An Internal Communications Plan for Beyond OCD. Holly West. West Virginia University

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Chloe Hutchinson
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1 1 An Internal Communications Plan for Beyond OCD Holly West West Virginia University

2 2 Thorough, effective communication at every level within Beyond OCD is absolutely critical to our organization s success. For all intents and purposes, this document will occasionally refer to our volunteers as employees. However, it s imperative we remember that not a single person is employed by Beyond OCD. We are run entirely by volunteers and no one is on payroll. Most of our volunteers also work fulltime, go to school, or have kids. Therefore, we understand how valuable their time is, and we consider it a privilege that they choose to spend free time with us. A comprehensive communications strategy is essential for Beyond OCD to retain our best volunteers. A study by Ernst & Young determined that high levels of employee engagement almost always result in high employee performance and satisfaction (Grossman, 2012). While Beyond OCD has operated in Chicago for over 20 years like a well-oiled machine, brand new exciting changes are taking place! Our New York City office launched in 2014, and in the next five years we plan to open a location in Los Angeles. We are excited of the possibility to bring hope to individuals with OCD across the nation. However, with more office locations and a rapidly expanding organization, additional internal communication strategies and policies will be required. Here are the proposed new communication strategies for Beyond OCD: Objective: Foster a deeper sense of community and belonging among volunteers by 20% (as measured by volunteer satisfaction surveys, see page 6) in the next 8 months.

3 3 Strategy 1: Connect volunteers to one another via social media pages. Tactics: A private Facebook group for volunteers, separate from the public Beyond OCD page, will be created. Our two social media volunteers will serve as admins, and post a mix of engaging content designed to stimulate conversation and interaction. The ultimate goal is to get volunteers together as friends, and local hangouts will be promoted and encouraged. The page will always have a friendly, inclusive tone. Strategy 2: Connect volunteers with one another through special events and bonding. Tactics: A monthly special event will be hosted by our event coordinators in each geographic region where Beyond OCD is located. These events will be fun and lighthearted in nature. Acclaimed psychologist and market research consultants say that having friends at work increase focus, handling setbacks, and improve overall performance (Adams, 2014). Objectives: Increase volunteer access to information regarding proper conduct on the OCD helpline with 20% more resources in the next 8 months. Strategy: Disseminate information to volunteers regarding the Helpline through additional web resources and teleconferences.

4 4 Tactics: A monthly webinar will be held by an OCD specialist/therapist with the latest information on proper Helpline protocol and advice. Volunteers will be strongly encouraged to attend each month. The OCD therapist will also leave significant time for questions at the end. She will compile all of the questions into a living document to be continuously updated. This will be placed on the private internal website for Beyond OCD. The webinars will be recorded and also placed online. Beyond OCD will also contact additional OCD therapists/researchers and invite them to write volunteer help/assistance guides to be placed online in exchange for free advertising in Beyond OCD s newsletter. Objective: Increase volunteer knowledge of the latest OCD related industry news and trends relevant to Beyond OCD s mission by 10% by October 31. Strategy: Connect with volunteers on a monthly basis to ensure their knowledge of latest key trends and OCD developments. Tactic: Monthly employee discussion groups will be assigned every volunteer in small groups, preferably those working the same shifts. These discussions will be structured in a way that is entertaining or insightful. Every month, a short article or article(s) will be sent out with key OCD updates. A series of short questions will accompany the article. This will ensure that volunteers are staying up-to-date on trends, as working in a group

5 5 helps hold accountability for their actions. In addition, a new section will be added to the e-newsletter each month featuring a short fact or new development regarding OCD. Objective: Instill a sense of equality and fairness among all volunteers by 10% (as measured by survey, see final objective on page 6) in Strategy 1: Ensure that all volunteers are aware that they can attend or be a part of any Beyond OCD meeting or event regardless of geographic location or level. Tactic 1: Post all meeting reminders on the Facebook group and internal company site. s will also be sent to any volunteer that has opted in to meeting reminders. Tactic 2: Since Beyond OCD has offices in two cities, we will allow interested volunteers to phone in to any meeting they re interested in being a part of. Volunteer participation in any capacity is highly encouraged. Tactic 3: Host an open dialogue every other year to talk about positions and assigned roles. All interested volunteers can go to either office for a teleconference, or participate at home by phoning in. An honest conversation about the state of Beyond OCD, goals for the next year, and individual duties will be held. More than likely, voting for executive positions will not be required. There is typically a universal consensus among volunteers at Beyond OCD, but they will be held if necessary. However, any interested volunteers can choose to involve themselves with the organization as much (or as little) as they re

6 6 able to. Following the teleconference, volunteers will break up into small groups based on interests (Helpline, public relations, finance, event planning, etc.) and each attendant will be encouraged to share their strengths and how they d like to contribute to Beyond OCD. We want each volunteer to know how important they are to us. A survey by the American Psychological Association determined that feeling valued is a key indicator of job performance (Matta, 2015). Objective: Receive a 90% completion rate in volunteer satisfaction surveys at the end of the year. Strategy: Provide rewards or incentives for filling out the end of year survey. Tactic: Volunteer satisfaction surveys are key to Beyond OCD s success as we rely entirely on our volunteers. This is the major way for us to improve our volunteer program. Not surprisingly, our happiest volunteers stay with us the longest and dedicate the most time to us. Key survey insights have helped us to determine what they value the most, and we ve been able to turn insights to action. However, in recent years Beyond OCD has struggled with a low completion rate. This year, an incentive for employees will be provided. Even a small incentive can increase survey responses considerably (Jensen, 2014). Therefore, a $100 Visa gift card will be raffled off. Similar to university course evaluations, all survey responses are anonymous. However, Beyond OCD will be able to see who completed the survey, but not individual answers or responses. This is done via a simple computer generated as each recipient receives a unique link. Everyone who

7 7 completed the survey will be entered into the raffle, and a winner will be chosen at random.

8 8 References Adams, S. (2014, November 14). Why your work colleagues should also be your friends. Retrieved from Grossman, D. (2012, January 18). Internal communication solutions to drive productivity. Retrieved from Communication-Solutions-to-Drive-Productivity Jensen, J. (2015). 10 easy ways to increase response rates for your online survey. Retrieved from articleid=deploy01 Matta, C. (2015). Why it's important to feel valued at work. Retrieved from

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