PACD Committees

Marketing Conservation Districts Subcommittee

The role of the Marketing Conservation Districts Subcommittee is to take the lead in creating a conservation district marketing strategy as part of the PACD Action Plan (Word) addressing this strategic planning goal:

(#8) By June 2008, PACD will create a conservation district marketing tool-kit for districts to be updated annually.

Interested in becoming a subcommittee member? Submit your subcommittee interest form (Word) today!

Subcommittee Members:
Dr. Irvil Kear, District Director, Schuylkill CD
Heather Knupsky, Environmental Education Coordinator, Fayette CD
Ron Rohall, District Director, Westmoreland CD
Seleen Shives, Manager, Fulton CD
Chotty Sprenkle, Watershed Specialist, Chester CD
Christopher Thompson, Assistant Manager, York CD

CONSERVATION DISTRICT MARKETING
STRATEGY UPDATES

June 3, 2008

The Marketing Conservation Districts subcommittee has been busy creating a vision statement, identifying target audiences, and distributing surveys. The subcommittee was created as a result of one of the PACD Strategic Goals that was adopted by the PACD Executive Council in July 2007. In January 2008, the Marketing Subcommittee began meeting to address some building blocks of the Marketing Conservation Districts Strategy.

First, the subcommittee created this vision statement: "To better conserve the Commonwealth's natural resources, PACD and its 66 conservation district members, will market the benefits and successes of their efforts to targeted audiences across the state to increase their understanding, support and participation in our activities."

For this first phase of marketing effort, the subcommittee settled on three target audiences: Elected officials and their staff, the development and construction industry, and the agricultural community.

Next, surveys were developed and were distributed to each of the target audiences to help determine how closely districts' perceptions and needs match those of the target audiences'. Currently, suggestions are being collected from conservation districts regarding marketing tools that might be used or adapted by conservation districts on a statewide basis. Marketing tools include: Educational print materials, audio visual materials, specials events, displays, logos and slogans, and identifying materials such as letterhead and business cards.

After the results of the surveys are tabulated, the subcommittee will create a marketing plan which will be presented to PACD's members on July 28 during the opening session of the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference in State College, PA.

February 28, 2008

Marketing Conservation: An Exciting New PACD Project

Imagine what could be accomplished if every citizen in your county was aware of the programs offered by your district and was motivated to take full advantage of them.

Sound like a tall order? It is - but the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts has launched an exciting effort to take a step in the right direction. We're calling it "Marketing Conservation," and we're committed to developing a plan that addresses the most urgent marketing needs that districts face.

We're on track to unveil the final plan in July 2008 during the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference. Here's what will happen between now and then -- and how you can contribute to this important effort.

Several conservation district staff, along with PACD staff, have stepped forward to serve on a subcommittee that oversees the project. These individuals are charged with helping to make some big decisions about the project: Who are we targeting, What do we want them to do, How are we going to reach them, and When should we expect to see some results? The subcommittee will also play the role of ambassador to district board members, staff, and the marketing consultant PACD has retained to help with the effort.

Over the course of the next few weeks, subcommittee members will continue laying some important groundwork. Based on the results of the Marketing Survey, that was widely distributed to district board members and staff in mid February, they will work to identify the target audience(s) that we will focus our efforts on, survey those audiences to learn what they know and think about conservation districts, and determine what attitudes and behaviors we want to encourage from those audiences. The results will help create the final elements of the Marketing Strategy. The feedback that was provided by conservation districts through the February Marketing Survey was a critical first step to the entire process. We are happy to report that a total of 183 individuals from sixty conservation districts participated in the survey.

The next step is crucial, as well. During early spring we'll approach representatives of our target audiences and ask them what they know and think about conservation districts. It's our chance to find out how close their perceptions match what we see in the mirror everyday.

Then we'll move into serious planning and the pace will pick up. We'll start developing marketing programs and activities intended to move our target audiences in the right direction. And to do that, we'll need more input from you. We'll invite you to share your experiences with us about what outreach and marketing efforts have and haven't been successful for you in the past. We'll ask you what you've seen other organizations doing that you might like to try yourself.

Your representatives on the Marketing Conservation Subcommittee will have some tough choices to make along the way. They'll be reviewing dozens of possibilities, and they'll have to decide how much money and manpower to commit to the ones they pick.

After rolling out the plan in July, we'll get started on the various elements of the project and form initiatives that will help districts get the respect and cooperation needed to further conservation work in Pennsylvania.

Should you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Kathleen Banski at Kathleen-Banski@pacd.org or any of the subcommittee members:

Chotty Sprenkle (Chester), csprenkle@chesco.org
Heather Knupsky (Fayette), HKnupsky@yahoo.com
Seleen Shives (Fulton), seleen_fccd@pa.net
Jaci Lucas (Northumberland), Jaci.Lucas@pa.nacdnet.net
Laura Anderson (Wyoming), Laura.D.Anderson@pa.nacdnet.net
Christopher Thompson (York), CThompson@yorkccd.org
Ron Rohall (Westmoreland), rjrohall@westol.com

A special thank you to all of those who participated in the survey.

February 15, 2008

PACD Takes First Step in Marketing Strategy

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts launched its marketing plan effort – to develop a strategy that reaches various audiences and increases their recognition and support for conservation districts and our work. PACD is asking all conservation district board members and staff to complete an online survey to help determine priority audiences. The survey is intended to gather information about your views and opinions. Your input will help shape a Conservation District Marketing Strategy that reflects the priorities and needs of conservation districts across the state. Please click on the link below to complete the survey. The project timeline is aggressive. Please complete the survey by Monday, February 25, 2008.

Link to survey: http://waterwordsthatwork.com/survey/index.php?sid=1

Link to a newsletter article on the marketing plan process including a timeline: http://www.pacd.org/news/Jan08/p2.htm.

January 17, 2008

Link to consultant Eric Eckl's overview of the marketing conservation districts project to the Education & Outreach Committee (PDF): http://www.pacd.org/about/committees/edoutreach/WaterWords.pdf