Project Scope Statement -

Every project should have a statement of scope and this capstone should be no exception. Some of this may be repetitive, but it's important that this information reside in one place on my capstone blog.

Project vision: Vermont Partnership for Fairness & Diversity is a statewide education and advocacy resource that is devoted to making communities fair and welcoming for all.

VPFD provides guidance to help communities eliminate divisions based on race, gender, sexual identity, religion and national origin.

This project will organize and implement an online marketing and communications plan for VPFD that will include a website refresh, development of email marketing tools and strategy, general SEO and keyword research, web analytics and strategic plans for the use of social media The project will create communications tools that will inform and educate citizen leaders and policymakers and train educators, business and community leaders.

Business Problem or Project Justification: The organization was rebranded in 2009 to remove misperceptions about the audience it serves. The new brand now supports a broader geographic mandate.

In order to grow, the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity must extend its reach beyond Windham county; it must cast a wider net to build a stronger community. Online marketing and communication programs are inexpensive to execute, offer measurable results and can be tested and tracked to optimize results.

The proposed online marketing options each bring firepower, but it’s important to avoid the mistake of treating each discipline as a silo. The project will coordinate these efforts, will look for efficiencies and will begin tracking leads.

Outcome: A coordinated online campaign will begin moving the organization’s workload from local (individual) advocacy casework to broader consulting, educational and training of citizens on issues related to fairness and diversity throughout Vermont.

The organization wishes to devote greater time and energy on the training of individuals and organizations to recognize and overcome issues, which inhibit community development. A successful capstone will provide a communications toolkit to broaden the organization’s reach.

Project Deliverables: (A list of component deliverables, whose full and satisfactory delivery marks completion of the project.)

Deliverable A: New (refreshed) website using Joomla content management: The current website does not speak clearly to the organization’s target audiences, nor does it reflect the professionalism and experience of personnel associated with the organization.

Deliverable B: Email marketing template: A standard template will be created that is consistent with the website’s creative theme. Research will be conducted into possible database targets and email delivery systems. A standardized landing page will be developed.

Deliverable C: Search engine optimization: Content needs to be optimized in order to improve organic search results. Keyword research and recommendations will be completed for editing existing site content. Also link building to other sites.

Deliverable D: Social media: A limited social media plan involving Facebook will be developed to generate “fans” and extend the community served by VPFD.

Known Exclusions: Web content: The capstone will not include researching and development of original site web content. Introductory text may be developed to improve page bounce rate. Editing of some text will be necessary to remove industry jargon and to make content easier to understand for targeted individuals.

Critical Success Factors: 1.Involvement by ALL stakeholders, 2.Professionalism 3.Commitment of volunteers to the project (copywriter, art director, photographer, web developer) 4.Timely completion

...still more to come.