Connecticut Rivers Council
2004 Camping Facilities and Innovative Scouting Programs
Council Classification: 400
Contact: Rick Garland
In mid-2004, the Connecticut Rivers Council began a marketing campaign that would draw attention to two pressing needs for Scouts in its region. First, camping facilities in Connecticut that had been designed 30 years ago to serve the needs of a council of 20,000 are now serving close to 40,000. All four of the Connecticut Rivers Council camps—Camp June Norcross Webster in Ashford, Camp Mattatuck in Plymouth, Camp Workcoeman in New Hartford, and Camp Tadma in Bozrah—are 41 to 80 years old and have not been renovated since the early 1970s.
At the same time, population growth in the council's urban neighborhoods has created a need for traditional Scouting programs that must be delivered in innovative ways.
Based on assessments by Scouting leaders and engineering services firms, it was determined that $4.5 million would be required to make improvements to the council's four camps. To strengthen its urban Scouting (Scoutreach) program to serve youth in Hartford and East Hartford, $1.5 million would be required.
Before embarking upon a formal capital fund-raising campaign in 2005 to meet these needs, the council sought to create an initial level of awareness among area leaders that would drive early contributions to the campaign and set the pace for the council's 2005 efforts.
The council's primary objective was to communicate with and raise the awareness level of approximately 400 high potential investment-level individuals in the region during the summer and fall of 2004. This pre-campaign marketing program sought to:
The campaign also sought to gain donor support by providing detailed descriptions of and cost for the infrastructure improvements that would need to be made at the camps, and for building the urban Scouting program.
Planning Process Involved in the Marketing Effort (Tactics)
The Connecticut Rivers Council, in partnership with Hartford, Connecticut-based marketing/communications firm Pita Communications LLC, decided that the best way to communicate the capital campaign's financial needs to potential donors would be through development of a brochure in an easy-to-digest 8 1/2-by-11-inch, four-color format. To achieve consistency with other materials, the brochure employed a craft brown-and-green color palate and interspersed photos of key merit badges with statistics about the positive effects of Scouting on boys' personal development.
Used during cultivation meetings in 2004 and for the capital campaign in 2005, the 16-page brochure provides a history of the Connecticut Rivers Council and clearly states the need for increased funding to urban Scouting and for camp improvements. The brochure weaves in photos and powerful testimonials from area leaders who describe how their boyhood Scouting experiences have influenced their lives today. A detailed description of financial needs, camp by camp and program by program, is accompanied by photos of Scouts, Scout leaders, and Connecticut Rivers Council leadership.
Through the marketing campaign and with the efforts by the council's board and campaign steering committee, 114 individuals and organizations have already contributed nearly $2 million toward the capital campaign, almost half of the Connecticut Rivers Council's $4.5 million goal for 2005.
Based on positive response from those who received the pre-campaign marketing collaterals—and on funds raised in advance of the actual campaign launch—the Connecticut Rivers Council believes that its marketing campaign has achieved the goal of creating an initial level of awareness among community leaders about the council's capital and program needs and has set the stage for its continued efforts this year.
The following are two of many positive responses received as a result of the marketing materials distributed by the Connecticut Rivers Council to local leaders.
"I received the Scout camp postcard last month and just received the Scout values knot mailer this past week. It's great to hear that Scouting is doing so well in the Hartford region. I am a big supporter of programs that develop young people. I'm glad to hear that Scouting is flourishing and that the summer camps are full. Please keep in touch with me about the camp projects." —Ed Budd, Hartford philanthropist and former CEO, Travelers Property Casualty Corp. (now St. Paul Travelers)
"I was really impressed with the Scouting materials I received. My brother and I are planning on taking the tour of Camp Workcoeman next week. I am aware of your upcoming efforts to raise funds. Having been involved in (fundraising) campaigns here in Litchfield, I know that the Scouts are going to do just fine. Who helped you develop the mailers? I think they do a superlative job of informing people out here about Scouting and the values that the program is promoting in young people. Your slogan, 'Scouting ... for Life' really hits home!"—Cynthia Oneglia, Litchfield County philanthropist; member of a prominent family that owns O&G Industries, one of the largest contractors in Connecticut
The Connecticut Rivers Council enjoys a positive reputation within its service community and strong commitment by board members to raising funds for camp improvements and the urban program. However, based on a study conducted by Ketchum prior to the campaign, the Scouts have a very low profile with the general public in most of the communities in the Connecticut Rivers Council's region. There has been very little sense of the nature of programs, community or camp activities, and low to no awareness of needs at the camps.
The case statement brochure described above is one way the Connecticut Rivers Council is increasing community awareness. Through distribution of themed materials, invitations to visit camps, and one-on-one meetings with area leaders, the council is reminding the community of the importance of Scouting to character development while asking for support of its program and facilities needs. With its proactive volunteer recruitment and training efforts, regional recognition programs, external communications, and the commitment of its board and volunteers, the Connecticut Rivers Council expects to continue to broaden its base of support for the 2005 capital campaign ... and beyond.
The Merits of Marketing (marketing.scouting.org) is a resource for local
councils, developed by the Marketing &
Communications Division of the National Council, Boy Scouts of
America.