones and promote progress in reaching our goals

3. Audiences • Alumni, Parents, and Friends (potential donors) • Tracked prospects • Untracked donors • Non-donors • Young alumni • Volunteers • AA&D staff

4. Audit of previous Campaign materials Regional focus groups Preliminary message testing (Case for the Campaign drafts and discussion paper) Research

5. Case should be emotional and inspirational, appeal to both “heart and head” Sense of urgency – why now? Look forward, not back Explain what this Campaign will do and its impact (measurable outcomes) Research/Key Findings

6. Cornell’s distinctive qualities – diversity, “any person…any study,” physical setting, commitment to need-blind admission and undergraduate education Cornell is a leader in serving the world, importance of land-grant mission (“Cornell is the best place to solve world problems”) Cornell is “life changing” for alumni, promotes a “can-do” attitude where anything’s possible Research/Key Findings

7. Any person…any study made relevant to the 21st century The Campaign will enable Cornell to be the leading research university committed to undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and service to the citizens of the world Message

8. Educating tomorrow’s leaders (undergraduate, graduate, professional student aid and support) Faculty excellence (recruitment and retention) Collaborative culture (interdisciplinary programs and facilities) Strategic research investments - Life Sciences, Computing & Information Science, Sustainability, Humanities Message Campaign Priorities

9. Strategy • Develop and deliver messages and materials that are: • Personalized • Engaging • Integrated • Responsive • Print-on-demand: customize communications for prospective donors

10. Strategy • Short-term (year one) • Promote Campaign launch; begin creating widespread awareness of Campaign goals and priorities; emphasis on tracked prospects • Longer-term • Build momentum, extend message reach and penetration and saturate the market • More carefully target messages and media to new prospects and other critical audience segments, respond to evolving Campaign needs and shifting priorities

11. Methods/Tactics • Plan and execute principal marketing communications materials and activities • Campaign case statement • College, unit, and priority case brochures • Other collateral (annual giving, endowment, gift planning) • Fact sheets • Campaign website • Campaign video/DVD • Kick-off and Campaign events

12. Methods/Tactics • Leverage existing communications vehicles • Communique magazine • Cornell e-News (monthly electronic newsletter) • Cornell Alumni Magazine • Other AA&D, university, college, and unit vehicles

13. Methods/Tactics • Introduce new alumni outreach tools, maximize use of e-communication • Alumni e-community • giving.cornell (e- catalogue of funding needs) • Cornell Campaign update (annual report) • Strategic broadcast emails

14. Follow-up research • Are we reaching alumni with Campaign messages? • How can we better tailor the messages and media to impact niche audiences?

15. How will University Communications support the Campaign marketing communications plan?