Forever.

Always.

Family.

PR
presents a public
relations campaign
prepared for
Saint Bede Academy.
1

PR

November 17, 2015

Mrs. Julia Yaklich & Mr. Tom McGunnigal
Saint Bede Academy
24 W. US Hwy 6
Peru, IL 61354
Dear Mrs. Yaklich & Mr. McGunnigal:

Vitality PR would like to thank you for the opportunity to present this campaign to you. Saint
Bede Academy is a family instead of just a high school and we feel privileged to have been
given the opportunity to create this plan that will help you achieve your goal of increasing the
relationship between younger, older, and upcoming alumni.

This campaign includes measurable objectives and a variety of activities to fulfill the objectives to increase the relationship. A budget and timeline for the implementation are included.

On behalf of Vitality PR, we look forward to presenting you this campaign as well as answer
any questions you may have.

Thank you again, and we hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Emily Fisher, Yessenia Nunez, Alex Danko, Mackenna Beckman, and Tommy Tambourine
The Vitality PR Team

Table of Contents
Executive Summary....................................................................................................4
Research.....................................................................................................................5
Research Areas.................................................................................................5

Research Questions..........................................................................................5
Research Methods............................................................................................6
SWOT Analysis........................................................................................................7-8

Publics........................................................................................................................8
Audiences...................................................................................................................9
Key Message Platform.........................................................................................10-11

Objectives, Strategies, & Tactics.........................................................................12-13

Tactics.......................................................................................................................14
Alumni Association Website.............................................................................14

Saint Bede App................................................................................................14

The Golden Promise........................................................................................14
Mentor/Mentee Program..................................................................................15

Career Conference..........................................................................................16
Corn Maze.......................................................................................................16
Evaluation............................................................................................................17-18

Appendices
Appendix A.................................................................................................19-20
Appendix B......................................................................................................21

Appendix C......................................................................................................22
Appendix D......................................................................................................23
Appendix E.................................................................................................24-25

Appendix F..................................................................................................26-27
Appendix G......................................................................................................28
3

Executive Summary
Saint Bede Academy is located in Peru, Ill. and is a private, four-year, Catholic high
school. Saint Bede was founded in 1890 by six Benedictine monks and began as a boys
boarding school that taught seventh grade through college. Since then it transitioned into
a junior college and then into a high school in 1967, and became coeducational in 1973.
They act as a college prep school having nearly 100% of graduates going on to college. It is maintaining a relationship with the graduates that has grown challenging for
Saint Bede, along with reaching out to alumni from previous generations who have not
been involved with the alumni association previously. We believe this campaign will increase the communication and the overall knowledge of what the alumni association is
about.
Through the Forever. Always. Family. campaign we are looking to increase relationships
between the soon to be alumni and the alumni. Through these relationships, we believe
the connection will further increase interest in the alumni association.
The following is a plan to help Saint Bede reach their goals in alumni relations by May of
2017.
Objective 1 - Strengthen relationships with alumni through new online platforms by
50% within May 2017.
Objective 2 - Create three events to involve the younger alumni by May 2017.
Objective 3 - Improve awareness of the alumni association among alumni from the
80s until present by 50% by May 2017.
Objective 4 - Improve donations among alumni from the 80s until present through
the alumni association by 50% by May 2017.
To implement these objectives we have created tactics that include: Career Conference,
Saint Bede App, alumni website, and a mentor-mentee program. The career conference
will consist of different employers that are Saint Bede alumni where current students can
attend and network with other alums. The Saint Bede App is a great opportunity to encourage student engagement and encourage communication between alumni as there
will be a specific page just for them. The alumni website will include information of different events and will have a donations tab to make it more accessible. The mentor-mentee
program is a great opportunity for students to improve their overall skills in networking as
well as gain a first hand experience in what it is like after graduation.
Through research, we have found that many Saint Bede students consider the
academy more than just a school and consider it a family. This plan will direct Saint Bede
to a higher rate of enrollment in the alumni association and better communication with
their alumni. This plan is detailed in how tactics should be implemented and may be added to or even altered at the discretion of Saint Bede in order to make the campaign as
successful as possible. With the acceptance of this plan, Saint Bede Academy will begin
in executing the objectives, strategies, and tactics laid out in our proposal. Giving Vitality
PR your business is the best way to maximize the success of growing the numbers of
your alumni association both in donations and awareness.
4

Research
The following section explains the overall problem and the goal of Saint Bede. It also
addresses areas needing researched. The research questions offer specific questions
in order to achieve the broad goal and gives methods on how we will find answers to
those questions.

Problem: The main problem, presented by Saint Bede, is keeping in contact with
alumni, particularly targeting the younger generation.

Broad Goal: Develop strategies and tactics to keep in contact with Saint Bede
alumni and get them involved with the school and community after graduation.

Research Areas:

Percentage of alumni currently involved with Saint Bede

Graduation classes from those alumni

Different alumni opportunities Saint Bede offers for alumni

System used in which Saint Bede keeps in contact with alumni and
how up-to-date the system is

Research Questions:
1. How many alumni does Saint Bede keep in contact with now?
2. How many alumni are currently working at Saint Bede?
3. What do the alumni and seniors want out of Saint Bede?
4. About how many alumni come back for Homecoming and other
annual events?
5. How do other nonprofit private high schools keep in contact with their
alums? What systems do they use and which one seems most
efficient?
6. How does Saint Bede keep in contact with alumni, both recent and
from the 80s to current?
5

Research Methods:
1. Secondary ResearchMembers of our team will use secondary research in
order to gather the necessary information for questions 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6.
2. Survey Research and Focus GroupsWe conducted a survey for both
seniors and ambassadors to figure out their take on Saint Bede, if they will be
around after graduation, and if they are wanting to stay connected with Saint
Bede after graduation. We visited Saint Bede, held focus groups with the
ambassadors, and distributed the surveys among seniors. Complete survey
results can be found in Appendix A.

SWOT Analysis
This analysis of Saint Bede Academy showcases the organization's strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats (SWOT.) With showing the strengths and opportunities, there will
be actions listed in continuing the effective work. With showing the weaknesses and threats,
there will be suggestions as what can possibly happen to help.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Aspects

Implications Possible
Actions

Saint Bede is more

like a family than a
school

Allows us to use the

unique relationship to
improve alumni
association.

Students (including
seniors) who are
easily accessible.

With the knowledge of -Survey the seniors

the graduating class, -Focus groups with
we are able to figure the ambassadors
out ways to improve
the overall reach of
the alumni association

Smaller class sizes

It helps develop a
better sense of
community and
provides better
education

Limited use of social

media

Alumni from 10 years Improve social media

ago are not active on activity
social media, resulting
in a big group of
people not being
reached

Come up with ways to

improve their
involvement with the
soon to be alumni.

Smaller classes
results in quality
answers

Not enough events for This can make them

the younger alumni to feel not wanted.
be interested in.

Create different
events for the alumni
to enjoy.

Their internal database is outdated

Update their internal

database.

This slows down the

ultimate goal of
connecting to alumni.

Aspects

Opportunities

Implications Possible
Actions

Social media is one of Social media

the most dominant
platforms can reach
media in Saint Bedes many people
target audience.

Create alumni only

pages

The different
community events
taking place for Saint
Bede to participate in

Students and staff can

volunteer at local
events

Will result in greater

awareness from the
community

The surrounding
The population grows, Loyal public can
areas for Saint Bede resulting in more
promote Saint Bede.
have growing families. opportunity for student
enrollment in Saint
Bede.

Threats

Soon to be alumni
and those alumni who
are not interested in
staying connected
with Saint Bede

Results in less
funding and
volunteers for Saint
Bede

Continue with
surveying the seniors
and staff.

Saint Bede alumni are Results in less

at different life stages donations
with other
responsibilities

Emphasize that time

is just as valuable

Other high schools in

the area

Research what they

do for their alumni

The schools are

public meaning
cheaper cost for
families

Publics
The following section lists the possible publics that could be involved in the
campaign with Saint Bede, and then identifies the public that will also be
targeted. For the specific goal, the targeted public is more narrow.
Possible Publics

All students at Saint Bede Academy

Community surrounding Saint Bede

Alumni of Saint Bede and their families

Students living abroad who will potentially board at Saint Bede

Targeted Publics

Seniors at Saint Bede Alumni

All alumni of Saint Bede

Audiences
The section below outlines all possible audiences, or publics, with an interest in
Saint Bede Academy. The possible publics and target audiences are segmented
using geographic, demographic and psychographic information. These audiences
are listed as follow:

Residents of LaSalle-Peru and Spring Valley

Saint Bede Academy faculty

Parents of current students

Parents of former students

Extended family of current and former students

People who are actively involved in religious practices

People who prefer smaller class sizes (not public schooling)

Saint Bede Academy students: 9th through 12th grade, generally 14-18 years
old, male and female

Saint Bede Academy Alumni between graduates of 1980-2016

9

Key Message Platform

The Key Message Platform section outlines the mission and vision statements, as well
as giving a brief introduction to who Saint Bede is through the positioning statement and
the boilerplate. It also gives an elevator statement, which describes the overall purpose
of Saint Bede. Finally, this section describes key messages everyone needs to know
about Saint Bede, the competition, and concludes with how Saint Bede is beneficial.

Mission Statement
Saint Bede Academy is a Catholic High School in the Benedictine tradition which
endeavors to prepare students for college and for life by welcoming them into a
community of learning permeated by Christian values.

Vision Statement
We commit to having graduates leave the Academy ready, both spiritually and
academically, for life in the real world.

Positioning Statement
Saint Bede focuses on educating students and preparing them for college for the benefit
of students. Through their experience, Saint Bede is dedicated to their religious values
and make it their mission to keep in contact with the Academy after graduation.

Elevator Statement
We ensure students will be ready to continue their education after graduation, through
both spiritual and academic aspects.

About Us
Saint Bede is a Catholic school in Peru, Ill., focusing on preparing students for secondary
education after graduation.

Boilerplate
Founded in 1890, Saint Bede was originally a boarding school for men. In 1945, it
became a junior college and in 1967 became a high school. It was not until 1973 that
Saint Bede became co-educational, continuing education through Catholicism. In 2007, it
continued its boarding program for international students and alumni. Today, it continues
its education with over 300 students, and nearly 100 percent go onto post-secondary
education.

10

Key Messages
-Celebrate the family of Saint Bede
-Give back to the family who gave you so much
-Building connections with family members

Competitive Differentiation
Saint Bede faces two main competitors in the area: LaSalle-Peru Township High School
and Hall High School. The main difference that makes Saint Bede stand out from these
two is its teachings around Catholicism, whereas neither of these schools focus their
teachings around. The points listed below are what makes Saint Bede stand out from its
competition.
1. 98 percent of Saint Bede students are in extracurricular activities and 100 percent of
students go onto secondary education.

2. Saint Bede is determined to prepare their students for secondary education, whereas
LaSalle-Peru focuses on preparing students for the workforce. For Saint Bede,
education is the top priority.
3. Saint Bede has a family atmosphere, while LaSalle-Peru and Hall High both have the
typical high school environment.

Value Proposition
Saint Bede not only focuses on the academic aspects of students, but also focuses on
the spirituality and encourages students to become involved in extracurricular activities.

Benefits Statement
At Saint Bede, students will benefit from education, spiritual, and preparation for
secondary education. Not only this, but they will also have a family-like connection with
Saint Bede. The academy is not just a high school. It is a family community where
everyone is proud to say they are from.

11

Objectives, Strategies, Tactics

Objectives

Strategies

Tactics

1. Strengthen
relationships with
alumni through online
platforms by 50% by
May 2017.

Improve the
communication process
between the alumni.

Redesign the alumni

association section of the
website to stay in contact
with alumni more
efficiently.

2. Create three events to

involve the younger
alumni by May 2017.

Engage alumni and

current students with
events through audience
participation

Create a corn maze event

for general public
including alumni and
current students

Create a mentor-mentee
program with juniors and
seniors and alumni.
Host a career fair to
connect alumni to
current students
3. Improve awareness of
the alumni associate
among alumni from the
80s until present by 50%
by May 2017.

Improve the current

social media platforms
and website
(See Appendix B for social
media examples)

12

-Update alumni
Facebook page
-Update alumni Twitter
page

Objectives
4. Improve donations
among alumni from the
80s until present through
the alumni
association by 50% by
May 2017

Strategies
Increase the
involvement with the
current seniors

Tactics
Educate the current
students about the alumni
association through
assemblies held at the
school.

The Golden Promise is a

donation promise
between alumni and Saint
Bede. This includes
increasing donations
every year by one dollar.

13

Tactics
This section describes the tactics in further detail, including steps needing to be taken
for each one. Each tactics budget is listed in Appendix F and outlined in the Timeline in
Appendix G.

Alumni Association Webpage

Saint Bede has an Alumni Association webpage already. However, there is not a whole
lot of information on it. With the new webpage, it will be similar to the app. It will provide
the following:

-Donation button
-List of events
-Photos from past events
-Recognition of class members
-Alumni meter that will keep track of how many alumni join the association
-Individual profiles to update classmates on their life
-A locator map to show where the alumni are around the world
The benefit of having a webpage with a variety of links will allow the alumni to connect to
each other and give them more opportunities to get involved and donate. See Appendix C
for website examples.

Saint Bede App

The Saint Bede app is a way for students and alumni both to stay connected to their
home and family at Saint Bede. The students will be able to use different features for
educational purposes while attending Saint Bede. After graduation, they will be able to
keep the app on their devices to use for alumni purposes (see Appendix D).
Student Privileges:
-Class schedule
-To do list for homework
-Event calendar
-Discussion board to discuss homework problems with fellow classmates or
upperclassmen who have already taken the class
Alumni Privileges:
-Alumni profile
-Event calendar
-Connect with classmates and other alumni
-Donate
-RSVP to events
14

The Golden Promise

The Golden Promise is an extension of the Golden Bedan program, which includes alumni
of 50-years.
At the end of someones time at Saint Bede Academy as a student, they will have the
option to make the Golden Promise, which is a way to encourage a lasting donation from
the Saint Bede Academy. The first year of a student being an alum starts off the promise at
$1, the second year $2, the third year $3, and follows every year until the 50th year.
Essentially, the number of years that they are an alum will be how much they donate.
At the end of the 50 years, they will have donated $1,275, not including additional
donations throughout the year. If the students have kept their Golden Promise, they will
receive a brick on the campus, forever being a part of the Saint Bede family.

Mentor/Mentee Program
After talking with some of the ambassadors and seniors at Saint Bede, we created the idea
for a mentor/mentee program since many of the expressed how they would like to connect
with older alumni for guidance after graduating.
Through the website and app, alumni will be able to connect with each other. Not only this,
but they will also be able to connect with current Saint Bede students and other alumni and
become mentors if they desire. For example, someone from the class of 1982 can become a
mentor to someone from the class of 2005 or a current senior.
This program will allow older alumni to connect with younger alumni and be a guide for
advice in careers, the Alumni Association, and any other guidance needed by the mentee.
The benefit of this tactic is to not only connect all alumni together, but to help Saint Bede
remain a family.

15

Career Conference
The Career Conference is connected to the Mentor/Mentee Program. It gives the mentors
and the mentees to meet up with each other and connect face-to-face. It will also be held in
Chicago for a day (see Appendix E for full event plan)
During the day, mentors and mentees will get to decide what they would like to do for the
day in Chicago. Later in the afternoon, all participants will meet up at the Chicago Mart Plaza, where alumni will be able to speak with mentees and younger alumni on questions,
have tables for different career options, and any other guidance they may need.
Once the conference is over, all students will be transported back to Saint Bede while the
alumni stick around for the after party (21 yrs. and older). This gives alumni a chance to
connect with other alumni and have a mini-reunion of a variety of classes.

Corn Maze
After talking with ambassadors and students of Saint Bede, they gave us the idea of
having a corn maze.
The Corn Maze will be open to the public, students, alumni, and faculty/staff. There will be
an admission fee, generating revenue for the event (see Appendix F for Budget).
Not only will this provide donations and income for Saint Bede, but it will also provide an opportunity for community members to connect with the school and understand what it is like to
be a part of the Saint Bede family community.

16

Evaluation
Objective 1: This objective will be evaluated by measuring benchmarks on how
many visitors there are to each online platform until May 2017.
- Objective 1, Tactic 1: The Alumni Association webpage will evaluated by
measuring the web traffic, which shows how many visitors visit the page. Also, it will be
measured using the alumni meter, which shows how many alumni have created a profile
on the webpage.
Outcome: Increase in donations and alumni relations
- Objective 1, Tactic 2: The Saint Bede App will be evaluated by the number
of downloads the app receives from students and alumni, along with the continued use
of the app.
Outcome: Increase the relationships and connections with alumni. Donation amounts will increase as well.

Objective 2: This objective will be evaluated by measuring how many alumni and
students attend, as well as measuring which classes those alumni are from.
- Objective 2, Tactic 1: The Corn Maze event will be measured by the number
of attendees, especially those who are alumni, students, and community members.

Outcomes: Increase in community involvement, student connections

with alumni, and alumni relations.
-Objective 2, Tactic 2: The Mentor/Mentee program will be evaluated by
measuring the number of alumni who participate in the program (older alumni and more
recent alumni) as well as the continued use and growth of the program.
Outcomes: Increase in the relationship between students and alumni.

-Objective 2, Tactic 3: The Career Conference will be evaluated by the

amount of alumni and mentor/mentees that attend.
Outcomes: Increase in the relationship between students and alumni

17

Objective 3: This objective will be measured by the amount of web traffic and the
raise of donations within the Alumni Association.
-Objective 3, Tactic 1: The updating of social media will be evaluated by measuring the web traffic for each medium.
Outcomes: Increase in alumni in the Alumni Association & social media
presence.

Objective 4: This objective will be evaluated by measuring the amount of donations

through the Alumni Association and by which class brings in the most revenue.

-Objective 4, Tactic 1: Educating the students about the Alumni Association

will be measured by evaluating the increase of donations after graduation and how many
of those students join the Alumni Association once graduated.
Outcomes: Increase in donations through the Alumni Association

-Objective 4, Tactic 2: The Golden Promise will be measured by the amount of

alumni who participate, starting the year after graduation.
Outcomes: Increase in donations

18

Appendices
A.Senior Survey Results

19

20

B. Social Media Example Interactive Plans

Through these examples above, followers are updated more on what is new at Saint Bede.
They also have the opportunity to vote if they like a particular idea or not.

21

C. Website Example

These are screenshots of the front page of the website as well as the login/registration
page. The rest of the website can be found at the following link:
http://saintbedealumni.homestead.com/

22

D. Saint Bede Alumni App

23

E. Career Conference Event Plan

The Career Conference is designed to go along with the Mentor/Mentee Program and to help
students increase relationships with alumni.

When: April 16, 2016

Book Venue: January 15
RSVPs will be taken online through the Alumni Association website.

Confirm RSVP: March 12, 2016

Arrival in Chicago: 11am
Students attending will be shuttled using the buses at Saint Bede. Departure will be
7:30am.
All participants will meet up at the Holiday Inn: Chicago Mart Plaza. From there, they will
be allowed to group with their mentors/mentees and free to enjoy the day in Chicago. Activity
options for them include: Chicago Aquarium, Willis Tower, Navy Pier, The Bean, Shopping
Downtown, Art Institute, or find a business in the Chicago area that a Saint Bede alum works at
and tour (All expenses of activities are the participants responsibilities).

Career Conference: 5pm

All participants will report back to the Holiday Inn: Chicago Mart Plaza for start of the Career Conference. Tables will be set up throughout the room for students to walk through and
get questions answered about careers and any other questions they might have.

End of Career Conference: 7pm

All students will be shuttled back to Saint Bede. Arrival time will be approximately 10pm.

Alumni Gathering: 7:15pm

Once all students have left, alumni who are 21 years and older will be able to stick
around and have their own mini-reunion

End of Day: 10pm

24

Career Conference Flier

25

F. Budget
ACCT

INCOME

Total Budget

Campaign Plan
Investment

$10,000

TOTAL

$10,000

EXPENSES

Total
Budget

Accountability
Labor

$1,000

3rd party
source40
hrs

100

Strengthen
Connections

110

App for alumni

and students

200

Student &
Alumni Events

210

Corn Maze

$2,500

3rd party
source 40hours

220

Mentor/Mentee
Program

$0.00

Julia &
other
faculty-10
hrs.

230

Career
Conference

$6,984

Julia 7 hrs

26

Revenue

Notes

Notes

(Skoolbag) Example pricing

from app company. $680 set
up fee. $1 per student

$1,600 (Estimate
is based on only
320 students purchasing tickets for
the maze).

(Precision Mazes) Corn

Mazes typically run
between $2,500 - $6,000.
Less than two weeks for
design and prep. Corn maze
is open to the public.
Tickets are $5 for per person.

(Holiday INN Chicago Mart

Plaza) Hotel, food, drinks,
La Salle room 1,800 sg ft
combo package. A Tax of
16.4% is included. Book in
advance for best possible
pricing.

F. Budget
EXPENSES

Total
Budget

Accountability
Labor

Revenue

Notes

300

Improve Online
Presence

310

Facebook

$0.00

Intern-5 hrs
per week

Interns with social

media backgrounds will
make social network sites
more robust with pictures
and content.

320

Twitter

$0.00

Intern-5 hrs
per week

Interns with social media

backgrounds will make
social network sites more
robust with pictures and
content.

330

Redesign Alumni
website

$0.00

Schools IT
6 hrs

St. Bede will utilize IT

employee to redesign
alumni website. Should
approximately take six hours
to complete. Will cost labor
hours.

400

Increase
Donations

410

Educate
Students

$0.00

Julia-1 hr.
assembly

Assemblies led by Julia and

Tom can educate students
on alumni association. Plan
for 2 one hour assemblies
over the course of the year.

420

Golden Promise

$0.00

Julia 3 hrs

Total

$10,484
27

$102,000
(Estimate of 80
students
completing the
Golden Promise)

Plan can be implemented at

no cost by Julia. However,
reward for completion after
50 years could have a cost.
The projected revenue. See
tactic for donations
specifications.