Draft Communication Plan (November, 2007)

Goals

The goals of this communication plan are to cultivate shared ownership and broad support for the expansion project by:

1) Developing and utilizing consistent key messages
2) Ensuring meaningful and timely flow of information between the expansion committee and the target audiences.
3) Providing frequent and clear opportunities for the target audiences to provide input to the expansion committee.

Target Audience

The expansion committee has identified the following target audiences:

1) Primary Audiences
a. Co-op Board of Directors
b. Co-op membership
c. Co-op staff

2) Secondary Audiences
a. Local and state government agencies (City of Olympia, Intercity Transit, CTED, etc)
b. Local business community (ODA, PBIA, Chamber, EDC, etc)
c. Specific businesses/organizations/individuals with common values (NCGA, NW Coop Dev. Center, LIHI, Climate Solutions, etc)
d. Olympia Downtown Neighborhood Association

3) General Public

Strategies

The following strategies will be used to communicate with and solicit feedback from each target audience:

1) Primary Audiences
a. Co-op Board of Directors -- monthly reports, oral presentations at board meetings
b. Co-op membership -- newsletter, forums, notebooks, website, tabling, information displays, pamphlets, questionnaires, feedback forms
c. Co-op staff -- Extranet (Staff Pages), monthly reports, meetings with workgroups, surveys, staff journal, personal contacts (on the floor)

2) Secondary Audiences
a. Local and state government agencies -- written updates, website, meeting attendance
b. Local business community -- written updates, website, meeting attendance
c. Specific businesses/organizations/individuals with common values -- written updates, website. personal outreach
d. Olympia Downtown Neighborhood Association ­ written updates, website, meeting attendance
3) General Public -- paid and in-kind advertising, sponsorship, promotions, media

*As the expansion project moves forward it may be useful to assign specific members of the expansion committee to assume responsibility for communicating with specific target audiences.