HCC COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT A BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS
August 1, 2020 Developed by the Directors of Communication Services Central | Coleman | District | Northeast | Northwest | Southeast | Southwest
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ii
GOALS SUMMARY 1
SUPPORT ENROLLMENT GROWTH 1
CONNECT WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS 3
CULTIVATE COMMUNITY & INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS 5
AMPLIFY MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS 6
CONTACT INFORMATION: DIRECTORS OF COMMUNICATION SERVICES
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HCC Community Engagement: A Blueprint for Success is a document designed to provide a guiding framework for executing a comprehensive, districtwide community engagement plan. The need for HCC to implement specific community engagement goals, objectives, strategies and tactics is evident. The college’s overall success and sustainability rely on firmly connecting itself into the communities it serves. The relationship must include engagement activities that are timely, targeted, equitable, actionable and mutually beneficial. We hope you find HCC Community Engagement: A Blueprint for Success a constructive vision for successful community engagement that embraces our institution's mission and enhances our bonds to this diverse city.
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G O A L S S U M MA RY Support Enrollment Growth Connect With Key Stakeholders Cultivate Community and Industry Partnerships Amplify Marketing and Communications
SUPPORT ENROLLMENT GROWTH Implement and promote engagement activities that support equitable enrollment growth in under-resourced communities using a collaborative, integrated, system-wide approach, in an ongoing and post-COVID-19 pandemic environment.
TARGETS Unemployed populations, university transfer students, under-resourced communities, college service areas, current and prospective students and high school graduates
OBJECTIVE Increase awareness of college certificates or degrees in today’s competitive employment landscape and to populations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
STRATEGIES • Promote available avenues for targeted communities to learn about HCC’s programs, courses and opportunities, with special emphasis on under-resourced service areas. • Collaborate with community stakeholders to share HCC offerings, resources and benefits, with emphasis on the affordability and quality of HCC.
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SUPPORT ENROLLMENT GROWTH CONTINUED
TACTICS • Network with local communities through virtual meetings and discussion forums in person as possible to provide resources and information.
• Engage with local organizations, community business owners, and leadership for virtual workshops, fairs and communitycentric engagements. Promote workforce programs through social media platforms and digital advertisements to targeted markets. • Connect with all influencers – civic organizations, community partners, apartment management, houses of worship, school counselors, elected officials, businesses and companies, chambers and professional associations – to get the word out about HCC academic offerings, career pathways, resources and benefits using all print, electronic and digital communications channels possible. • Distribute print and digital materials about HCC academic offerings, career pathways, resources and benefits to aforementioned community influencers and via them to their constituents and members. • Partner with CBOs for the distribution of promotional items and college information at in person and virtual outreach events (virtual job fairs, chamber and civic meetings, COVID testing sites, food fairs, school supply distribution, PPE distribution). • Provide communications support for college sponsored virtual activities offered to under-resourced communities that provide enrollment assistance based on local needs (virtual open houses, registration workshops, program specific information sessions). • Develop content and utilize print and electronic communications and social media platforms to inform community groups, followers and leaders about benefits of enrolling or continuing an HCC education (neighborhood Facebook groups, community contact lists, sponsored digital and print ads to key community zip codes, local newspapers)
• Support the college’s efforts to develop a relationship with students by crafting a social media and outreach campaign that focuses on issues important to students. • Create and implement targeted marketing campaigns such as advertising and awareness campaigns with strong calls to action. • Implement direct mail campaign each semester for identified targets that promote HCC programs and resources.
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SUPPORT ENROLLMENT GROWTH CONTINUED
• Set up promotional table at local churches to provide information on workforce programs. • Purchase website sponsorship to advertise HCC programs. • Support Student Services to host or co-host on-campus, field or virtual information sessions about HCC for middle and high school students and graduates. • Deploy campus-based signage (post COVID-19).
C O N N E C T W I T H K E Y S TA K E H O L D E R S Expand community engagement with key stakeholders and develop partnerships designed to build goodwill ambassadors across Houston.
TARGETS Media, industry partners, community-based organizations (CBOs), college service areas, under-resourced populations, elected officials, civic associations, churches, ISDs, chambers and universities
OBJECTIVES • Establish regular, two-way communication between the college and key constituents. • Have college leadership and key staff develop mutually beneficial community events. • Increase the number of community engagement activities with key stakeholders that allow for input, advisement, partnerships, and a commitment to promote HCC to their constituents.
STRATEGIES • Establish regular, two-way communication between the college and key stakeholders to determine their educational needs, virtually or in-person. • Engage existing partners and leaders to respond to current community needs, virtually or in-person.
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CONNECT WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS CONTINUED
• Seek opportunities to join new organizations to expand network base. • Conduct necessity survey to determine their educational needs. • Provide communications and community outreach support to large HCC-sponsored and community co-sponsored virtual and in-person activities.
TACTICS • Join area chambers of commerce and associations, including Black, Hispanic, Asian and LGBTQ organizations. • Hold annual college open houses. • Conduct meetings with stakeholders to work collaboratively to accomplish specific educational needs in an equitable manner. • Partner with leaders of local communities to secure a location within their premises to place collaterals on a regular basis or as needed. • Develop robust community contact lists and distribute electronic and printed communications regarding meetings to key stakeholders. • Create news briefs about events at HCC. Distribute information electronically to media, industry partners, CBOs, elected officials and other targets. • Assist in the development of and provide community outreach and communications support for once-a-semester HCC town hall meetings focused on a community issue. • Continue and develop new community advisory groups that support the college and will serve as goodwill ambassadors. • Identify opportunities for HCC leadership to update and dialogue with key stakeholders in large and small groups.
• Develop relationships with ISDs by crafting an outreach campaign that focuses on issues important to local school districts. • Invite key stakeholders to smaller, focused brainstorming sessions to develop short-term community learning classes.
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C U LT I VAT E C O M M U N I T Y & I N D U S T RY PA R T N E R S H I P S Form new community and industry partnerships – and fortify existing relationships – to promote HCC as a resource for equitable educational opportunities that serve all of Houston and beyond.
TARGETS Media, industry partners, community-based organizations (CBOs), college service areas, civic associations, churches, ISDs, chambers and universities
OBJECTIVE Increase the number of engagement activities and partnerships that provide information and resources that support underresourced and diverse communities.
STRATEGIES • Join business and industry associations as active member and regularly attend meetings to determine community needs. • Identify and work with community organizations that provide education to meet the academic and workforce needs of their constituents. • Partner with new civic, business, school and media groups to promote co-sponsored, activities to under-resourced communities. • Increase community engagement activities with existing partners to support current, social and educational needs of the community. • Become guest speaker at organization meetings. • Align HCC programs to established community activities or events, i.e., Architectural Design and Construction COE with Houston Habitat for Humanity.
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CULTIVATE COMMUNITY & INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS CONTINUED
TACTICS • Position HCC staff in key roles with Chambers of Commerce, civic associations and CBOs. • Co-sponsor and host on-campus or off-campus industry events for marketing opportunities. • Organize workshops, seminars and fairs to highlight workforce programs. • Make presentations to identified under-resourced and diverse communities at churches, civic clubs, community leaders’ organizations and super neighborhoods. • Utilize social media to share community activities taking place on HCC campuses (food fairs, COVID testing, supply distributions). • Encourage Community Outreach Coordinators to serve as board members, general members, or in other key roles in Chambers of Commerce, civic associations, CBOs, etc. • Promote district-wide community/partnership fairs at HCC campuses, with special emphasis on locations in underresourced areas. • Partner with media outlets to host virtual events. • Develop an online directory on the HCC website where community organizations and partners can find one another.
A M P L I F Y M A R K E T I N G & C O M M U N I C AT I O N S Increase strategic-communication tactics and activities to strengthen awareness of the college as a premier, socially-aware and responsible institution through activities and multimedia platforms.
TARGETS Unemployed populations, university transfer students, under-resourced communities, current and prospective students, high school graduates, media, industry partners, community-based organizations (CBOs), college service areas, civic associations, churches, ISDs, chambers, elected officials and universities
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AMPLIFY MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS CONTINUED
OBJECTIVES • Incorporate HCC’s key messages at every opportunity through a variety of activities, communication tools, media channels and platforms. • Position HCC as the educational resource for individuals seeking educational opportunities.
STRATEGIES • Utilize a common message that represents all HCC offerings and resonate within the audience targeted through a variety of activities, communication tools, media channels and platforms. • Position HCC as the most-accessible, relevant and affordable institution for individuals seeking educational opportunities. • Highlight HCC students, faculty, programs and institutional successes utilizing all digital and printed mediums. • Implement new ways to drive traffic to HCC media platforms to increase awareness of educational benefits. • Broaden the paths to increase visibility of HCC to the general public.
TACTICS • Conduct lunch and learns at businesses. • Tailor messaging and formats to demographically segmented audiences via appropriate platforms. • Collaborate with media constituents to produce community-related articles, newsletters and stories. • Utilize all social media platforms to promote targeted programs, brand awareness, and encourage new followers, subscribers, and website users that are targeted to users across Houston in a post-COVID environment. • Develop specific ad campaigns with social media and webpage identifiers that encourage new followers, subscribers, and website users that are targeted to users across Houston. • Provide collateral tailored to audiences that did not complete high school, veterans, career changers and other personas about the benefits of attending HCC. • Utilize direct mail to communicate broadly to HCC service areas – as well as targeted messages to specific communities –
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AMPLIFY MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS CONTINUED
about the benefits of attending HCC and pathways to success. • Partner with community groups to place HCC branded promotional items, logo, and information at key events and increase brand position for community virtual events. • Place paid digital ads and printed collateral in key locations serving under-resourced communities, which highlight benefits of attending HCC and student stories of success. • Provide communications support to Student Services by promoting online events to the community using social media. • Increase posts and share workforce, academic and other relevant content to the local community groups and audiences on social media. • Utilize student success videos to share with the community via social media, during virtual events, and electronic communications. • Increase visibility of HCC events and activities on the HCC website. • Distribute districtwide marketing materials and messaging commemorating key cultural holidays and events important to the communities the college serves.
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C O N TA C T I N F O R M AT I O N HCC CENTRAL
HCC NORTHWEST
Debra McGaughey
Lana Pigao
Director of Communications Services
Director of Communication Services
713.718.6226
713.718.2787
debra.mcgaughey@hccs.edu
lana.pigao@hccs.edu
HCC COLEMAN
HCC SOUTHEAST
Adrena Dow
Felipe Reyes
Director of Communication Services
Director of Communication Services
713.718.7366
713.718.7025
adrena.dow@hccs.edu
felipe.reyes@hccs.edu
HCC DISTRICT
HCC SOUTHWEST
Sheila Briones
Zen Zheng
Director of Communication Services
Director of Communication Services
713.718-5117
713.718.7754
sheila.briones@hccs.edu
zen.zheng@hccs.edu
HCC NORTHEAST Sheron Bruno Director of Communication Services 713.718.8404 sheron.bruno@hccs.edu
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