tools for innovation programming · overview of the channels, tools, and tactics of a successful...

C O M M U N I C AT I O N S TO O L K I T 1

TOOLS FORINNOVATIONPROGRAMMING

T O O L K I T SL I F E C Y C L E S T E P S

U S A I D TO O L S F O R I N N O VAT I O N P R O G R A M M I N G2

About the USAID U.S. Global Development LabUSAID’s legacy of developing and implementing innovative breakthroughs—from the seeds of the green revolution, to microfinance and oral rehydration therapy—has saved lives, created economic opportunity, and advanced human development. For the first time in history, we have the scientific and technological tools to put an end to extreme poverty and its most devastating consequences within the next two decades.

Building on the belief that science, technology, innovation and partnership can accelerate development impact faster, cheaper, and more sustainably, USAID established the U.S. Global Development Lab (The Lab) in April 2014. The Lab is designed to experiment and test new ideas, models, interventions, and approaches and to accelerate the ones that work across the Agency and in Missions around the world.

The Lab’s mission is twofold: • To produce breakthrough development innovations by sourcing, testing, and scaling proven solutions to reach

hundreds of millions of people. • To accelerate the transformation of the development enterprise by opening development to people

everywhere with good ideas, promoting new and deepening existing partnerships, bringing data and evidence to bear, and harnessing scientific and technological advances.

To learn more about The Lab, visit: www.usaid.gov/GlobalDevLab

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The USAID Tools for Innovation Programming were written and developed by Rebecca Askin, of Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI). The tools offer insights, processes, and guidance based on USAID’s experiences designing and implementing open innovation programs in The Lab and technical bureaus in USAID/Washington.

This collection of tools was informed by in-depth interviews and discussions with the champions and the managers of the following USAID programs: Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development; All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development; Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development; Powering Agriculture: A Grand Challenge for Development; Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN); and Development Innovation Ventures (DIV).

Recognition and thanks the following individuals in The Lab who gave ideas, contributions, and comments during the drafting process: Dave Ferguson, Lanakila McMahan, Seema Patel, Lynlee Tanner Stapleton, Maurice Kent, Jarah Meador, Grace Hoerner, Chad Dear, Wes Day, Tony Bloome, Karen Clune, Marissa Leffler, Wendy Taylor, Ticora Jones, Michelle Jones, Jeffrey Haeni, Jeremy Foster, Jami Rodger, Sara Cardelle, Matt Corso, and Alexis Bonnell.

Special thanks to DAI’s Meredith Perry, primary author of the Prize Toolkit and Platform Toolkit; Nathan Wyeth, primary author of the Acceleration Toolkit; and Lorin Kavanaugh-Ulku, primary author of the Communications Toolkit.

Thanks also to Kristi Ragan, Nora Brown, Nick Brown, Lauren Yang, Carol Chanick, Pierce McManus, Bryan Gerhart, Tamara Stanton, and Ilirjana Dana-Tahmazi of the DAI team, all of whom read versions of these tools and made helpful contributions to their development.


Communications is a critical and yet often overlooked component of successful innovation programs. Ensuring that the “right” group of innovators hears about your program and submits an application is essential to success. Promoting your program amongst leading experts, development organizations, and decision makers will ensure longevity and sustainability.

A carefully considered, appropriately staffed, multi-phased communications strategy will help the program team reach its goals more effectively. Take for example Securing Water for Food (SWFF) Grand Challenge for Development (GCD). A targeted communications campaign helped drive close to 60% of all applications during its first Call for Innovations. Of the applicants, approximately 70% of the GCD’s target innovators – for-profit businesses – indicated that they heard about the competition through customized outreach including advertising, emails, phone calls, events, and social media outreach. Further building the case for strategic communications is the reality that the innovation space is becoming an increasingly crowded landscape, where an ever-growing number of prizes and challenges compete for the attention of target audiences. In light of this, communications is no longer optional; it is a prerequisite for success and a core element for consideration at the earliest stage of program planning.

At the broadest level the importance of communications can be illustrated in Figure 1: Communications Across the Program Lifecycle. At its core a communications strategy should help to build a feedback loop; meaning the more you communicate the more people will pay attention. In turn, the more people pay attention and apply, the more you will have to communicate about (e.g., innovation successes, lessons learned).

T O O L K I T

K E Y L E A R N I N G S

Develop templates, content calendars, and planning documents once the communications strategy is in place to free up your team’s bandwidth to implement campaign activities. Use resources strategically to avoid

overextending.

Prior to implementing the communications strategy, be sure to identify the target audience(s) and

the communications channels they are active on and most receptive to.

Set target goals for your team’s outreach effort. Monitor and evaluate

over the life of the campaign and revise your tactics, messaging, and approach, if necessary. Be willing to

alter your strategy to focus on tactics that succeed and drop those that fail.

Communications Toolkit


This Toolkit elaborates on the key steps and activities involved in developing and operationalizing an effective communications strategy. This document is divided into the following sections and will offer guidance on the following activities:

• Developing a Communications Strategy. Learn how to define communication goals and objectives, identify the core audience, and develop key messaging points.

• Creating a Brand Identity. Develop a look that’s all your own. This section includes processes for conducting the research, creating a logo/look, and establishing rules of brand usage.

• Launching a Campaign. Ready to get started communicating? This section provides your team with an overview of the channels, tools, and tactics of a successful communications campaign. It covers the ins and outs of advertising, marketing, press and media outreach, and social media engagement. Samples of a Content Calendar, AdWords and Banner Ads, Twitter Schedule, Email, Newsletter, Infographic, One-Pager, Frequently Asked Questions, and Media Guidance Documents are included.

• Monitoring Impact. What’s your program’s success rate? This section provides tips about tracking the program’s analytics to help improve overall program performance and reach, a glossary of terms, and analytics-tracking tools.

Developing a Communications StrategyGETTING STARTED: THE THREE GOLDEN RULES

As the term is used here, strategic communications is the use of tactics, content, and messaging via appropriate channels to produce a desired result among target audiences. To that end, there are three elements to consider first and that will comprise the core elements of a communications strategy:

1. What are your communication goals and how will you achieve them?2. Who are your target audiences and how will you interact with them? 3. How will you monitor, evaluate, and revise (as needed) your outreach strategy over the life of a program?

F I G U R E 1 : C O M M U N I C AT I O N S A C R O S S T H E P R O G R A M L I F E C Y C L E

RAISE THE

PROFILE OF THE

PROGRAM

PRODUCE

SUCCESS STORIES

ON THE IMPACT OF

INNOVATIONS

ATTRACT THE

MOST QUALIFIED &

DIVERSE SET OF

INNOVATORS


WHAT IS A COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY?

A communications strategy sets out a framework for communication activities and allocates roles, tasks, and goals to the appropriate team members. Your team’s strategy will serve as a guiding document throughout the program lifecycle (Launch, Comment Period, Open Call, and Announcement of Winners). As such, the strategy will be broken down into distinct phases that will describe key tactics and strategies that are most appropriate to deploy during each stage of the program.

A communications strategy must be regularly updated, actively adhered to, and refined as necessary to ensure optimum success. A good strategy will:

• Define communication objectives and goals• Identify target audiences• Establish key messages• Create an identity• Determine channels, tactics, and tasks• Identify supporting resources

DEFINE COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES & GOALS

What are your benchmarks for success? How will your team know if communications efforts ultimately paid off? Goal setting is crucial and the required first step in defining the communications strategy. More specifically, setting measurable and quantifiable goals—number of applications, number of countries represented by applicants, type of applicants, and number of comments during a Request for Information (RFI) period, among a host of other goals—will help inform and guide the development of the strategy.

Start by briefly analyzing what your team hopes to achieve. Are some of the program goals more important than others? Rank objectives according to primary or secondary importance. After objectives are ranked, evaluate the current communications environment. Who are your competitors? Who are your complements—the organizations working on similar types of issues or activities? Which organizations can help your team meet its goals?

Conducting a short situation analysis of your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (a SWOT analysis) will help your team map out the landscape and determine ways in which to meet the communication objectives. Figure 2 provides a sample SWOT analysis. Mapping the communications landscape is almost as important as identifying your goals. You need to know who your competition is, who your potential partners are, and how you can differentiate yourself in a crowded development innovation landscape. Conducting a SWOT analysis at the start will help you develop the right messaging and identify the appropriate channels and tactics for communications.


F I G U R E 2 : S A M P L E S W OT A N A LY S I S

C R I T I C A L

C O N S I D E R AT I O N

You are not your target audience! When you’ve been working months or even years on developing

the concept, it’s hard not to focus on internal messaging. But it is important to remember that

your team and your organization are not the primary targets of communication efforts. Focus

communications efforts on parties outside your organization using tactics and channels that will

reach those that make up the primary target audience. Furthermore, it is important to be flexible

and responsive to the needs and communication requirements of the primary audience—don’t be

afraid to try new things!

The Securing Water for Food (SWFF) GCD utilized a phase-based communications strategy to

ensure that resources and labor were realistically allocated to the major phases of launch and

implementation of the open call. An example of the SWFF Communications Strategy for Phase 2:

Application Phase is provided in the Resources section.R E S O U R C E S &

R E F E R E N C E S

IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET AUDIENCES

The nature of the open innovation model is that the problem-centric focus of each program comes with extremely specific and niche audiences. Start out by asking, “Who needs to know about this program?” This question is crucial for two reasons. First, messages need to be tailored to be appropriate and interesting for different audiences. Second, it is important to determine which tactics and communication tools will help your team reach its specific audience.

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SOther exisiting competitions and innovation programsLimited market opportunity

Too many resources allotted to niche problemsStagnant innovation

Slow-movingBureaucratic

Demand

New marketInnovation potential

Unmet needsLimited rival competition

Limited funding of innovationsPast donor program failures

ReputationExpertise

Political supportFunding


The target audience should be the primary group that your team’s communications activities are geared towards. For an innovation program, the target audience will often include individuals, organizations, partners, and thought leaders that fall under the title of ‘solver,’ and have developed innovative solutions to development challenges or are seeking new means for expanding and scaling access to their solutions.

Secondary and tertiary audiences should be aware of the program—these should include individuals, organizations, partners, and thought leaders who are going to help your program achieve objectives and goals set for the program or a particular phase of the program.

While thinking about your target audience, it is also important to identify those that will be communicating on your program’s behalf. USAID leadership, staff, and partners should all be prepared to speak on behalf of your program. Additionally, for programs that have already funded grantees or innovators, think about how to best leverage these “champions” to expand your reach.

C R I T I C A L


Depending on what phase of launching the program your team is in, the primary, secondary and

tertiary audiences may change. The hierarchy in Figure 3 holds for the launch and running of a

campaign, but in the earlier phase of promoting the program within USAID, before the public

announcement and launch, the primary audience will temporarily shift to internal communications

within the Agency to create champions. Once your team is ready to get the word out beyond the

Agency, the team will need to equip champions with information about the program so that they

can represent the program and speak accurately.

F I G U R E 3 : B R E A K I N G D O W N TA R G E T A U D I E N C E S

1 P R I M A R Y TA R G E TSolvers who have developed innovative solutions or are seeking out means for expanding and scalling access to their solutions.

2 S E C O N D A R Y TA R G E TExperts, comnpanies, development community, USAID and other donors.

3 T E R T I A R Y TA R G E TUS Government, Academia, and Media.

1

2

3


ESTABLISH KEY MESSAGES

What are the main messages of your program? A message is not the same as an advertising slogan or marketing tag line; a message is a simple and clear idea that summarizes the essence of the program. These messages should be comprised of pithy, jargon-free, information-rich statements of fact that will be repeatedly spread via various channels to spur action among members of your target audience. Deadlines, funding amounts, number of winners, and application criteria are but a few examples of key message points that should be developed.

Keep it simple when developing message points. Too many different messages will cause confusion. Furthermore, with a few clear message points it is easier to keep all of your spokespersons (i.e., USAID leadership, staff, program lead, partners, grantees, and innovators) on point.

To develop these messages focus on your program’s primary message; it should be a sentence that clearly and simply states what the program is trying to achieve. What is the call to action? When are applications for the program due? Secondary points provide an opportunity to share more nuanced messaging. This may include information targeted towards secondary or tertiary audiences.

The lists below draw upon the experience of the SWFF GCD program, offering examples of

primary and secondary messages to partners about the value of the program and information about

future calls.

Primary Messages:

• This program seeks out innovative and scalable solutions that can address critical

development challenges in developing countries and that will enable a significant

increase in quality of life amongst the world’s poorest citizens.

• The application period opens on November 27, 2013 and closes on January 27, 2014.

• Qualified applicants are eligible to receive $100,000 - $3 million over the lifespan of this

program.

• 30-40 winners will be selected in the first round of competition, based on a rigorous

evaluation process.

• The application process is online, simple, and concise.

Secondary Messages:

• This program is the collaborative result of a partnership between USAID and the

Government of Sweden. Partnership is a key component of the program.

• This program is seeking out new partners to join the Challenge, expand our reach, and

to support winning innovators with advice and business development assistance.

• This GCD is representative of a new approach to foreign assistance, one that sources

and invests in science and technological innovations that can make a real impact in the

developing world.

T I P


Once key messages are developed, be sure to share these with your spokespersons and brand ambassadors. These include USAID leadership, staff, program leadership, partners, grantees, and innovators. All spokesperson should receive training on messaging to ensure they remain on point and can accurately and confidently represent your program at events, with media, etc. Innovators in particular might need a bit more assistance in being made aware of key messaging and preferred language. You might consider hosting a brief session with innovators to review these messaging points and provide guidance on how to engage with media. This will help ensure innovators are on the same page as internal program staff and partners.

DETERMINE CHANNELS, TACTICS, & TASKS

Once you’ve identified the target audiences and key messages, your team needs to carefully consider the means and manner by which messages will be communicated to produce a desired result. Put another way: How does your target audience share information and what communications channels are they most receptive to?

Points to consider:

• Do they share information informally at conferences? • Do they prefer to communicate through online communities? • Are they active in social media? • Would they appreciate an email newsletter with information about the program and relevant topics? • Which publications or blogs do they read?• Are they swayed by endorsements by influencers in the space?• Would they listen to previous grantees or innovators?

While it is highly likely that the target audience will be responsive to a variety of means of outreach, it is important to select channels that your team: can easily access, have experience using, and, most importantly, can realistically support on a regular basis. Sample channels include:

• Phone Calls• Targeted Emails/Newsletters• Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)• Splash Page/Websites• Banner Ads• Google AdWords

C R I T I C A L


Keep messages simple, consistent, and targeted for the primary audience. These messages should

make up the foundation of a communications plan and should be included in some form in all

promotional materials, articles, blogs, speeches, etc.


• Placed Blogs• Events/Conferences• Earned Press/Media

Once you have defined your communication channels, your team will need to determine the frequency and manner you will use that particular channel to communicate your key messages and engage with your target audiences. For example:

• How many Tweets will your team send out per day? • How often will your team send emails to the list of targets compiled? • At what point during the lifecycle does your team post a banner advertisement or trigger Google Adwords

advertising?• When will your team conduct media outreach and through what means?• Is there a relevant industry conference in the near future and would it make sense to secure a speaking role

and/or exhibit space to promote your program?

Finally, once channels and tactics are locked down, specific tasks must be assigned to the appropriate team members so that content is produced, polished, and vetted prior to posting on a regular basis. The end goal is to have a steady supply of channel-appropriate program-related information and supporting content that syncs up with the frequency your team has agreed upon. In cases where one-off content opportunities like blog posts, conference arrangements, or press interviews arrive, it is imperative that the appropriate personnel know what is expected of them and proper lead time is given to develop content.

IDENTIFY SUPPORTING RESOURCES

Getting the word out about the program may be one of your team’s primary responsibilities. If so, consider partner networks. There is a good chance that your team can tap into the vast networks established by other USAID offices and programs, as well as the established channels of partner agencies as well as those of previous grantees or innovators. For example, a well-placed re-tweet from a high-ranking agency official, an email forwarded on to a supporting partners email list, or a mention by a previous grantee in a press article will go a long way in broadening reach, generating interest and exposure, and helping legitimize the program.

To ensure that your program gets support, it is important to:

• Define success, define audience, and know your team’s goals. This will produce a stronger, more coherent strategy complete with: vision, target audience, key outcomes, top-line messages, brand, key tactics, the

A key element of any long-term outreach campaign is repetition. Audiences grow accustomed to

frequency and regularity, whether it is Tweets per day or emails per week. To that end, teams should

agree to channels and messaging schedules that they can support for the long haul. Sporadic or

inconsistent communications can be more harmful to a campaign than no communications at all.T I P


communication assets required, and strategic rationale for resource allocation and campaigns.

• Get buy-in from the USAID program team and partners on the communications campaign schedule and manage expectations. Getting “buy-in” from the outset will enhance the management and implementation of challenge outreach. Clear deadlines allow teams to build in buffers for delays that inevitably occur. While campaign deadlines can be adjusted, milestones and events are typically set in stone.

• Identify who the desired audience is, where they digitally/physically reside, and what tactics and modes of communication to which the audience is most receptive. These efforts will inform decisions about selecting tools and resources to achieve outreach goals. Doing outreach based on network mapping and a digital strategy helps reach target solvers.

• Create and implement a plan for staying connected to and communicating with innovators. These will be your most important brand ambassadors so ensuring they are educated and involved in outreach is crucial.

Creating a Brand ItentityDeveloping a specific, recognizable look is an important part of the communications process. The process of building a brand identity is one of self-discovery and creativity. It is important for the team to take the time it needs to get the look/branding right. Branding is much more than a symbol, a name, a set of colors, or collection of images; it conveys the attributes, values, and purpose of a program.

Before you start developing an identity, check-in with your communications point of contact to understand if Agency rules and regulations on branding apply to your initiative. It may be that your program must adhere to USAID or Lab branding requirements and will not be eligible for a unique visual identity. If that is the case, please refer to Agency and Lab guidelines. If your program falls outside these guidelines – typically partnerships, challenges, prizes, and programs run in collaboration with partners – read on!

In this section, the authors walk you through the process of creating a brand identity, from conducting the research, to creating an identity, and establishing rules of brand usage.

CONDUCTING RESEARCH

Consider the world’s best known brands—The Coca-Cola Company, Apple, Google. What do they have in common? They all have logos/branding that are easy to recognize and embrace; but more importantly, their identity captures the ethos of the company through their logo, the colors they use, their website, the images they use, and the presentation of their marketing materials.

Capturing and promoting an innovator’s success story is critical to successful long-term messaging.

Capturing a success story requires the USAID team to stay in touch with innovators in order to

learn about activities and developments. Further, these innovators are your greatest asset in terms

of storytelling. Be sure to create opportunities to leverage their voices for broadening your reach.

Often media will be most interested in hearing about a program from the innovator’s perspective. T I P


To ensure your brand represents the values of your program, here are some questions to consider:

• What is your message? What is the single, most important thing your team wants the audience to know about the program?

• How do you want your audience to feel when they look at your logo, website, or a fact sheet? Do you want them to feel excited? Incentivized? Poised to take action?

• What is the “personality” of the program? Is there a certain look or feel your team has in mind?• What elements must be included in the identity? Does there need to be a certain image or phrase in its

identity? Be ready with a list of items you think are critical to incorporate in the identity.

Once your team has answered these questions, be ready to get to work.

CREATING AN IDENTITY

Once your team has done the research and answered all the hard questions about what you envision for your brand, it is time to develop a basic brand identity. Some initiatives may have their own particular logo, images, color scheme, or font types which are consistent across a program.

Included in a brand identity are the following:

• Name• Logo• Tagline• Color• Typography• Marketing messages• URL, Twitter handle and hashtags, Facebook page, LinkedIn group name, etc.

While coming up with a name or marketing message or URL is easily something you and your team can develop, your team may prefer to hire a designer to develop your logo, marketing collateral, or a website. Be sure to communicate your preferences during the research phase to the designer should you chose to hire one. Share examples of logos, websites, or marketing collateral you think work particularly well.

Finally, be sure that your team involves USAID’s Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA) as well as your partner’s communications advisors in the process of identity creation. USAID has branding rules and regulations that must be adhered to, and it is better to ensure they are part of the brand creation process from the start rather than approaching them at the end stage of brand development.

Consistency is paramount. Every element of your brand identity, down to your font or choice

of color, must consistently communicate and support the program’s unique voice. Your team has

worked hard to build a certain look, feel, and tone, so be sure to protect your brand’s integrity.

If your program follows standard USAID branding guidance, utilize LPA’s Message Manual as a tool

to help guide marketing and outreach.T I P


ESTABLISHING THE RULES OF BRAND USAGE

Once you have established a look, feel, and tone for your program’s brand, make sure your team establishes the ground rules for brand usage. This does not have to be an exhaustive process but be sure to develop a cheat sheet which includes all the relevant information about your brand including:

• Sample logos: Define the exact specs for the size and usage of the logo. There is nothing worse than a skewed logo or a logo used improperly. Avoid this by showing partners and interested parties exactly how the logo should appear.

• Color builds: Provide the exact CMYK or RGB color builds so that you can be sure to replicate your brand colors consistently across all platforms and materials.

• Fonts: Define the rules of font usage. Include specifics about the font type, size, and color used for headings, sub-headings, and text body.

• Images: Be sure to identify a handful of images that communicate the purpose and mission of your program. Share the images with partners to ensure that everyone uses the same set of imagery.

• Tone/Messaging: Once your team has developed key messaging points in a certain tone or voice, include these in your branding guide so they are readily available to use.

• Social Media Identifiers: Be sure to incorporate all social media handles or identifiers as well as relevant Twitter hashtags in the Social Media Guide to ensure that all partners can appropriately ‘tag’ you or cross-post via social media.

Launching a Communications CampaignBy this point, your team has developed a strategy and defined core goals and objectives, identified the target audience, and established key messages. The team has also built a brand look or image. Now it’s time to build the campaign. So what is a campaign?

A campaign is your program strategy in practice. It is the menu of channels and tactics that your team will deploy throughout the life of your program. It is also a measure of the frequency and consistency of communications efforts. No two campaigns are the same. Goals, target audiences, bandwidth, and other key factors mentioned above will help your team determine the best ways to implement a campaign unique to your program.

A campaign is best captured and articulated in a content calendar. A content calendar outlines the key themes, messaging points, and channels and tactics that will be deployed during key phases across the program lifecycle. The content calendar is typically updated quarterly and provides a week-by-week list of the activities that will take place over the course of the campaign. The content calendar also outlines key staff responsibilities.


The following section elaborates on the channels, tools, and tactics of a successful communications campaign. This includes a “menu” of options (Table 1: Menu of Options for Campaigns - Channels, Tools, and Tactics) a team can pull from to create a comprehensive campaign—each of these will be discussed in detail throughout the remainder of the toolkit.

MEDIA OUTREACH

Whether in niche or broader-reach publications, media placements elevate the visibility of a program and help the team reach a wider swath of the target audience. Generating press coverage about the program may prove challenging at the start because press prefer tangible, concrete stories. So be sure to come up with an interesting, newsworthy angle that highlights how your program will promote solutions to development challenges.

The SWFF GCD developed a multi-phase communications strategy to support both their open call

and Desal Prize. An example of the SWFF content calendar for Phase 3: Post-Call Phase is available

in the Resources section. R E S O U R C E S &

R E F E R E N C E S

TA B L E 1 : M E N U O F O P T I O N S F O R C A M PA I G N S - C H A N N E L S , TO O L S , A N D TA C T I C S

ASPECT OF ACAMPAIGN WHAT IS IT? CAMPAIGN IN ACTION

(Based on SWFF’s first call)

Media Outreach

Email

Social Media

Advertising

Website

Collateral

Events

Influencer Outreach

Securing media placements in relevant publications

Developing brand image through communication of constant content and engagement

Gaining visibility through paid opportunities with the ultimate goal of driving web site traffic

Developing a “home” for all important information and to direct interested parties

Creating physical or digital tools to assist in reaching and educating an audience

Presenting the program in person by hosting a DevX or attending relevant industry events

Reaching out to experts and other high-profile industry members to spread the word to their networks

Sending important news and updates to subscribers

Placed 48 articles, blogs, and postings about Securing Water for Food (SWFF), which were shared ~875 times

Weekly mailings resulted in 18.6 % open rate and 12.7% click through rates

Gained 876 Twitter followers, posted over 1,000 click-throughs to the SWFF website

Generated 6,645 visits to SWFF website from Google AdWords

Launched SWFF at World Water Week 2013, over 2,600 experts attended

Logged 17,857 unique visits to the SWFF website which yielded 1,716 visits to the SWFF application platform

The White House, International Water Management Institute, Sida, and many others helped raise awareness about SWFF

SWFF fact sheets and brochure developed


Six key points to keep in mind while reaching out to media:

• Develop your own list of contacts: Keep track of journalists, bloggers, and niche publications that put out press content on issues related to your program’s goals and activities. Begin compiling this list early on so that you will be ready to target journalists when you launch.

• Find your hook: What’s timely, relevant, and interesting about your story? Think through your “pitch” and come up with a compelling case why press should pay attention. Unfortunately, new competitions are launched regularly by other organizations so the launch of a new program or Call is not enough of a hook. Innovators, however, often provide a great hook!

• Don’t bombard press: Reach out to press only when you have something to say that’s important. You want press to pay attention to your email when it pops up in their inbox.

• Be patient: Cultivate relationships with press. Let them know you are a trusted partner and a potential source for good stories.

• Offer up interview opportunities: Finally, do you have a good news lead? Be ready to offer up relevant interview opportunities to back up your pitch. Figure out your spokesperson and determine when they might be available for interviews before you even reach out to journalists.

• Provide video and images: When pitching a story, consider includes images or video of the innovator, innovation, or program in action. Providing these resources greatly enhances the chance that a story will be picked up.

Past experience shows that journalists are interested in stories about innovators and innovations in action. The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, Inc., Agence France Press and many other mainstream press organizations have covered USAID’s programs, but mainly from the innovator angle. Interview your innovators to see if they have an interesting back-story or profile (e.g., Is their something unusual about the candidate? Are they still in school? Were they inspired by a setback in their own lives?) that could be of interest to media. Is there a particularly strong local interest or connection you can play up? Have your innovators achieved some incredible early results that have widespread impact?

To attract attention at the launch of a campaign, it is also important to find contacts in niche press that will be willing to cover your story at key stages of the program lifecycle (e.g., launch, announcement of finalists, subsequent Calls for Innovation).

A media company or public relations firm can prove to be an invaluable resource and ally for your team as it aims to reach out to press organizations. These services do not come cheap, however, and will require that your team issues a procurement to identify, vet, and contract such a firm. Or, if your team issues an RFP for support to the overall program, consider integrating communications support and media outreach into the call. LPA will also be a critical resource and should be engaged in any and all media planning from the start.


How can working with a media company or public relations firm be a critically valuable part of your media outreach campaign?

• They know what journalists want. A firm will work with your team to determine the parts of the program (success stories, launches, etc.) that will have the most media value and will be most likely to secure placements in the press. Not only will they work with you to finesse these points, but they may also be able to identify stories your team may not have previously considered and frame them in a way that appeals most to journalists.

• They know who to go to. A media company or public relations firm possesses a vast network of contacts and carefully cultivated relationships—often, the press even knows to go to them for potential news story sources and content. Working with a firm opens doors to outlets your team might otherwise be unable to reach.

• They know how to sell the story. A good firm will work with a reporter from the outset to shape the story/angle, with particular attention to how your program is framed. While the reporter maintains control of their piece, a PR firm can provide media training and guidance to interviewees and provide points of interest to the journalist to maintain messaging as best as possible.

Regardless of whether your team hires a PR firm, outsources portions of implementation work to

a service support provider, appoints a Communications Lead from within the USAID sponsoring

office, your team must work closely with LPA early and often to make sure they are aware of media

outreach and coverage. LPA needs to be informed of program marketing activities and they can be a

resource as well. T I P

Developing media contacts takes time and effort. Cultivate contacts by targeting news stories

according to their “beat,” reach out only when you have a strong news lead, and be ready to offer

up interview alternatives with principles within USAID as well as amongst partner organizations.

T I P

A sample Media Guidance Document from All Children Reading (ACR) is provided in the Resources

section. This document is specific to ACR’s Challenge Statement and program design but other

teams can use the structure as a framework for their own Media Guidance Document.

R E S O U R C E S &

R E F E R E N C E S


EMAIL

Dedicated email campaigns provide a platform for your team to send important news and information directly to a list of subscribers. Email is a fairly universal form of communication that can be used for more detailed content than would be shared via alternative means like social media. Campaigns utilize a combination of two types of messages: information-based emails and content-rich newsletters.

Four key considerations to include in your email efforts include:

• Timing: Determine the frequency at which your team will send out updates for both emails and newsletters, taking into consideration milestone events. Also determine the optimal day of week and time of day.

• Content: Never send out an email just for the sake of sending one! Every message sent must have an important piece of information—whether it’s the announcement of a new prize or a reminder that applications close in a week. Keep it short, sweet, and interesting.

• Design: A well-constructed, functional design template (with images where appropriate) will draw the reader’s eye and convey professionalism. Develop one at the outset that can be used for all campaigns.

• Lists: Teams should actively collect email addresses from relevant contacts to build and manage distribution lists, as well as embed an email sign-up form on relevant websites. This cannot be stressed enough!

An email distribution service like Constant Contact can be used to easily manage all of this information, in addition to tracking the effectiveness of your emails. Important statistics to monitor include the open rate (percentage of recipients actually opened your email) and click rate (percentage of recipients who clicked on a link taking them to your website).

Each program should also set up an email account via an email service such as Gmail for all program-related correspondence. This address will appear on websites, in email campaigns, and elsewhere as a method for interested parties to ask questions and request additional information.

An email newsletter helps to build the program’s reputation as a source of relevant information

and content. It also helps establish the program as a knowledgeable industry resource. Lastly, the

newsletter offers an opportunity for your team to share regular updates without coming across as

one-note or one-message. T I P

SWFF used email to send a weekly message and monthly newsletter to stay in regular

communication with their contacts and community. A sample of each is provided in the

Resources section.R E S O U R C E S &

R E F E R E N C E S


SOCIAL MEDIA

An active social media presence gives a program the opportunity to reach a diverse audience across the globe and achieve two main goals: raise awareness and provoke conversation. As such, social media requires dedicated management to post content, respond, and engage with other users on a regular basis. Development of a robust social media presence establishes your program as an authority and valued resource in its space, supporting a campaign in its mission to drive visitors to the platform and, ultimately, encourage applications.

Three hallmarks of a successful social media campaign:

• Diverse, share-worthy content: Feature a variety of content including videos and images, news articles, and other posts about key issues in a related subject matter. Content does not have to be about the program only. Images, graphics and videos are particularly share-worthy. A tweet which has an image will generate significantly more forwards, likes, and retweets than text only.

• Conversation starters: Encourage conversations by posing questions and making it easy to respond.

• Develop a “voice” for the program: Maintain a conversational feel while demonstrating expertise—be genuine!

While a variety of social media channels exist, a combination of channels will be most useful. Table 2 offers a list of social media channels and advice on how to use them.

C R I T I C A L


Bandwidth is a crucial factor in the decision of which social media accounts to activate—do not

start an account unless you have someone to manage it. For example, the SWFF GCD only used

Twitter to disseminate regularized messages and owns a YouTube channel for video content. The

team kept its online social media profile limited as its staffing resources were also limited. The

lesson? Do not take on more than you can handle.

TA B L E 2 : S O C I A L M E D I A C H A N N E L S

Twitter

Facebook

Flickr & Instagram

LinkedIn

YouTube

Brief, 140-character “tweets” broadcasted to followers

To create conversations and spread news to a large number of people through followers’ engagement

Recommended 4-6 times per day, spaced out during peak times

Community where individuals can “like” pages and groups they are interested in to receive updates

To post news and images, as well as create conversations, in a longer form than Twitter

Recommended 1-2 times per day

Network for professionals to connect in a business environment

To find users and groups by industry/focus/company; connect with potential solvers and influencers

As necessary to both program page and relevant group pages featuring the Call for Innovations

To share relevant video content from events and innovators, etc. When content is available

Photo sharing network To share new images relevant to the program When content is available

Video-sharing network

CHANNEL WHAT IS IT? HOW CAN I USE IT? HOW OFTEN SHOULD I POST?


To manage social media accounts, teams should develop a weekly schedule of content, prepared the week in advance. The schedules help to ensure that sufficient content will be ready to “go out” at key points and time throughout the week. Posts can be scheduled ahead of time using social media planning tools such as Hootsuite. Be sure to include buttons and links to any social media accounts on the website, in emails, and anywhere else it is relevant.

ADVERTISING

Paid advertisements elevate visibility and build brand image through controlled messaging to target audiences. Key advertising vehicles include web banners, print advertisements in publications or event booklets, emails or newsletters sent to a purchased email list, or Google Adword advertisements, amongst other options. These advertisements feature content that raises awareness of the program while encouraging viewers to click through to its website to learn more and, ultimately, apply. For this reason, the authors recommend prioritizing online banner ads over print opportunities to drive traffic directly to the website and application platform. The steps for developing an advertising plan are elaborated in the activity box.

An example of Saving Lives at Birth’s (SL@B) Twitter Schedule is provided in the Resources section.

A weekly schedule helps teams to produce content regularly and tools like Hootsuite can ensure

content is published at the time you plan.

The Desal Prize Social Media packet is provided in the Resource section as an example for other

teams to use for their own programs. R E S O U R C E S &

R E F E R E N C E S

Step 1: Do your research. Establish contact with advertis-ing sales representatives and conduct your own research to determine the advertising that is the best fit for the program. Use the following questions to determine the most effective placements:

Who am I trying to reach, and what publications/websites/etc. do they read? What does each of these publications list as their reader demographic and circulation numbers?

What are the different options offered by these outlets? Banner ads? Dedicated e-mail blasts? Newsletter placements? How much do each of these options cost (ask for a rate card), and how big are they?

How many ads do you want to run, and for how long?

What type of analytics will the publisher provide? How will you gauge how well this particular ad unit performed?

Step 2: Book it. Once you’ve selected your publication(s) and specific opportunities, work through an ad sales represen-tative to secure placements and availability—confirm that the ad will run when you want it to (e.g., with the launch of a chal-lenge). Also confirm the total cost and billing process.

Step 3: Design your ad. Determine if the ad can be done in-house, or if a designer will need to be contracted to as-semble it. The ad should be simple yet effective, combining visual elements and minimal text to create engaging, eye-catching content that intrigues the viewer enough to click on it and visit the program website.

Step 4: Ask for proofs. Once you’ve sent the ad to the pub-lication, make sure that you get a proof to ensure the correct placement and that all information is correct.

A C T I V I T Y


Google AdWords offers another opportunity to improve campaign visibility with targeted advertisements that appear when a relevant, pre-selected search term is used. Unlike traditional forms of advertising, AdWords utilizes a cost-per-click (CPC) based auction system that involves setting maximum “bids” that determine how high up on the search results page the advertisement appears; payment takes place when a viewer clicks on the ad. AdWords can be an effective advertising tool but requires ongoing maintenance and management to oversee and adjust bids and selected search terms.

WEBSITE

Your program website is the most important channel you have for disseminating up-to-date news and information. It is critical to develop a website that is compatible across a variety of platforms and can be easily accessed without a lot of data requirements.

To get started, take a look at the existing non-.gov USAID innovation program websites that are and take stock of what features you like and don’t like (www.savinglivesatbirth.net, http://poweringag.org/, http://www.allchildrenreading.org,

www.securingwaterforfood.org, http://www.makingallvoicescount.org). Prepare a list of content that must be included on your website and then a list of all the “extras” that your team would like to include. By working with a designer, your team can develop a website that will help convey critical information about your program.

COLLATERAL

Creating communications materials and collateral, whether digital, physical, or both, will arm your campaign with valuable tools to assist in reaching an audience, telling a story, clarifying complicated content, and more. However, just as no two campaigns are identical, no one piece of collateral is a communications “silver bullet.” Keep in mind the “Three Golden Rules” when determining what type of collateral will help your team meet its campaign goals.

This section provides information about the following types of collateral: videos, infographics, one pagers, fact sheets, booklets, and event materials.

VideosProducing a video or series of videos can help bring a program to life. Just as “a picture is worth a thousand words,” a video engages an audience in a way that plain text cannot. Videos can be used to illuminate a need that the program hopes to address, to display the energy, excitement, and urgency, or put a human face to a concept that might seem overly technical and inaccessible to a general audience.

When identifying a videographer or film company to work with, be sure to articulate your goals and objectives for the video and share key messaging documents, marketing collateral, and branding information from the start. Most film companies will work with your team to brainstorm an idea and then deliver scripts and image/video ideas for review.

If your team decides to use AdWords, follow these four basic rules:

• Set the budget for the AdWord campaign and stick to it.

• Begin with a set of 10-15 keywords and then scale down based upon top performers.

• Include top performing keyword in the text of the ad for more impressions and better positioning.

• Monitor web analytics and the AdWords dashboard on a regular basis to maximize performance

and return on investment. T I P


The more involved your team is in the process, the more likely you will receive an end product you will love and use throughout the lifecycle of your program.

As you develop a video, keep in mind:

• Shorter is better: Of the top 50 most shared videos on YouTube, none exceeds four minutes and ten seconds. Most are closer to two minutes in length. A long runtime can turn a viewer off before they ever

hit play.

• Distribution: Aside from meetings and events, videos will only be viewed online. Be sure to utilize social media, email listservs, and any other web presence the program inhabits to continually promote the video where it ‘lives.’

Table 3: Types of Videos presents information about the different types of videos and their uses to help you think about what will be most useful for your program.

TA B L E 3 : T Y P E S O F V I D E O S

InnovatorInterviews

Stakeholder/VIP Interviews

Live Action“Trailer”

Motion Infographic

Event Overview

A brief video of an innovator explaining their innovation can break down a concept to its core value in a conversational, accessible manner. More importantly, it puts a face to the innovation—a creator is more likely to generate excitement for their idea than an externally produced document.

Creating individual videos provides each innovator with their own tool to help spread the word about their innovation, and, by proxy, the program itself, amplifying the reach of the program beyond the outlets utilized by the core team.

It is important to use uniform questions when conducting these interviews so that the videos maintain a stylistic consistency.

The value of the program on a general level can be conveyed through interviews with a USAID or partner organization representative, an “expert” in the sector, or a VIP whose authority grants legitimacy to the program.

Unlike innovator interviews, questions should be tailored to the individual’s expertise, though should maintain a focus on why the program is an exciting, new, or innovative way approach solving a problem that demands global attention.

Putting together a brief overview of a program-related event, like a Development XChange, is a way of conveying the excitement and energy. Footage should include event speakers, testimonials from attendees, and interactions between participants.

A live action video (which can be assembled with stock or “on-the-ground” footage) can illuminate the purpose of the program in an entertaining, engaging, accessible fashion. These videos often put a face on the problem the program seeks to solve. These are most valuable in campaigns designed to attract solvers, but can be used throughout the lifespan of the program at events or on social media.

Like a static infographic, a motion infographic is a way of conveying a series of facts, statistics, or complicated information in a simple, easy to digest form. Similar to the Live Action “Trailer,” a motion infographic has particular value in attracting solvers, but can and should be used repeatedly throughout the lifespan of a program to draw attention to the program.

TYPE OF VIDEO DESCRIPTION


InfographicsInfographics, visual representations of data, statistics, and other information, are an engaging way to tell a story or simplify a complex topic. An infographic can be printed for distribution or display at events, meetings, and similar gatherings, but is also a powerful tool in its digital form. Because they showcase information in a way that is quick and easy to digest, infographics are a great fit for social media platforms, where floods of messages compete for short attention spans.

Although most infographics are static images, infographics can also be videos or interactive pages or designs (for examples of motion infographics, see ‘Videos’ in the Resources section). Interactive infographics combine kinetic and visual approaches to learning, which can makes the information displayed more memorable. Additionally, interactive infographics allows for interaction between the audience and the platform, whether this means directing them elsewhere for more info or linking straight to a grant application.

One Pagers/Fact Sheets/Booklets Throughout the lifecycle of the program, information about the program and the innovations it sources will need to be compiled in concise, clear documents that can be repurposed for a variety of uses and audiences (see Table 4: Types of Print Collateral). These documents can be utilized for both internal and external purposes, and can be distributed both physically and digitally.

Though the primary function of these documents is to efficiently convey text-based information, a focus on aesthetic design can improve the likelihood that an audience will engage with the content. Whether on an event table or on a Facebook Timeline, a well-designed document can grab a reader that might not otherwise respond to a text-heavy document.

The ACR GCD team commissioned an infographic for the first round of their open call.

The ACR infographic and Powering Agriculture’s motion infographic are available in the

Resources section. R E S O U R C E S &

R E F E R E N C E S

TA B L E 4 : T Y P E S O F P R I N T C O L L AT E R A L

Should be used as a “one stop shop” for all relevant information about a program or innovator. These can include, but are not limited to, background on the issue the project is working to address, descriptions of the project’s goals and methods, contact information, and directions to where the reader can learn more.

Best used to convey facts and statistics that illuminate the problem or need that a program is working to address.This information is particularly valuable for attracting attention from those outside of the specific sphere (like education, agriculture, health, etc.) that the program works within.

An FAQ is an important resource that responds to the most important questions a journalist or an innovator might have. When developing the FAQ think about the types of questions a journalist might ask you during an interview and pre-develop a response.

A booklet can be as simple as a collection of one-pagers or other informational documents. This is a handy way to distribute a large amount of related information, particularly at events and meetings. Occasionally, a piece of communications collateral will include information from a variety of related programs, though not necessarily integrated, programs.

One Pager

Fact Sheet

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Booklet/Catalog

TYPE OF DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION


Event MaterialsAn event provides a built-in audience to distribute and display communications materials. A number of communications materials will be created in advance of an event and most materials will still be useful long after the event is over. However, some events require collateral tailored specifically for the occasion and can’t be utilized later on. This includes event programs, banners, falcon boards, and other material.

EVENTS

Industry events, conferences, panel sessions, networking sessions, and webinar events all provide an opportunity to gain exposure amongst leading innovators and experts. Identifying and maintaining a list of upcoming industry-related events will help your team determine which opportunities are the most valuable and offer the program the best opportunity for exposure.

When identifying events to attend or participate, consider :

• Speaking Opportunity: Speaking at major industry events can present an important opportunity for raising awareness about a program. Reach out to conference organizers early and often to determine if a role can be made available to your program.

• Networking Opportunity: Will potential partners, expert judges, or innovators participate in the event? If so, consider participating in order to make valuable connections that may help your team deepen or further the scope of the program.

• Booth: Does the event offer your team an opportunity to display materials or even host a booth during the event? If so, it may be worth considering participating if there appears to be interesting innovators or industry professionals in attendance.

C R I T I C A L


In 2013, USAID’s Office of Science and Technology (OST) (now the Center for Development

Innovation) worked with support from DAI to produce the “The Catalog Version 1.0,” a collection

that showcases some of the most exciting science and tech innovations sourced through the GCD

programs. The Catalog is organized by sector rather than individual innovations to allow for regular

updates and features nontraditional design elements to ensure it can be used with diverse audiences

beyond USAID staff and stakeholders. The Catalog can be accessed online: http://www.usaid.gov/

sites/default/files/documents/15396/USAID_The_Catalog_Version_1.0.pdf

Reuse and recycle! Whenever possible, avoid branding materials with date, location, or event-

specific information so that the product does not come with a built-in expiration date. The time and

resources that go into creating communications materials deserve to be reused whenever possible.

If you have a banner ad or other materials previously developed for the campaign, don’t be afraid to

repurpose them during influencer outreach and in social media campaigns. T I P


Events planned in-house to celebrate a program or announce a competition finalist require a lot of planning and staff time. Before committing to hosting an event, identify the objective and goals for the event, determine how it will benefit the program in the long term, and determine if there are available resources (including staff time and budgetary resources). Be sure to include the communications team in any and all event planning and consult or include other USAID stakeholders or partners as appropriate.

INFLUENCER OUTREACH

For milestone announcements, such as the launch of a new program or the issuing of Request for Information (RFI), tapping into a network of experts can be an effective method of getting the word out to target audiences and increasing visibility in those communities. In order to make it an easily implementable request for support, develop a social media packet of sample posts for a variety of channels and/or pre-drafted e-mail content for your team’s contacts to share with their networks. These documents can be distributed with a brief message to:

• Partners• USAID missions• Influential contacts, experts, etc.

In addition, program teams can research social media influencers to appeal for their assistance. For example, networks of experts on the program subject with a large following on Twitter or LinkedIn groups specializing in the content with a high activity rate can benefit the program. Building lists of these types of contacts is time-consuming, as it often requires establishing contact with the social media manager of a webpage, but may offer access to previously unreached groups.

C R I T I C A L


When the Securing Water for Food (SWFF) GCD team designed the Desal Prize with aggressive

timelines, the program manager and communications team knew that they would have to heighten

the visibility of the Desal Prize in order to meet the goal of 50 complete applications within a

relatively short time frame (June 16–August 1). The communications team elected to work with

social media influencers to reach a large audience of targeted potential solvers.

Through research, the team identified social media accounts with large followings and strong

presences within the desalination and water technology community, reaching out to gather

contact information for their respective social media/online managers. Additionally, various

SWFF team members provided introductions to contacts at influential organizations within the

water, agriculture, innovation and competition spaces. After building a list of contacts, the SWFF

communications team sent tailored emails with background information about the Prize and social

media packets with pre-drafted content for multiple platforms to each of the influencers, requesting

their assistance in spreading the word to their networks.

Of the nearly 35 influencers that the team contacted, more than 2/3 responded and shared content

via social media, newsletters, websites and other channels. During the week that the Prize was

announced, the SWFF Twitter handle garnered more than 210,000 impressions and reached over

136,000 individual Twitter accounts, with 22 mentions and 56 retweets. As a result, the Desal Prize

received 70 applications less than ten days after the launch of the open call—during this period,

social media contributed 10.7% of traffic to the SWFF website.


Monitoring ImpactThe third “Golden Rule” of communications strategies is monitor and evaluate. Tracking the progress of outreach efforts throughout the lifespan of the campaign so that you can revise and adapt is necessary to ensure you meet its goals. The data collected will also help the team determine the breadth and scope of your reach to target groups.

The key information that needs to be tracked is as follows:

• Traffic Sources: Knowing the source of traffic (e.g., visits to your website or social media channels) helps your team identify who is interested in learning more about your program. For example, your team might learn that a major source of traffic comes from an “organic” Google search or that your Twitter account is not driving as many visitors to the website as your team would like.

• Keywords: Tracking the words or terms visitors search for on Google to end up on your program page helps to refine an existing Google Adwords campaign (see “Advertising” section) or determines which words or phrases drive significant numbers of visitors to the site so that you can incorporate more frequently.

• Audience: Knowing who the target audience is critical, especially when your team aims to reach a particular population (e.g., age, gender) or are trying to target certain geographic regions.

• User Engagement: Measuring user engagement or “stickiness” allows your team to determine how engaged and interested the audience is in presented content and the information shared. Engagement measures can be: the amount of time users spend on a site, the number of returning visitors to a site, or the willingness of visitors to share data and information.


TA B L E 5 : G L O S S A RY O F A N A LY T I C S T E R M O N O L O G Y

The percentage of visits in which the visitor only views one page of your website before leaving is known as the Bounce Rate. With Bounce Rate information, you can analyze the quality of user visits. A high Bounce Rate indicates that your pages are not relevant to what your visitors are looking for.

Visits to your site where the user types your URL into their browser’s address bar or when a visitor uses a bookmark to get to your website. Direct traffic illustrates how many of your visitors know your brand and website URL.

Internet users who have not previously or recently visited your site are considered new visitors. If cookies on a previous visitor’s computer have expired or if they have deleted their cookies, these visitors will also register as new visitors.

The single instance of a user following a hyperlink to another page or to initiate an action.

Website

Website

Website

Website

Website

Website

Website

Website

Website

Social MediaPlatforms

Social MediaPlatforms

Website, Social MediaPlatforms

Website, Social Media Platforms, Email

Marketing Platforms

The number of people who could have seen a story about your page plus the number of times the post was shown. (Reach + Frequency)

Visitors who come to your website from unpaid organic or natural search engine results.

This is what occurs when a goal is completed. Conversions happen when a visitor comes to your site and completes a desired goal or action. Completing key tasks such as subscribing to the mailing list or submitting an application are both examples of goals.

The number of times a user tags your social media platform in their post, usually includes a link back to your social media.

The display of a referral link or advertisement on a web page.

The amount of times visitors arrive on individual pages of your Website. If a user reloads a page, that action will be counted as an additional page view. If a visitor navigates to a different page and then returns to the original page, a second page view will be recorded as well. Page views allow you to see which pages on your site are the most popular.

A re-posting or forward of someone else’s Tweet is a retweet.

The average length of time a visitor spends accessing your site within a specified time period. The longer visitors spend on your site, the more informative and interactive your site is.

The number of individual (non-duplicate) visitors to a site over the course of a specific time period.

Bounce Rate

Click Through

Conversion

Direct Traffic

Exposure

Impression

Mentions

New Visitors

Organic Trafic

Page View

Retweet

Sickness/

Unique Visitors

CHANNEL RELEVANT MEDIADESCRIPTION

Time on Site


KEY RESOURCES

There are a number of tools and resources available to help you track your online marketing efforts. Some useful (and free) tools include:

Google Analytics: A free tool that has quickly become the industry standard for website monitoring. Once the program website is registered with Google and the team has submitted the website tracking code, Google Analytics automatically generates reports that can help your team better understand the program audience’s digital activity.

Hootsuite: Social media tracking tools are built into this free social media management platform covering multiple social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WordPress, Foursquare and Google+. (Note: More advanced reports can be obtained for a fee.)

Klout: Measures social media influence through engagement on Twitter and other social media platforms. The service helps you understand what people think about the program brand and what features influence them the most.

Social Mention: A free tool that monitors over one hundred social media sites. It analyses data in more depth and measures influence with 4 categories: strength, sentiment, passion, and reach.

TweetReach: A free tool that provides Twitter campaign and reach analytics to determine how far the program hashtag, keyword, or URL “spreads.” Reports for up to 50 tweets at as time are free. Generating larger reports (e.g., for an entire campaign) will incur a marginal charge.


Resources• Securing Water for Food Communications Strategy for Phase 2: Application Phase• Securing Water for Food Content Calendar for Phase 3: Post-Call Phase• All Children Reading Media Guidance Document• Securing Water for Food Weekly Email • Securing Water for Food Monthly Newsletter• Saving Lives at Birth’s Twitter Schedule • Desal Prize Social Media packet• All Children Reading Infographic • Powering Agriculture’s Motion Infographic• Saving Lives at Birth one pager

References• The Graphic Standards Manual for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) sets the standard

for the design of all USAID public communications. It can be accessed at: http://www.usaid.gov/branding/gsm

Resources & References

T O O L K I T


Securing Water for Food Communications Strategy for Phase 2: Application PhaseSecuring Water for Food Communications Strategy Phase 2: Application Phase(November 27 to January 17, 2014)

BACKGROUND

The USAID Securing Water for Food Grand Challenge was launched by USAID and the Government of Sweden the first week of September 2013 during World Water Week in Stockholm. Securing Water for Food will source innovative, low-cost, energy efficient, scalable, and sustainable solutions to improve water access through diversification and maintenance of our limited water resources in three primary domains:

• Desalination for Community Systems; • Efficient Use and Re-Use of Water and Wastewater; and,• Innovative Water Capture.

Securing Water for Food will begin accepting applications on November 27, 2013, continuing through January 17, 2014.

PRIMARY COMMUNICATIONS OBJECTIVE

In the run up to, during, and in the weeks immediately following the initial launch of Securing Water for Food at World Water Week in Stockholm, the primary communications objective was to a) promote awareness of the program among our target audiences, and b) to generate a sizeable and representative response to the RFI that was issued for comment at the launch.

The primary objective of our communications effort during this application stage of the GCD (now until January 17, 2014) is to generate enough interest, incentive, and enthusiasm among members of the solver community to drive —at a minimum—500 qualified applications.

The primary goal of the program in the weeks and months following the close of the application period is to identify, document, and communicate the success stories that will emerge from our first round of winners that will be announced at the Development Exchange that will be held in September 2014.

SECONDARY COMMUNICATIONS OBJECTIVES

• Raise the profile of the Securing Water for Food Grand Challenge and the overall USAID Grand Challenges initiative to attract future potential Grand Challenge funding partners

• Identify and incentivize a high degree of participation, both directly and indirectly, from the most relevant global solver communities and related audiences

• Raise the profile of USAID and the founding partners as pioneers in using science and technology to accelerate development impact


AUDIENCES

Our primary target audience for this phase of the initiative falls under the “Solver” heading and is comprised of innovators, entrepreneurs, businesses, students, and other organizations around the globe that are capable of providing high-potential technical solutions and/or business models that meet Securing Water for Food’s selection criteria.

Secondary audiences include USAID staff (both in Washington and at overseas Missions), members of the larger Development Community (NGOs, Foundations, Bilateral and Multilateral Institutions), the Academic Community, the US Government (Congress, other Agencies, the White House), and the Press.

And while we’re relying upon members of our primary target audience to submit applications, we will engage with members of our secondary audience to help get the word out about the program and the open call.

PRIMARY KEY MESSAGES

To produce our desired outcome of 500 or more qualified applications for Securing Water for Food, we need to broadcast the following key messages (and variations thereof) to our key audience via our various communications channels during this phase of the initiative:

• Securing Water for Food has issued a call among members of the global business, science, and tech communities in search of innovative and scalable solutions that can successfully address the management of limited water resources in developing countries that will enable the production of more food with less water.

• The application period for Securing Water for Food opens on November 27, 2013 and closes on January 17, 2013.

• Qualified applicants are eligible to receive between $200,000 - $3M over the lifespan of this program, based on their financial requirements and the results they hope to achieve with this funding.

• Qualified applicants will also benefit from a mix of hands-on acceleration work planning, one-on-one mentoring/coaching, facilitation of debt and equity financing, and facilitated participation in Investors’ Circles, marketplace presentations, trade shows, and technology fairs.

• 30-40 winners will be selected in the first round of competition, based on a rigorous evaluation process.

• Applications will be evaluated based on the technical application, business viability and applicability of the solution in developing and emerging markets.

• The application process is online, simple, and concise.

R E S O U R C E S


SECONDARY MESSAGES

The purpose of secondary messages is to generate interest among our secondary audiences in the broader goals of the program and to enlist them as evangelists to help spread the word among their own constituents about the call for innovations.

Secondary messages include:

• Securing Water for Food is a Grand Challenge for Development initiative that calls on entrepreneurs and the global business, science, and tech communities to improve the management of limited water resources in developing countries. We’re seeking innovative solutions to produce more food with less water.

• Projections are that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population could be living in severe water stress conditions. This stress adversely affects individuals, communities, economies, and ecosystems around the world, particularly in developing and emerging markets. Ensuring the availability and management of fresh water for agriculture and basic human needs is integral to development.

• A billion people on this planet don’t have enough food to eat. This is precisely why this program is taking a new and different approach to the challenge of how we provide more food with less water.

• Securing Water for Food is the collaborative result of a partnership between USAID and the Government of Sweden. Partnership is a key component of the Grand Challenges for Development Initiative.

• Securing Water for Food is representative of a new approach to foreign assistance, one that sources and invests in science and technological solutions that can make a real impact in the developing world.

• Qualified applicants are eligible to receive significant funding and business support via this program.

CHANNELS, TACTICS & TASKS

Targeted Mapping of Primary and Secondary AudienceSecuring Water for Food supporting staff have conducted a targeted mapping effort to identify and list members of both primary and secondary audiences, as well as their corresponding contact information. As a powerful piece of our ongoing communications efforts, these targeted lists should continue to be expanded and polished to ensure that we have the largest possible audience of potential applicants and advocates, as well as their most accurate and up to date contact information, in particular their individual email addresses.

• Assign mapping task to individual(s)• Provide location of present list(s)• Provide access to appropriate email accounts to ascertain which emails have bounced• Track down and identify correct email addresses• Continue to add additional appropriate individuals to the lists• Investigate the purchase of external mailing lists to supplement the lists created in-house and proceed as

appropriate with approvals • Revise and update over the lifespan of the program


EmailRepeat multiple targeted emails to our primary audience in the run up to and during the application period can be used to generate interest and spur applications by a) creating a sense of urgency; b) highlighting the benefits of participation in the program; and c) stressing the ease of the application process.

• Assign email to individual(s)• Create content and distribution calendar to determine how many emails need to be during this phase of the

initiative• Draft series of emails, getting appropriate reviews and clearances• Interface with individual(s) responsible for list management and acquire most up to date list• Distribute emails• Monitor mail box for responses, bounces, requests for more information, and requests to be taken off the

mailing lists• Share feedback with appropriate parties and incorporate into following on emails, as appropriate• Continue over the application period, concluding with a “Thank You / Stay Tuned” email to tease out the next

phase of the program

Email Newsletter The creation and distribution of a Securing Water for Food email newsletter to both primary and secondary audiences will generate interest in the overall initiative, position the program as a thought leader at the nexus of water technology, agriculture, innovation and development, and potentially spur additional applications.

• Assign email newsletter task to individual(s)• Determine appropriate means of distribution (Gmail, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, etc.) and identify any cost

implications• Create content and distribution calendar • Source content and draft newsletter, getting appropriate reviews and clearances• Interface with individual(s) responsible for list management and acquire most up to date list• Distribute emails• Continue over the lifespan of the initiative

WebsiteThe Securing Water for Food website (http://securingwaterforfood.org) has served as the primary vehicle for distributing appropriate and timely information about the program. Originally envisioned as a minimalist splash page, the page was intended to provide visitors with just enough detail and supporting information to generate interest in the program and/or prompt a visitor to download and subsequently comment on the RFI.

During this phase of the initiative, site content should be updated to succinctly highlight the program’s benefits to innovators and to actively convert from them from interested parties to applicants.

R E S O U R C E S


• Assign website content maintenance and upkeep to individual(s)• Revise content as needed, getting appropriate reviews and clearances• When application period begins, collaborate with appropriate implementers to ensure that the site has

prominent call to action to application platform• Review, implement and verify additional Google Analytics on site to determine how site is performing and

the percentage of visitors that are clicking through to the online application• Revise and tweak as appropriate over the life of the project

TwitterIn the lead up to the launch of Securing Water for Food at World Water Week in Stockholm, a Twitter account (@SecuringWater) was created to capitalize on the excitement surrounding that event, interact with attendees via that medium, and to conduct a virtual Q & A session with interested Twitter users among our primary audience who were not physically based in Stockholm. The new objective of the twitter feed is to provide frequent SWFF updates to raise awareness and generating qualified applications from the solver community by:

• Assigning Twitter management and content development responsibility to individual(s)• Actively expanding follower base via following Twitter accounts of members of our primary and secondary

audiences, including water technology companies, agricultural specialists, NGOs, thought leaders, academics, reporters, and others that inhabit our target universe

• Drafting a content calendar and distribution schedule• Drafting corresponding tweets, getting appropriate reviews and clearances as needed• Coordinating the translation of tweets into other languages (French, Spanish, Arabic) • Monitoring and tracking interactions with the @SecuringWater handle, including favorites, re-tweets, Direct

Messages, and follows• Coordinating with individual(s) managing the website to determining which messages and tactics are

generating the most visits and applications• Revising and tweaking as appropriate over the life of the project

Google AdWordsGoogle AdWords are a low cost solution for incorporating search engine marketing tactics into this phase of Securing Water for Food. In short, paid search may generate addition qualified leads among qualified candidates that may fall outside our direct targeting.

• Assign individual(s) with the responsibility for investigating Google AdWords as a viable option, approved by USAID for implementation

• If this tactic is approved, individual will research appropriate key words consideration and purchase• Determine budget and messaging• Implement and monitor, in collaboration with the individual(s) responsible for website• Revise and tweak as appropriate over the life of the project


Banner AdvertisingAnother means of raising the visibility of this program is to run paid online banner advertising on online publications and websites frequently visited our target audiences. While click through rates are admittedly quite low, this non-traditional tactic for GCDs may generate some direct and indirect interest in the program, and at a minimum, present a case study regarding the viability of banner advertising as a means of outreach.

• Assign individual(s) with the responsibility for investigating online publications and websites frequented by our target audiences that support online banner advertising

• Determine if USAID will approve an online banner campaign in support of this program• If this tactic is approved, individual will determine budget, messaging, and timing of campaign• Individual will identify a designer and/or developer who can create the online units per the specifications

provided by the online publications• Once approved by appropriate USAID personnel, the individual will traffic the units to the publications,

ensure that they run throughout the life of the campaign, and request and share banner performance statistics with the Securing Water for Food team

Online Community OutreachAnother means of raising the visibility of the program is to spread the word about Securing Water for Food in a number of online communities, fora, and discussion groups dedicated to water technology, agriculture, innovation, and development.

• Assign individual(s) with the responsibility for investigating online communities frequented by our target audiences

• Craft community-appropriate messaging to promote Securing Water for Food to members of that particular group

• Engage as appropriate, responding and/or referring inquiries to the appropriate USAID personnel as appropriate over the life of the project

Press OutreachThe Securing Water for Food (SWFF) team, with the assistance of NYC-based public relations firm SJR, has been proactively generating press interest and fielding press inquiries for the program from mainstream press since the initiative’s launch in September 2013. While press outreach remains the primary domain of SJR, all parties involved in communications efforts should be cognizant of press-worthy anecdotes and information related to this program, documenting and sharing that information with the larger communications team. In the months ahead, SJR will continue to work with the SWFF team to identify both short-term and long-term press opportunities.

In the short-term, SJR is building press interest, following-up with reporters from original outreach and developing relationships with new targeted press contacts (both mainstream and niche outlets) for future opportunities. SJR will share the November call for applications with press with the aim of generating some coverage in niche outlets. While immediate coverage is not anticipated across mainstream media, outreach around the call for applications will be used for relationship building and to plant seeds for future coverage when innovators have been identified. For coverage of the call, SJR is concentrating on niche development outlets such as AllAfrica and Devex that are more likely to have interest in the launch story.

R E S O U R C E S


Long-term, SJR is focused on leveraging opportunities to promote innovators, individuals, and communities impacted by SWFF. Developing a robust human story is key to generating coverage and features that reach a broader audience and create opportunities for highlighting the initiative’s innovative approach to development.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

USAID MissionsIn addition to being part of our secondary audience, USAID Missions can play an active role and help promote SWFF and the call for applications via their own social networks and communication channels.

• Assign individual(s) to identify key USAID Missions and appropriate communications staff contacts in regions that have been determined to be a) major sources of potential applicants or b) potential locales for implementing program sourced solution

• Aggregate, repurpose, and – when appropriate and possible – translate previously created content as a “toolkit” (Editorial Calendar, Tweets, Photos, Newsletter Content, etc.) for sharing with Mission communications staff

• In conjunction with other members of the communications team, analyze performance of Mission shared content and revise or tweak approach as needed

SidaOur partner Sida can also play an active role in helping with the communications effort by tapping into its vast network and multiple social channels to broadcast the overall SWFF mission as well as the call for applications.

• USAID Team Lead will initiate request for communications support from Sida and then delegate a liaison to work with appropriate Sida support

• Appropriate content will be shared with Sida for distribution• In conjunction with members of Sida’s communications team, analyze performance of Mission shared content

and revise or tweak approach as needed

CONTENT DISTRIBUTION

In order to achieve our primary goal of 500 qualified applications, establish SWFF as a groundbreaking initiative among members of the development community, and enlist the support of partners and other champions of the program at large to help get the word out, a healthy mix of round-the-clock messaging via our multiple channels is required.

To that end, here’s an example of one week’s worth of content, distributed via multiple channels, as well as related tasks. It is not meant to be exhaustive, but merely a suggested starting point for consideration, given the proper resources:

• MondayTwitter: 6 to 10 tweets spread out over the course of the day, note re-tweets and favorites, actively thank new followers via tweetEmail: Send brief email about program and approaching deadline to targeted list of potential applicants, update list with bounces, track responses and related questions


Online Communities: Post note to appropriate online communities about call, monitor for responsesWebsite: Update website with time sensitive content to create sense of urgency (Applications OPEN / CLOSE) and competition (as of XX/XX, we have received XX applications), review previous week’s site statistics to gauge performance and interaction

• TuesdayTwitter: 6 to 10 tweets spread out over the course of the day, note re-tweets and favorites, actively thank new followers via tweetEmail Newsletter: Draft email newsletter, incorporating any feedback and questions from previous days interactions

• Wednesday Twitter: 6 to 10 tweets spread out over the course of the day, note re-tweets and favorites, actively thank new followers via tweetEmail Newsletter: Distribute email newsletter to list of primary and secondary audiences, update list with bounces, track responses and related questionsOnline Communities: Post note to appropriate online communities about call, monitor for responses

• ThursdayTwitter: 6 to 10 tweets spread out over the course of the day, note re-tweets and favorites, actively thank new followers via tweetEmail: Send brief email about program and insight into the application process to targeted list of potential applicants, update list with bounces, track responses and related questionsToolkit: Aggregate related content to create communication toolkits for distribution to USAID Missions and partner(s).

• FridayTwitter: 6 to 10 tweets spread out over the course of the day, note re-tweets and favorites, actively thank new followers via tweet; queue up weekend tweetsOnline Communities: Post note to appropriate online communities about call, monitor for responsesToolkit: Distribute communications toolkits for the following week to contacts at USAID Missions and SWFF partners

• SaturdayTwitter: Re-tweet the 6 to 10 most popular tweets from the previous week

• SundayTwitter: Re-tweet the 6 to 10 most popular tweets from the previous week

R E S O U R C E S


BENCHMARKS FOR SUCCESS

Primary Benchmark: Number of qualified applications receivedTarget: 500The primary benchmark for success of this communications effort will be the submission of 500 qualified applications to SWFF during the initial application phase of this program. Timeframe: Present until January 17, 2014.

Secondary Benchmarks: Number of innovators reached*Target: 1000In this case an “innovator” is someone who could potentially introduce new methods, ideas, or products for a GCD and who would be target-awardees for GCD. “Reached” in this case includes being contacted through social media, web analytics, or network mapping.Timeframe: Present until January 17, 2014.

Secondary Benchmarks: Number of outreach initiatives undertaken by each GCD*Target: 5 “Outreach initiatives” include ads, stories, broadcasts in print, online, broadcast, and social media. “Undertaken by GCD” means sponsored or paid for by a GCD.Timeframe: Present until September 2014.

Secondary Benchmarks: Number of “hits” as a proxy for uptake of GCD message by media outlets Target: 5,000 “Hits” in this case are actual clicks on online messaging sent out about GCD when a user wants to learn more about the program.Timeframe: Present until September 2014.

*In accordance with ongoing efforts to track and report Grand Challenges for Development (GCD) performance indicators for communications-related criteria.


Securing Water for Food Content Calendar for Phase 3: Post-Call PhaseSecuring Water for Food Content CalendarPhase 3: Post-Call Phase (February - September 2014)

OVERVIEW

The proposed content calendar below outlines the strategy for outreach through the end of May around Securing Water for Food (SWFF): A Grand Challenge for Development.

LENGTH OF CAMPAIGN

The Phase 3 Campaign will run from February 1, 2014 until World Water Week 2014. Due to the length of the campaign, we are proposing content through the end of May. As more details emerge about the announcement of the finalists, an updated strategy for June – August will be proposed by mid-May 2014.

OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of the program in the weeks and months following the close of the application period is to identify, document, and communicate the success stories that will emerge from our first round of winners that will be announced at the Development Exchange that will be held in September 2014.

Other primary goals include:

• Raise the profile of the Securing Water for Food Grand Challenge among fellow USAID staff (both in Washington and at overseas Missions)

• Raise the profile of USAID and the founding partners as pioneers in using science and technology to accelerate development impact at the water/food nexus

• Raise the profile of the Securing Water for Food Grand Challenge and the overall USAID Grand Challenges initiative to attract future potential Grand Challenge partners

• Raise the profile of the Securing Water for Food Grand Challenge and the overall USAID Grand Challenges initiative among key decision makers in the USG, including members of Congress, White House staff, and other key Washington decision makers

SECONDARY COMMUNICATIONS OBJECTIVES

Additional communications objectives including identifying and incentivizing a high degree of interest in USAID’s Desal Prize, both directly and indirectly, from the most relevant global solver communities and related audiences.

R E S O U R C E S


AUDIENCES

During this phase of the Campaign, we will target our communications strategy to reach the following key audiences:

• Primary audiences include USAID staff (both in Washington and at overseas Missions), members of the larger Development Community (NGOs, Foundations, Bilateral and Multilateral Institutions), the Academic Community, the US Government (Congress, other Agencies, the White House), the Private

Sector (Companies and other organizations that may be interested in partnering), and the Press.

• Secondary audiences fall under the heading of “Solvers” and are the target of outreach for the Desal Prize. This community is comprised of innovators, entrepreneurs, businesses, experts, academics, and

related desalination organizations that can offer scalable, low-cost solutions and theoretical strategies that will increase water supply access by improving quality of available resources from marginal to potable in both

rural and urban settings.

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

The following actions are captured in this content calendar:

• AdWords: Launch a limited Google AdWords campaign for the Desal Prize

• Events: Key events and opportunities for SWFF are integrated in this calendar. • Email: Monthly/bi-monthly updates to a week to the SWFF list of subscribers. These will go out the first and

last Monday of each month. I’ve also integrated the Desal Prize weekly communications on this calendar too. • Email Newsletter: Monthly newsletter update featuring relevant news items to the week’s theme or to the

water field. This will go out mid-month on a Friday. • Twitter: Daily communications on water issues, provoking a conversation, and raising awareness about the

Desal Prize. • Online Community Outreach: Blogs or articles to place on relevant online community blogs, webinar

events, etc. • Website: Regularized updates to reflect opening of application, addition of the Desal Prize page, and

expansion of SWFF page.

• Partners Outreach: Also integrated in this approach is outreach to Missions and partners.


Successes: Thank you for applying

SWFF: Building an ecosystem for water4food entrepreneurship in emerging economies

Application updates: Review of high-level stats (top 10 countries submitting apps, types of orgs submitting apps, stage of innovation, etc.)

Stay tuned for the next phase of the SWFF Challenge!

Nexus 2014 event, send invites, promote Twitter dialogue

World Water Day events, announcements

Create dialogue around investing in water innovation, Promote the RFI

Create dialogue around investing in water innovation, Promote the RFI

Create dialogue around investing in water innovation, RFI closes April 14

Create dialogue around investing in water innovation

Create dialogue around investing in water innovation

Prep for launch of Desal Prize

Launch of Desal Prize on May 16

1. Highlight GCD approach2. Application Week 1

1. Highlight GCD approach2. Application Week 2

Announcement of Desal Prize

UNC Water Nexus Conference

Leading up to World Water Day

Stay tuned for the next phase of the SWFF Challenge!

Keep applicants engaged

1) One of biggest barriers to water innovation in developing economies is access to working capital. Throughout this month, we will explore this theme and identify resources. 2) Desal Comms: Desal Prize RFI

1) Major investors in the water entrepreneurship space 2) Last week to comment on Desal Prize!

A Grand Challenge approach to innovation. (Primary & secondary messaging theme)

What is the role of energy in securing water4food?

Promoting a water entrepreneurship ecosystem: Highlight SWFF side event at Nexus 2014 conference, promote dialogue around innovation, partnerships, and market-driven approaches that secure water for food.

1) How can water innovators attract investment? 2) How are USAID and Sida addressing critical water4food challenges through desalination projects?

Launch of Desal Prize! Apply today. (May 16) (Primary & secondary messaging theme)

1) Role of accelerators in promoting water innovation 2) Delivering small-scale innovations in emerging markets

1) What’s unique about this approach? 2) Key barriers? Why haven’t we seen greater innovation in this space?

1) Learning from the leaders: Israel, Netherlands and Singapore are home to many water innovation orgs 2) Countries that are leading the way in brackish water desalination innovation and what we can learn from them

1) What is the long-term goal for this GCD? 2) What do the experts say about the future of brackish water desalination?

World Water Day: Partnerships and opportunities at the nexus of water/food

Promoting a Water Innovation Ecosystem: Needs and requirements

Desal Prize: What is it? *Note: Kick-off Desal Community outreach this week.

February Theme: Campaign Wrap-Up (Thanks, our numbers, what happens next)

March Theme: The Nexus (In lead up to World Water Day, we are going to explore how reducinghunger and eradicating poverty are linked to achieving security for water and food)

April Themes: Primary—Investing in Water Innovation (Building off March’s theme about building an innovation ecosystem,looking at key funding challenges fro water innovators). Secondary—Brackish Water Desalination

May Themes: Primary—A Grand Challenge Approach to Promoting Water Innovation. Secondary—Desal Prize Launch

HOOKTHEME

P R O P O S E D C O N T E N T T H E M E S

DATES

Feb. 1-8

Feb. 9-15

Feb. 16-22

Feb. 23-28

Mar. 30-Apr. 5

Apr. 6-12

Apr. 13-19

Apr. 20-26

Apr. 27-May3

Mar. 2-8

Mar. 9-15

Mar. 16-22

Mar. 23-29

May 4-10

May 11-17

May 18-24

May 25-31


NOTE ON STRATEGY

During this phase of the campaign, we will scale back weekly communications about the Challenge slightly and supplement with weekly, targeted Desal-only communications. If for some reason these efforts do not create the desired effect, we will scale up communications efforts accordingly.

CONTENT AND ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

* April and May are omitted from the original document.

FEBRUARY: CAMPAIGN WRAP-UP (THANKS, OUR NUMBERS, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT)

CHANNELDAY

DAY

DAY

DAY

CHANNEL

CHANNEL

CHANNEL

DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

Continued

February 9-15: Application updates: Review of high-level stats (top 10 countries submitting apps, types of orgs submitting apps, stage of innovation, etc.)

February 16-22: Promoting a water entrepreneurship ecosystem: Highlight SWFF side event at Nexus 2014 conference, promote dialogue around innovation, partnerships, and market-driven approaches that secure water for food.

February 23-28: Promoting a Water Innovation Ecosystem: Needs and requirements

February 1-8: Successes

A handful of original tweets a day, spread out over the course of the day, note re-tweets and favorites, actively thank new followers via tweet, increase focus on developing a dialogue




Send out Newsletter with stats, articles of interest.

Invitation to the Nexus 2014 Conference Event

Thank you for applying, stay tuned!

Update Website to note that we’ve reached the deadline

Daily

Monday, Feb. 3

Friday, Feb. 7

Twitter

Website

Email

Daily

Monday, Feb. 16

Twitter

Email Newsletter

Daily

Monday, Feb 24

Twitter

Email

Daily Twitter


Continued

Send out email reminder regarding the Nexus 2014 SWFF event

Send out email newsletter with relevant news content and information to theme.

Desal Prize page goes live (NOTE: DEPENDS ON WHEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS MADE

Send out early am reminder email to registered participants about the SWFF session

Work on developing Desal Email List

Lab Event Launch (Note: Date is subject to change)

SWFF side event at Nexus conference, follow conversation via Twitter

Draft and Clear Desal Website Content

WWD Press Release announcing Desal Prize

Post blog celebrating WWD, announcing Desal Prize, launch Desal Prize RFI, name top 150 semi-finalists

Global Waters Feature on SWFF to come out

WWD event

MARCH THEME: THE NEXUS (In lead up to World Water Day, we are going to explore how reducing hunger and eradicating poverty are linked to achieving security for water and food)

March 2-8: SWFF: Building an ecosystem for water4food entrepreneurship in emerging economies

March 9-15: What is the role of energy in securing water4food?

March 16-22: World Water Day: Partnerships and Opps at nexus of water/food

CHANNELDAY DESCRIPTION



Daily

Monday, Mar. 3

Wednesday, Mar. 5

Wednesday, Mar. 5

Daily

Tuesday, Mar. 18

Tuesday, Mar. 18

Friday, Mar. 21

Friday, Mar. 21

Tentative

Friday, Mar. 21

Daily

Friday, Mar. 14

Friday, Mar. 14

Friday, Mar. 14

Twitter

Email

Email

Event

Twitter

Website

Event

Press

Online

Press

Event

Twitter

Newsletter

Email List

Website

Development

Community





Send out email reminder to “subscriber” list w/short intro on theme

Begin promoting Desal Prize RFI, Drive traffic to the Desal website page

March 2-8: SWFF: Building an ecosystem for water4food entrepreneurship in emerging economies


Daily

Monday, Mar. 23

Monday, Mar. 23

Twitter

Email

Desal Email



All Children Reading Media Guidance DocumentAll Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development—BackgroundUSAID’s Grand Challenges for Development offer innovators opportunities to apply their scientific and technological expertise to develop solutions to clearly defined development problems. A Grand Challenge for Development seeks partners, solvers, and scalable solutions to foster a movement to solve these problems for good and improve lives. In this new approach, A Grand Challenge for Development articulates problem statements, not pre-determined solutions. A Grand Challenge for Development invites a broader range of actors, including foundations, corporations, and individuals to engage in solving these challenges. USAID believes that by focusing global attention on the problems, stimulating the participation of a diverse set of solvers and increasing connections across communities and support networks – solutions can be scaled and progress can be made.

USAID’s Office of Science and Technology currently implements five Grand Challenges for Development, which use a combination of open grant competitions, prizes, challenges, partnerships, and development showcases and accelerators to source and accelerate science and technology-based solutions in the following areas:

1. Saving Lives at Birth

2. All Children Reading

3. Powering Agriculture

4. Making All Voices Count

5. Securing Water for Food

All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development is a competition that leverages science and technology to create and apply scalable solutions to improve literacy skills in developing countries. The partners, USAID, World Vision, and the Australian Government, are soliciting technology-based, cost effective, innovations from the global science, technology, education, and broader development communities to improve reading for children in early primary education.

Key Messages

1. Literacy is the cornerstone of development—it leads to improved health, better education, greater employment opportunities, and safer and more stable governments. To bolster literacy around the world we need to start at the beginning: with early primary education. 2. Improving global literacy is a challenge of massive scale, and will require close partnership and collaboration between public, private and government organizations—this is the objective of ACR GCD.

3. ACR GCD seeks to catalyze the development of scalable, technology-based and cost-effective innovations that will improve literacy opportunities and reading scores for children in developing countries.

4. Round 2 of ACR GCD seeks to improve reading scores of children in developing countries through technology-based solutions in three focus areas: 1) local language instruction and reading materials, 2) family and community engagement, and 3) children with disabilities.

R E S O U R C E S


5. ACR GCD encourages problem-solvers from around the globe, including: students, researchers, the private sector, startups, small businesses, and faith-based and civil society organizations to participate in the grant and prize competitions.

6. ACR GCD invites the partnership of companies, foundations, individuals and others to improve literacy opportunities and outcomes for children in developing countries through the contribution of technical sector expertise or funding in ways that align with their business or development goals.

Key Literacy Statistics:

• 250 million children don’t know how to read or count.1

• If all students in low income countries left school with basic reading skills, 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty, which would be equivalent to a 12% cut in world poverty. 2

• Globally, one year of school increases earnings by 10%, on average. 3 • If all women completed primary education, there would be 66% fewer maternal deaths. 4

• 57 million primary school-age children are out of school. 5

1 UNESCO Global Monitoring Report 2013/2014 pg. 182 Ibid3 Ibid4 Ibid, pg. 155 UNESCO, Global Monitoring Report, Policy Report 10. (July 2013)


R E S O U R C E S

Securing Water for Food Weekly Email


R E S O U R C E S

Securing Water for Food Monthly Newsletter


R E S O U R C E S

Saving Lives at Birth’s Twitter Schedule

TIME TWEET LINK (to be shortened via bit.ly or Hootsuite)06:02:2014 12:00

What’s changed for moms and babies since the $2.8B Muskoka Initiative?

http://globalnews.ca/news/1359880/whats-changed-for-moms-and-babies-since-the-2-8b-muskoka-initiative/

06:02:2014 15:00

#Didyouknow #caffeine can save the lives of premature babies? @harvmed investigates:

http://hms.harvard.edu/news/helping-premature-babies-breathe-easier-5-15-14?utm_content=buffer9bf9e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

06:03:2014 09:00

#SLAB innovator @bioceptive reusable IUD inserter created to help 220m women world-wide w unmet need 4 family planning:

http://savinglivesatbirth.net/summaries/236

06:03:2014 12:00

If you missed last week’s #MNCH summit in Toronto, check here for news, photos, and more #SavingLives

http://mnch.international.gc.ca/index-en.html

06:03:2014 15:00

The “MacGyver” cure for cancer--great ex-ample of finding partners at every stage, w a #SLAB innovator cameo:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/magazine/the-mac-gyver-cure-for-cancer.html?_r=0

06:03:2014 17:00

Our DevX is less than 2 months away! Register here to hear inspirational talks from innovators & implementers #MNCH

http://savinglivesatbirth.net/devxchange

06:04:2014 09:00

How do you provide healthcare for women & children in the remotest parts of Afghanistan? @UNICEF investigates:

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_72846.html

06:04:2014 12:00

#SLAB innovator @sickkids_thehospital: Smart collaboration = crucial part of partner-ing 4 #growth 2 improve #mnch

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sickkids-centre-for-global-child-health/smart-collaboration-worki_b_5400013.html

06:04:2014 15:00

Researchers may have discovered why male babies have poorer health outcomes than female ones:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/277414.php


06:04:2014 17:00

A cool timeline view of the history of the #everynewborn plan, now endorsed by the World Health Assembly:

http://www.everynewborn.org/events-calendar/

06:05:2014 12:00

The #SLAB newsletter keeps you in the know with important #MNCH news, events, & an-nouncements. Sign up now:

http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?llr=9bcrjypab&p=oi&m=1116433057850&sit=jb55v7pib&f=75408d4e-0b8c-4a19-b2e8-7d75a850ff39

06:05:2014 15:00

A primary reason people collaborate is to innovate. Human interaction and other key ingredients via @forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/skollworldforum/2013/04/09/why-personal-interaction-drives-innovation-and-collabo-ration/

06:05:2014 17:00

@jhpiego webinar series kicks off next week--make sure you register now! #MNCH #ideation #impact

http://www.jhpiego.org/events/2014-Ideation-to-Impact-Event/

06:06:2014 12:00

#SOWM pointed to the importance of #MNCH in emergencies; this study looks into the “how”:

http://www.conflictandhealth.com/content/pdf/1752-1505-8-8.pdf

06:06:2014 15:00

How’s this for a creative infant drug delivery method? Check out this video of #SLAB in-novator JustMilk in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhNmm0_aZ9s

06:06:2014 16:00

.@GCDSavingLives partner @gchallenges is investing $12m in 65 #MNCH innovative health projects--some great ideas here!

http://www.grandchallenges.ca/wp-content/uploads/Stars-inGlobalHealth-Round6-MNCH-NewsRelease-May2014-EN.pdf

06:07:2014 11:00

Networks, connections, & potential partners can make universities the best place to start a business--do you agree?

http://theconversation.com/why-universities-are-the-best-places-to-start-a-business-25117

06:07:2014 13:00

Congrats to #SLAB innovator @UBCMedi-cine @UBappscience for the scale-up w the help of @gchallenges angel investors!

http://www.onlinetmd.com/medical-device-design-sensor-phone-oximeter-51914.aspx

06:08:2014 11:00

How much is the cost of life vs. death in #childbirth? @popact #Momsmatter

http://www.upworthy.com/a-lot-can-go-wrong-in-child-birth-but-1-53-could-mean-the-difference-between-life-and-death-re2-3c-2?c=one1

06:08:2014 13:00

@Taprootfound founder Aaron Hurst advises budding #socents to “find good partners”:

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680423/the-rise-of-social-entrepreneurship-from-innovation-to-industry

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Desal Prize Social Media Packet

The Desal Prize Launches Call for Submissions: Date: June 16, 2014 Synopsis: On June 16th, Securing Water for Food (a Grand Challenge for Development) officially opened the call for applications for the Desal Prize. As the second “call” under Securing Water for Food, the Desal Prize aims to develop cost-effective, energy efficient, and environmentally sustainable small-scale desalination technology that provides potable water for humans and water appropriate crops in developing countries. The Desal Prize was launched on March 21st in Washington D.C. during U.S. Tech H2.O, a World Water Day event. This is a historic partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of The Netherlands (MFA-NL). The Desal Prize also benefits from a partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which will provide access to the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility as well as technical guidance.

Suggested Content for Twitter:

@USAID, @Sida, & @MinBuZa_news partner 2 seek innovative #tech 2 alleviate water stress thru desalination #DesalPrize http://ow.ly/vhNuv

@securingwater #DesalPrize aims to make brackish water desalination environmentally sustainable and less expensive in rural areas

By 2025, 2/3 of world’s population could live in severe water stress

conditions. @securingwater #DesalPrize seeks #desalination #innovation

@securingwater awarding $400K in prizes to #energyefficient

brackish water #desal tech 4 dvlping countries, apply now: http://ow.ly/vhNuv

Do you have #desal tech that could be used to provide

#watersecurity in developing countries? @securingwater wants YOU! http://ow.ly/vhNuv

Twitter @SecuringWater @GlobalDevLab @USAID @Sida @MinBuZa_news @USBR Hashtag #DesalPrize

Facebook www.facebook.com/usaid http://www.facebook.com/globaldevelopmentlab

Websites www.thedesalprize.org www.securingwaterforfood.org http://www.usaid.gov/GlobalDevLab Blog blog.usaid.gov


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All Children Reading Infographic

Powering Agriculture’s Motion Infographic


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Saving Lives at Birth One Pager


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