COMMUNITY EVENT PLANNING GUIDE

Transcription

1 COMMUNITY EVENT PLANNING GUIDE Section 1: Getting Started FCCLA Waits2Text is a student led contest that encourages youth from across the country to take action to stop the distraction! FCCLA Waits2Text has two project goals to encourage all participants to take the pledge to never text and drive and to create, plan and execute an It Can Wait community wide event. Welcome Welcome to FCCLA Waits2Text! If you re reading this planning guide, then you have already registered to raise your voices in your school and community to help keep you and your friends safe on the roads! We are excited to have your team participate and plan an amazing community event this year. There are over 200,000 car crashes a year that involve drivers who are texting. You and your friends can help change those statistics. We want to help you make a difference. That s why The It Can Wait campaign has joined forces with Family, Career and Community Leaders of America to develop this initiative and help keep our youth safe on our nation s roads. This guide is designed to assist your team in planning your FCCLA Waits2Text Community Event between September 15 and October 25, It is full of ideas, tips and best practices to help you plan your community event. By using the information contained in this guide with a little creativity and collaboration, you can put together an event that will be remembered for all the right reasons! This FCCLA Waits2Text Community Event Planning Guide includes the following: Instructions on how to plan each step of your community event; Ideas for community event locations, themes and activities; Promotional ideas to help you get the word out. Four steps to host an FCCLA Waits2Text community event: 1. Get permission from your FCCLA adviser 2. Register your chapter at 3. Host your FCCLA Waits2Text community event between September 15 and October 25, 2014

2 4. Plan your community event to maximize on media awareness and digital content creation: videos, photos, social media posts, etc. Deliverables Participants in the FCCLA Waits2Text contest will take a creative video or photos to spread the word throughout their family, school and community about the dangers of texting and driving for a chance to win a great prize! Chapters will begin executing events during the week of September 15, 2014 and conclude during National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 25, 2014). Video or Photo Slideshow Guidelines Your video should be at least one (1) minute long, but no longer than three (3) minutes. Your photo slideshow should contain five (5) to fifteen (15) high resolution photos. Students must refrain from using their name(s) and/or other identifying information in their video. Students may use a variety of media. Keep in mind that the winning video may be reprodu ced, so the video and photos must be submitted in a high resolution file(s). Evaluation Criteria Members of the FCCLA National Staff will evaluate the video submissions based on the following criteria: How creative was the community event? o Did the community event display a large scale visual of the It Can Wait campaign? How well was the FCCLA brand represented? Media involvement o Submit PR reach (newspapers, radio, television, etc) Outline of community event o Chapter goals/objectives o Describe the ways in which your chapter was successful o What challenges did your chapter face in holding a successful community event? o Outcome Reach o How many people in your school or community did your chapter's project reach? o How many students go to your school? o What is the population of the city where your chapter is located? FCCLA strongly encourages all FCCLA Waits2Text participants to submit a reflective Evaluation & Community Event Recap to be recognized for their efforts. Please complete the Evaluation & Community Event Recap and submit no later than December 1, 2014 for consideration. Recognition The winning chapter will be awarded: Cash prize of $5,000 to support attendance to the 2015 FCCLA National Leadership Conference Chapter plaque 2014 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 2

3 On stage recognition at the 2015 FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Washington, DC All chapters will be notified of the official winner in writing by January 16, Section 2: Planning Creating, coordinating and hosting a community wide event takes a lot of planning and needs the help of many passionate, motivated, and creative young leaders. Commitment, teamwork, and synergy are three important components to planning a successful event. There are four priority topics that need to be assessed first: date and location, event theme, fundraising, and selecting an executive committee. Below are some ideas and suggestions to help you choose what is best for your event. Community Event Theme Not sure what would be the best theme for your community event? Here is a list of ideas and themes for to get your brainstorming started. Remember that your theme should incorporate FCCLA Waits2Text : Fun in the Sun beach theme Outdoor BBQ picnic theme County Fair carnival theme Camping survivor camp theme School Mascot school spirit/colors theme Committees Planning and executing a large event like this is a time consuming project. It takes a collaborative effort between you, your peers and your adviser. You ll need to break your team up into committees, considering everyone s unique strengths and weaknesses. Consider breaking your team up into the following committees: Executive, Awareness, Participant Experience, Entertainment, Fundraising, and Marketing. Executive Committee The executive committee is made up of the head of each committee and the school administration liaison. Your chapter adviser should also be invited to serve on the executive committee. This team provides the direction, oversight, and youth management of the event. Team members work closely with their committee members to provide leadership and support for their committee activities. The executive committee members should be strategic, communicators, and accountable. Awareness Committee The awareness committee is charged with developing and implementing texting while driving prevention and education efforts. This committee will use various techniques such as awareness campaigns, education sessions for students and parents, and public announcements to put their passion into action. Look to partner with local law 2014 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 3

4 enforcement and school resource officers. The awareness committee members should be role models, passionate, and responsible. Participant Experience Committee This committee is responsible for turning an ordinary space into a memorable community event. Through creativity and innovation, this committee will develop a floor plan, select a theme, generate decoration ideas and sources, and help create an awesome event. The decorations committee members should be creative, innovative, and hands on. Entertainment Committee Do you know how to have fun and get your peers engaged? The entertainment committee will work to book the venue, coordinate food from a caterer or local restaurants, manage the music playlist or live performance, and plan activities throughout the event. This committee must be detail oriented to ensure that enough support for the event is coordinated. The entertainment committee members should be organized, dependable, and fun. Fundraising Committee Having the appropriate funds to host your community event is crucial. The fundraising committee is responsible for estimating costs of the event and knowing how much money needs to be raised through both financial and in kind contributions from community members or local businesses. The ideal member is someone who is organized, ambitious, works well with adults, and is not afraid to make the ask for a donation or sponsorship. The fundraising committee members should be mature, personable, and persuasive. Marketing Committee Making the event well known and discussed community wide is necessary to make sure your event is well attended. Marketing committee members should use traditional and non traditional communication tactics to reach the maximum number of community members. Use the resources provided on fcclawaits2text.org to get started. The marketing committee will promote to their peers and community through word of mouth, social media, posters around the school and community, and through newspaper and other public media outlets. The marketing committee team members should be outgoing, imaginative, and social. Timelines We encourage you to use the timelines provided below to guide your planning efforts for your FCCLA Waits2Text community event. Feel free to customize them to meet your chapter s needs. Register for FCCLA Waits2Text The foundation of your community event should begin at least four (4) months in advance. At this period, the key objectives are to register for FCCLA Waits2Text, put a date for your community on school/community calendars, develop an executive committee, choose a theme for your event, and recruit fellow members to serve on the action committees. Begin with an initial meeting of a core group of youth leaders who will serve as an executive committee. The objectives of the meeting should include: 2014 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 4

5 Select a student to champion the event. This includes ensuring all work of the committees is complete, serving as a liaison to the school administration, and working closely with the adviser. Identify peers to lead each committee. FCCLA recommends developing committees based on your chapter s needs. The member that you select to lead each committee will execute all activities of that committee, and communicate information to the executive committee. Develop a Mission Statement. This should be a code of conduct that is followed by all team members. Ideas include: o We stand for respect, loyalty, and safety of all members and students affiliated with our community event. o We strive to create a community event that is safe and healthy for students of our school and community. o We believe in creating safe events for students to have a positive environment in which to interact and associate with each other. o We commit to planning a community event that is fun, entertaining, and heavily attended by our peers and community. Use the FCCLA Planning Process as a guide for your initial brainstorming. Consider the following in your brainstorm: o Who are we going to invite? What is the goal of our community event? Where are we going to host our community event? Why is this event important to us? o Start to strategize how to recruit volunteers. o Set goals and objectives. Identify obstacles such as conflicting events, peer interest, and safety assurance. o Inform your adviser of your plans and goals. Rally his/her support. o Gain initial approval from school administrators. Obtain initial approval prior to more detailed planning. It is recommended for committees to meet 2 3 times a month. This schedule should allocate enough time to finalize concepts and execute plans. 4 Months Out The main goals of the 4 month timeframe are to build quality functional committees and to determine priority topics such as event type, date, time, and location. This includes development of plans and options, confirmation of date and venue, and brainstorming different campaign ideas for your event. Executive Committee Host an information session for volunteers. Recruit students by soliciting chapter members and friends, using your school news station and morning announcements. Consider a recruitment strategy such as Me + 3, where each volunteer brings 3 potential volunteers. Also, identify other student organizations and teams to be spokespeople for your community event. Have committees introduce their responsibilities, including roles and goals. Be sure to use and distribute the committee menu on page 4 to help with this process. Choose a date that fits in with your school and community calendar. Compile a short list of back up dates in case the original date falls through Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 5

6 Start thinking about a videographer/photographer for your community event. Your final submission to FCCLA will include a video and photo slideshow of your community event. Talk with your communications department at school to find out if they can get involved. Schedule a meeting with your administration for approval of your event proposal. Build a relationship of respect and trust with school administration. Think about whom you would like to invite from the community: mayor, police chief, town spokesperson, state representatives, etc. Make an initial connection with them and give them the date and location. Awareness, Entertainment & Marketing Committees If you are hosting a parade or larger community event, begin conversations with your local police department. Strategize about how it can be a collaborative approach that can advance the mission of your event, be educational, and fun! Participant Experience Develop a list of potential themes. Reach out to your peers to solicit ideas. Also, consider the theme ideas listed on page 4. Entertainment Develop a list of entertainment options for your event. (Be sure to check availability.) o Live music / Digital music o Live performances (i.e. skits, dances, etc.) o Karaoke Select and book location. See list of potential venues on page 4. Develop a food and beverage budget. Work with your fundraising committee to ensure your budget is within reason. Fundraising Create a Purchase Order (PO) with your school s treasurer. Learn the process to withdraw account funds. Brainstorm and plan fundraising activities. Seek approval of fundraisers by appropriate school administration. Set a realistic amount of money to spend on your community event and establish a budget in coordination with the other committees and the executive committee s approval. Marketing Begin creation of social media posts and messages. Coordinate with your school newspaper staff and media staff to determine deadlines to submit articles and announcements of your event add these dates to your calendar. 3 Months Out During this time, your focus needs to shift from big picture to details. At 3 months out, committees should develop lists and begin to execute the plans and ideas that were generated at earlier stages. This time will be heavily focused on following up on initial requests, relationship maintenance, and executing marketing and fundraising efforts Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 6

7 Executive Committee Provide strategic leadership for overall project. Continue encouraging the committee teams to work according to the timelines to ensure project completion. Awareness Identify ways to collaborate with law enforcement to support your efforts. Participant Experience Select a theme. See page 9 for theme ideas. Develop a list of potential decorating vendors for your event. o Get creative and partner with a local craft shop and artist. o Consider online catalogs such as Oriental Trading Company. Order decorations that align with the theme. Entertainment Are you going to have music? If so, book your DJ or determine how the music will be played and develop a song list. Get creative, and use music that incorporates your theme. Develop a list of targets for raffles, door prizes, and silent auction items to share with fundraising committee. Determine what activities you would like to do at your community event. You ll want to pick activities that are fun, and also raise awareness for teen traffic safety. Use your creativity! Potential activities include: o Tricycle/golf cart course; have students ride the trikes/golf carts through a course and try texting at the same time. o Have a game for peers to play (volleyball, badminton, soccer, etc.) while texting. Fundraising Evaluate what items you need cash for and what can be donated. Look at the team s personal connections and how all committee members can get donations. Solicit a local grocery store to donate bottles of water and cans of soda. A local restaurant may be interested in donating appetizers or snacks to serve. Other businesses in the community may be interested in sponsoring the event through a financial donation. Hold fundraising events. Marketing Send out Save the Date notices. Place ads in your school newsletter and on website. Hang the posters around school to start generating interest. Begin to identify key contacts at local media such as newspapers, television, and radio so you can have access to them when the event comes. 2 Months Out As your event approaches, efforts need to be amplified to finalize major details. This will allow the teams to channel efforts towards day to day activities during the weeks leading up to your event. This is also the time when marketing and promotional efforts begin to pick up heavily Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 7

8 Executive Confirm details with school administrator. Discuss calendar of important activities such as launch of community event, creation and purchase of promotional items, and media strategy launch. Continue talking to your communications department about the video and pictures and be sure they are on board to help. If not, search other options. Awareness Run a texting and driving awareness campaign throughout the school. Work with your school resource officer or key administrator to send a message to parents about the dangers of distracted driving. Develop a tagline that educates your community about your FCCLA Waits2Text awareness campaign. Educate parents about the risks of texting while driving. Participant Experience Work with the school/other applicable venues to book custodians to support your event. Request absence waivers for students who will need to miss class the week of the community event to construct decorations. Check on decorations that were ordered. Order any last minute items. Entertainment Get the song list approved by your adviser. Provide lyrics so it is easier for him/her to approve. Identify and invite an emcee or speaker for the event. Develop a supply list for games and activities. Develop a floor plan and coordinate logistics. Follow up on any food and beverage orders. Fundraising Follow up on local connections for donations and in kind contributions for your community event. Conduct your local fundraisers. Marketing Use the posters provided in the Media section of the FCCLA Waits2Text website to hang around your school. If you need more, engage your school s design class or a local printer who would donate printing services. Write press releases, radio spots, and news releases. Use templates provided in the Media section of the FCCLA Waits2Text website. Send to local media channels for distribution. Follow up! Follow up! Follow up! Use your FCCLA chapter page as a source for information about your community event. 1 Month Out With your community event almost 4 weeks away, major details should be finalized. The focus is now planning for the week of the event. Beginning the planning process early allows time to 2014 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 8

9 think through the plan, so the team can adjust or adapt accordingly. Be sure to use the templates in the Media section of the FCCLA Waits2Text website to assist in these efforts. All Committees: Develop a week of and day of responsibility plans. This will help identify what is done, what needs to be done, and who needs to do what. Send out a tentative agenda to the volunteer teams and follow up with task list. Awareness Host information sessions for your committees and chaperones. Educating your team on the dangers of texting while driving and promoting positive habits in the car is important. Hold training and information sessions with anyone participating. Begin plans for an additional awareness project, such as a pledge campaign using the pledge links provided in your toolkit during lunch in the cafeteria. Participant Experience Develop a decorations floor plan. Work with the entertainment committee to ensure compatibility. Begin construction of any large decorations that require significant time, energy, and effort. Entertainment Confirm reservations of venue, DJ, speakers, caterers, and any other vendors. Purchase gifts or be creative in thanking the emcee, DJ, or any other individual who may be contributing to the community event. Fundraising Make necessary budget adjustments and review with executive committee. Assess the budget adjustment and decide if money can be spent or if more money needs to be raised. If more money is needed, host simple last minute fundraisers such as a penny drive or bake sale to raise additional funds. Marketing Place flyers throughout your community. Use your school s intercom system for announcements and hang posters on community boards, local coffee houses, restaurants, and businesses. Go social! Utilize social media to get the word out. Follow up on media efforts. If you gain coverage, FCCLA wants to hear about it! Send clippings to inbox@fcclainc.org Tag National FCCLA in your Facebook posts, Tweets (@NationalFCCLA), and Instagram posts (@NationalFCCLA). When tweeting or posting on Instagram, use the hashtag #FCCLAWaits2Text. 2 Weeks Out You are almost to the day of the event. The months of planning and working have brought you to this point. Now is when team members really have to focus on details to ensure the event will 2014 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 9

10 run smoothly and all attending have a great time. The major objective is to wrap up any preevent activities and finalize day of plans. All Committees Check in with your week of and day of responsibility list. Update accordingly, removing anything that has been accomplished, or adding new responsibilities. Recruit enough people so you have adequate staff to assist for the day of the event. Host a meeting and go through the schedule for the day of the event. Invite any recruits or volunteers to join the meeting. Executive Committee: Confirm details with school administrator. Request phone numbers of key contacts for the day of your community event, such as the janitorial staff, administrator attending, audio visual/technology, and any support services. o Create a contact list with phone numbers of committee members, volunteers, and VIPs for the day of the event Create a master day of list and hang the list in a visible place where committee members can update and add items. Confirm video and photo slideshow details. Who is going to video or take pictures? Who is going to put your video or photo slideshow together for your submission to FCCLA? Check out the Evaluation & Community Event Recap on your FCCLA Waits2Text Report Back page so you know the information that you will need to submit after your community event. Awareness Provide teen safe driving facts over the morning announcements of your school s morning news station. Current facts can be found at Participant Experience Finish construction of any decorations. Build and purchase list of last minute supplies such as paint, tape, ladder, scissors, and paper that will be needed for the day of decorating. Entertainment Finalize day of plans with your entertainment including arrival times, set up times, set up requirements, and contact persons. Fundraising Conduct a last minute request for donations. Review budget status and seek more support where needed. Marketing Plan an announcement during a time out of a big sports game. Make stickers with event details to include on the popcorn boxes of the concession stand Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 10

11 Continue viral communication! Post and message on websites and social media sites to spread the word to your networks. Continue to reach out to media for pre coverage and day/night of coverage. Day Of Congratulations! The day is here! Each committee needs to be sure to stick to the planning and responsibility sheets. This will ensure the team works efficiently and all items will be complete. All Committees Get sufficient sleep the night before. Start early in the day to allow enough time. Host a day of meeting with all team members in the morning to review the schedule and agenda. Make it happen! Refer to the day of task list that has been developed to make sure everything is accomplished. Executive Committee Arrive early! Meet to run through the plans and times of the day. Be prepared to host your own team meetings when other committee members arrive. Make sure greeters are in place and ready when guests arrive. Awareness Greet and work with law enforcement that comes to support the event. Manage parent chaperones. Be sure to show your appreciation for their time and support. Participant Experience Finalize decorations. Have a plan for decoration maintenance. (i.e. if a decoration falls, do you have the necessary tools and materials to fix the decoration such as tape or glue?) Be prepared by using the materials list you created during the two week period. Entertainment Greet the entertainment upon arrival. Prepare the space so the band or DJ can set up and have any necessary equipment or furniture in place prior to their arrival. Fundraising Include sponsors in activities. A committee member should host each sponsor if they attend event. Marketing Make last minute calls to newspapers and TV stations to gain coverage. Identify your contact for the media. Direct any media to your spokesperson. Post a media sign in sheet. After Your Community Event You did it! Here s what you do now: 2014 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 11

12 1. Work on your video or photo slideshow that you are submitting to FCCLA Waits2Text. 2. Complete the Evaluation & Community Event Recap. The Evaluation & Community Event Recap is on your FCCLA Waits2Text Report Back page. Be sure to showcase all aspects of your community event. 3. Your video or photo slideshow and Evaluation & Community Event Recap are due December 1, The judging criteria for your chapter s submission can be found on page 2. GOOD LUCK!! Section 3: Outreach Partnerships Generating support for your community event is a key factor in making it a success. Partners not only help you spread the word about your community event, but they can provide credibility, financial support, and other necessary resources. If your group has established partnerships, then you re aware of their value to the program and its efforts. If not, locate groups in your school to help. You can begin to build and cultivate partnerships with a host of local businesses, organizations, and advocacy groups. Whether you are striking up partnerships with local restaurants and grocery stores for in kind contributions, or working with local businesses to provide a financial sponsorship for the event, every partnership should be considered valuable and important. When seeking partnerships, it is important you operate in accordance with any school policies. Educate yourself before approaching businesses. Also, be respectful of their time without losing persistence. If you do not hear back after your first phone call, don t give up. Lastly, be thankful. Give recognition to your supporters to thank them. There are sample press releases in the Media section of the FCCLA Waits2Text website that you can customize for your school. Adults & Parents Adults, parents, and school advisors can help to generate additional support from your community. Many times, parent groups are planning similar events concurrently. While the efforts may be coordinated together and supplement the youth activities, FCCLA recommends that youth efforts are 100% youth led. It is critical for adults to support youth, but equally important to let the teens lead/shine. The next challenge is to effectively manage the complex relationship between youth and adults. The experiences, perspectives, and opinions of different generations add a unique dynamic to any group. Here are some great tips created by FCCLA youth to help adults work more effectively with young people. Tips for Adults Talk to us like adults. Remember if we are a part of the problem, we must be a part of the solution. Ask us what we think. We know best what we want and need. Listen to our ideas and respect our opinions. Treat us as equals Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 12

13 Be patient and help us learn from our mistakes. Put us into groups with adults so we learn to work together. Let us take the lead on our projects. (Be there to support, encourage, and guide.) Offer your insights and suggestions. Hold us accountable to our commitments. Be honest with your opinion. It s OK to disagree. Give us the tools we need to do it for ourselves Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 13