Ruth served as Interim Chief Communications Officer for this western Mass. based school for six months to launch their 150th anniversary communications. The role started as a project-based assignment, but Ruth quickly offered a strategic view to the marketing opportunities during their 150th anniversary. Partnering with creative partner and PR writer Janice Beetle, the team succeeded in achieving more positive press mentions than the school had seen in over 10 years and the fundraising events around the anniversary were supported with professional and engaging marketing, messaging and design. Ruth led the school to recognize the power of collaborative and strategic marketing to deliver tangible results.

Ruth served as the Creative Director for this Massachusetts-designated tourism council, based out of Northampton. In this role, she guided and directed the creative development of new online and offline marketing and advertising initiatives to help promote the Hampshire County region. Collaborating with an independent graphic designer, videographer, copywriter, photographer as well as outside media partners, she helped to bring dynamic print and banner ad campaigns and online videos to life to promote the region. See more at www.visithampshirecounty.com

Ruth has managed all of the marketing for this family-owned, luxury home building firm since late 2014, including developing an annual marketing plan featuring all new: Monthly creative for regular print ads, Advertising schedule in Business West to promote commercial construction, TV media schedule, Website and video to showcase their Monticello-Somers luxury home building project. To execute the plan, RC Communications has done all the media planning, negotiation and affidavit reviews; sourced and creatively directed the videographer; overseen all creative development with the standing graphic designer/web developer; written all advertising and website copy including video scripts; and provided continuous project management and client communications/updates to the client. Website www.laplanteconstruction.com

 This Springfield, Mass. nonprofit organization has served individuals with developmental disabilities and their families in the greater western Mass. region for sixty years. RC Communications has creatively planned and produced, in collaboration with viz-bang!, eight videos in twelve months which tell the agency’s stories of insight, compassion and care. View the videos on The Association’s YouTube channel which we established. We have repurposed and disseminated these video stories via emails, newsletters, press releases, the agency website and social media to effectively raise awareness of the agency’s services. RC Communications has also concepted and written the communications for three fundraising campaigns in twelve months, including the communications strategy and execution for Valley Gives Day 12.12.12, resulting in some $450,000 in donor contributions.

 RC Communications worked in collaboration with viz-bang! to conceptualize, film, direct, edit and produce the Community Foundation 2013 Annual Meeting video that featured interviews with donors who have recently established new endowment funds in support of specific needs in western Mass.

 RC Communications developed a tactical marketing plan based upon the organization’s three year strategic plan and oversaw the creative execution of that marketing plan. RC Communications assembled and directed a team of creative experts (writer Janice Beetle; art director Maureen Scanlon; video producer Dave Sweeney; photographer Paul Shoul) to work collaboratively to create the elements of the plan: United Way 2014 Campaign Kickoff video; United Way Best Practices in Workplace Campaigns video; the United Way 2013 Campaign Report and additional collateral to support United Way’s 2014 campaign.

CEO Kevin Vann has sponsored a youth basketball tournament at the Chicopee Boys & Girls Club for over ten years. RC Communications manages all communications and marketing for the annual March tourney, The George Webb Memorial Basketball Tournament, including annual planning, organizing board meetings, ghost writing all electronic and printed communications (including solicitation letters) for Kevin Vann, managing the creative development of sponsor materials, website and the tournament program, plus follow up with all sponsors.

 Glenmeadow Retirement Community in Longmeadow, Mass. is undergoing a series of positive transformations that RC Communications captured in this video entitled “Transformation” produced in collaboration with viz-bang! The video premiered at their Annual Meeting to kick off Glenmeadow’s new capital campaign which was attended by some 100 supporters and volunteers. It tells the story of Glenmeadow’s care and compassion…and success.  We created four additional video stories from the single “Transformation” video – scroll down Glenmeadow’s YouTube channel to view them.

 This twenty year old travel company, based in Hatfield, Mass., produces and runs trips and tours of all 30 baseball stadiums and surrounding cities in the United States, plus multiple other sporting events. The company turned to RC Communications as it developed a new business plan post the Great Recession of 2008, which negatively impacted its business. In concert with the new business plan, Ruth developed a one and two year, high-level, strategic marketing plan which included not only the external marketing activities the firm should focus on to grow its revenues, but also the internal, operational, marketing workflow processes and resources it needed to grow revenues efficiently. The client has implemented key elements of the marketing plan to great success, and Ruth remains an ongoing, marketing strategic advisor to the firm.

 CHD is a major non-profit agency that serves western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut individuals and families through its over 40 social services programs. RC Communications designed and led a series of in-depth research sessions with program managers and vice presidents to assess their needs relative to marketing, public relations, fundraising, grants and community engagement. The analysis and recommendations were used to set the strategy and planning for effective delivery of these services to the programs.

RC Communications made recommendations to the chamber president (a professional graphic designer) on how to maximize the design of the billing statement and new member application to increase readability and response. RC Communications also rewrote and repositioned the member renewal communications, including cover letters from the executive director. The rate of membership renewals increased dramatically as a result.

 RC Communications developed the communications strategy and collaborated with Janice Beetle of Beetle Press writing external communications about the new Hampshire County Regional Chamber of Commerce. Communications include interviews with community and business leaders, press releases, media talking points, emails and e-newsletter articles written and disseminated, generating stories in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Business West, WHMP, the Springfield Republican and masslive.comhttp://www.hampshireregionalchamber.com/news.html.  RC Communications also wrote and oversaw the design of the Regional Chamber’s leave behind collateral and website.

 RC Communications developed the public relations and website communications strategy for this Amherst, Mass. based business. We advised on how to positively capitalize on the ownership changes at the company through events, public relations, and press announcements. We subsequently developed the content for their new website.

 Leadership Pioneer Valley (LPV) was created to fill a critical need for an emerging leadership development program for the Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts.  RC Communications created the integrated marketing strategy for this new initiative and directed its execution including: identity and branding, website development, social media, public relations communications and marketing collateral.  View the website at www.leadershippv.org

 PAISBOA (Philadelphia Area Independent School Business Officers Association) is a regional association of 179 member independent schools and colleges. The Association organizes programs to take advantage of collective buying power through collaboration and cooperation, with the support of qualified and experienced consultants. RC Communications is providing quantitative research and marketing services to PAISBOA in support of their goal to bring greater efficiencies to the billing processes of member schools.

 Tuition Management Systems (TMS) is one of the nation’s leading tuition payment plan providers. TMS offers an innovative suite of products and services that include billing, payments processing and education payment counseling. RC Communications conducts qualitative and quantitative research studies on billing-related processes and provides strategic marketing services to TMS.

This independent girl’s school near Philadelphia has entered into a collaborative partnership with fellow boy’s independent school, Chestnut Hill Academy to improve educational outcomes for students and increase financial efficiencies for the institutions. RC Communications completed the review, analysis and re-construction of the two schools’ Enrollment Contracts into one, unified contract improving communication, response and enrollment processing.

 Ruth Griggs developed the market entry strategy for the CitigoldTM level of service offered by Citibank Private Bankers to their customers.  This included the establishment of targeting methodology, the positioning approach, and development of direct mail and collateral.