| Digital Inclusion Coalition – Madison Mayodan Recreation Commission REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: Community Awareness Marketing Campaign |
| Project Overview Rockingham County’s Digital Inclusion Coalition seeks to expand reliable, affordable high-speed internet access to all residents and provide the hardware, tools, and skills needed to improve their lives and livelihoods. Our vision is that all Rockingham County residents will have full access to quality broadband and the knowledge and skills needed to participate fully in our society, democracy, and economy regardless of socio-economic status. The Rockingham County Digital Inclusion Coalition, a group of local community agencies, seeks to partner with a marketing consultant to implement a bilingual awareness campaign that directly engages residents and makes them aware of digital access, affordability, and adoption resources within Rockingham County. This includes the development of a community outreach plan with strategic goals, a crafted and defined message, selected communication channels, and impact measurements. The campaign will include the creation of interactive maps (championed by Rockingham County Government), a digital resource directory, and print media such as workshops, flyers, yard signs, videos, PSAs, and branded materials. The Digital Inclusion Coalition desires, whenever possible, to contract qualified small and local vendors. The goal of this project is to increase understanding of digital inclusion opportunities as noted by designing a community awareness campaign that drives a clear brand message, and by creating all related promotional assets to be activated across all relevant print and digital mediums. Our ongoing, collective work serves as a catalyst for positive, sustainable infrastructure investments and digital inclusion initiatives aimed at affordability and literacy. Agency Overview Madison Mayodan Recreation Commission (MMRC) is the lead agency and fiscal agent for the County’s collective North Carolina Department of Information Community Champions grant, with input, shared planning, and collaboration from the Coalition. Madison Mayodan Recreation Commission/Town of Madison is responsible for funding distribution and documentation, as well as all financial reporting to North Carolina Department of Information and Technology. Our Audience The Digital Inclusion Coalition’s audience is broad and diverse demographically, inclusive of nearly every household and business in Rockingham County. The Coalition continues to prioritize access in under-resourced communities, implementing intentional strategies and investments to reduce and eliminate barriers to access and technology. Connect Rockingham, a project slated for completion in February 2024, supports infrastructure investments and increases internet availability to close to 99% of the population. However, affordability and adoption barriers still exist that keep individuals from accessing the internet. Despite the call for more rural broadband adoption from the pandemic, rural residents are still less likely than those living in suburban areas to report having home broadband, creating a smartphone dependency over time. Today, 15% of American adults are “smartphone-only” internet users – meaning they own a smartphone, but do not have traditional home broadband service. Reliance on smartphones for online access is especially common among younger adults, lower-wealth Americans, and those with a high school education or less. Locally, over 35% of participants accessing the Rockingham County Cone Health Care Connect Mobile food market reported no access to home internet services. This aligns with Census data reporting that more than 20% of residents with affordability issues or lack of device. Numbers are higher in our lowest wealth Census track areas – reaching 35%-42% without internet service and 25%-35% without a device. Project Objectives Rockingham County seeks to harness diverse expertise around a collaborative decision-making table to share data, coordinate funding, identify gaps and unmet needs, and tackle issues at the systems level. Within the Digital Champions grant, we seek to 1) Increase community awareness and create space for community input in decision-making; 2) Connect digital literacy training with relevant content and services through direct outreach where people are already convening; 3) Increase device access and ownership; and 4) Expand no-cost or low-cost wireless access. The objectives of the community awareness campaign are to: Uphold the Coalition’s values and overarching goals while positioning the Coalition as a central community resource.Educate community about digital resources and services available in Rockingham County.Increase awareness of resources and visibility of no-cost Wi-Fi locations.(Long-term) Empower marginalized communities, while also encouraging individuals and communities to act and support marginalized groups in equitable digital access. Project Scope The project will involve three primary elements: Over-arching Brand Design and Campaign Messages This should include Coalition logo design, key messaging slogans, and basic static graphics for digital and social media advertising.Awareness Advertising Campaign Plan After kickoff meeting(s), research, outlining strategic direction for project, presenting 2-3 options for creative direction and campaign/brand message.Build creative assets in English and Spanish including digital, social media, print and radio advertisements in static and 15 second shorts.Project Partner Integration Work with partnering agencies to incorporate high-level awareness message and branding across all materials (one-pagers, trifolds, community calendars, etc.).Design Power Point template for partnering agencies and community presentations. Budget Details The budget for this project should not exceed $21,000. The grant budget outlines three budget items available to the marketing team: Planning, Design, and Implementation: $9,000 Printing/Photocopying for flyers, yard signs, merchandise: $8,500 Media and Communications: $3,500 Proposal Requirements Provide an overview of your individual or company background and past experiences. Explain the approach you will take to manage this project. Provide examples of similar successful campaigns if available. Provide examples of print, digital or video design. Provide a minimum of three professional references. Outline project with a clear, achievable timeline of deliverables and suggested budget. (Projected start date: late January/early February). Project Time Period: February 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026 RFP Deadline and Project Timeline Details Agencies or individuals must submit one (1) electronic copy of the proposal by Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at 5:00pm (EST). Proposals must be e-mailed to both lmitchell@m-mrec.org and dcharaba@rafoundation.org with the subject line: “Digital Inclusion Coalition Public Awareness Campaign.” Madison Mayodan Recreation Commission reserves the right to reject any Proposal received after this due date. Questions about the RFP must be submitted by email to the following email address: dcharaba@rafoundation.org. Questions will be accepted by phone at 336-634-1669 extension 3. The deadline to submit questions is Friday, December 13, 2024. Selection Timeline RFP posted: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 Deadline to submit questions: Friday, December 13, 2024 Electronic proposals received by: Wednesday, December 18, 2024 by 5:00 pm Selection Committee Review: January 6, 2025 – January 10, 2025 Project recipient alerted: January 13, 2025 – January 17, 2025 Contract and signatures: January 20, 2025 – January 24, 2025 Projected Project Start: February 1, 2025 Desired Project Timeline (Start-up) Meeting with Leadership Team: February 3, 2025 – February 7, 2025 Digital Inclusion Coalition Meeting: February 24, 2025, at 10:00 am (virtual) Present proposed creative direction: March 24, 2025 Coalition Meeting Present marketing plan and strategy: April 21, 2025, Coalition Meeting |
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