Present:
- Commissioners: Chair Jennifer Tilton Flood, John Portela, Julia Fiori, Zakk Maher
- Staff: Bryan Roche
The Communications Task Force met electronically for its monthly meeting on Wed. Feb. 10, 2021 and discussed the following:
Project management software update
Tilton Flood shared that the Commission will move back to Basecamp project management software and will revert to Zoom as a teleconference tool after an attempt to move to Microsoft Teams. Given the collaborative work of the Task Force, Tilton Flood stated that the group could explore a task-force-only solution for collaborative work, but all Task Force communication must be done in Basecamp.
Maine Service Fellows
Tilton Flood briefed the group on the legislative activity surrounding the Maine Service Fellows. Tilton Flood shared that a strategy session, led by Representative Morgan Rielly (D - Westbrook), was ongoing at the time of the Task Force Meeting. The Task Force members discussed possible strategies to support the effort. Tilton Flood also shared that the bill, which had not yet been assigned an L.D. number, appears to have bi-partisan support. Portella suggested Task Force members could utilize the op-ed pieces discussed in the January meeting as a way to share support.
Op-ed status
Tilton Flood thanked Maher for his op-ed draft, which discusses inspiration and volunteerism, and complimented Maher for the quality of the piece. Additional discussion was tabled as the group will strategize how to best use Task Force member-written op-eds.
Staff report
Instagram takeover update
Roche presented on the results of Fiori's Instagram takeover, first complimenting Fiori for the quality of the video-driven social media content. Roche took the group through the delivery process, metrics, takeaways, and lessons learned. Roche shared that the Takeover yielded the highest-ever number of views of an Instagram Story on the Volunteer Maine account, and that efforts to share a replay version of the takeover on additional social channels boosted overall viewership of Fiori's videos by 65%. Roche concluded by stating he expects reach and views to grow as more takeovers are executed.
Messaging map
Roche provided a brief update on the efforts of the messaging map subcommittee, which includes Fiori and Jessica Nixon. He shared the group is evaluating the present identity statement and a 2011 version of the messaging map. This is being done to help develop strategies to simplify language for external communications as well as ensure messaging is in-line with current Commission goals. Nixon and Fiori will submit findings via email for further discussion and determination of next steps.
Commission Collaboration
Roche shared he presented on the layout and process behind developing the 2018-19 Volunteer Maine annual report to an audience of fellow service commission communication and outreach staff in an event hosted by America's Service Commissions.
Public service announcements: Creative strategy and brainstorming
Roche shared the initial plans for a public service announcement campaign, which will utilize the behavior-change marketing approach. The campaign would center around the concept of "Service Instigators" -- those who champion civility and service. Tilton Flood asked Roche to schedule a time next week to hold a collaborative creative brainstorming session. The results of the session will yield the creative foundation for the campaign, slated to begin in April.
With no other business, Tilton Flood thanked the group for their participation and called to adjourn the meeting.
Next full Task Force meeting: Wed., March 10, 4-5 p.m.