Dear Public Awareness Campaign Proposer,

Dear Public Awareness Campaign Proposer, The Education Alliance is launching an enormously exciting yet challenging effort through a statewide public engagement initiative. Through this initiative, The Education Alliance seeks to develop and implement a comprehensive public engagement outreach effort that promotes a greater public understanding of and support for a strong West Virginia public education system. West Virginia s education system has made much forward progress recently. Governor Tomblin, working with the state legislature, has taken a strong leadership role to strengthen education policy issues. The State Board of Education is taking an active role in its commitment to improve public education. Various organizations such as The Education Alliance and other community organizations have rallied in support of these efforts. However, in this rural state, these efforts have not yet moved far enough beyond the halls of the state capitol and into the main street dialogue of citizens across the state. The Education Alliance is seeking a partner to help us with marketing and public relations in order to get the word out and compel West Virginians to support and engage in our efforts. With this RFP we hope that you will be interested in helping broaden support through improved and increased media. The Scope of Work on page 7 drills down to the heart of the matter, with the application following. Written inquiries are welcome after the release of the RFP: November 14 through 24, 2014, to which all responses will be publically posted within one week. The deadline for proposals is January 7, 2015. The selected public relations partner will work with The Education Alliance for six months (February 2015 through July 2015). Please consider joining us in touching the lives of many thousands of West Virginia learners and in the process of moving our state forward as we build understanding and support for a strong West Virginia public education system. Sincerely, Amelia Courts, Ed.D. President/CEO info@educationalliance.org 1

THE EDUCATION ALLIANCE Request for Proposals Public Awareness Campaign The Education Alliance The Education Alliance 803 Quarrier Street, Suite 500 Post Office Box 3071 Charleston, WV 25301 304-342-7850 info@educationalliance.org Schedule Issuance of Request for Proposal November 14, 2014 Bidders Conference If you wish to participate, please email info@educationalliance.org to request an appointment no later than November 17 th November 19, 2014 2:00-5:00 PM EST Written questions, requests for clarification and suggested changes due from companies November 24, 2014 5:00 PM EST Posted written responses to questions, requests for clarification and suggested changes December 1, 2014 5:00 PM EST Proposals Due January 7, 2015 5:00 PM EST 2

RFP THE EDUCATION ALLIANCE TABLE OF CONTENTS Section I Proposal Instructions and Conditions 4 Section II Scope of Work 7 Section III Proposal Content 11 Section IV Form Proposal 12 Section V Proposal Compliance Form 13 Please note: an electronic version of this Request for Proposals can be downloaded from http://www.educationalliance.org 3

The Education Alliance Section I Proposal Instructions and Conditions 1.1. General The Education Alliance (also referred to as the Alliance ) is interested in acquiring the services of a reputable and proven media and public relations company with a demonstrated ability to provide services in an efficient, professional manner, to assist with the public awareness campaign of The Education Alliance. 1.2 Description of the Project The Education Alliance is a nonprofit organization that advocates for a quality public education for all West Virginia children. It was established in July 1983 as the first statewide public education fund in the nation. It was the brainchild of West Virginia business executives, who saw the importance of supporting public schools and giving the business community a voice in education. Through this initiative, The Education Alliance will develop and implement a comprehensive public engagement outreach effort that promotes a greater public understanding of and support for a strong public education system. Through this initiative, the Alliance will utilize a public relations company to develop and deliver key messages, and implement the public outreach effort at both state and local levels through a variety of traditional and social media. 1.3 The Education Alliance s Representative All inquiries or requests for clarification or interpretation or to notify the Alliance of errors or omissions relating to this Request must be directed, in writing via e-mail, by November 24, 2014 at 5:00pm EST, to the President/CEO Dr. Amelia Courts. (This is the only person that respondents may communicate with relating to this request until the award of a contract.) Dr. Amelia Courts, President/CEO The Education Alliance 803 Quarrier Street, Suite 500 Charleston, WV 25301 info@educationalliance.org Any questions received after the date listed above will not be considered for response unless the Alliance considers it in its best interest to provide such response. Responses to questions will be posted to www.educationalliance.org by December 1, 2014. 4

1.4. Each Company, by submitting a proposal, acknowledges its representatives have: 1.4.1 Read and completely understood the proposed Contract Documents contained in this RFP. The Contract Documents shall consist of this RFP (Proposal Instructions and Conditions, Terms and Conditions of the Contract, Scope of Work, Proposal Content, Form of Proposal and all attachments); any subsequent Addenda issued, Bidders response to this RFP and any contractual agreement that may result from this RFP. 1.4.2 Based their proposal upon the requirements described in the Scope of Work Documents. 1.5 Receipt of Proposals 1.5.1 Proposals are to be submitted in electronically via email at the address listed in 1.3 above with the Subject heading RFP Public Engagement. Proposals must be received by the President/CEO, of The Education Alliance at info@educationalliance.org. Any proposal received after the time specified for the receipt of proposals may not be considered and may be returned to the sender as non-responsive. 1.5.2 The Alliance reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals and to waive any irregularities, technicalities or informalities in proposals if such waiver does not substantially change the offer or provide an unfair competitive advantage to any Company. The Alliance reserves the right to request additional documents or proposal clarifications after the due date and time for proposal submission. 1.5.3 All opened proposals become the property of the Alliance and will not be returned to the proposer. 1.6 Prerogatives of the Alliance This solicitation does not commit the Alliance to award a contract or to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal and submission of proposals, costs incurred in making necessary studies for the preparation of proposals. The Alliance reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received; to negotiate with any qualified respondent or respondents; or to cancel, in part or in its entirety, this RFP at any time and for any reason, in the sole discretion of the Alliance. 1.7 Qualification of Company 1.7.1 The Alliance shall make such investigations as deemed necessary to 5

determine the ability of Company to provide the expected services. 1.7.2 The Alliance reserves the right to reject any proposal if the evidence submitted by, or investigation of, such Company fails to satisfy the Alliance that said Company is properly qualified to carry out the obligations specified herein. 1.7.3 The Alliance reserves the right to award the contract for services based on the proposal(s) determined to be in its best interest. 1.8 Proposal Budget The total budget for the project is $120,000. Partnerships are a vital part of this public service to the citizens of West Virginia. For that reason, the Alliance requires a minimum 50% match of the successful bidder which must be accounted for as part of this proposal. Match may take the form of administrative expense absorption, contribution of professional services beyond what is invoiced, co-contributed funds, etc. 1.9 Proposal Evaluation The Alliance will select a Company on the basis of proposals received in response to this RFP and any other information the Alliance acquires regarding a company s ability to perform. The Alliance will evaluate proposals and may select one or more companies based on responses to this RFP. All proposals submitted in response to this RFP will be reviewed for responsiveness by the President/CEO prior to referral to the review committee. The committee will then evaluate all responsive proposals in accordance with the criteria described below. The contract will be awarded to the Company whose overall offer is deemed to be the most advantageous to the Alliance as determined by the evaluation committee, and the Alliance. In preparing responses, proposers should describe in great detail how they propose to meet the specifications/scope of work detailed in this RFP. Significant consideration will be given to the value added and in-kind contribution of the company to leverage the program budget for the greatest public engagement impact. The Evaluation Criteria utilized for this Request for Proposal will be based upon, but not limited to, the following criteria which are listed in no particular order: 1.9.1 Cost of services and expenses, including cost-match 1.9.2 Ability to provide satisfactory experience and background 1.9.3 Form of Proposal response 1.9.4 Demonstrated expertise/experience in marketing and public relations 1.9.5 Qualifications of personnel assigned 6

Section II Scope of Work Background: The Education Alliance is launching an enormously exciting yet challenging effort through Our Public Engagement initiative. Through this initiative, The Education Alliance seeks to develop and implement a comprehensive public engagement outreach effort to promote a greater public understanding of and support for a strong public education system. The Education Alliance is seeking a partner to help us with marketing and public relations in order to get the word out and compel West Virginians to support and engage in our efforts. The partnership should leverage two key approaches to promote improved and increased media at both the state and local level: Collaborate with the Steering Committee to determine key messages and then build media relations, strengthen relationships with appropriate centers of influence and launch a statewide media campaign. *Note -the specific message should not be submitted in the RFP but rather will be developed after the selected firm has met with the Steering Committee. General guiding principles for messaging include: Showcase students as the ultimate product a quality public education Convey a sense of urgency for education to change/do better coupled with a sense of hope and optimism that change is possible Include an overarching theme that is clean, simple (e.g. education is our future preparing kids for life ) Be balanced in scope articulate specific subpoints (e.g. high school graduation, students ready for college or career) but don t get lost in details Use visual imaging to illustrate deeper subtexts Be inspirational and relatable to a variety of audiences (e.g. grandparents, business leaders, politicians etc.) particularly those without a strong connection to education Include a call to action for the various audiences that defines their responsibility, increases their accountability and connects them with the roles that we all must play to help students succeed. Prepare resources to support a grassroots communication campaign in communities across the state enabling them to adopt and implement activities that support overall marketing messages. Develop a communication template for community-level customization and local messaging Provide support and technical assistance to tailor local messaging and live events that will engage parents, students and local business leaders. 7

Include a call to action template for local audiences so that specific asks for the audience can be customized at the local level (e.g. volunteers may be asked to participate in read aloud, career awareness, mentoring, entrepreneurial internships, etc.) 2.1 General Duties of the Work The selected Company will lead the marketing and public relations components of the Alliance s public engagement effort. The term of the resulting Contract will be for 6 months, beginning February 1, 2015. 2.2 Scope of Work 2.1.1 All money spent by the company for marketing and public relations on behalf of the initiative will be estimated in advance, including expected subcontracts, and communicated to the Alliance prior to award of the project. 2.1.2 The Alliance is requesting an outline of the costs associated with retaining a marketing/public relations agency for the services listed below: 2.1.2.1 Marketing and public relations campaign development 2.1.2.2 Public relations activities 2.1.2.3 Content development and design of printed materials 2.1.2.4 Social media buys negotiations and placement 2.1.2.5 Advertising theme/brand development 2.1.2.6 Television and radio advertisement/psa development and production 2.1.2.7 All miscellaneous charges (printing, mailing, shipping, scanning, packaging, output charges) 2.2.1 Marketing and Public Relations Campaign Development The Company, in cooperation with the Education Alliance and the Alliance s public awareness steering committee, will create and recommend a public messaging campaign geared to increase awareness and support for a strong public education system. 8

2.2.2 Public Relations Activities The Company will develop public relations activities to promote a greater public understanding of and support for a strong public education system. This will include testing draft messages to ensure the message resonates appropriately, recommending key message platforms that will best position West Virginia s public engagement initiative, feature writing, assistance with story development, event coordination and set up and other activities mutually agreed upon by the Alliance and the public awareness committee. 2.2.3 Design and Print Development The Company will develop copy and design for all print pieces and procure print and/or placement for publication, displays, advertising, billboards and other printed materials required to execute the public messaging campaign with final approval by Alliance and the public awareness committee. 2.2.4 Social Media The Company will develop a social media campaign targeting parents and children, business, government, and public officials to provide a transparent customer service communication channel in order to promote awareness and support for a strong public education system. Currently, the Alliance utilizes several social media tools Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and other relevant channels of communication and is looking for a comprehensive plan to integrate appropriate social media tools into the overall marketing and public relations strategy. The above must be approved by the Alliance and the public awareness committee. 2.2.5 Radio Advertising/PSA Placement The Company will be responsible for all radio ad/psa negotiations, placement, production and talent. Company will oversee the creation and placement of ad/psa campaign broadcast on stations throughout West Virginia. As part of this responsibility, Company will handle day-to-day distribution of all radio copy and pre-produced productions to the appropriate stations. Company will propose a budget to spend on radio ad buys/psa placement. 2.2.6 Broadcast Television/Cable TV Advertising /PSAs The Company will be responsible for the design, editing, production and placement of television/cable advertising for the Alliance. The Company will propose a budget to spend on broadcast advertisement buys/psa placement. 9

2.2.7 Web Site Enhancement The Company will create additional functionality to enhance the Alliance s website (www.educationalliance.org/ourvoice). The Company will work with the Alliance in determining and executing additions to the website. 2.3 Timeline of Work January 2015 February 2015 February July 2015 March July 2015 July 2015 Public Relations (PR) Company selected and contract established. Initial planning discussions with PR company to solidify key messages. Steering Committee convenes to review drafts of PR Company message map, marketing plan and communication template for community-level customization. PR Company implements a comprehensive communication plan that promotes key messages through statewide marketing and is expanded using a communication template for community-level customization and local messaging. The Education Alliance establishes 10 partnership agreements with community organizations across the state to utilize the PR template to customize media resources, implement local outreach efforts, and galvanize local community support. Ten community partners receive grants to implement the effort and engage their communities (agreement requires a 1:1 dollar match of the successful communities which must be accounted for in the proposal. Matches may take the form of community planning meetings, local media coverage, inkind social media promotion among local organizations etc.). Education Alliance provides technical support in implementing local events. PR company submits summative report with analysis of the total project impact and evaluation results of changes in public perception. 10

Section III Proposal Content It is important that proposal responses contain enough information to permit the evaluation team to fully understand the Company s capabilities. The Alliance is requesting responses to this RFP that, at a minimum, include the following: 3.1 Form of Proposal Form of Proposal completed and signed by the Company s representative. 3.2 References The Company is to submit a list of three references for which they have performed similar work. The references should include client name, address, telephone number, email, work performed for client, date of work and client contact. Attach as Supplement 1. 3.3 Company Profile The Company should provide a one-page company profile listing company history, specifically relating to Scope of Work (Section II). Also, include any other pertinent information that can be used to evaluate the Company. Attach as Supplement 2. 3.4 Staff Profile The Company should include a profile including: degrees, training, years of experience, etc. of specific staff members who, if awarded, would be involved on the project. Also identified should be the Company staff person who would be directly responsible for this Contract, if awarded. Attach as Supplement 3. 3.5 Specific Experience The Company should describe experience working with diverse entities of the public and private sectors in the specified areas. Include any similar experience. Attach as Supplement 4. 3.6 Fees The length of contract is to commence in 2015 beginning February 1, 2015 with a projected end date of July 30, 2015, with the possibility of renewal. The Company should detail the proposed compensation/fees for the work to be performed for the Alliance. Submit a specific price breakdown of fee structure for hours, production, etc. Attach as Supplement 5. 11

Section IV Form of Proposal Company Name: Official Address: Company Telephone Number Lead Contact Name: Lead Contact Telephone Number Lead Contact Email: Company Authorized Signature Company Authorized Name (Print) Date: 12

Section V Proposal Compliance Form Please note: Proposal may be considered incomplete unless the following are included with offer. Indicate compliance by placing a check mark in the space provided. All documents should be included in the order provided below. This form should be returned with the proposal as the last page. Compliance [ ] Form of Proposal completed and signed by Company s authorized official. [ ] Supplement 1 (References) [ ] Supplement 2 (Company Profile) [ ] Supplement 3 (Staff Profile) [ ] Supplement 4 (Specific Experience) [ ] Supplement 5 (Fees) Proposals must be received by: January 7, 2015, at 5:00PM EST 13