Teach For America Campaign Paper

Teach For America
What Started Here
Integrated Communications For Non-Profit Organizations
Dr. Minette Drumwright, Spring 2015
Grace Olusanya | Madison Whittington | Alexandra Guerra | Devon Grussmark
Tulane University / Flickr 
TEACH FOR AMERICA: WHAT STARTED HERE !1

Teach For America
As our group originally met to discuss the task at hand, we knew that whatever our campaign plan was
going to be, that it would have to reach, engage, and convince the University of Texas at Austin’s (UT) top
students. We knew its purpose would be to productively contribute to Teach For America’s (TFA) mission to
enlist, develop, and mobilize as many of our nation’s most promising future leaders as possible to grow and
strengthen the movement for educational equity and excellence. We first approached the project by meeting
with the organization’s head Recruitment Manager for the UT, who explained to us the importance of her work
and the recruitment problems her office was facing. She discussed the decreasing numbers of committing
corps members nationwide and how this impacted the school’s that TFA partners with. As school districts
across the country rely heavily on TFA’s efforts to fill teaching positions in their schools, it is up to the
individual recruitment teams on college campuses throughout the country to inspire high-achieving students to
commit two years of their career to teaching, and to teach in some of the country’s most challenging
environments. Our group was inspired by the difference that our work will ultimately make on the lives of
students in our country who deserve a chance at a better education. From the very start of this project, we
recognized that TFA is a driving force for social justice in our nation, and we know that UT students will be up
to this challenge and feel compelled to take on the opportunity that TFA offers them to make a difference.
Motivated by the idea that “what starts here changes the world”, the pathway from UT to TFA becomes a clear
and logical connection. It was this insight that prompted our group’s hard work and ultimately led us to devise
the What Started Here campaign.
Place your screenshot here Place your screenshot
here
Place your screenshot here

Secondary Research
After discussing with our contact at TFA and learning about the problem that we would be working to
solve through an integrated communications campaign, the next step was to begin planning and gathering
information. In order to begin our approach to this campaign, we knew we would have to learn everything about
TFA, understand its purpose and mission as a nonprofit organization, and become aware of the efforts that it
has, and is working on to improve recruitment efforts. To gain a full understanding of this information, we
leveraged two major sources including the TFA website, and discussions with the Recruitment Manager and the
Campus Coordinator on the UT campus for TFA.
When we looked at the TFA website, we thoroughly studied the different pages explaining not only the
organization’s mission and core values, but also the descriptions of the ideal TFA candidate and the efforts
that TFA recruiters employ to reach them. When considering recruitment efforts, we found the specified criteria
for ideal corps members to be very importantly in driving our campaign message. These criteria included:
A deep belief in the potential of all children, a willingness to do whatever it takes to expand
opportunities for children, an understanding of and experience in low-income communities and the
systemic challenges of poverty and racism, demonstrated leadership ability, strong academic,
professional, extracurricular, or volunteer achievement, perseverance in the face of challenges, ability to
adapt to challenging environments, long-term commitment to reaching goals, excellent critical thinking
skills, excellent organizational skills, excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to motivate others,
respect for individuals’ diverse experiences, and the ability to work effectively with people from a
variety of backgrounds.
The details in this list led us to understand the importance that TFA places on recruiting more members,
and on recruiting service-oriented and high-achieving leaders. This insight was a key consideration driving our
campaign layout and message.
Once we identified and understood who we were helping TFA find, we learned from the recruitment
team, which consists of the Recruitment Manager (RM) and three Campus Campaign Coordinators (CCC), how
TFA is currently working to reach this target audience. We learned that their efforts were primarily focused on

five main methods: classroom and student organization presentations, individual student meetings with the RM,
networking events, tabling, posters, and flyers, and the TFA at UT Austin Facebook page. The recruitment
team’s classroom and student organization presentations include five presentations per week by each CCC to
different classes and student organizations throughout campus. The CCCs currently target audiences that
potentially align with certain aspects of TFA’s mission. The presentations are generally three to five minutes
long and include the collection of contact information sheets in an effort to collect feedback from interested
audience members. These organizations are the driving force for spontaneous applications as well as individual
meetings with the RM. These meetings are the next step in the recruitment process.
These individual meetings are thirty-minute one-on-one sessions between the prospective corps
member and the RM. They are held at Café Medici right across from campus. In these meetings, the RM
addresses any concerns that the prospective corps member might have, answers any questions for them, and
also helps with their application process. At the same time, the RM is assessing the qualifications and interest
level of the student. This information is then noted in our Customer Relations Management system (Sales Force).
According to the RM’s records, these meetings have a very high success rate in yielding applications started
and are conducted by the RM as often as possible.
Another major recruitment effort already in practice is the use of tabling, flyer distribution, and campus
posters. These efforts are centered around application deadline dates in order to highlight important calls to
action for the target audience, and to remind them about these important deadlines. TFA works to build brand
awareness with these efforts by placing branded marketing around campus especially in locations where the
ideal target audience will not only notice, but also engage with the posters and hopefully follow the call to
action—register for an application at www.teachforamerica.org.
In addition to all of these hands-on approaches, the UT Longhorn Facebook page adds additional
support to the recruitment effort by featuring articles and posts related to TFA, education and educational
equity, and UT. Through an analysis of the Facebook analytics, we could see that although the TFA page has
not posted many videos, they have been among some of the most successful posts. Additionally, according to
Facebook Newsroom, with the advent of auto play videos, digital video viewing has gone up a total of sixty-five

percent just in the past year and is expected to increase. This information shows promise for the continuation
and development of the UT TFA social media presence.
All of these efforts in combination with our realization of the importance of recruiting the right people,
led us to our primary research, which focused on gaining in-depth insights from our ideal target audience—the
service oriented student leader.
Qualitative Research
After meeting with our contact, we recognized that the overall problem TFA faces in its recruiting
efforts is rooted in the inability to motivate top-qualified candidates to pursue the application process. Through
speaking with one of the CCCs, we gained knowledge about the current advertising methods used to reach
these potential candidates. It was then crucial for us to gain knowledge about our target audience and their
behavior, therefore we conducted qualitative research.
Our qualitative research sample was composed of twenty UT students in positions of service and
leadership. There were five male, and fifteen female participants interviewed in a time span of three days.
Interviews were audio-recorded and lasted fifteen minutes to twenty-five minutes. The interviews were
composed of a seven-item questionnaire. Three of these items asked students general questions: post-grad
opportunity interests, from whom or where they sought career advice, and who or what has influenced them in
their career planning. Three of the items asked students specific questions about TFA: if they had heard about
TFA and if so, how, what would make them more inclined to apply to TFA and accept the opportunity, and after
reading the TFA mission statement we asked them to explain if it did or did not align with their career
expectations. The last item in our questionnaire asked if they wanted to add something that we did not ask for.
Analysis of qualitative interviews included reflecting on the detailed notes of each interview as it took place,
and adding on to those notes while listening to each audio file twice.
Findings from the twenty participants included three prevalent trends. The first is that students sought
advice from those who had graduated university. Specifically, students sought advice from graduating peers,
teachers and school advisors, with graduating peers at the highest rates. A female student interviewed
mentioned that she had a Spirits mentor who had graduated and gives her advice about post-grad

opportunities. A male student mentioned that he talks to his friend who graduated last year because he has
recently been through the “big transition from college to work life.”
The second strong trend was that students believe that the TFA program does not effectively prepare
teachers. All twenty students interviewed had at least one incorrect view about the preparation process of TFA.
Seven students mentioned that they would need to practice teaching before they started their first year of
employment. Contrary to this view, TFA does provide student teaching in summer school as a part of the
program. One student mentioned that the preparation process lacks mentorship opportunities, yet applicants
have an assigned mentor from the beginning of the on-boarding process and throughout their two-year
commitment.
The final, and most prevalent trend, was that all of the students felt that TFA’s mission aligned with
their career expectations. After expressing how TFA aligns with their personal career goals and values, one
student said that helping create equity within the school system was his life’s mission. Another interviewee
mentioned that she is passionate about trying to find ways to educate others through film, as that is her major.
Another student mentioned that she emphasizes education through her summer camp counselor employment.
These prevalent findings are the inspiration behind the message of our campaign, which strategically led us to
choose three specific communication channels.
Creative Brief
In interviewing UT Students who are qualified to apply for TFA, one of the most common themes in our
qualitative research was that they did not feel they would be adequately prepared to take on such a challenge.
These students were also concerned about how TFA might apply to their future career plans or hold them back
from future success, and felt they might fulfill their passion for serving through other avenues. In taking their
concerns into account, it is important that we communicate that there are avenues for these students to apply
their passions to TFA’s mission specifically. In showcasing how their passions align with TFA’s mission and
including stories about mentorships in our selected media, we will aid our target audience in understanding that
they are precisely who we are looking for to act as leaders and educators. These students are who we need,

and we need them to see their place as individuals within our mission as a result of the media we have
selected.
Our target audience is made up of high performing UT students who are service-oriented leaders.
Through our qualitative research, we know that these students’ values align with TFA’s mission of increasing
educational equity. We recognize that, in targeting service-oriented leaders, we are targeting ambitious and
driven individuals. It is important that our communication strategy cater to the desire of these students to feel
prepared and supported in their endeavors. These students do not take decision-making or preparedness lightly.
The overall objective of this campaign is to increase the number of qualified UT applicants to TFA. Our
message will communicate to our target audience that they are qualified to apply, and move them to feel
compelled and empowered to be a part of the solution.
According to our primary research, the ideal candidate currently feels that, despite their values aligning
with the organization's broad mission of increasing educational equity, TFA needs to provide resources and
mentorships in order to make them feel more prepared. Our research shows that this information has not been
readily presented or visible to our target audience thus far, and as a result we need to ensure that it plays a
strong role within our campaign. These students do not feel that they would be adequately prepared to teach
based on the information they know now about TFA, and want to hear more about the passions of corps
members and how they incorporate those passions into their teaching. These students seek career advice from
UT advisors, professors, and friends who are recent graduates, and therefore these individuals will be featured
in campaign videos. This familiar element will make this information more accessible and more authentic.
Because these students already feel that their values align with TFA’s mission, it is crucial that our
campaign inform them that they are qualified to apply and that TFA will ensure that they are prepared to teach.
We want these students to know that being a corps member within TFA will provide them with an experience
that will enrich their lives and support their future career goals. Our message must communicate that all of the
bases have been covered and that those who accept offers from TFA will be fully prepared to enter a
community as a first year teacher. We want our target audience to feel driven to apply, therefore we must
present them with information regarding TFA’s extensive resources and mentorship process. This campaign is
about more than listing information and making it visible. It is about getting our target audience to hear, listen

to, and understand the full TFA experience. This information needs to be communicated in a way that feels
genuine, personable, and empowering to the student leaders we are targeting. The authentic and empowering
tone should convey the message in a way that resonates with the ambitious individuals we are targeting. This
campaign will emphasize how TFA empowers students through resources and training so that they can help
provide equal educational opportunities to students across the country as TFA corps members. It is essential
that this be understood by our target audience.
Communication Channels
Based on our secondary research and our findings we discovered where and when our ideal candidates
would be most receptive to our message. We determined that we could reach our target consumer through
three main communication channels. Our first communication strategy includes providing and delivering a clear
message of the mission of TFA through class presentations. In response to our research findings, we will edit
these presentations so that they will emphasize the training TFA candidates receive upon acceptance into the
program. We will use Facebook as a platform to capture our target audience’s attention through a captivating
video series, entitled What Started Here. The video titles will use this campaign name to introduce the topic of
each video. One example might be, “What Started Here: From UT to TFA.” Lastly, we will create a student
organization on campus that allows students who are members of organizations that align with the mission of
TFA to come together to further influence and impact educational equity.
Through our secondary research we found that many of the students we interviewed first heard about
TFA through a classroom presentation. The presentation typically informs students of the movement that TFA is
working to create in providing educational equity to all students. The presentations currently aim to inspire
students from a mission-focused standpoint, rather than emphasizing the resources and mentorships that are
available to corps members.
At the end of the presentation there is an opportunity to fill out a contact information sheet to be sent
follow-up details regarding the program and application process. Despite the fact that the presentations portray
TFA in a positive manner, the ideal candidate often does not take the next step in the process. They feel as
though the presentation does not give them clear insight into the support and preparation they will receive
before entering the classroom. As a result of the ambiguity of the presentation, our ideal candidates have

developed a skeptical attitude towards the organization because they falsely believe that teachers are being
sent to underserved areas without the proper training. To combat this incorrect attitude that deters our ideal
candidate, we will implement a new presentation speech that gives a more concrete view of the training
process. The new speech will directly inform candidates of the training process. The new speech will include
information about the certification process, the summer institute training, and on-going mentorship opportunities
that TFA offers corps members.
Our next communication channel is Facebook. Our secondary research findings support the use of
Facebook as an effective communication channel. TFA currently sees the positive impact of its videos through
the amount of likes and shares previous videos have received on its UT Facebook page. The purpose of the
video is for the ideal candidate to connect and relate to the people and stories shown throughout the video.
The goal is for the ideal candidate to see themselves as a potential TFA teacher through the stories and
testimonies of members of the UT community. Our qualitative research found that the target audience often
seeks career advice from recent UT graduates as well as their current or former professors and advisors. A
few of these individuals will be enlisted to be a part of a TFA video series. The former UT graduates will all be
TFA alumni. The alumni in the video will represent a diverse set of undergraduate majors and experiences.
These alumni will discuss their various career paths following their completion of their two-year commitment.
The alumni will talk about about their experiences while at UT and their experiences as active TFA corps
members. If they are no longer a part of TFA they will share how their experiences in the classroom have
influenced their current career paths. This will allow the the target to see how TFA is relevant to them and
influential to almost any career path they hope to pursue after TFA. These stories essentially show how TFA
can provide support and networking while also providing an experience that will provide members with new skills
that can be transferred to future careers.
Good professors often have a strong impact on the career decision on the career path our target
audience chooses to pursue. The target adheres to the information their professors give them because they feel
as though they are trusted sources who are knowledgeable and credible in their insights. The Facebook video
will enlist a few professors from multiple disciplines to share their support for TFA and how they feel TFA is
implementing positive change towards education. It is important for the professors to discuss the relevance of

educational equity for all students regardless of their race, background, or socio-economic status. In the video,
the professor will also discuss educational disparities and how being a part of TFA can help to alleviate these
disparities. Such a message from a professor will help to motivate the ideal candidate to apply to TFA because
the message the professor provides aligns with their beliefs on educational equity and comes from a valuable
and influential source.
The final component of the the video is to highlight the TFA summer institute. The summer institute is
where the teachers receive their training and preparation before entering the classroom. From our secondary
research we found that most of our target is significantly unaware of the training teachers receive before they
are placed in the classroom. Highlighting the summer institute will help debunk the belief that teachers are sent
into underserved areas without comprehensive training. The video will place emphasis on the in-class experience
teachers receive before entering the classroom. Many students are unaware that, following the summer institute,
the teachers receive routine check-ins throughout the year by their mentor. This was often a deterrent and the
root of the negative attitude towards TFA. By highlighting these components of the TFA process in the video,
we will demystify such attitudes to further encourage the ideal candidate to apply.
Our last communication channel will be the implementation of a student organization on campus called
The Leadership Council of Education. We chose this name in order to attract leadership and service-oriented
students who are in organizations related to educational empowerment. The student organization will bring
together pre-existing organizations that support education. This organization will be branded with a subtle
connection to TFA so it can be easily embraced by others. The organization wants to include all students who
care about educational empowerment, even those who may not fully support TFA as a brand. TFA will serve as
the underlying sponsor of the organization, but will not promote itself as the governing body of the
organization. This will ensure that all students are welcome and no student is excluded from supporting a cause
that they believe in because of their attitude towards TFA. Students will want to participate in the organization
because it is framed as one that supports educational equity and the empowerment of students. The
organization serves as a bridge to bring these students together from their varying organizations and
viewpoints. The student organization will host panels regarding the topic of educational equity. Policy reformers,
education advocates, current teachers, and TFA alumni will be invited to host engaging discussions and

presentations. The organization will also screen videos and documentaries that expose and inform on the topic
of educational inequity. As TFA promotes, the movement for educational equity can be achieved from multiple
angles. This is why the student organization will bring people from different backgrounds together to engage
conversation and action to achieve TFA’s mission. The ideal candidate’s views align with TFA’s mission so the
student organization can attract their interest which can ultimately lead them to apply to TFA.
Message
Using the Facebook video series, the student organization, and class presentations we will communicate
TFA’s broader mission while also communicating the types of leaders and individuals we need to apply. As
previously stated, it is essential that the UT students we are working to recruit see themselves within this
campaign. There’s little purpose in adding spin to what TFA does. Doing so would not serve our message well.
The purpose of this campaign is not to change the mission or organization itself, but to better communicate
the mission as it already exists, and ensure that the students we are recruiting are provided with the right
information in a way that’s genuine. The best way to do this is through telling a story—one that students will
see themselves in and one that students will want to be a part of. This personable communication strategy is
at the heart of our message.
UT’s slogan, “what starts here changes the world,” is very much at the heart of what TFA does as well.
We will take the ambition that lies within UT student leaders and ensure that the same drive for change and
empowerment is seen within TFA’s mission. We saw this within our qualitative research. The mission of the
organization is already aligned with the values of UT students, but those values need to be showcased through
this campaign in a way that inspires students who want to make a difference to be the force that drives
change within the education system and promotes educational equity. A video series highlighting the positive
experiences that UT students, alumni, and professors have had with TFA will be able to tell this story
effectively. Through our secondary research, we know that this will be an effective medium in reaching our
target audience as they are highly likely to click on, watch, and share a video on Facebook.
One of TFA’s biggest issues is misunderstandings regarding the way the organization is run. Every
student we interviewed made a false statement about TFA. Some said that corps members do not have
practical experience or that they aren’t provided with mentors. It is important to note that these students

recognize that TFA is a challenge, but that they took no issue with this. Instead, they embraced the idea of a
challenge. This attitude a strength for our campaign. Some of the students we interviewed are looking into
organizations such as the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps. The information these students are seeking needs to be
readily available to them as soon as they look into TFA. If it is only presented within several pages on the TFA
website the likelihood that it will be found is slim, as evidenced by the misperceptions present in our qualitative
research. If this information is placed into a video that tells the stories of the individuals who UT student
leaders already go to when searching for career advice, they will gain a much deeper understanding of the
preparation that goes into being a TFA corps member as well as how the experience prepares individuals for
their careers. In highlighting how the summer institute prepared teachers and how they’ve used their experience
in TFA to better themselves and their careers, our message will be stronger. The message needs to make TFA
more appealing than competing postgraduate opportunities. In order to communicate this, we will again focus
on the individual experiences of those who serve as corps members and how these experiences have enriched
their lives.
Measuring Success
After applying this campaign to TFA’s efforts of recruiting UT students, it is critical that we ensure that
our research, message, and positioning are accurately and effectively carried out. Our campaign’s success will
be measured by the increase in TFA applications from students on the UT campus from the year 2016 to the
year 2017, so that the program can be properly implemented for a full year. In addition to the overall increase
in applications from students on the UT campus, we will need to measure the activity drawn from our message
through each communication channel used. We will assess success of our student organization through
membership, attendance, and participation.
We will use Facebook analytics to measure the popularity of our Facebook videos including: views, likes,
and shares. Through Facebook analytics, it will be easy to keep track of individual posts and their success in
order to tailor our Facebook presence along the way to highlight the most effective and highly engaging posts.
Lastly, we will need to measure the increase in responses to the class presentations following our modified
message by comparing the number of contact information sheets we receive back from students as well as the
number of contact sheets marked with “interested”. By these two measures we will be able to see not only the

reach of these presentations, but also the increase in positive responses. After adding this contact information
to TFA’s system, we will be able to calculate the amount of applications received from the email addresses we
were provided.
PR Headline
In a nation facing the toughest recruitment conditions in decades, TFA has seen a stark decline in
application submissions over the past few years. At TFA’s recruitment peak in 2013, 57,000 people applied to
the corps. At the close of the 2016 corps recruitment season, TFA recorded that there were 37,000
applications. With a 20,000 count decrease in applications over the span of just a few years, it is clear that
the importance of recruitment has never been more necessary. It is important to note that despite the
downward trend, recruitment efforts on the UT campus in particular have been on the rise and competing for
the top application count in the nation. This kind of success (as it continues to increase with each application
round), is a notable phenomenon within TFA recruitment, and is something for the UT community to take pride in
as its members act as leading contributors to the movement for educational equity and excellence.
In order to leverage this sense of pride and success on the UT campus, the recruitment team will take
advantage of various public relations methods both earned and owned. For the owned efforts, the UT
recruitment team will use the spread of our campaign’s Facebook video series to garner further media
attention. By promoting the sharing and posting of these videos from the personal pages of those featured in
the videos, as well as on the social pages of other highlighted organizations or UT communities, the video
series’ reach will spread on a larger scale than the UT TFA Facebook page’s current posts. This will ultimately
increase engagement and awareness of our campaign’s message as well as the general image of successful
recruitment efforts on campus. Furthermore, we will have the opportunity to advance our message within our
own student organization and encourage word-of-mouth awareness through our organization’s members who
will share this with their own social groups and other points of involvement on campus. Both of these owned PR
pushes will be supported by the mention of these efforts in our classroom presentations in order to drive our
target audience towards these media efforts and increase awareness of our campaign.

With the attention we work to garner for our campaign, earned media opportunities will likely arise and
should be taken advantage of. If UT does secure the position as the number one contributor of leaders to the
TFA corps, that is newsworthy without a doubt. Publications such as The Daily Texan and Orange Magazine will
most likely be willing to feature a story about the UT students who are leading the movement towards
educational equity and excellence. This will further spread campaign success awareness and promote a sense
of Longhorn TFA pride while spreading positive brand association overall.
In Summary
The strong and steady increase of TFA applications at UT goes to show just how important strong
recruitment is. However, as can be evidenced by the purpose of this campaign, there is room for improvement.
By combining our research with inspiring consumer insights, we have devised a campaign that will
pinpoint the opportunities for growth for TFA recruitment on the UT campus. These opportunities are rooted in
this campaign’s mission to reach service-oriented students whose leadership experiences have molded their
values to align seamlessly with the TFA mission. Through a personable and empowering message that highlights
TFA’s values while demystifying our target audience’s concerns, the What Started Here recruitment efforts have
the opportunity to become the example of recruitment success for the organization on a national level. The
more leaders that UT contributes to the corps, the larger and stronger the movement towards educational
equity and excellence will grow, and more students’ lives will be changed by the hard work and service of these
leaders to demonstrate once again that what starts here changes the world.
 

TFA Qualitative Interview Questions
For those who have not applied: 
1. What kinds of post-grad opportunities are you interested in (i.e. full time position, master’s program, gap
year/travel, service programs, professional internships, training program, etc.)? 
2. When seeking career advice, who do you go to or what do you research? 
3. Who or what has influenced you most in your career planning journey? 
4. Have you heard about TFA, and if so, how? 
5. What would make you more inclined to apply to TFA and then take opportunity? 
If no: why? What’s holding you back? 
If not interested for TFA: What is it about your plan that made you want to apply to that program? 
6. Does TFA’s mission align with your career expectations? Why or why not? 
7. Is there something that I should have asked you that I haven’t?

Works Cited:
"The Latest on Facebook Video | Facebook Newsroom." Facebook Newsroom. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
"Rallying the Next Generation of Leaders | Teach For America." Teach For America. 2016. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
"Teach For America." Teach For America. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

Teach For America Campaign Paper

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (6)

Andere mochten auch

Andere mochten auch (7)

Ähnlich wie Teach For America Campaign Paper

Ähnlich wie Teach For America Campaign Paper (20)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

Teach For America Campaign Paper