1. Massachusetts Broadband Institute !
Bridges to Benefits: Outreach + Digital Literacy !
Prepared by: BYO consulting!
Prepared on: 14 March 2012!

2. Types of Bridges to Benefits Campaigns:!
1! 2! 3!
Digital Bridges:! Physical Bridges:! Website:!
! – from digital natives to Although we are focusing heavily BYOall ofbuildabove resources as
Our digital bridges ensure that all
veterans ! the portal is a digital
initiative, ! will the a wordpress site to
host
! computer before – have the
those who have never turned on
a ! physical outreach soand their
on
can meet our veterans
that we
! byThis various audienceas
needed
members.
our
website will act
knowledge and awareness family members where they are. ! a hub that supports and chronicles
needed to access the portal. ! our outreach efforts. !
When the MBI launches the Benefits Finder they will also announce their affiliated outreach
efforts – the “Bridges to Benefits” Campaign. The name weʼve chosen is intentional and will give
people a sense of our vested interest in connecting people with information – all of our outreach
efforts can be seen as creating a “bridge to benefits. !
Prepared
by
BYO
consul4ng
LLC
2011
2

3. Types of Bridges to Benefits Campaigns:!
1! 2! 3!
Digital Bridges:! Physical Bridges:! Website:!
! – from digital natives to Although we are focusing heavily BYOall ofbuildabove resources as
Our digital bridges ensure that all
veterans ! the portal is a digital
initiative, ! will the a wordpress site to
host
! computer before – have the
those who have never turned on
a ! physical outreach soand their
on
can meet our veterans
that we
! byThis various audienceas
needed
members.
our
website will act
knowledge and awareness family members where they are. ! a hub that supports and chronicles
needed to access the portal. ! our outreach efforts. !
When the MBI launches the Benefits Finder they will also announce their affiliated outreach
efforts – the “Bridges to Benefits” Campaign. The name weʼve chosen is intentional and will give
people a sense of our vested interest in connecting people with information – all of our outreach
efforts can be seen as creating a “bridge to benefits. !
Prepared
by
BYO
consul4ng
LLC
2011
3

4. Types of Bridges to Benefits Campaigns:!
1! 2! 3!
Digital Bridges:! Physical Bridges:! Website:!
! – from digital natives to Although we are focusing heavily BYOthe digitalaliteracy modulesto
Our digital bridges ensure that all
veterans ! the portal is a digital
initiative, ! will build wordpress site as
host
! computer before – have the
those who have never turned on
a ! physical outreach soand their
on
can meet our veterans
that we
! as information about our other
well
Bridges to Benefits campaigns.
knowledge and awareness family members where they are. ! This website will act as a hub that
needed to access the portal. ! supports and chronicles our
outreach efforts. !
When the MBI launches the Benefits Finder they will also announce their affiliated outreach
efforts – the “Bridges to Benefits” Campaign. The name weʼve chosen is intentional and will give
people a sense of our vested interest in connecting people with information – all of our outreach
efforts can be seen as creating a “bridge to benefits. !
Prepared
by
BYO
consul4ng
LLC
2011
4

5. Campaign Development Pillars!
Focus on Veterans - We have designed each campaign to be
accessible and attractive to our unique community. !
!
Build Community - Weʼve integrated traditional organizing methods
so that 1) we reach the specific audiences we need to reach our
deployment goals 2) outreach is not just limited to one instance of
communication but rather sustained by a strong community of
supporters and 3) creates meaningful change. !
!
Create meaningful bridges to benefits - Our most important goal
is to help veterans use the web to access the services + benefits
they need and deserve. All of our campaigns are designed to be a
bridge to those benefits. !
!

6. Weʼve identified three audience categories critical to success:!
1. Veterans + Family Members ! 3. Advocates !
This is our core user group who will use the portal to find information about the benefits This is the group of people who will
and services. ! ensure that veterans, their family
! members, and our content
Low Need Veterans: Low need veterans are relatively stable and less in need of providers know about the portal. !
services and benefits. However, it is important that they know about the portal and − Faith-based leaders !
share it with others who might be in need. ! − Elected Officials !
! − Educational institutions!
High Need Veterans: High need veterans need our services but may not have − Non-elected government
access to the information or resources to do so. It is important that we connect with officials in MA !
them in the places they reside, and connect with the people who surround them. ! − Service providers outside
! of MA !
Family Members: Family members may have service needs and may also be
− Military officials (Defense,
searching on behalf their loved ones. Conducting outreach to family members, and
giving them an opportunity to participate in outreach will be critical to our success.!
Navy, Army, Air Force,
Marine Corps, National
Guard, etc) !
2. Content Providers! − Family Readiness Groups !
This is the group of individuals and organizations who we will rely on to provide information − Veteran Serving
to the portal. ! Organizations (national
! advocacy + policy groups,
VSOs: VSOs often have high case loads, and are looking for a high quality American Legion, VFW,
resource to use. They are veterans, and care about the wellbeing of their etc) !
brothers and sisters in service. Our job is to make their lives easier, and get − Employers !
them invested in the success of the portal. ! − Concerned Citizens !
! − Individuals (Craig
Service Providers: Service providers are at the front-lines helping veterans, Newmark, etc) !
and similar to the VSOs it is critical that they are invested in the success of − Foundations!
the portal. !

7. Outreach Goals!
1. Provide access to high quality content !
!Veterans + families: Access the benefits !
!Content providers: Provide and maintain content !
!Advocates: Spread the word about the finder!
!
2. Reach a large percentage of veterans + families in MA!
!Veterans + families: Share with loved ones!
!Content providers: Refer veterans + family members!
!Advocates: Spread Advocate for support in MA !
!
3. Sustain the site in MA and share the model nationally !
!Veterans + families: Advocate within their veterans community!
!Content providers: Advocate to service providers and MA leadership!
!Advocates: Spread Advocate strategy in other states !
!

8. Reaching Our Users!
Locations:! Users ! Content Providers! Advocates!
Activities of daily life* x! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
Social Media! x! x! x!
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
Events! x! x! x!
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
Mobile Devices ! x! x! x!
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
Email ! x! x! x!
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
Workplace ! x! x! x!
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
Professional Networking! ! x! x!
!
*Civil service jobs, grocery stores, gyms, hospitals, clinics, homeless shelters, etc. ! 8

9. 1. Digital Literacy!
2. Social Media Toolkit! In the following section we
3. Online Influencers! will describe all of our
4. Email Content! Bridges to
5. Launch Committee!
6. Advisory Committee!
Benefits Outreach
7. Proxy Team! Campaigns. !
8. Community Links!
9. Roadshow !
10. Unconference!
11. App Competition!
12. Story Sharing!

10. 1. Digital Literacy! We have two components to
2. Social Media Toolkit! our digital literacy campaign:!
3. Online Influencers! !
4. Email Content! - Basic Digital Literacy - all
5. Launch Committee! the info users need to
6. Advisory Committee! navigate the web to the
portal !
7. Proxy Team!
- VSO Digital Literacy - web-
8. Community Links! based tools that will help
9. Roadshow ! VSOs improve their
10. Unconference! workflow !
11. App Competition! !
12. Story Sharing!

11. 1. Digital Literacy!
Our social media toolkit gives
2. Social Media Toolkit! the Benefit Finder community
3. Online Influencers! manager everything they
4. Email Content! need to know to plan,
5. Launch Committee! execute, and evaluate social
6. Advisory Committee! media campaigns on the
following platforms: !
7. Proxy Team!
- Facebook!
8. Community Links! - Twitter!
9. Roadshow ! - Linkedin !
10. Unconference! - Tumblr !
11. App Competition! !
12. Story Sharing!

12. 1. Digital Literacy!
2. Social Media Toolkit! Online influencers will help us
get the word out to a large
3. Online Influencers! community of people
4. Email Content! interested in Government 2.0,
5. Launch Committee! Open Government,
6. Advisory Committee! Technology, and Veterans
Issues, giving us the traction
7. Proxy Team!
we need to create a
8. Community Links! sustainable movement
9. Roadshow ! around the Portal. !
10. Unconference!
11. App Competition!
12. Story Sharing!

13. 1. Digital Literacy!
2. Social Media Toolkit! The Email Content Strategy
3. Online Influencers! will result in a content
calendar for the types of
4. Email Content! information to be shared with
5. Launch Committee! the various communities we
6. Advisory Committee! will be engaging.
Furthermore, this strategy will
7. Proxy Team!
include recommendations for
8. Community Links! Email Management systems
9. Roadshow ! and metrics to measure the
10. Unconference! efficacy of email campaigns. !
11. App Competition!
12. Story Sharing!

14. 1. Digital Literacy!
2. Social Media Toolkit! The launch committee will be
3. Online Influencers! comprised of our most
important advocates who will
4. Email Content!
write op-eds, speak at the
5. Launch Committee! press conference, and write
6. Advisory Committee! blog posts in coordination
with the portal launch,
7. Proxy Team!
creating a surge of publicity
8. Community Links! for us. !
9. Roadshow !
10. Unconference!
11. App Competition!
12. Story Sharing!

15. 1. Digital Literacy!
2. Social Media Toolkit! The advisory committee will
3. Online Influencers! be comprised of individuals
who are a sounding board for
4. Email Content!
the project, and who provide
5. Launch Committee!
feedback and advice on the
6. Advisory Committee! ongoing direction of our
7. Proxy Team! efforts. !
8. Community Links!
9. Roadshow !
10. Unconference!
11. App Competition!
12. Story Sharing!

16. 1. Digital Literacy!
2. Social Media Toolkit! The Proxy Team will
3. Online Influencers! represent the project at
networking events throughout
4. Email Content!
the veterans, government,
5. Launch Committee!
design, and technology
6. Advisory Committee! communities and conduct
7. Proxy Team! outreach to veterans and
their families. We will provide
8. Community Links!
them with all the information
9. Roadshow ! and tools they need to
10. Unconference! represent the Portal. !
11. App Competition!
12. Story Sharing!

17. 1. Digital Literacy!
2. Social Media Toolkit! The Community Links
3. Online Influencers! Program will be comprised of
community members,
4. Email Content!
veterans, and family
5. Launch Committee!
members who will help
6. Advisory Committee! distribute packets of
7. Proxy Team! information to “everyday”
8. Community Links! locations across MA, and will
represent the portal at
9. Roadshow ! community events. !
10. Unconference!
11. App Competition!
12. Story Sharing!

18. 1. Digital Literacy!
2. Social Media Toolkit! The Roadshow will be one of
3. Online Influencers! the most cost (if not time)
effective ways of getting the
4. Email Content!
word out. A kit + script will
5. Launch Committee!
need to be developed for the
6. Advisory Committee! MBI community manager to
7. Proxy Team! attend events and
8. Community Links! conferences to talk about the
9. Roadshow ! project. !
10. Unconference!
11. App Competition!
12. Story Sharing!

19. 1. Digital Literacy!
2. Social Media Toolkit! The Finder will belong to a
3. Online Influencers! class of websites that are
changing the way that people
4. Email Content!
access government services.
5. Launch Committee!
Its not just a one-stop-shop
6. Advisory Committee! for information – it is a guided
7. Proxy Team! experience that makes sense
8. Community Links! of complicated information. !
9. Roadshow ! Convening helps build
community and spreads the
10. Unconference*! word.!
11. App Competition! !
* Phase II campaign!
12. Story Sharing!

20. 1. Digital Literacy!
2. Social Media Toolkit! The Open API will be a great
3. Online Influencers! opportunity to engage
veterans and family members
4. Email Content!
who have iOS and Android
5. Launch Committee!
programming experience in
6. Advisory Committee! this work generating income
7. Proxy Team! for the developers and a
8. Community Links! mobile interface for our
9. Roadshow ! users.!
10. Unconference! !
!
11. App Competition*! !
* Phase II campaign!
12. Story Sharing!

21. 1. Digital Literacy!
2. Social Media Toolkit! This concept is to collect
3. Online Influencers! uplifting stories of recovery
from veterans who have
4. Email Content!
returned from service. This
5. Launch Committee!
will highlight the importance
6. Advisory Committee! of accessing benefits and
7. Proxy Team! services, and provide an
8. Community Links! emotional reason to share
9. Roadshow ! the information about the
10. Unconference! portal. !
11. App Competition! !
!
12. Story Sharing*! * Phase II campaign!