Development of a Social Media Strategy

Corporate office: 131 West Tyler Street, Elkhart, Indiana 46516 Contact: Tina Fraley, CFO; responsible for finance, human resources and operations. Council on Aging of Elkhart County Inc has been operating for 45 years as a non-government, non-profit entity serving the aging and disabled. The organization serves the 3rd largest aging population in the state of Indiana with a vast range of life-saving and wellness care services including transportation, in-home care, Medicare consulting, money management and more. As a non-profit, our mission is to serve those in our community to foster wellness among those unable to attain a quality-of-life without assistance from external resources. Our clients rely on a low or fixed income to obtain the necessities in life, including rent, food and an increasing need for medical care. Currently, 96% of our clients rely on financial assistance to access the supplemental care services offered by our organization. We have assumed the responsibility for making those financial resources available to our clients, including grant funding and accepting all forms of insurance (e.g., Medicaid). These resources pay only 13-63% of actual service cost. Community support in the form of donations is required to compensate us for the remaining cost. Historically, our organization has experienced a variety of barriers in capturing support within the community, including a misunderstanding in the inherent barriers for the aging and disabled in achieving quality-of-life, a misconception our organization is a government entity receiving tax allocations, and a general lack of prioritization of the elderly as a responsibility of the community. Our organization has made advancements in community awareness through word-of-mouth and one-on-one meetings. With demand increasing for the last five consecutive years, further development is critical for the care of residents throughout the county. The development of a complete marketing strategy is necessary for continuing success in our mission. Social media opportunities will be the most cost effective approach for us to educate a broad audience on the needs of our clients. This will include an accurate understanding of our target market, which includes various demographics. As a result of this course, students will gain an understanding of the aging populations needs (representative of all communities across the United States), the influential dynamics facing mission driven organizations, the barriers to success of mission driven organizations operating in a profit-driven environment, and the understanding of reaching a diverse age demographic in our market. This course is best suited for those pursuing careers in marketing and business development.