Carrie Skuzeski

Principles of Public Relations

12-4-14
Public Relations Plan: Adelante Mujeres
Situation Analysis
Mission:
Adelante Mujeres is a nonprofit organization based in Forest Grove, Oregon. It was
founded in 2002 by Bridget Cooke and her sister Barbara Raymond. When working with other
organizations in the community, the two sisters observed that the Latina women did not take part
in programs that their husbands or fathers were taking part in. In order to empower these women
and encourage their involvement in the community and the pursuit of personal and professional
improvement, Cooke and Raymond founded Adelante Mujeres, which means forward women
in English. With immediate and strong feedback by Latina women, Adelante Mujeres has grown
rapidly over the past 12 years, helping and working with more than 1,400 families.
Adelante Mujeres works to provide holistic education and empowerment opportunities
to low income Latina women and their families, in order to ensure full participation and active
leadership in the community. They believe strongly in developing a healthy community,
supporting personal growth in all individuals, fostering awareness about the importance of
diversity and intercultural exchanges and living and farming sustainably in a manner that
respects the Earth. Beyond its focus on education, Adelante Mujeres has created various sectors
within their organization to better support the entire Latino population in the surrounding area.
Adelante Mujeres main programs include Adult Educacin (Adult Education),
Agricultura (Agriculture), Chicas (Girls), Early Childhood Educacin (Early Childhood
Education), Empresas (small business development), ESPERE (Escuela de Perdn y
Reconciliacin (School of Forgiveness and Reconciliation)), and the Forest Grove Farmers

Market. All of these programs are targeted toward Latino people of all ages living near western
Washington County. Usually these Latino people are low-income immigrants. Anyone can
support Adelante Mujeres by donating money to the organization or dedicating time as a
volunteer. There are many volunteer positions available in each program. For example, the Adult
Educacin program offers a position for a Computer Literacy Tutor, who assists participants with
building basic computer knowledge and skills. Although these positions are for volunteers only,
many can be set up as an internship or work-study opportunity.
External Environment:
Adelante Mujeres is part of the nonprofit organizations industry in the Pacific Northwest.
Specifically, it is part of the nonprofit industry that focuses on social justice and Latino
immigrants. Characteristics of the industry include small to medium sized organizations, limited
resources and dependence on grants, partnerships, sponsorships, donations and volunteers. Many
organizations in this industry reach people in smaller, rural areas and particularly low-income
Latino people.
All nonprofits depend on outside resources like the ones mentioned above, and Adelante
Mujeres must compete with other nonprofits in finding them. Even during periods of economic
stability, businesses and donors are strained to provide adequate support needed by nonprofits.
Since Adelante Mujeres is located in small city in a rural area, there are limited numbers of
residents or businesses in the community that are able to offer support. Therefore, an economic
factor that affects Adelante Mujeres is that outside people and groups are not always able to give
money and time to the organization. Since Forest Grove is a small, rural city, and the majority of
Washington County is rural, there is an even smaller economic base to provide for organizations
like Adelante Mujeres.

Adelante Mujeres receives a relatively large amount of financial assistance from the
government (Adelante Mujeres Financial Statements, 2013). Therefore, the government is an
external factor that carries a lot of weight with the state of the organization. If the government
chose to cut funding it gives to Adelante Mujeres it would likely create devastating problems for
the organization. In order for Adelante Mujeres to maintain the financial assistance, the
government must continue to consider that helping low income Latinos is an important endeavor
and include grants for organizations like Adelante Mujeres in its budget.
Adelante Mujeres is constantly monitoring and influenced by issues surrounding
immigration and Latino rights recurrently discussed in politics and the media. Any major
political decisions pertaining to immigrants affect the organization and industry as a whole.
Adelante Mujeres participants and the advocacy work that it engages in are contingent on
political circumstances. The direction that Latino rights move in the political sphere has a larger
influence on all other external factors, as politics inevitably shape governmental, cultural and
social conditions.
Cultural and social factors influence Adelante Mujeres and its industry also. Racism and
reluctance to support Latino immigrants are realities that organizations in this industry face, even
those in a relatively progressive region like the Pacific Northwest. There are many people in
Washington County who take conservative stances on issues such as immigration and Latino
rights. Many of those people do not agree with immigrants receiving support from the
government, community or other sources. They sometimes contend that there are Americans who
were born in the country that need such assistance and deserve it before immigrants. This could
impact Adelante Mujeres in the sense that it is not receiving direct support from these
individuals. But also because those people could spread negative publicity about Adelante

Mujeres and other organizations like it, hindering efforts to achieve a more open-minded culture
in Washington County and the U.S. In order to achieve one of Adelante Mujeres main goals,
which is to foster cultural acceptance and intercultural exchange, there must be a heightened
awareness of the importance of Latino rights, particularly in Washington County.
Service Analysis:
Adelante Mujeres competitors are other nonprofits, specifically those designed to help
low-income Latino families. There are other organizations that help Latino people in Oregon,
such as the Latino Community Association that operates in Central Oregon. However, besides
Adelante Mujeres, there are none in or close to Washington County that offer such a diverse
breadth of support to Latinos. This is one reason why Adelante Mujeres has been successful in
retaining such a large number of Latino participants in its programs. The most pressing
competitors of Adelante Mujeres are all type of nonprofit organizations and charities located near
to Washington County because each one requires donors and volunteers. Given that Adelante
Mujeres is located in a small, rural city, there are only so many local residents and businesses
that can dedicate money and time to volunteer. However, since Adelante Mujeres has received
many awards, such as the third best medium-sized nonprofit to work for in Oregon in 2011 and a
lot of favorable attention from the media for positively impacting its participants and community,
it maintains a sound reputation and is trusted by its various publics (Oregon Business, 2011).
Therefore, because Adelante Mujeres is the only nonprofit offering such a variety of programs
and resources for Latinos in the Washington County area, and since it has proven to be a
considerably positive impact on the area, it is very strong and successful in comparison to its
competitors.

One threat to Adelante Mujeres is that its based in Forest Grove. Its location is not a
complete drawback because the population of Latinos in the area is high and having farmland
nearby is necessary for functions of its sustainable agriculture program. However, the small
general population of Forest Grove and its distance from major cities do present a threat. There
are not as many people who will come to events, pass by the office or see posters, to name a few
examples, in order to become aware of the organization and see donating or volunteering to it as
an option. Also, there are many participants that could benefit from Adelante Mujeres services,
such as those living in Hillsboro or Beaverton, but they live far enough away that traveling to
Forest Grove regularly isnt doable.
Another threat is that, as a smaller nonprofit organization, Adelante Mujeres relies on
outside funds and resources to be constantly available in order to carry out the functions of its
programs. For all of its endeavors, Adelante Mujeres relies on grants, partnerships, sponsorships,
donations and volunteers. Applying for grants from the government and other institutions is
essential to find adequate financial assistance, but the chance that those grants arent bestowed to
the organization is a realistic and major threat. Many of the grants and donations given to
Adelante Mujeres are restricted, meaning that the funds are to be used for purposes specified by
the grant or donation provider. This is a threat because depending on the value of the funds and
how often they are given, Adelante Mujeres must adjust its budget and plans for its programs
(Adelante Mujeres Financial Statements, 2013). There are other outside resources that Adelante
Mujeres counts on receiving aside from financial aid. If members of the Forest Grove
community and others in the surrounding area did not dedicate their time as volunteers, Adelante
Mujeres would be hard pressed to achieve the goals of its programs. Adelante Mujeres also relies
on community members to attend its events such as the Forest Grove Farmers Market and the

Fiesta of Hope, the latter being an annual celebration of the achievements obtained by the
organization and its participants with auctions and other fundraising activities. Adelante Mujeres
depends on backing by local businesses and organizations in various ways. For example, the
Forest Grove Community Center allows participants of the Sabor Color program to use its
commercial kitchen to make food for their businesses. Also, a restaurant on the same street as the
Adelante Mujeres office volunteers to wash for free all of the dishes used by people at the Forest
Grove Farmers Market who buy meals at the food booths.
The lack of and the constant need for volunteers is also a threat for Adelante Mujeres.
Since it doesnt have the funds to employ as many people as is ideal, each program relies on
volunteers to fulfill its goals. Adelante Mujeres does succeed in rallying some volunteers but,
because there are not enough, it places a great deal of stress on these volunteers. For example,
the Forest Grove Farmers Market has a high demand for volunteer support. Each week there are
volunteers who show up, but they are usually spread thin with the amount of work they are asked
to do. This stress is likely to drive them away and discourage them from urging others to
volunteering.
Therefore, finding more volunteers is also a notable opportunity for Adelante Mujeres. If
there were enough volunteers required for each occasion, its environment would be much more
efficient and relaxed. Meeting the goals of each program would be more doable and effective.
With more volunteers, Adelante Mujeres could expand its programs and create even more
opportunities for its Latino participants.
Another opportunity for Adelante Mujeres is to incorporate its participants in its
promotional efforts. Many of the participants lives have been dramatically influenced and
improved by the organization. These participants have many stories to tell about the way

Adelante Mujeres has benefited their lives. Such stories could be used as a powerful tool in
raising awareness about Adelante Mujeres and why its a nonprofit worth supporting. The
Adelante Mujeres website does feature a few statements from the Latino people it helps.
However, it should feature many more from a variety of individuals, on different platforms
besides it website and in new, creative ways.
One of Adelante Mujeres strengths is that it offers a unique selection of programs to its
participants, emphasizing independence and the pursuit of personal passions. It offers a resource
for Latinos that is unique to many others intended for them. Rather than only offering financial
aid or medical services, to name a few examples, it provides an opportunity for Latinos to be
self-sufficient. Participants gain knowledge and skills that will help them flourish professionally
and in all other aspects of life in the U.S. With the variety of classes and other opportunities
offered to Latinos of all ages, Adelante Mujeres does not impinge on any one individuals pursuit
of passions or careers. Using this approach, Adelante Mujeres attempts to solve the root of the
problems that low income Latinos typically experience, such as not finding a job.
Another strength is the collaboration and partnership between Adelante Mujeres and the
Forest Grove and Hillsboro school districts. Adelante Mujeres overall mission to educate and
empower Latinos connects in many ways to the missions of these two school districts. The
Oregon Department of Education reports that just more than one half of Latino students graduate
high school (Adelante Mujeres Early Childhod Education, 2014). These school districts are
making efforts to change those patterns and provide assistance that Latino students need to be
successful. Programs at Adelante Mujeres also strive to improve the quality of education that
Latino students receive and to instill confidence within them to pursue their educational goals.

The two school districts work often with Adelante Mujeres in connecting students and their
families to the organization and in other ways.
An additional strength for Adelante Mujeres is that it has a strong and passionate
administration. Cooke and Raymond founded the organization because they were personally
moved by challenges faced by Latina women and the Latino community as a whole. As a small
organization, the two founders are able to ensure that every employee embraces its values and
philosophy. Also, many of the employees are from the local area and many are Latinos.
Therefore, there are many personal incentives for the entire organization to be dedicated to its
work. The employees are an important internal resource that can be drawn upon to ensure
success for its programs as well as the public relations plan that will be implemented. Another
internal resource that benefits Adelante Mujeres is that they employ Latino people, many of
which are past or current Adelante Mujeres Participants. For example, one woman is an assistant
for the Adelante Chicas program while she also participates in Sabor Color and as a vendor in the
Forest Grove Farmers Market.
Target Audience:
The target audience for the plan will be children and adults between the ages of 14 and 60
who live in or near to Washington County. They will be part of the middle or upper class. As the
goal of the campaign is to rally more volunteers, it is logical to target individuals living near to
Adelante Mujeres who will feel more inclined to help an organization close to home. Such a
wide range of ages is necessary because there are opportunities for young people to volunteer as
well as older people. Those who are part of the middle or upper classes are more likely to have
time and resources available to dedicate to Adelante Mujeres.

The target audience will be those concerned with social justice and Latino rights in
particular. They will be open-minded and culturally sensitive with curiosity to learn about and
interact with people from a different culture. They will embrace environmentally sustainable
practices and agree with progressive movements such as eating locally produced food. They are
passionate about their community and putting forth effort to improve it, not only for their benefit,
but also for the benefit of everyone living there.
The Plan
Goal:
To increase awareness about Adelante Mujeres and its programs and express need for
voluntary support in order to recruit more volunteers. This is the goal because Adelante Mujeres
depends on volunteers to successfully execute its programs and overall mission to improve the
lives of low-income Latinos. Although many people do volunteer for the organization on a
regular basis, it is often a struggle to find as many as is truly needed. It is necessary that new
people be convinced to start volunteering, while past volunteers be reminded that the
requirement of their help is ever present.
Objectives:
The first objective is to increase awareness about Adelante Mujeres and its need for
volunteers to the younger half of the target audience (ages 14 to 37) to increase the number of
younger volunteers from the previous year by 25%.
The second objective is to increase awareness about Adelante Mujeres and its need for
volunteers to the older half of the target audience (ages 38 to 60) to increase the number of older
volunteers from the previous year by 25%.

The plan will be guided by the social exchange theory, which holds that individuals and
groups consider the costs and benefits of any behavior before initiating it. It contends that people
intend to behave in a manner that will result with low costs and high benefits. The social
exchange theory will serve this plan, as all strategies and forms of communication distributed for
it should be created with the goal to indicate to audiences that the costs of volunteering for
Adelante Mujeres are relatively low while the benefits of doing so are high. As a volunteer, an
individual is cost time and energy. However, he or she gains the opportunity to serve the
community, positively impact a group of people in need and contribute to progressive
movements at work on a much larger scale than just Washington County. Also, a volunteer is
able meet and socialize with others, acquire skills and knowledge, gain work experience as an
intern or credit for work study (if set up as such with Adelante Mujeres) and enjoy the rewarding
feelings that come with devoting time to meaningful causes.
Strategies, Tactics and Evaluation:
Two strategies will be used to accomplish the first objective stated above. First, we will
conduct a social media campaign in order to increase awareness about Adelante Mujeres and its
need for volunteers to the younger half of the target audience. The campaign will run from
January 1, 2015 until the Forest Grove Farmers Market season commences in early May 2015 in
order to rally younger volunteers who are able to do work necessary for the market to thrive. A
social media campaign is an appropriate strategy because social media plays a dominant role in
the lives of young individuals. The likelihood that a member of the younger target audience will
see a message on social media platform is more probable than seeing that message in a
newspaper or hearing it on the radio, for example. The first tactic used to carry out the social
media campaign strategy will be to create an Instagram for Adelante Mujeres as it currently only

uses Facebook and Twitter. Instagram is increasing in popularity each day, and is heavily used by
those who also use Facebook and Twitter. In order to reach the most individuals with the social
media campaign, an Instgram must first be created.
The second tactic will be to establish a theme and purpose for the social media campaign.
Using the hashtag #adelantevolunteer, users of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram who have
previously volunteered for Adelante Mujeres will be encouraged to post photos of or testimonies
about the work they have done for the organization. Using the same hashtag, Adelante Mujeres
will post photos of volunteers with short written explanations, photos of Adelante Mujeres
participants with text explaining why they appreciate those who volunteer and the personal
impact it has had on their lives and reminders about why Adelante Mujeres depends on
volunteers. The majority of these posts should have photos or video to increase the chances of
likes, shares, retweets and favorites. Providing a link to the volunteer page on its website in the
posts will also be valuable. Everything posted by Adelante Mujeres should integrate the
principles of the social exchange theory. For instance, the text that goes along with a picture of a
past volunteer should stress all of the positive outcomes that resulted from the persons volunteer
work. Posts about participants should also include the positive impact that volunteers have, but
also something that subtly suggests that only minimal amounts of time or effort can make a
legitimate difference. The effectiveness of the social media campaigns tactics will be evaluated
by counting the number of followers Adelante Mujeres gains on Instagram. The number of likes,
shares, retweets and favorites of content including the hashtag #adelantevolunteer across all three
social media platforms will also be counted.
The second strategy used to achieve the first objective will now be discussed. In order to
increase awareness about Adelante Mujeres and its need for volunteers to the younger half of the

target audience, controlled media will be given to local schools, colleges and organizations that
appeal to individuals within the targeted age range. In efforts to find new volunteers,
communicating directly to a place where a high number of the targeted audience congregates is a
plausible action. Some people in the younger target audience may not have the access to a smart
phone or may not have the permission to use social media. Also, a major incentive for
volunteering for Adelante Mujeres is that you may be able to count the volunteer hours toward an
internship or work-study credit. Those most likely to be interested in such incentives will be
students. The first tactic used to achieve this strategy will be to create a brochure. The brochure
will have photos and testimonies from Adelante Mujeres participants who have been positively
impacted by volunteers and will explain why volunteers are so important. It will also have photos
and testimonies of past volunteers explaining why they volunteered, what they gained in doing
so and why they want to encourage others to do the same. On the cover and toward the beginning
of the brochure, information about internships and work-study credit will be showcased. Also,
the hashtag #adelantevolunteer will be incorporated to achieve a more successful, synergetic
execution of the strategy.
The second tactic used will be to create a poster. This poster will include the same design
elements of the brochure so that it is obvious that the two deliver the same message. The poster
will not have as in-depth information as the brochure, but its design will be eye-catching and
visually appealing so to drive onlookers to pick up the brochure. Therefore, understandably so,
the posters should be hung in the locations where the brochures are distributed. The effectiveness
of these two tactics can only be measured by the number of brochures taken from the stacks
dispersed in the given locations.

Two strategies will also be used to accomplish the second objective stated above. The
first strategy will be to use uncontrolled media in order to increase awareness about Adelante
Mujeres and its need for volunteers to the older half of the target audience. The first tactic for
this strategy will be to write a press release that will be distributed to various media outlets in
Washington County such as the Hillsboro Argus, the Beaverton Valley Times and KPTV (FOX
12). The press release will include general information about Adelante Mujeres but not
exhaustively because many of these media outlets have reported on the organization before. The
press release will describe recent successes and positive progress Adelante Mujeres has achieved
and the current projects its working on. It will focus mainly on stressing the importance of
volunteers for the organization and how the progress its made stems for its volunteers help. The
press release will list multiple examples of specific and recent incidents when a volunteers
contribution made significant impacts on the organization and its participants. It will stress that
the need for more volunteers is significant and explain how those interested can become
involved. There will be descriptions of specific volunteer opportunities and the accentuation that
there are a variety of these opportunities appropriate for people of all ages and skill sets. The
final emphasis will be that volunteers can dedicate as little or as much time as theyd like but
even the smallest contributions translate to meaningful accomplishments. This is an example of
how the social exchange theory is guiding my plan. The press releases should also contain
information about a volunteer celebration that Adelante Mujeres will hold, which will be
discussed later in this report. This tactic will be evaluated by recording which media outlets run
stories about the press releases. Any reactions by consumers of these media outlets will also be
observed and recorded. An example of a reaction would be a comment left by a reader about a
story on one of the newspapers websites.

The second tactic will be to pitch a specific story to the Forest Grove News Times. It
makes sense to pitch a story to the Forest Grove News Times since they are the local paper and
will target individuals most likely to volunteer for Adelante Mujeres. It will not be necessary to
include background information about Adelante Mujeres because this newspaper has covered
stories about the organization multiple times. The pitch should discuss endeavors that Adelante
Mujeres are working on and what they are planning on working on in the near future. It should
emphasize the role volunteers have played in recent efforts, providing specific examples of how
they have contributed to positively impacting the Forest Grove community. The pitch should
explain that more volunteers are needed to more successfully carry out the work and goals of
Adelante Mujeres. It should underline the fact that it is very simple for Forest Grove residents to
volunteer and list the multiple types of volunteer work in which they could participate. Having
Latino participants explain why they appreciate the volunteers is an interesting angle a story
could take, and will be suggested in the pitch. Overall, it is important to stress in the pitch that
Adelante Mujeres is working to build a better community in Forest Grove and that they need
Forest Grove residents to help them achieve this goal. This tactic will be evaluated by noting
whether or not the Forest Grove News Times decides to run the story. If it does, the tactic will be
further evaluated by examining any comments about the story left by readers on the newspapers
website.
A celebration for past and potential volunteers will be held to increase awareness about
Adelante Mujeres and its need for volunteers to the older half of the target audience. Hosting a
volunteer celebration allows Adelante Mujeres to demonstrate its appreciation for all of the
volunteers who have contributed to the organization in a meaningful way. Also, it presents an
opportunity to convince potential volunteers to support the organization. The event will be held

at a winery that is willing to donate space and wine for guests. If needed, more than one winery
will be asked to donate wine. Other local businesses will be asked to contribute food for guests.
The first tactic for the event will be to promote it by sending emails to all previous volunteers,
posting it on the website and social media platforms and discussing it in the monthly newsletter.
Information about the event will be included in the press releases sent to various media outlets in
the area. Previous volunteers will be encouraged to invite and bring others to the event who have
not volunteered for Adelante Mujeres before. Obviously these people will need to 21 years of age
or older. An incentive for doing so will be that for each person they bring, a raffle ticket will be
entered into a drawing to win a case of wine donated by one of the local wineries that is willing
to do so. Information about this incentive will be clearly stated in all of the promotional efforts
for this event. In order to evaluate this tactic, all promotional messages will prompt invitees to
RSVP to the event. The number of people who RSVP and ask questions or comment on the event
via email or the various social media platforms will also be recorded.
The second tactic will be a speech delivered during the event by Cooke, the founder most
active in the organization, about how gracious Adelante Mujeres and its participants are for past
volunteers. She will explain the value volunteers truly have for the organization and why it needs
more volunteers in order to continue its success and expand its efforts. Since Cooke has close
personal relationships with many of the participants, it would be useful for her to disclose
moving stories about a few participants whose lives have been greatly impacted by volunteer
work. She will point out that there are volunteer opportunities for people of all walks of life, and
that even volunteering for a short amount of time is extremely beneficial. She will close the
speech by asking current volunteers to remain as important assets to Adelante Mujeres, by
encouraging potential volunteers at the event to dedicate their time and by asking all attendees to

spread the word that the organization is seeking more volunteers. This tactic will be difficult to
evaluate, however the reactions and overall demeanor of the crowd will be monitored as Cooke
gives her speech in order to estimate whether or not her speech is effective in inspiring attendees.
The fourth tactic will be to give attendees a coupon for a free meal from one of the food
vendors at the Forest Grove Farmers Market as they leave the event. This will be worthwhile
because, although guests may be inspired by activities during the celebration, once they leave
and return to their normal daily routines they may fail to recall why they were inspired to
volunteer. Hopefully attendees will save the coupon until market season commences just one
month later, that and every time they see it they will remember all that they learned at the event
and feel motivated to volunteer. Leaving one month between the event and the start of the market
is strategic so that attendees will have adequate time to ponder volunteering and be able to sign
up to volunteer at the market. This tactic will be evaluated by collecting the coupons from the
food vendors throughout the market season as they are used. Users will need to sign their name
on the coupon before they give it to the vendor. This way Adelante Mujeres can determine the
number of guests from the event who signed up to volunteer.

Works Cited
Adelante Mujeres. (n.d.). Adelantemujeres.org. Retrieved from http://www.adelantemujeres.org
Adelante Mujeres. (Adelante Mujeres1). (2014, June 12). Adelante Mujeres Early Childhood
Education (video file). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=mEwE1MuqG2A
Bottaini, Gallucci & OHanlon. (2013, Nov. 5). Adelante Mujeres Financial Statements. Bottaini,
Gallucci & OHanlon, P.C. Retrieved from http://www.adelantemujeres.org/storage/FY
%2012-13%20Financial%20Statements.pdf
Oregon Business. (2011, Sept. 22). 2011 List: 100 Best Nonprofits To Work For in Oregon.
Oregon Business.com. Retrieved from http://www.oregonbusiness.com/articles/104october-2011/5920-100-best-nonprofits?start=3