Meals on Wheels

The Project

The marketing gaps were just as clear: no formal marketing plan, a limited budget, no Director of Development and no robust fundraising structure. New residents kept arriving without knowing the mission.

Summary: Prescott Meals on Wheels had grown from 10 clients in 1973 to more than 100,000 meals a year, with no formal marketing plan and a facility at capacity. I built a comprehensive marketing plan and a capital campaign toolkit that tie the organization's four business goals to four audience goals, twelve campaigns and a documentary-led ask for a $1–2 million expansion.

The Need: PMOW serves more than 375 neighbors every day through 315 volunteers and 15 staff. Since 2020 the number of clients served has grown by more than 45%, and the organization has said a waitlist is not an option. Prescott's population is older (median age 59.7, with about 48% of residents between 60 and 85), which also means fewer working-age adults available to volunteer.

01 Strategy

I started with the organization's own strategic plan rather than with channels. Four KPIs shaped four strategies, and those became four marketing goals: Give (mobilize donors and partners), Serve (reduce barriers to volunteering), Connect (build trust through storytelling) and Know (expand community understanding). Every campaign, channel and call to action in the plan traces back to one of them.

This slide is the spine of the plan. Each of PMOW's four business KPIs (capacity, financial stability, support and development, awareness) became an audience goal with one focus group: the donor, the volunteer, the new resident and the wider community.

02 Audience & Message

Messaging started from listening. Focus group notes showed that people understand meals matter but don't know the depth of support behind them: the wellness checks, the daily connection, the peace of mind for adult children of aging parents. That shaped the core message, We are neighbors serving neighbors, supported by three promises: we deliver nourishment and wellness, we protect dignity and independence, and we support connection and belonging. The four personas then set the tone and the call to action for each audience.

This slide is the spine of the plan. Each of PMOW's four business KPIs (capacity, financial stability, support and development, awareness) became an audience goal with one focus group: the donor, the volunteer, the new resident and the wider community.

03 Campaign & Toolkit

The plan is a system, not a list of posts. Seven channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, email, website, public relations and print/mail) each have a job and goal-specific calls to action, from "Give a Meal Today" to "Meet Your Neighbors." The capital campaign sits on top as a branded effort, Neighbors Serving Neighbors: Help Build the Next Chapter, anchored by a 3–4 minute documentary in which PMOW's president makes the case for support. The message to civic leaders adds the economic angle: expansion strengthens aging services and reduces strain on public systems.

The calendar maps twelve campaigns across the year, each tied to a goal and a seasonal moment: client testimonials in January, a volunteer drive in March, senior awareness in April and October, the capital campaign film in June, a welcome campaign for new residents in August, gratitude and giving in November and an annual impact statement in December.

Deliverables and Artifacts Gallery

Execution across digital and physical channels

• 4 KPIs translated into 4 audience goals

• 4 audience personas

• 12 campaigns across 4 quarters

• 7 channels with goal-specific calls to action

• 1 capital campaign with a $1–2 million expansion target

• 5 toolkit asset types: video script, two emails, four social posts, flyer and press release