Final Report

Enterprise Desktop Systems

Buffalo State College

12/10/2014

2014WEDI & The West Side Bazaar Campaign

Table of Contents

Phase 1: Formative Research Step 1: Analyzing the Situation p2Step 2: Analyzing the Organization p4Step 3: Analyzing the Public p8

Phase 2: StrategyStep 4: Establishing Goals and Objectives p11Step 5: Formulating Action and Response Strategies p13Step 6: Developing the Message Strategy p14

Phase 3: TacticsStep 7: Selecting Communication Tactics

7A: Interpersonal Communication p177B: Organizational Media p197C: News Media p217D: Advertising and Promotional Media p23

Step 8: Implementing the Strategic Plan p25

Phase 4: EvaluationStep 9: Evaluating the Strategic Plan p27

Appendix p30

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Phase 1: Formative Research

Step 1: Analyzing the Situation

Fundraising and membership are the most crucial concerns for our project. Therefore, in order to create the best campaign we can, we decided to look at other organizations similar to WEDI to further our knowledge. Currently WEDI’s email list consists of 2,692 donors.

We looked closely at the Buffalo Zoo and learned how they conduct their membership program and found that by becoming a member you receive year round passes to great animal adventures, enlightening education programs and special events. Each member also receives a free subscription to “ZOOLOG,” two free guest passes, a free parking voucher, a free membership window decal, a discount at Zootique gift shop on purchases of ten dollars or more, reduced free admission to over one hundred zoos and aquariums, birthday party discounts, special members only events, and bonus benefits at area businesses. We saw this as a perfect guideline to potentially have for the WEDI membership program.

The zoo also outlined different levels of membership based on the amount of money they donated. For instance, each level are in increments of $15 and with each additional $15 donated, the member receives a higher reward. The members are listed as follows: individual, individual plus, grandparents, grandparents plus, family, family plus, supporting, and sponsor. If one member donates $135 they become a “supporting member” in which they receive an additional cover for two adults and their children (to 21 years of age) residing in the household, five free parking vouchers, five free carousel rides, five free train rides, and it allows you two additional guests for each visit. These members also get a zoo tote bag, and recognition on the annual report. We really liked this hierarchy of membership because we believe it motivates people to donate more. We want to consider the Buffalo Zoo’s membership program as we move forward in our campaign.

Since fundraising and membership are so important in our campaign, we chose to research the Arthritis Foundation Membership program as well. The Arthritis Foundation Membership works in a way that if you donate at least twenty dollars or more, you start enjoying benefits such as a full year (six issues) of the award-winning Arthritis Today magazine delivered to your home every month, the latest Drug Guide, which lists hundreds of prescription and over-the-counter drugs commonly used for arthritis and related diseases with information on side effects, cautions and contraindications, and a special drug dosage diary.

Like the Zoo, the Arthritis Foundation Membership program uses a “special members only” discount on foundation books and video purchases, which includes ten percent savings on every purchase. Timely enews alerts are sent out to exclusive members only. In addition, members receive special announcements about upcoming advocacy efforts and initiatives, access to the Arthritis Specialists Referral List, and special updates on research in the area of arthritis. Moreover, if a member gives a gift of one hundred dollars or more they become a research advocate which entitles them to additional benefits, which include regular updates on the latest advancements in arthritis treatments.

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They also offer automatic online renewal which we think would be beneficial for WEDI because it will make it easy for our prospective members to donate each year. We find it important to refer back to this information as we move forward because the Arthritis Foundation membership program has been very successful.

Finally, we chose to look at the YMCA membership program as our last bit of research for this section. The YMCA allows people to donate on the website with ease by simply clicking the amount they want to donate and giving their credit card information. The navigation throughout the website is simple and easy for anyone to explore. We see this as important because the last thing we want is for people who are looking to donate to not be able to figure it out. Easy navigation online is one of our main priorities for building membership.

Additionally, they give a statement saying, “At the Y, we believe that every person deserves the opportunity to discover who they are and what they can achieve. This is why YMCAs around the globe work every day - often in challenging social, economic or political environments - to help people create a better future for themselves and their families.” We believe that providing a similar statement on the WEDI website will encourage people to donate and become a member because they will feel like their money is being well spent. Furthermore, by researching the above successful membership programs, we now see how they executed membership programs and we are able to move forward in our campaign.

After visiting the Bazaar and speaking to the owner of the Nepalese stand, she told us she really wanted to do a showcase event to advertise her items instead of a cultural event because there is already a successful one that goes on nearby. Therefore, we began researching successful showcase events that have occurred in the past.

For instance, the Bravern shops, located in Washington, celebrate a “Fall Fashion Showcase” that includes an evening of two fashion shows produced by Neiman Marcus, and exclusive in-store experience and specials, a DJ and live band, sketch artist, live mannequins, a photo booth, food and beverages. The event is extravagant, with a red carpet and photographer taking pictures of the newest collections. The fashion show continues off the runway and throughout the shops at the Bravern. Since this event has become such a success, and has continued throughout the past five years, restaurants and retailers will offer fall/winter collection trunk shows, gifts with purchase and complimentary sips, sweets, and samples.

By having a showcase event, the Nepalese shop can get their fashions into the public and show the community in a fun and trendy way what they have to offer. This will also generate huge recognition for the Bazaar as well. Furthermore, we feel very confident if we can mimic this event and add our own ideas, we can make the Nepalese sales boost in a matter of a year. Additionally, we would gear to keep this event as a yearly tradition in hopes that it will become an anticipated one. We plan to keep this example in our minds as we move forward.

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Step 2: Analyzing the Organization

WEDI

WEDI or Westminster Economic Development Initiative, Inc. is a small business that supports entrepreneurs and small business development, training and education on the West Side of Buffalo. WEDI’s mission is to offer business and educational opportunity to the people of Buffalo’s West Side, and its vision is to strive for a vibrant, stable, inviting community.

WEDI was created by the Westminster Presbyterian Church to improve the quality of life for residents of Buffalo’s West Side. In 2007, WEDI was distinguished as its own entity with its mission being to improve the quality of life of Buffalo’s West Side by connecting people who wanted to make Buffalo’s West Side a successful neighborhood with the resources to accomplish it. However, its mission was revised in 2013.

WEDI’s economic development initiative emerged once the need for revitalization of the neighborhoods of the West Side of Buffalo was identified. The once successful commercial district has deteriorated dramatically and in order to regain its vitality, the area has recognized the need for new small retail businesses to attract shoppers from the diverse community of Western New York.

WEDI is not extremely visible; however, with its new office at the corner of Grant Street and Bird Avenue as well as recent media coverage, it is becoming more well-known. WEDI generally has a positive reputation, but, due to fast growth and limited staffing, some clients and past employees do not have a favorable view of the organization. They are currently reaching back out to them to make a new and better impression.

Businesses have criticized WEDI for not helping them enough when they expect the organization to do all of the work for their business, which is not WEDI’s job. Its job is to educate and sometimes they have fallen short due to lack of capacity, staff, etc. Some do not like how WEDI does things, and feel that they should offer loans to more risky clients. Although the general public, foundations etc. do not seem to have criticisms, there are likely people who do not completely favor WEDI.

WEDI has taken no proactive steps with memberships thus far, but staff-members are working on updating the website to reflect more accurate offerings for members. They intend on raising money with their annual fundraiser in February, networking and applying for grants, which has been successful thus far in their existence. WEDI continues to work with businesses that graduate or start through their training programs, and they may compete with each other, but they do not compete with WEDI.

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WEDI’s website does have donation pages in which people can donate once or sign up for “sustainable giving,” in which members give a specific sum of money for a certain amount of time. Each plan comes with certain benefits to the supporters depending on how much money they donate. The basic plan is $10 each month and members have the satisfaction of supporting WEDI and economic development of Buffalo’s West Side. The next plan up is the supporter plan, which is $25 per month and members get regular newsletters and updates. With the premium plan, members pay $50 per month and they receive regular updates and newsletters, and they are invited to exclusive events hosted by WEDI or the West Side Bazaar. The next membership level is the sponsor, in which members donate $250 every three months and receive all of the perks of the other levels along with recognition in all WEDI newsletters and other communications.

The highest priority of WEDI is membership and fundraising. However, their next priority is professional volunteers and business coaches, which they are still developing a program for. As of right now, WEDI’s website has a sign-up form for volunteers, which people who are interested can sign-up for a variety of options that they are interested in pursuing.

West Side Bazaar

The West Side Bazaar is the breeding place for international small businesses located in an ethnically diverse neighborhood of Buffalo, NY. It is dedicated to offering its vendors a safe, nurturing and affordable place to grow their small business. It is committed to offering its “partners” business coaching, financial mentoring, low interest loans, networking/marketing opportunities, and steady customer traffic.

The West Side Bazaar was created as a solution for the concerns of West Side agencies, business people and residents over the dramatic economic decline of Buffalo’s West Side. As the idea of the Bazaar began to become a reality, refugees and immigrants were flocking to the West Side of Buffalo, looking to enter mainstream city life while preserving their traditions and heritage. The West Side Bazaar sought to help them do this by guiding them in the business world of their new home.

The West Side Bazaar opened on March 3, 2011, following many months of preparation, workshops and site analyses, with six newly minted business owners. Since then the Bazaar has become a community shopping and food location and three entrepreneurs have successfully grown their business out of the Bazaar and into their own storefronts.

In 2012 the Bazaar won the 21st Century Grant of the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo and moved to an expanded storefront in the heart of the Grant and Ferry Marketplace, Buffalo's second largest business section.

The West Side Bazaar is becoming a household name with about 30-50% of people having at least heard of it at local events. However, about a year ago the percentages were about 0-5%. It also has a great reputation. Although there are people who may have had less than favorable experiences with the food or a particular business owner, but the response is overwhelmingly positive.

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WEDI SWOT Analysis

STRENGTHS

Uniqueness: WEDI offers assistance to the distinctive culture of the West Side.

Contributions: Profits contribute to the Buffalo West Side’s Refugee community.

Relationships: WEDI creates sustainable relationships with their members and volunteers.

OPPORTUNITIES

Grants: Eligible for grants to expand and grow.

Niche: ENERGY Program provides a educational assistances to the children of the West Side Community.

Location: The West Side is highly diverse and cultural neighborhood, which is what the WEDI embodies.

WEAKNESSES

Location: Distance may be a factor in recruiting members from the suburbs.

Lack of Reputation: Have not yet established an established list of members and donors.

Lack of Capital: Need more funds to expand and grow.

THREATS

Economy: When times are tough, charitable giving is also the first cut during a weak economy.

Competitive Marketing: Surrounding non-profit organizations may have stronger appeal for donors/members.

The West Side Bazaar SWOT Analysis

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STRENGTHS

Uniqueness: The West Side Bazaar offers distinctive items that cannot be found anywhere else in Buffalo.

Contributions: Profits contribute to the Buffalo West Side’s Refugee community.

Relationships: Management has established strong relationships with Refugees, helping them grow and succeed in the Buffalo area.

OPPORTUNITIES

Grants: Eligible for grants to expand and grow.

Niche: Having exclusive items only found at the Bazaar can draw more business in.

Location: The West Side is highly diverse and cultural neighborhood, which is what the Bazaar embodies.

WEAKNESSES

Location: Distance may be a factor for those coming from the suburbs.

Lack of Reputation: Have not yet established an established reputation and clientele.

Lack of Capital: Need more funds to expand and grow.

THREATS

Economy: When times are tough, items sold at the Bazaar is not a necessity. Charitable giving is also the first cut during a weak economy.

Competitive Marketing: Surrounding businesses may have more money to market and advertise themselves.

Step 3: Analyzing the Public

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Producers Employees of WEDI help educate the small business owners of the West Side Bazaar on

what to do to grow their business. Small business owners who host their start-up business at the West Side Bazaar and

generate foot traffic. Volunteers and interns provide free labor. Donors provide financial support.

Enablers Opinion Leaders: Mayor Byron Brown, Governor Cuomo. Media Outlets: The Buffalo News, Artvoice, Buffalo Rising, Buffalo Spree. The Westminster Presbyterian Church began WEDI as an economic development

initiative so their support is a given. Volunteers for the Business Development Planning Program of WEDI: SCORE Buffalo,

Buffalo State College’s Small Business Development Center, Jericho Road Ministries and the International Institute.

Limiters Some Buffalo residents aren’t fond of the refugee community. There is a fear of the unknown that stops some publics from becoming patrons.

We have identified these publics because we felt they were important to mention before we explain our key publics.

This campaign has two separate sets of publics, one for fundraising and membership of WEDI, the other for the West Side Bazaar in order to make sure we are aiming our messages at the right publics.

Fundraising and Membership for WEDI Publics can be divided into these categories:

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Key Public: Consumers. The key public is customers who are needed to help boost the image of WEDI and help attain profits for the organization. Customers include:

Buffalo City Residents Ages 30-50. Middle class to upper class. Incentive: helping refugees no longer need Public Assistance reduces taxes. The more

refugees working, the less taxes going to public assistance amongst the refugee community.

Buffalo Suburban Residents Ages 30 -50 Middle class to upper class Incentive: helping refugees to start a small businesses and boosting the local economy.

Civic and Community Leaders Potential spokespeople Strong opinion leaders who have power in the community. Incentive: promote diversity and goodwill, aid in boosting the local economy and

reducing crime by improving an area.

These publics presented themselves to us due to the broad nature of the programs that WEDI organizes. For example the after school program, ENERGY, Education, Nurture, Encouragement, Readiness, and Growth for Youth. This program relies on volunteers to aide students in proficiency of the English language to help them flourish in the public school system, which can be a trying transition even if you do speak the language. WEDI has also helped refugees open 39 new businesses that will help bring diversity to the forefront of Buffalo’s small business scene. To support refugees in their pursuit of the American Dream, WEDI also offers a microloan program that offers credit-building loans for those unable to obtain loans from other sources. Each extension of WEDI works together in order to gain attention from a wide variety of publics to benefit.

Publics for our Nepalese showcase event can be divided into these categories:

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Key Public: Consumers. Customers and foot traffic are the main source of profit and exposure for the West Side Bazaar and its vendors. West Side Bazaar Event Customers can be divided into these categories:

Buffalo City Residents Ages 30-50. Location is closer to their residences. More likely to take interest in local vendors. May take interest in the cultures represented in the West Side Bazaar. More inclined to support local businesses.

Buffalo Suburban Residents Ages 30-50. Suburban dwellers often view shops downtown as a specialty item. Generally households in the suburbs have a higher rate of disposable income. Inclined to support local businesses.

College Age Buffalo Residents Ages 18-29 Usually in an exploratory stage in life and more willing to try new things. More inclined to venture to different parts of the city. Tend to be frivolous with money that they do have.

These publics have been identified and all have some significance to the overall success of our campaign. In order to move forward we must keep these publics in mind and work to make sure their needs are met to generate more fundraising and membership donations as well as foot traffic and sales at the West Side Bazaar; our job is to make sure these publics are considered in order to truly make changes for our organization.

Phase 2: Strategy

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Step 4: Establishing Goals and Objectives

In order to recruit more members for the WEDI membership program, new ideas need to be put into place. Various goals and objectives have been established in order to address the significance to WEDI’s key publics.

Goal One: Raising overall awareness for WEDI for all three of its key publics to generate an increase in membership and donations.

Positioning: WEDI is a nonprofit organization assisting the West Side community in order to improve economic development and educational opportunity.

Buffalo City Residents Objectives Awareness Objective: To create awareness of the benefits of donating and becoming a

member for WEDI by increasing social media activity and website hits/views. Acceptance Objective: Measuring the response to social media and organization website

by “likes” on Facebook, “followers” on Instagram and owned media views. Action Objective: To effect the actions of the Buffalo city residents to increase the

monthly membership from zero to ten new members a month, with a donation of twenty dollars, resulting in $240 annually from each member.

Buffalo Suburban Residents Objectives Awareness Objective: Conduct a survey to gauge the awareness of Buffalo suburban

residents about the benefits of donating to WEDI. Acceptance Objective: To attract this key public to organization Twitter page to promote

retweets and followers. Action Objective: To have an effect specifically on the actions to increase behavior in

donating $12,500 (from a baseline of $0) within the next fiscal year from the suburban residents in the community.

Civic/Community Leaders Objectives Awareness Objective: To execute a news conference by Byron Brown or upcoming New

York senator to increase visibility of WEDI to civic leaders and their community. Acceptance Objective: To measure the efficacy of WEDI’s promoting a more substantial

contact and email directory of prospective and current donors/members. Action Objective: To increase the amount of donors of WEDI from its current email list

of 2,692 to 3,500.

In order to increase sales and generate more foot traffic into the West Side Bazaar, various goals and objectives have been established to address the Bazaar’s key publics to further their knowledge of what the Bazaar, and specifically the Nepalese vendor, has to offer.

Goal Two: To increase sales of the West Side Bazaar, specifically the Nepalese vendor, by executing a showcase event to attract shoppers.

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Positioning: By creating an event, the vendors of the West Side Bazaar will have the opportunity to increase their local prospective customers and the chance to gain new clientele.

Buffalo City Residents Objectives Awareness Objective: To host a showcase event to attract the attention of the Western

New York community. Acceptance Objective: Conduct a survey on the event to discover the effectiveness and

opinions of this public pertaining to the event. Action Objective: To have an effect on the action of generating more sales for the West

Side Bazaar, specifically the Nepalese vendor by 40% (from the baseline of $0) for the day of the event.

Buffalo Suburban Residents Objectives Awareness Objective: To enhance visibility of the Bazaar by a social media campaign

measured in views/likes. Acceptance Objective: To acquire 75-100 new followers on Instagram, and 250 likes on

Facebook, in order to achieve more public discussion and willingness to visit the Bazaar. Action Objective: To encourage suburban residents to travel to the Bazaar and increase

its sales by 10% (from a baseline of 0) for the following three months of the social media campaign.

College-Aged Buffalo Residents Objectives Awareness Objective: To increase interest of college students in the Buffalo area by

promoting the event on WEDI/Bazaar’s Twitter as well as Buffalo’s college campus social media pages.

Acceptance Objective: To acquire at least 100 new followers (of the current 495 followers) on Twitter and likes on event postings via social media.

Action Objective: Through knowledge of social and college campus media, this public will attend the event at the Bazaar and increase sales by 30% (from a baseline of 0).

Step 5: Formulating Action and Response Strategies

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We have produced multiple ideas to implement an increase in membership and fundraising as well as proactive communication for our desired publics. To formulate an action and response, we plan to contact Governor Cuomo, Mayor Byron Brown, and other community leaders to advocate our charge. WEDI and the West Side Bazaar are extremely relevant to the cause of city and community leaders in the sense that they reflect values of charitable work, improving city conditions, enhancing local small businesses, and lowering crime rate in the city. We plan to engage these leaders in efforts to schedule a publicized visit to the Bazaar, to enhance the visibility and support of WEDI and its functions.

A second opportunity to increase action with our publics is to gain the support of local shops in the Elmwood Village that currently give clothing to refugees in the area, such as Second Chic; this type of partnership should be easy to accomplish due to similar interests and goals the organizations have to improve the life of refugees in Buffalo as well as the communities they, and we, live in. Gaining support from local businesses with the same goals of making a difference will also increase the visibility and traffic of WEDI and the Bazaar.

To publicize the event for the West Side Bazaar, we plan on reaching out to local news outlets. We would like to put the West Side Bazaar event poster in Art Voice for city residents and Buffalo’s college community. We would also like to put the same poster in local magazines, such as Buffalo Spree and The Heritage. A feature release about the event will be sent to the Buffalo News for Buffalo residents and civic leaders to learn more about the event. We will pay Townsquare Media to put a radio spot about the West Side Bazaar’s event on Jack FM, Joy FM, WYRK and WBLK.

We will also encourage people to attend WEDI’s fundraising event by using similar news outlets. We will send a press release about the fundraising event to the Buffalo News to gain the attention of Western New York residents and civic leaders. We will also pay Townsquare Media to put a radio spot about WEDI’s fundraising event on Jack FM, Joy FM, WYRK and WBLK.

To publicize the event for the West Side Bazaar, we plan to encourage Elmwood small businesses to support and promote the Bazaar based on the common goal of improving the life of local refugees. Gaining shared visibility with the businesses on Elmwood will attract two of our key publics, city residents ages 18-29 and 30-50. Furthermore, we believe this will generate public support due to the local shops currently donating to refugees as well as the publics that shop there. Thoughts of creating a pseudo-event, which is an activity that an organization develops or orchestrates to gain the attention and acceptance of key publics, would be ideal for the Bazaar.

Additionally, we thought that one Saturday a month, all kids could eat for free with the purchase of an adult meal (maximum of three kids). We feel that this would engage our publics and encourage interaction with the Bazaar. By creating this event, more foot traffic would make its way down Grant Street and the potential for media attention is also possible.

Step 6: Developing the Message Strategy

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To achieve a goal involving an organization’s publics, there must be a formulaic communication strategy that interests and benefits them; this must be achieved with an approach that involves the confluence of emotional and rational appeal.

The spokesperson of an organization must represent its mission as well as be passionate about it; a prospective person for this task could be the manager of the West Side Bazaar (or equivalent authoritative position), someone that spends time there and knows the refugees, but can also produce proficient interviews and public speeches. This spokesperson will maintain a positive rapport with the refugee small business owners as well as key publics; it will allow for seamlessly including any future additions to message distribution due to existing professional relationships. We believe this speaker will contain all of the essential aspect that makes one believable, such as expertise of the organization, status, competence, and honesty.

An additional spokesperson candidate could be a current volunteer of WEDI and its programs, someone that has been involved with the organization and the vendors that work in the Bazaar; this could be a benefit due to the volunteer being involved with WEDI and the Bazaar to be able to understand and be passionate about it, but isn’t directly employed by them, allowing for publics to view them as a credible source. The similarity aspect may also come into play in this situation because the listeners could potentially see themselves in this speaker. Furthermore, the selection of which volunteer will be determined by certain criteria decided upon by the board of directors and also on their career and educational achievements; this will ensure the spokesperson is well selected.

Our verbal communication strategy to increase fundraising and membership opportunities for WEDI will contain messages involving WEDI’s programs, achievements, and aspirations to educate the publics of what purposeful actions they will be contributing to. Vital message topics will include “boosting the West Side’s diverse economy, one small business at a time,” “refugees pursue the American dream with help from WEDI and local support,” “improving West Side’s diverse community for a safer and more prosperous neighborhood,” and “ENERGY program improves ESL children to succeed in Buffalo education system.”

The event at the Bazaar requires a more focused message. To attract its separate publics, the Bazaar will have a message that includes more of a cultural tone. Message topics will include “West Side Bazaar offers a refreshingly diverse cultural marketplace,” “West Side Bazaar embodies hope, future, and community,” “experience the pleasant surprises and cultural gems found at the West Side Bazaar.”

Implementing the image of a safe, healthy, and happy neighborhood will be an extremely beneficial nonverbal communication strategy; this imagery will evoke feelings of community

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and goodwill from our publics. The publics must be aware of their contributions making a real impact and allowing them to visually see an improvement in the West Side daily life. Images of children holding hands crossing the street with happy parents carrying groceries from the local market will be an effective print or news release photo. Additional imagery that can be used may contain multiple cultural groups represented at the Bazaar, celebrating their respective holidays. Including the holiday season and tying that theme to a multicultural image will inspire motivation from our publics to get involved and be a patron of the West Side community. Accompanying any promotional imagery for the West Side Bazaar or WEDI will be the existing logos, thus expanding upon the current branding of the organization.

Phase 3: Tactics

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This campaign is needed due to a number of weaknesses associated with The West Side Bazaar and WEDI particularly regarding the organizations website and social media pages. By changing several tactics and suggesting improvements in these areas, this campaign will serve its purpose in generating more sales to The West Side Bazaar and more donations and memberships to WEDI.

Throughout Phase 3, an “estimated cost” is the amount of money the organization will have to pay for the specific tactic. However, the “valued cost” is the amount the tactic is worth if the organization had to pay for what our group provided free of charge.

List of Tactics:

Step 7A: Selecting Communication Tactics: Interpersonal Communication

Winterfest Fundraising Event Nepal Fashion Event Bazaar Cook Off

Step 7B: Selecting Communication Tactics: Organizational Media

Organization brochure Organization website Video commercial Media kit Survey

Step 7C: Selecting Communication Tactics: News Media

News release Feature release Online newsroom Appeal letter

Step 7D: Selecting Communication Tactics: Advertising & Promotional Media

Color poster Social media release Radio commercial

Step 7A: Selecting Communication Tactics: Interpersonal Communication

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Interpersonal communication is the category of communication tactics that offers face-to-face opportunities for personal involvement and interaction. This part of our campaign will help communicate the changes necessary to make the following events successful.


Winterfest Fundraising Event: This event will give the opportunity for WEDI’s publics to celebrate the organization’s success and donate in an exciting Gala event at the Hotel at the Lafayette with a buffet, cash bar, live auction, gift basket raffle and live music by Les Davis Quartelle from the Colored Musicians Club. Some of the auction items that will be available are a Sunset Lake Cruise for four with dinner and drinks included, two hours of Lounge/Cocktail music for an event, and a brunch and bike tour of Buffalo for four to six people, just to name a few. The goals of this event are to promote what WEDI does and increase donations and membership of the program itself. Estimated Cost: $1,000-$1,500

o This event would serve to please the Buffalo City Residents, Buffalo Suburban Residents and the Civic/Community leaders because we feel they are most likely a little more financially stable and will be able to contribute worthy donations. The objectives this event would serve to fulfill is the three action objectives which as followed:

Action Objective: To effect the actions of the Buffalo city residents to increase the monthly membership from zero to ten new members a month, with a donation of twenty dollars, resulting in $240 annually from each member.

Action Objective: To have an effect specifically on the actions to increase behavior in donating $12,500 (from a baseline of $0) within the next fiscal year from the suburban residents in the community.

Action Objective: To increase the amount of donors of WEDI from its current email list of 2,692 to 3,500.


Nepal Fashion Event: All of the Buffalo community is welcomed to come to the Nepal Fashion event which will give guest the opportunity to experience a live showcase fashion show of the Nepalese vendor’s best items along with jewelry, accessories and artwork for sale with all proceeds going towards the Refugee community. The event will be held at The West Side Bazaar itself in order to associate great buys with the location to draw publics in. The event will have raffle drawings, appetizers, and live music. The purpose of the event is to increase sales for the Nepalese vendor and bring traffic into the West Side Bazaar as a whole. Estimated Cost: $300-$400.

o This event would serve to please the Buffalo City Residents, Buffalo Suburban Residents and the College-Aged Buffalo Residents because we feel that an

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exciting event like this would draw these publics in and encourage business at the West Side Bazaar, specifically with the Nepalese vendor. The objectives this event would serve to fulfill is the three action objectives as followed:

Action Objective: To have an effect on the action of generating more sales for the West Side Bazaar, specifically the Nepalese vendor by 40% (from the baseline of $0) for the day of the event.

Action Objective: To encourage suburban residents to travel to the Bazaar and increase its sales by 10% (from a baseline of 0) for the following three months of the social media campaign.


Bazaar Cook Off: The “Bazaar Cook Off’ would consist of a food contest between the different ethnic groups similar to those seen on the popular television show “Top Chef.” The event would be held onsite at The West Side Bazaar with local chefs in the area. The purpose of this event is to show what different ethnic foods the Bazaar has to offer. People love food and it would be a great event to draw people to one of Buffalo’s gem. Estimated Cost: $500-$750.

o This event would serve to please all of our publics because everyone loves to eat and an event like this would be open and beneficial for all demographics. The objectives this event would serve is:




Step 7B: Selecting Communication Tactics: Organizational Media

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Organizational media is using media that are published or produced by organizations that control the message content as well as its timing, packaging and distribution, which is essential in a successful campaign.


Organization brochure: This stand-alone publication dealing with WEDI’s services and highlighting its key achievements in order to recruit donators and increase membership. The brochures would be utilized at all events and branches of WEDI such as The West Side Bazaar and Westminster Church. If 300 were printed at ten cents apiece, Estimated Cost: $300/Valued Cost: $400 for 1000 tri-fold brochures.

o This brochure would be aimed at our Buffalo City Residents, Buffalo Suburban Residents and Civic/Community Leaders publics because we feel they need to learn more about WEDI’s mission so that they will be more likely to donate to the organization. This tactic would help us achieve the following objective:

Awareness Objective: To create awareness of the benefits of donors and membership for WEDI by increasing social media activity and website hits/views.

Organization website: WEDI’s website needs to be revamped and updated on a daily basis for their publics. Each event needs to be posted at least a month prior to ensure greater attendance. Estimated Cost: $200/ Valued Cost: $400.

o The organization website would be aimed at our Buffalo City Residents, Buffalo Suburban Residents and Civic/Community Leaders publics because we feel they need to learn more about WEDI’s mission so that they will be more likely to donate to the organization. This tactic would help us achieve the following objective:

Awareness Objective: To create awareness of the benefits of donors and membership for WEDI by increasing social media activity and website hits/views.

Video commercial: Although a video commercial could also be an aspect of News Media, we have decided to include our video commercial on WEDI’s social media sites to save money. We feel that displaying the video commercial on social networks will be very much effective in recruiting donors and increasing membership by directing them to WEDI’s website. Estimated Cost: $250/Valued Cost: $500.

o Our Video commercial would be aimed at our Buffalo City Residents, Buffalo Suburban Residents and Civic/Community Leaders publics because we feel they need to learn more about WEDI’s mission so that they will be more likely to donate to the organization. This tactic would help us achieve the following objectives:

Acceptance Objective: Measuring the response to social media and organization website by “likes” on Facebook, “followers” on Instagram and owned media views.

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Acceptance Objective: To attract this key public to organization Twitter page to promote retweets and followers.

Acceptance Objective: To measure the efficacy of WEDI’s promoting a more substantial contact and email directory of prospective and current donors/members.


Media kit: For the Nepal Fashion Event, each guest will receive a media kit filled with the event news release, background information, photos, a map, and facts sheets in an exclusive West Side Bazaar folder; brochures also included. Estimated Cost: $150/Valued Cost: $250.

o The Media kit would be for our Buffalo City Residents, Buffalo Suburban Residents and College-Aged Buffalo Residents because these publics are who we want to attend this event. The following objective would be as follows:

Awareness Objective: To host a showcase event to attract the attention of the Western New York community.

Survey: In order to measure our public’s opinion of the Nepal Fashion event, a short survey will be distributed towards the end of the event to see how our publics felt about the event and measure how well we reached our goals. The survey would be distributed following the event at the West Side Bazaar. Estimated Cost: $100/Valued Cost: $250.

o The Survey would be for our Buffalo City Residents, Buffalo Suburban Residents and College-Aged Buffalo Residents to fill out after the event so we could be able to measure public opinion of their experience and would fulfill the following objective:

Acceptance Objective: Conduct a survey on the event to discover the effectiveness and opinions of this public pertaining to the event.

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Step 7C: Selecting Communication Tactics: News Media

Generating news is one of the best ways to raise public awareness about an organization. The purpose of news media is to create newsworthy events and tactics to get people talking about your organization.


News release: Several news releases will be distributed to the media in Western New York illustrating upcoming events held by WEDI and The West Side Bazaar. Press Releases will also show how WEDI and The West Side Bazaar play an important role in assisting the West Side Community. For the Winterfest Event we would send our release to The Buffalo News. We would send the Nepal Event to the Artvoice. Estimated Cost: $100/Valued Cost: $400.

o Our news releases will be targeted at all publics to raise awareness about the West Side Bazaar and WEDI in the eyes of various identified publics and will serve to please the following objective:


Feature Release: A feature release will be sent to the Bee Group Newspapers to attract our Buffalo Suburban Residents and the Artvoice for our Buffalo City Residents. Estimated Cost: $380/Valued Cost: $500.

o The feature release will serve the following objective: Action Objective: To affect the actions of the Buffalo city residents to

increase the monthly membership from zero to ten new members a month, with a donation of twenty dollars, resulting in $240 annually from each member.

Online newsroom: An online newsroom is part of a website that contains information about an organization and should provide a seamless walk through that is easy to navigate through for people searching for more information about your organization. Estimated Cost: $100/ Valued Cost $400.

o The online newsroom will be targeted at all publics to raise awareness about the West Side Bazaar and WEDI in the eyes of various identified publics and will serve to please the following objective:


Acceptance Objective: To acquire 75-100 new followers on Instagram, and 250 likes on Facebook, in order to achieve more public discussion and willingness to visit the Bazaar.

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Appeal letter: The appeal letter is the central part of a direct mail package that presents a persuasive message to the reader. Writing an appeal letter to various donors to solicit them to continue to donate or donate more would be beneficial for WEDI to position itself in the eyes of their key publics. The appeal letter will be sent via email to WEDI’s current database, as well as Channel 4 for the possibility of earned media as a feature story. Estimated Cost: $100/ Valued Cost: $250.

o Our appeal letter would be aimed at our Buffalo City Residents, Buffalo Suburban Residents and our Civic/Community Leaders to solicit them to donate which serves the following objective:


Action Objective: To have an effect specifically on the actions to increase behavior in donating $12,500 (from a baseline of $0) within the next fiscal year from the suburban residents in the community.

Action Objective: To increase the amount of donors of WEDI from its current email list of 2,692 to 3,500.

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Step 7D: Selecting Communication Tactics: Advertising & Promotional Media

Promotion is one of the key elements of the marketing mix, and deals with any one or two-way communication that takes place with the consumer. This campaign will only be effective if several current policies change.


Color Poster: A color print ad will be placed in the Buffalo News every Sunday for 6 weeks leading up to the Nepal Fashion event. A color print ad to encourage publics to donate to WEDI will be placed in the community centers, colleges, and local stores in Western New York. Estimated Cost: $200/Valued Cost $1,300.

o The color poster for the Nepal Fashion event will be aimed at the Buffalo City Residents, Buffalo Suburban Residents, and College-Aged Buffalo Residents because these publics are that we want to see at the event. This would satisfy the following objective:



Social Media Release: A social media release is essentially a press release for social media usually with exciting information about an organization. Estimated Cost: $100/Valued Cost: $250.

o The Social Media Release would attract the Buffalo City Residents, Buffalo Suburban Residents and College-aged Buffalo Residents to encourage them to attend the Nepal Fashion event. This release would serve the following objectives:





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Radio Commercial: Townsquare media will air commercials on WYRK 106.5, Jack FM 92.2, MIX 96, and WBLK 93.7 for both WEDI and The Nepal Fashion event from 8 to 10a.m. and 2 to 6p.m. because the morning drive time is most likely when we would be able to reach our publics. Estimated Cost: $300/Valued Cost: $600.

o The Radio Commercial will serve to please all of our publics because the radio stations we have carefully chosen are intended to meet our target publics. For instance, we feel we can reach our Buffalo City Residents, Buffalo Suburban Residents and Civic/Community Leaders on stations WYRK 106.5 and JACK FM 92.2. For our College-Age Buffalo Residents, we feel stations MIX 96 and WBLK 93.7 will be able reach them most effectively. We hope this radio commercial will direct people to the West Side Bazaar, increase WEDI donations and attract people to the website and social media accounts. Furthermore, the radio commercial will satisfy the following objective:








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Step 8: Implementing the Strategic Plan

The campaign schedule proves to be most effective in a seven-month timeline. We are implementing a pulsing advertising strategy to ensure our publics receive our intended messages in a timely manner. To achieve our objectives most efficiently, we chose to arrange a timeline of three months for the tactics associated with WEDI’s donations and membership; following this timeline is a second three month timeline of tactics for the Nepal Fashion Event. We felt that consistently advertising and using earned media to promote WEDI and its functions was a strong campaign strategy.

Creating an online newsroom is our first step in tactic planning to address any additional information that news outlets or publics may need before other tactics are put in motion. To maximize possible coverage for the Winterfest event, we chose to send a press release and appeal letter in the first few weeks of December; at the end of the month, a color poster created for WEDI will be ran in print publications to continue the momentum of WEDI donations before the fiscal year ends. A feature release will be sent in the beginning of January to news publications in efforts to bring in a strong appeal to WEDI’s purpose before the receiving of donations in February at the Winterfest event. The final weeks leading to the Winterfest event will include the adding of a video advertisement that will be placed on all platforms of WEDI’s social media and an organization brochure created to implement at the annual event but also to be utilized at all West Side Bazaar events.

A one-month break of tactics will take place to recount and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies used for the increasing of donations and membership. At the beginning of April, there will be a radio spot ran by four of the biggest radio stations in the surrounding WNY area to promote the Nepal Fashion Event; following the radio spot will be a color poster used as a visual advertisement for the event. To further increase awareness of the event, there will be a compilation of a news release and media kit sent to news outlets for coverage. In mid-May, the radio spot will run again for continued advertising of the event. The final tactic to occur before the Nepal Fashion event takes place will be a social media release, used to promote the event on all platforms of WEDI/West Side Bazaar’s social media. A survey will be sent to attendees of the event that share their contact info in order to measure effectiveness, advertising tactics, and overall opinion of the event; these results can be compiled and used for future event opportunities. It is our belief that the timeline of these advertising and communication strategies will be the most efficient route to optimizing our mission for WEDI and the West Side Bazaar.

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WEDI Membership and Fundraising Timeline 2014-2015

Dec 10th: Online NewsroomDec 12th: Winterfest Press ReleaseDec 20th: Appeal LetterDec 28th: Color PosterJan 5th: Feature ReleaseJan 20th: Post Video on Social Media SitesFeb 1st: Brochure

Nepal Fashion Event Timeline 2015

April 1st: Run Audio SpotApril 5th: Color Poster for EventMay 1st: News Release and Media KitMay 10th: Run Audio SpotMay 20th: Social Media ReleaseJune 15th: SurveyJune 25th: Compile survey response for future opportunities

Budget

Total budget for fundraising and membership: $5,000 Media Costs/Advertising: $2,180 Materials/Special Events: $2,000 Unexpected Costs: $820

Total Budget Value Cost: $5,570.

Total budget for event: $1500 Media Costs/Advertising: $1,050 Materials/Special Events: $400 Unexpected Costs: $50

Total Budget Value Cost: $2,450

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Phase 4: Evaluation

Step 9: Evaluating the Strategic Plan

To begin evaluating the campaign we need to revisit the goals and objectives. While evaluating the awareness objectives the key factors to look at are: message exposure, message content, readability measures and message recall. The awareness objective for Buffalo city residents is to create awareness of donation and membership benefits for WEDI by increasing social media activity and website hits and views. For our second public, Buffalo suburban residents, the awareness objective is to conduct a survey to gauge the awareness of Buffalo suburban residents about the benefits of donating to WEDI. Lastly, for the third identified public, the civic and community leaders, the awareness objective is to execute a news conference by Mayor Byron Brown or an upcoming New York senator to increase visibility of WEDI to civic leaders and their communities.

We also set awareness objectives for all of our publics for the West Side Bazaar, specifically the Nepalese vendor. The Buffalo city residents’ awareness objective is to host a showcase event to attract the attention of the Western New York community. The Buffalo suburban residents' awareness objective is to enhance visibility of the Bazaar by a social media campaign measured in views and likes. The awareness objective for the college-aged Buffalo resident’s public is to increase interest of college students in the Buffalo area by promoting the event on WEDI and the Bazaar’s Twitter and Facebook pages.

Evaluating the message exposure of the awareness objectives doesn’t just look at the number of attendees or news pegs sent out but the results of those tactics. The specific numbers needed for evaluation are how many publications used the news release and how many people shared the commercial posted on the Facebook page. Following the results of the message exposure needs to be the evaluation of the message that was distributed. The questions we need to ask are: Was the message clear and concise? Was the message attention grabbing? Did we provide all the information needed? The "readability measures" deals with the ability of the target publics to clearly comprehend the message that was distributed. Finally, message recall is the last aspect of awareness objective evaluation. Ideally all publics reached will be able to recall the logo or message and be able to link it to WEDI or the West Side Bazaar. Realistically it is necessary to know what stuck in the public’s memory and what didn’t.

Evaluating acceptance objectives the research to be done is to gather audience feedback and executing benchmark studies. In this case the audience feedback will have to come from two different places in being that one focus is membership and donation for WEDI and the other is on increasing the awareness and sales of the West Side Bazaar. They are closely related but the results for both need to be recorded separately. The acceptance objective for the Buffalo city residents is to measure the response to social media and the organization's website by “likes” on Facebook, “followers” on Instagram and owned media views. The Buffalo suburban residents’ awareness objective is to attract this key public to the organization's Twitter page to promote retweets and followers. The acceptance objective for the city and community leaders is to measure the efficiency of WEDI promoting a more substantial contact and email directory of prospective and current donors and members.

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The acceptance objectives for the West Side Bazaar and the target publics are as follows:

The Buffalo city residents' objective is to conduct a survey on the event to discover the effectiveness and opinions of this public pertaining to the event. The Buffalo suburban residents’ objective is to acquire 75-100 new followers on Instagram, and 250 likes on Facebook, in order to achieve more public discussion and willingness to visit the Bazaar. The college-aged Buffalo residents’ objective is to acquire at least 100 new followers (of the current 495 followers) on Twitter and likes on event postings via social media.

Using the media platforms involved in the social media section of the campaign we could post a survey or a series of questions, one per week, which would help to gauge honest opinions and responses from the publics. Executing a benchmark study we would use the results from the initial survey sent out as part of an awareness objective. Then send out more surveys or post different questions on social media within a week of events through WEDI or the West Side Bazaar.

Analyzing action objectives is the concluding step in evaluating objectives of the campaign. The important components of this evaluation should include audience participation, direct observations and relative media effectiveness. The action objective for the Buffalo city residents is to effect their actions to increase the monthly membership from zero to ten new members a month, with a donation of twenty dollars, resulting in $240 annually from each member. The Buffalo suburban residents’ objective is to have an effect specifically on their actions to increase behavior in donating $12,500 (from a baseline of $0) within the next fiscal year from the suburban residents in the community. The objective of the city and community leaders is to increase the amount of donors of WEDI from their current email list of 2,692 to 3,500.

The action objectives for the West Side Bazaar and the target publics are as follows:

The Buffalo city residents’ objective is to have an effect on the action of generating more sales for the West Side Bazaar, specifically the Nepalese vendor by 40% (from the baseline of $0) for the day of the event. The Buffalo suburban residents’ objective is to encourage suburban residents to travel to the Bazaar and increase its sales by 10% (from a baseline of $0) for the following three months of the social media campaign. The objective for college-aged Buffalo residents is that through knowledge of social media, this public will attend the event at the Bazaar and increase sales by 30% (from a baseline of $0).

Measuring audience participation is largely an attendance count of events held by WEDI or the West Side Bazaar because if they are in attendance then all of our objectives have been achieved. That is the group we want feedback from first. Keeping track of attendance and traffic trends will help to project future goals and objectives for WEDI and the West Side Bazaar.

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Appendices

Appendix A: Organization Brochure p30

Appendix B: Media Kit p31

Appendix C: Survey p39

Appendix D: News Release p43

Appendix E: Feature Release p46

Appendix F: Online News Room p48

Appendix G: Appeal Letter p49

Appendix H: Color Posters p50

Appendix I: Social Media Release p53

Appendix J: Radio Commercial p54

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Appendix A

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Appendix BMedia Kit

Fact Sheet

NEPAL FASHION EVENT AT THE WEST SIDE BAZAAR IN BUFFALO, NY

The West Side Bazaar will be hosting a Nepalese fashion event in order to showcase her fashion, clothing and artwork. The Nepal Fashion Event will take place on June 6th, 2015 and will focus on the items and culture of Nepal.

Who: the West Side Bazaar

What: A cultural Fashion event to showcase the Nepalese vendor

Where: 25 Grant Street Buffalo, NY 14213

When: Saturday June 6th, 2015 6-9 p.m.

Why: Support Buffalo West Side refugee and small business community

West Side Bazaar Background

The West Side Bazaar is the breeding place for international small businesses located in an ethnically diverse neighborhood of Buffalo, NY. It is dedicated to offering its vendors a safe, nurturing and affordable place to grow their small business. It is committed to offering its “partners” business coaching, financial mentoring, low interest loans, networking/marketing opportunities, and steady customer traffic.

The West Side Bazaar was created as a solution for the concerns of West Side agencies, business people and residents over the dramatic economic decline of Buffalo’s West Side. As the idea of the Bazaar began to become a reality, refugees and immigrants were flocking to the West Side of Buffalo, looking to enter mainstream city life while preserving their traditions and heritage. The West Side Bazaar sought to help them do this by guiding them in the business world of their new home.

The West Side Bazaar opened on March 3, 2011, following many months of preparation, workshops and site analyses, with six newly minted business owners. Since then the Bazaar has become a community shopping and food location and three entrepreneurs have successfully grown their business out of the Bazaar and into their own storefronts.

In 2012 the Bazaar won the 21st Century Grant of the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo and moved to an expanded storefront in the heart of the Grant and Ferry Marketplace, Buffalo's second largest business section.

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The West Side Bazaar is becoming a household name with about 30-50% of people having at least heard of it at local events. However, about a year ago the percentages were about 0-5%. It also has a great reputation. Although there are people who may have had less than favorable experiences with the food or a particular business owner, but the response is

overwhelmingly positive.

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Nepal Event Schedule

Doors open at 5:45 p.m. 6 p.m. Hors d’oeuvre passing and beverages available 6-7 p.m. Music and mingle Patrons will be directed to raffle buckets Patrons will be encouraged to sign up for the newsletter 7:05 p.m. MC begins the show at MC introduces Ben Ben speech/donations/membership pitch Ben introduces Nepalese vendor Nepalese vendor tells her story and talks about products 7:30 p.m. Fashion show begins 8 p.m. raffle winner announcement 8:15 p.m. final food and beverage push Doors close at 9:15 p.m.

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Directions

The north (on I-190 S / New York State Thruway)

Depart I-190 S / New York State Thruway 0.7 mi At exit 11, take ramp right and follow signs for RT-198 0.8 mi Take ramp right for Grant Streettoward Buffalo State College 0.1 mi Turn right onto Grant St 1.5 mi Arrive at West Side Bazaar The last intersection is W Ferry StIf you reach Arkansas St, you've gone too far

35

The south (on RT-5 E / Buffalo Skyway) Depart RT-5 E / Buffalo Skywaytoward RT-5 E / Church St 0.9 mi Take ramp right and follow signs forI-190 North 1.8 mi At exit 9, take ramp right towardNiagara St 0.6 mi Bear right onto Busti Ave 0.2 mi Keep straight onto RT-266 / Niagara St 0.4 mi Turn right onto W Ferry St 0.5 mi Turn right onto Grant St 253 ft Arrive at West Side Bazaar The last intersection is W Ferry StIf you reach Arkansas St, you've gone too far

36

The east (on I-190 N / New York State Thruway) Depart I-190 N / New York State Thruway 2.3 mi At exit 9, take ramp right towardNiagara St 0.6 mi Bear right onto Busti Ave 0.2 mi Keep straight onto RT-266 / Niagara St 0.4 mi Turn right onto W Ferry St 0.5 mi Turn right onto Grant St 253 ft. Arrive at West Side Bazaar The last intersection is W Ferry St if you reach Arkansas St, you've gone too far

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The east (on RT-198 W / Scajaquada Expy) Depart RT-198 W / Scajaquada Expy 1.3 mi Take ramp right for Grant St toward Buffalo State College 0.1 mi Turn left onto Grant St Pass 7-Eleven in 1.3 mi 1.6 mi Arrive at West Side Bazaar The last intersection is W Ferry StIf you reach Arkansas St, you've gone too far

Appendix C

Survey

1. What is your gender? (Circle one)o Male

o Female

2. What is your age? (Circle one)o 18-29 years old

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o 30-49 years old

o 50-64 years old

o 65 years and over

3. What is your ethnicity? (Circle one)o African

o African American

o Asian

o Asian American

o Hispanic

o Middle Eastern

o Native American

o Other

o White

4. What is your current marital status? (Circle one)o Divorced

o Living with another

o Married

o Separated

o Single

o Widowed

o Would rather not say

5. What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed? If currently enrolled, highest degree received. (Circle one)

o No school completed

o Some high school, no diploma

o High school graduate, diploma of the equivalent (for example, GED)

o Associate degree or some college

o Bachelor’s degree

o Master’s degree or higher

6. What is your current household income in U.S. dollars? (Circle one)o Under $20,000

o $20,000-$49,999

o $50,000-$79,999

o $80,000-$109,999

o $110,000-$150,000

o Over $150,000

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o Would rather not say

7. How did you find out about The West Side Bazaar’s Cultural Fashion Event? (Check all that apply)

o Newspaper/Magazine ad

o Television

o Radio

o Twitter

o Facebook

o Instagram

o Friend

o Other

9. Through what medium do you mostly retain your information on events from?o Newspaper/Magazine ad

o Television

o Radio

o Twitter

o Facebook

o Instagram

o Friend

o Other

10. The West Side Bazaar Cultural Fashion Event was a successo Strongly Agree

o Agree

o Disagree

o Strongly Disagree

11. I saw items from the Nepalese vendor I would consider buyingo Strongly Agree

o Agree

o Disagree

o Strongly Disagree

12. The Nepalese vendor had one of a kind item I have never seen beforeo Strongly Agree

o Agree

o Disagree

o Strongly Disagree

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13. Did you purchase anything at the event?o Yes

o No

If you answered yes, please list items purchased here

14. If you did not buy anything, what was the reason?o Did not like anything

o Overpriced

o Customer service problems

o Did not any money

o Other

15. There are some aspects I would change about this eventPlease write answer below

16. The West Side Bazaar is a place I will continue to come back too Strongly Agree

o Agree

o Disagree

o Strongly Disagree

17. I will attend more events at The West Side Bazaaro Strongly Agree

o Agree

o Disagree

o Strongly Disagree

18. Have you ever been to The West Side Bazaar prior to the event?o Just once

o 3-5 times

o I am a regular patron

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o No

19. I would recommend The West Side Bazaar to a friendo Strongly Agree

o Agree

o Disagree

o Strongly Disagree

20. Added comments/suggestions:

Appendix D

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WEDI Buffalo 436 Grant Street Contact: Michelle Holler Buffalo, NY 14213 (716) 393-4088www.wedibuffalo.org

WEDI HOSTS ITS ANNUAL WINTERFEST FUNDRAISING EVENT

BUFFALO, NY- WEDI Buffalo is hosting its annual Winterfest fundraising event on

February 6th to celebrate their achievements and raise money for the refugee community with a

buffet provided by Acqua, a cash bar, live auctions, and live music by Les Davis Quartette from

the Colored Musicians Club. Admittance to this event located at Foundry Hotel and Banquet,

1738 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY 14213, will be open to Buffalo residents in efforts to welcome

them to celebrate the diverse culture of the Buffalo Refugee Community.

Last year’s Winterfest 2014 was yet again a success with a room filled with lively

attendees who enjoyed drinks at the bar where the lucky ones receive lighted ice cubes in

Winterfest’s signature colors. Ben Bissell himself delivered a speech about WEDI’s five

programs and their impact on the community with a video that provided an excellent overview of

the Wet Side Bazaar, an exciting project and shopping experience. Gysma Keuny, owner of

Gysma’s African Style was able to share her experience as a South Sundanese refugee coming to

Buffalo and starting her own business at the West Side Bazaar.

Gysma mentioned how much WEDI saved her and gave her the opportunity to make her

own life here. The audience was able to see her change from the despair of unchangeable

circumstances in South Sudan to the glimmering hope of owning a business in the United States.

Winterfest 2014 was an amazing success that raised about $35,000, setting a new bar for

future events! WEDI staff thanks all our supporters, patrons, attendees, and everyone else who

could not make it but support WEDI in a variety of ways. For more information on Winterfest

2015 please visit our website: http://www.wedibuffalo.org/winterfest2015

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http://www.wedibuffalo.org/winterfest2015

West Side Bazaar Contact: Michelle Holler25 Grant Street (716) 393-4088Buffalo, NY 14213 [email protected]

WEST SIDE BAZAAR HOSTS CULTURAL FASHION EVENT

BUFFALO, NY- The West Side Bazaar is bringing fashion and culture to the city’s

doorstep by throwing a showcase event for its Nepalese vendor, taking place on Saturday June,

6th. Cultural gems such as clothing and jewelry will be featured in this unique, spiritual affair.

Admittance to this event located on 25 Grant St. will be free to Buffalo residents in efforts to

welcome them to the diverse culture of the West Side.

The Nepal Fashion event will embody all things Nepalese-garments, jewelry, accessories,

and artwork. Buffalo residents that wish to have new and enlightening experiences can be

pleased to know that any purchase made will contribute to the refugee community of Buffalo.

WEDI and the West Side Bazaar invite all to visit www.westsidebazaar.com for more

information on the Nepal Fashion event and other upcoming functions that the West Side

community of Buffalo and the Bazaar host to enliven Buffalo culture.

The strong, diverse culture in the West Side of Buffalo has began to thrive and enhance

the lives of many. Grant Street has become the epicenter of refugee and cultural confluence,

producing an environment that is constantly flourishing with the help of Buffalo residents.

((MORE))

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The West Side Bazaar is owned by WEDI Buffalo and strives to encourage business and

educational opportunities to the residents of Buffalo’s West Side. The West Bazaar has produced

16 graduates that have grown their own small businesses and moved on to independence.

“"Westminster Economic Development Initiative, Inc." a 501(c)3 non-profit that supports

entrepreneurs and small business development, training, and education on the West Side of

Buffalo.”

####

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Appendix E

WEDI Buffalo Energy Program 436 Grant Street Contact: Michelle Holler Buffalo, NY 14213 (716) 393-4088www.wedibuffalo.org [email protected]

WEDI’s ENGERGY AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM SHINES

BUFFALO-NY- WEDI Buffalo’s ENEGRY After School Program strives to help the

children of the West Side community grow and learn through a comfortable learning

environment filled with caring volunteers to help kids gain cultural awareness and self-

confidence through improving their English language skills and interacting with other students.

The ENERGY program started due to an outreach from the Westminster Presbyterian

Church in 1998 due to the need of education, nurture, encouragement, readiness, and guidance

for the youth of the West Side Community. ENERGY embodies a healthy learning place for

children, most of whom are incoming immigrants to our country, and helps teach them English

language skills and develop relationships with other students in their neighborhood.

Volunteers work day in and day out to create a safe and secure environment to welcome

students after a long day of school, a delicious family style meal cooked by volunteers

themselves and comfy couches to relax and rejuvenate before starting their homework. After a

heartening meal, 15-20 minutes is set aside for reading to engage students in the English

language and fresh their mind before the homework begins. Through the daily interaction and

trust, close relationships are developed throughout the program leading to its greatest success

yet.

Why does the ENERGY program shine? Simply because the children love it! It is more

than just a place where kids can do their homework, its creative and challenging activities, art

projects, reading and enrichment while having a blast with people who truly care about each

other.

(MORE)

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The after School Program welcomes any volunteers who wish to offer their time, talents

and joyous passions on Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Thursday’s from 4:15-6:30 p.m.

#####

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Appendix FOnline Newsroom WEDI

An online newsroom is part of a website that contains information about an organization and should provide a seamless walk through that is easy to navigate through for people searching for more information about your organization. Organization is a key factor and it is most practical to organize by topic.

Making your content accessible, easy to share and easy to view are the main components of having a successful newsroom. In addition, creating online conversations with key publics is a worthy objective of having an online newsroom.

WEDI’s online newsroom should include:o Personal contact information.

o This would be the name, address, e-mail, phone number, fax number and cell phone number of the primary media contacts displayed front and center.

o Background information on the organization listing achievements of the organization. o Press releases.

o Press releases should be placed in chronological order (most recent at the top). Use easy to read fonts and traditional press release formatting.

o Executive photos, product photos, charts, graphs and other appropriate artwork. o This section should also include instructions on how to download the pictures.

For example, “To download right-click and choose “save” next to graphics. o Executive bios, white papers, facts sheets, speeches, and awards. o Streaming media of press conferences, product demonstrations, and president speeches.o Detailed Event Information.o Reprints or links of media coverage and videos of their own news conferenceso Virtual tours of WEDI and The West Side Bazaaro Quick links to “Business Development Planning”, “West Side Bazaar”, “Business Micro

Loan Program”, and “ENERGY After School Program.”o Opt-in email.o RSS feeds.o Search tool so it is easy for people to find just what they want. o Feature blogs and social media sites with URL linked so people can be directed to site. o Personal stories are a MUST. (Especially with such powerful refugee stories)

The purpose of using your online newsroom as a central content hub with social media is so that:

o Journalists can easily find all your content.o You’re providing the content in the format journalists prefer.o Bloggers can use the pieces of content they need to create their blog posts.o Site visitors can easily share your news and information.o Traffic to your social sites and your newsroom increases.o You get more coverage of your news.

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####

Appendix G

WEDI Buffalo 436 Grant StreetBuffalo, NY 14213

Dear Fellow Buffalo Resident,

After fleeing my home and country seeking refuge in the United States I tried to pursue the American dream. Leaving an unbearable amount of persecution and turmoil behind, I could finally have control over my life and support my family. This is the story of many refugees that have chosen to start their new lives in the West Side of Buffalo. Those that find refuge in the U.S. still face many financial and educational struggles; the Westminster Economic Development Initiative, also known as WEDI, offers programs to help make the transition easier and encourages the flourishing of the diverse West Side neighborhood.

Become a member of WEDI and contribute a monthly donation in order for Buffalo’s ESL children to receive tutoring and enrichment in our ENERGY afterschool program. Education enhances the lives of children and our future; ENERGY helps children succeed in the school system and become well-rounded English speakers. We also offer the opportunity for refugees to gain training and experience in launching their own businesses in our small business incubator, the West Side Bazaar. People from all over Buffalo take part in volunteering, they are people who give their time to the various programs WEDI offers that help give settling refugees the information and knowledge they need to be long lasting and productive members of the Buffalo community.

Visit WEDIbuffalo.org for more information and to make a one-time donation, or sign up to become a member and be a part of the strengthening of our city’s West Side. Any and all help is needed and appreciated. We all share one community; create longevity in a neighborhood that is rich in culture and diversity.

Thank you for your time and care,

WEDI Buffalo(716) 393-4088www.WEDIbuffalo.org

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http://www.WEDIbuffalo.org/

Appendix H

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Appendix I

West Side Bazaar Contact: Michelle Holler25 Grant Street (716) 393-4088Buffalo, NY 14213 [email protected]

WEST SIDE BAZAAR HOSTS CULTURAL FASHION EVENT

BUFFALO, NY- The West Side Bazaar is bringing fashion and culture to the city’s

doorstep by throwing a showcase event for its Nepalese vendor, taking place on Saturday, June

6th, 2015. Cultural gems such as clothing and jewelry will be featured in this unique, spiritual

affair. Admittance to this event located on 25 Grant St. will be free to Buffalo residents in efforts

to welcome them to the diverse culture of the West Side.

The Nepal Fashion event will embody all things Nepalese-garments, jewelry, accessories,

and artwork. Buffalo residents that wish to have new and enlightening experiences can be

pleased to know that any purchase made will contribute to the refugee community of Buffalo.

The strong, diverse culture in the West Side of Buffalo has begun to thrive and enhance

the lives of many. Grant Street has become the epicenter of refugee and cultural confluence,

producing an environment that is constantly flourishing with the help of Buffalo residents.

Join in the cultural experience and follow upcoming events for the West Side Bazaar:

www.facebook.com/westsidebazaar www.twitter.com/westsidebazaar

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Appendix J

Title: WEDI Fundraising Radio SpotProduct: MembershipLength: 00:30Medium: RadioWriter: Katie Norris

WEDI FUNDRAISING RADIO AD

Production Note: Voice should be bright, engaging and welcoming.

MUSIC: SOFT ETHNIC DRUMMING

The Westminster Economic Development Initiative, also recognized as WEDI, is a non-

profit organization that supports entrepreneurs and small business development, training

and education on the West Side of Buffalo. Our vision is striving for a vibrant, stable and

inviting community. To donate or volunteer visit WEDIBuffalo.org. That’s W, E, D, I,

Buffalo.org.

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Title: Nepal Fashion EventProduct: West Side Bazaar EventLength: 00:30Medium: RadioWriter: Katie Norris

NEPAL FASHION EVENT RADIO AD

Production Note: Voice should be excited and a young adult (ages 20-25)

MUSIC: TRADITIONAL NEPALESE MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND

The West Side Bazaar is bringing fashion and culture to the city’s doorstep with the Nepal

Fashion Event! Come discover cultural gems from around the globe and see the featured

Nepalese fashions that a must have in any well rounded closet. Swing by the West Side

Bazaar, located on 25 Grant Street, to be a part of enlivening Buffalo’s culture today!

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Title: West Side Bazaar Cook Off Product: West Side Bazaar EventLength: 00:30Medium: RadioWriter: Katie Norris

WEST SIDE BAZAAR COOK OFF RADIO AD

Production Note: Voice should be bright and excited.

MUSIC: SOFT ETHNIC DRUMMING IN THE BACKGROUND

WEDI and the West Side Bazaar invite you to a cultural carnival of flavor fusions at our very

own West Side Bazaar Cook Off! Enjoy samplings of dishes from around the globe and a

cooking competition with local chefs and judges. Tickets are $25 per person, available for

purchase at 25 Grant Street. For more information visit WEDIBuffalo.org, that’s W, E, D, I,

Buffalo.org.

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Final Report

Documents

Transcript of Final Report