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In helping the organization Fit to Recover for our service-learning project, our team used not one, but two different types of outreach. In order to accomplish this we started by creating two types of media. The first type is a standard size flyer, meant to be printed and posted on community boards. When designing this flyer we wanted to use an attention grabbing image along with impactful yet necessary information. We also wanted to take advantage of technology and ease of use by including a QR code linking to Fit to Recover’s website, and make this physical message easier to share virtually. The second piece of media we created was a ‘social square’ graphic that we, as well as Fit to Recover, are able use in social media to spread awareness even farther. This graphic is designed as a square so that it better fits the formats for Instagram and Facebook photo sharing. It was also designed to have maximum visual impact with minimal text so that it grabs the social media audience’s attention.
We used good old fashioned legwork to post the physical flyers in businesses, as well as use social media to our advantage. The first part is pretty self-explanatory. Place flyers in high-traffic areas to raise awareness for FTR. Social media is a little different. When posting to social media we used a set of hashtags specifically related to Fit to Recover. In this way, people that see the tweets and posts can follow the hashtag to learn more about the organization and see what others are saying about it as well. We also used hashtags that aren’t specific to Fit to Recover, but that users who are passionate about #recovery or #community may browse for, and therefore come across FTR media through that hashtag, gaining FTR more exposure. With our two-pronged attack I think we have helped Fit to Recover spread awareness of their cause. The ultimate goal is for everyone that needs help battling addiction will know they have FTR to turn to, and though we have not reached everyone, through our efforts we hope that more people will want to get involved and give however they can so the larger goal is ultimately achieved. Hopefully people will see the flyer or online posts and all the good that it does for those trying to recover from addiction and want to give to the cause. This assignment is changing our view on marketing for non-profits. For one, people seem to be far more receptive to putting up literature for a non-profit than they would be for a for-profit. This shows that people are willing to help out, even in small ways for a cause where they wouldn’t for a product or service. One thing that can be said about our non-profit though is that it is somewhat of a specific offering. Instead of just helping to support recovering addicts, it has a specific way of doing so. This can either entice or deter different people, depending on how they feel about the method used and/or the scope of the organization. That is one thing that is not different about for-profit marketing, is that in the end, it must still fill the perceived need of the consumer, or in this case, the donator. |
Reflection
This was my first service learning project and as I went into the project I didn't really know what to expect. As a group we had chosen to work with the non-profit organization Fit to Recover specifically because one of our group members was close to the organization. This group member ended up not being able to participate in the project and we lost our main connection to the organization, however, as a team we decided to continue on with Fit to Recover and reach out to them directly. Because of this we also needed to think of a new way to accomplish our goal of helping those recovering from substance abuse by spreading awareness about Fit to Recover and their services.
After talking to some contacts at Fit to Recover I determined that they were in need of a simple one page flyer as they only had a 3-fold double-sided brochure. The contact that I was in touch with had limited access to any of their prior media and logos because the person who normally took care of it was not available. I was still able to get the text information needed for the brochure and then I was able to locate photos we were looking for and pull them from their brochure. I was also able to pull their logo from the website and turn it into a transparent .png image for our purposes. In addition to the print flyer we also wanted to integrate social media marketing by making a similar digital flyer. In doing this I utilized several of my prior skills but I needed to use them in a way that I hadn't before. Because I don't normally create print flyers this was one of the first times I had integrated a QR code into a flyer. We were also on a time crunch to complete the flyer and get it approved while someone was still in the office. This was a really great way for me to practice graphic design using limited resources.
Throughout all of this we needed to communicate effectively, and work in a professional and constructive manner with each other in the group, as well as the contacts at our non-profit. If we had not worked professionally we wouldn't have been able to support each other or our non-profit successfully. In the end my thoughts have not changed, I will continue to give 100% to any effort or commitment I take on, even if things do not go as planned. I think we were able to spread awareness of Fit to Recover in areas of the community they had not previously attempted.
After talking to some contacts at Fit to Recover I determined that they were in need of a simple one page flyer as they only had a 3-fold double-sided brochure. The contact that I was in touch with had limited access to any of their prior media and logos because the person who normally took care of it was not available. I was still able to get the text information needed for the brochure and then I was able to locate photos we were looking for and pull them from their brochure. I was also able to pull their logo from the website and turn it into a transparent .png image for our purposes. In addition to the print flyer we also wanted to integrate social media marketing by making a similar digital flyer. In doing this I utilized several of my prior skills but I needed to use them in a way that I hadn't before. Because I don't normally create print flyers this was one of the first times I had integrated a QR code into a flyer. We were also on a time crunch to complete the flyer and get it approved while someone was still in the office. This was a really great way for me to practice graphic design using limited resources.
Throughout all of this we needed to communicate effectively, and work in a professional and constructive manner with each other in the group, as well as the contacts at our non-profit. If we had not worked professionally we wouldn't have been able to support each other or our non-profit successfully. In the end my thoughts have not changed, I will continue to give 100% to any effort or commitment I take on, even if things do not go as planned. I think we were able to spread awareness of Fit to Recover in areas of the community they had not previously attempted.