Society of St. Vincent De Paul Diocesan Council of Austin

Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Diocesan Council of Austin

Request for Proposals

Marketing and Communications FY 2017

July 15, 2016

RFP Deadline: Friday, August 11 at 5:00 p.m.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an independent, non-profit Catholic lay ministry providing direct aid and emergency assistance to Central Texans in need. In FY 2015, the Society delivered $5.7 million in direct aid, with a total community impact of $10 million. While we have more than 1,000 volunteers representing 49 parishes providing direct assistance to 145,000 people in need, our team includes only 5 executive office staff.

In 2016, the Society opened a brand new facility in North Austin to provide comprehensive client services. The Vincentian Family Center and Thrift Store has been designed to be a one-stop shop for those in need. In addition, our new building offers meeting and office space for partnering nonprofits.

In light of our rapid expansion, we are seeking an experienced, creative marketing and communications consultant to help us develop a short-term fall launch (including VFC programs, mobile thrift, and back-to-school campaigns) and a comprehensive marketing plan for FY2017. The consultant will be expected to transform the Society’s intermittent online and traditional media presence into a cohesive, effective marketing strategy attuned to the particular needs of a poverty-focused non-profit organization.

The Society invites proposals from interested consultants with experience in advertising; marketing; media planning and management; social media strategy, implementation, and management; and production of web content.

Proposal submissions: on or before Friday, August 11 at 5:00 p.m. Please submit one single packet of information, typed in sequential order as outlined below. Emails should include a single file attachment. We will not open multiple attachments.

Via email:

OR

Via mail: P.O. Box 81511 Austin, TX 78708 (must be received by the deadline)

No phone calls. No hand deliveries.

Please note: Interested parties who call or visit the Vincentian Family Center in person for the purpose of communicating/applying with staff or volunteers will not be considered. Applicants may only submit via or mail packets. Only complete applications will be considered.

The Society reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted proposal. Only complete applications will be considered. We also reserve the right to ask for an in-person interview and presentation of candidates before a final selection is made.

Proposed Schedule:

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is seeking to award a one-year contract to a marketing consultant. The anticipated schedule below is subject to change depending on the needs of the Society:

RFP issued: July 15, 2016

RFP responses due: August 11, 2016

Committee decisions made: August 24, 2016

Award letter signed by August 30, 2016

Society Marketing and Communication Goals:

●  Increase customer, volunteer, and donor traffic to the Vincentian Family Center and Thrift Store and to the mobile thrift truck through online, print, and other media channels

●  Raise community awareness of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s services throughout Central Texas and in particular the Vincentian Family Center and Thrift Store

●  Promote office rental and meeting space availability to Austin non-profit community

●  Grow Society’s network of partners for referrals to the Vincentian Family Center and Thrift Store and/or to mobile thrift program

●  Connect non-profit partners, community members, and volunteers to volunteer opportunities at the Vincentian Family Center and Thrift Store

●  Promote Vincentian Family Center and Thrift Store sponsorship opportunities among potential and current donors (to include corporate partners, foundations, and individual donors)

Tasks will need to include:

●  With the oversight of the Executive Director and in collaboration with the Development Director, the Consultant will provide strategic campaign support, including planning, development, and execution; multichannel outreach; branded material development; media planning; and scheduling advertising. The Consultant will be expected to create an all-encompassing marketing and communications plan and provide project management for themselves and staff for full execution of that plan. Advertising can include print, digital, and radio.

●  The Consultant will participate in monthly scheduled calls with the Development Director to discuss ongoing projects, upcoming events, and organizational marketing priorities.

●  The Consultant will provide market strategy and research consulting, as defined by overall marketing and communications plan and with shared execution by the Consultant and Diocesan Council staff.

●  In coordination with the Development Director, the Consultant will provide media planning and management.

●  The Consultant will offer website best practice strategies and provide website content support, with shared execution by the Consultant and Diocesan Council staff.

●  The Consultant will provide social media strategy, development, content, and execution, with shared execution by the Consultant and Diocesan Council staff.

●  The Consultant will provide email marketing strategy, development, and content, with shared execution by the Consultant and Diocesan Council staff.

We anticipate that the Consultant will devote approximately 60 hours for the first 90 days of the contract, then ten hours per month for the remainder of the contract. The Consultant will strategically plan and provide project management; Diocesan Council staff will execute identified tasks.

The first 30 days of the contract should primarily be devoted to early fall events, with some hours devoted to developing overall marketing plan. Approved, carefully coordinated plan should be in place by start of FY 2017 in October.

Contract term is twelve months, beginning September 1, 2016 and ending August 31, 2017, with potential for renewal at the conclusion of the one-year term.

Proposal Components:

Submitted proposals will be evaluated on a weighted scale based on the following criteria. To ensure the best consideration, applicants should include specific details on all aspects where applicable. If listing individual professionals, please list the lead coordinator and up to 3 support staff who will work on this project – clarifying the experience of each individually. Please use our numbering system in your proposal.

1.  Number of years in marketing, communications and/or related non-profit industry as a paid professional individual and/or consulting firm.

2.  Number of years of performing marketing services in Austin, Texas and/or Central Texas. Indicate number of years as paid staff and as a consultant since 2006.

3.  List any relevant volunteer/unpaid marketing experience. Please describe.

4.  Statement and overall clarification that the tasks and responsibilities listed in the RFP are doable, achievable, and able to be professionally executed by you (and yours).

5.  General outline of approach to achieving the scope objectives and tasks including high level timelines, strategies, approaches, and/or best practices.

6.  Descriptive list of relevant work and/or case studies. Please include dates and client/agency. Include any successes achieved and challenges overcome.

7.  Names and professional biographies of proposed professionals who will accomplish any or all tasks related to our project.

8.  If your proposal includes more than one person, please describe your team constellation and proposed division of labor/responsibilities.

9.  Three current references of non-profit (preferred) or corporate clients for whom the Consultant has provided services. Include contact name and full contact information. Include an additional reference for each support person having more than 15% (estimated) responsibility for the contract deliverables and tasks.

10.  Estimate of total project cost (professional fee), related hourly rate, and your language about achieving deliverables and policies about time overruns. Outline any additional anticipated direct expenses paid directly to you that we may incur as a part of our engagement with you and/or your firm. Please include a proposed payment schedule for your fee.

11.  Inclusion and your explanation of any contract-termination clause, confidentiality, and/or indemnification.

12.  Please explain any (legal) discounted or creative pricing structure or other financial incentives you would be able to offer to the Society.

13.  Response to: What differentiates you from your competitors?