Blake: Work Priorities

YouTube video from yesterday's College Cost Reduction Act enrollment ceremony:

Campaign involvement continues to pick up momentum—specifically, student and affiliate program coordinators’ requests for hosting CAC events.

After NEA's Student Program Connections conference, we added nearly 200 additional supporters across our two social network campaign sites.

Facebook hosts some 2,508 members while MySpace hosts 88 members. MySpace numbers represent unsolicited joiners or those who have heard about this network via NEA conferences and CAC campus events. I have not had time to solicit membership but this is in the works.

Recent and upcoming product development and CAC events include:

1. Design and print new version of Campaign brochure. Expected to receive new version from printer in two weeks.
2. Reordered stickers
3. Included in CAC materials a summary of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act Summary
4. Shipped or planning to ship CAC kits to four events across US (Alabama, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Colorado).
5. Expand social networks to support event planning—e.g., above CAC Kit requests came from Facebook. This practice will facilitate high-visibility of student involvement and should encourage others to mirror events and learn from one another as questions and ideas for events and goods are posted publicly for all to see. I also post follow-up on shipments, etc. to these networks so others can see follow-up. Rob Bindewald, IL, is working with me to facilitate this process.
6. Continue Anthony’s monthly Vodcast (latest, posted last week prior to Thanksgiving break).
7. Plan CAC video contest. We need to discuss appropriate “contest prize” for winner of this promo. Anthony is thinking scholarship monies. I am unsure about how we would distribute but do believe this is a worthwhile effort to look into.
8. Distribute remaining CAC T-shirts. I don not believe selling these is a good idea. Anthony would like to find a cheaper vendor and reprint shirts for give-a-ways. I’m still researching the cost effectiveness for this. Shirts seem to be popular. But not popular enough for cost recovery.
9. Meeting is set for Dec. 11 at NEA with various external groups to engage them in CAC content and message development.
10. Continue to discern what needs Student program has around creating a CAC video. I believe there is value in continuing to chronicle CAC events over the next six months that can serve as a “how-to” tool for future collective action events.
11. As part of a meeting with GEM principals in early December, strategize methods for leveraging The Gateway to attract new members and commitment to the campaign.
12. Continue efforts to keep CAC Blog updated with content but am still not pleased with this effort. It is not a "blog" as the only content that exists is "repurposed" content. It would be helpful to have a dedicated writer/voice who could post pros weekly. I am planning a redesign of the graphic elements on the blog. I have received some comments from folks that the content is sometimes difficult to read.
13. Coordinate with PR to include monthly CAC updates in State Editors email blast