Public Service Campaign Coordinator Overview

Why do we need campaign coordinators?

  • To ensure local grassroots support and coordination with the Ad Council, public service directorsand the more than 10,000 radio and television outlets receiving the ads.
  • To ensure a unified message and campaign across all agencies.
  • To maximize exposure of the PSA campaign and donated media.

Who are BBBS campaign coordinators?

Campaign coordinators are BBBS agency personnel who have been identified by the NPA (prior to transition to the NLC) based on their expertise in marketing and media relations. Campaign coordinators serve as liaisons between the public service directors and BBBS agencies in each media market.

Role and responsibilities of the campaign coordinators:

  • Serve as liaisons between public service directors and BBBS agencies in each media market.
  • Serve as liaisons between local agencies and BBBSA national office by participating in brief conference calls and providing feedback as needed.
  • Provide support to local agencies, specifically to address questions and provide campaign details.
  • Provide locally relevant information to media outlets to ensure the airing of the PSAs.

Activities to leveragethe campaign:

  • Analyze Ad Council contact list in conjunction with local media list. Ensure local network public service directors, cable providers, cable access programmers and radio stations are represented on the master contact list.
  • Research station priorities and programming schedule to develop a strategy around how the BBBS spot might compliment station’s current causes or fit well within program line up.
  • Prepare tailored pitch of the spots and our cause. See pitch overview below.
  • Prepare follow-up e-mail to send public service directors acknowledging your conversation or voicemail, recapping the need for volunteers and providing necessary contact information (no more than 150 words).
  • Report back to stations and BBBSA when you receive anecdotal or quantitative evidence the spot generated volunteer inquiries. Acknowledge the media and their support.
  • Verify and update your agency’s process for managing inquiries forwarded via or 888.412.BIGS.
  • Build ongoing relationships with public service directors. Keep the issue and campaign top of mind by:
  • Providing local information including mission, statistics about the scope of the issue in the community, program description and overview of local events and how they benefit the local area.
  • Inviting public service directors tonews conferences, opportunities to observe the program in action, etc.
  • Sharing local success stories and/or anecdotal information underscoring the impact BBBS is having on the community.
  • Outlining alliances BBBS has with local businesses, government or other highly visible groups.

PSA pitch overview:

Campaign coordinators or their teams, should contact each media outlet in their area with a clear and concise pitch. Initial comments should be brief—be prepared to shorten your discussion if the public service director is busy or you receive voicemail. However, asking open-ended questions is important in promoting dialog and building ongoing relationships. When speaking with a public service director, include:

  • Name and title
  • Current number of volunteers needed in 2006 for all agencies in the media market. (Calculate by adding the number of new matches each agency has set for its 2006 goal.)
  • Mention of National Mentoring Month or other special recruitment priorities (e.g. gender, race, program emphasis)
  • Overview of spots and Ad Council partnership (e.g. “Big Brothers Big Sisters in partnership with the Ad Council produced a series of spots that feature Laura Bush and a call to action that will motivate o potential Big Brothers and Big Sisters in our community. Have you received your copy of the spots from the Ad Council?”)
  • Connect dots between national campaign and local market. Reinforce that although the spots are national in scope the campaign is rooted in the community through the local chapter.
  • Be prepared to describe the digital distribution and take information to order additional copy of the spot as needed.
  • Mention of station tie in researched (e.g. “I noticed on the Community Giving section of your site that you have a commitment to several local schools BBBS serves. Running these spots would be a great way to help bring additional volunteer resources to Valley View Elementary and other schools in our area.”)
  • Ask an open-ended question. (E.g. Do you have ideas about how we might be able to partner with you to highlight the need for volunteers? Are there ways we could help the station feature the need for volunteers?)
  • After the spot airs: Please contact the station to thank them for running the spot and share results if available. This is a great opportunity to build an ongoing relationship with public service directors.

For more information:

For more information on the ways you can help leverage PSAs in your community, please contact—

Jammie O’Brien

(215)665-7753

Deanna Petersen

(763)232.9679

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