Browsing by Subject "Communications"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    2018 Land Trust Communication Guide
    (2018-04-26) Hanway, Hayley
    Communications is a critical component of a land trust’s success. Since land trusts are mainly private, non-profit organizations, they are heavily dependent on donors and volunteers. A strong communications strategy will attract new donors and volunteers while retaining old ones. This project for the Land Conservancy of West Michigan (LCWM) evaluates different communications platforms and strategies and provides a list of recommendations for an effective communication’s plan. Research was conducted via a survey disseminated to LCWM members and informational interviews with other environmental organizations. Final recommendations include prioritizing Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube/Vimeo over other forms of social media, investing in an annual (or five-year) professional paper magazine product, strengthening partnerships with local organizations, and holding more events for outreach.
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    Collaborative Climate Change Communications: An Assessment and Recommendations for the Future
    (2011-04-28) Tollefson, Christopher
    The threat posed by anthropogenic climate change to the world’s wildlife and natural systems has prompted the conservation community in the United States and across the globe to make communicating about climate change one of their highest, if not the highest, priorities. At one level, these communication efforts seem to be working. Multiple surveys confirm that most Americans believe that climate change is occurring, and that it is caused at least in part by human activities. However, in recurring national surveys, climate change has consistently ranked near the bottom of environmental issues Americans are concerned about. This Master’s Project assesses the current state of climate change communications at federal agencies, conservation organizations and other entities that are working to address the impacts of climate change on wildlife and natural systems, and identifies best practices in climate communications. As part of the project, a survey was conducted of professional communicators from multiple federal agencies, conservation organizations, professional societies and groups representing states and tribes. Data analysis of the survey, as well as a review of current literature on effective climate change communications and public attitudes, has been used to develop recommendations for improved future climate communications efforts. The survey revealed that while nearly all participating organizations place a high priority on addressing climate change – and on climate change communications – most do not have a dedicated and clearly articulated climate change communications strategy. Nearly all recognize the need for a broader climate communications effort, but none have the resources to mount a broad communications campaign. The survey revealed support for a collaborative effort on climate change communications that could leverage the existing resources of participating organizations to communicate more effectively about climate change to a broader public. This effort would of necessity need to be limited in scope and focus on climate specific change impacts and adaptation strategies, rather than legislative and policy solutions to address greenhouse gas emissions. By articulating a few key shared messages, repeated across multiple channels by the scientific and technical experts of each organization, these entities could take the first step toward a collaborative climate communications effort.
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    Communications of Frequent Flyer Programs on Weibo and WeChat: Examining Social Media in China's Commercial Sphere
    (2015-12-17) Zhao, Yang
    In my thesis I set out to explore communications of Frequent Flyer Programs (FFPs) on Chinese social media, particularly Weibo and WeChat, to examine social media’s effects on China’s commercial sphere. My research and scholarly debates reflect that social media affects China’s commercial sphere in three distinct forms. Social media as a cost-effective platform facilitates communications between organizations, and current and potential customers. In addition, it tends to be a catalyst to stimulate the development of citizen journalism, which largely encourages public participation in commercial activities. Finally, the future of social media will be more concentrated on building strong relationships and increasing communication efficiency. Mobile social media will draw considerable attention in this process, and both organizations and individuals value mobile social media to strengthen the importance of brand identity and marketing communications. Consequently, social media will be more significant in affecting China’s commercial sphere in the future.