Creating a Pamphlet for the Puyallup Food Bank located in Puyallup, Washington:

A Recommendation Report

Prepared for:   Professor S. M. Tomie Gowdy-BurkeInstructor of Technical and Professional WritingDepartment of EnglishWashington State University

Prepared by:   Mollie Erickson                       Sarah Pike                       Connie Rae Shobaken                       Lauren Willar 

April 10, 2016

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Date:               April 10, 2016To:                  Professor S. M. Tomie Gowdy-Burke

Instructor of Technical and Professional WritingDepartment of EnglishWashington State University

From:              Mollie EricksonSarah PikeConnie Rae ShobakenLauren Willar

Subject:           Recommendation Report for the Puyallup Food Bank Pamphlet

Attached is the report for our repurposing project, “Creating a Pamphlet for the Puyallup Food Bank located in Puyallup, Washington: A Recommendation Report.” During the timeframe of March 21st -April 10th, 2016, we were able to identify and complete the following project tasks: creating a justification statement, developing the pamphlet content through delegated research assignments, designing the pamphlet, testing the pamphlet effectiveness, and revising the final product based on feedback.

To carry out the tasks mentioned above, we utilized the primary and secondary research findings from Ms. Sarah Pike’s report, “Finding Ways to Increase the Amount of Nutritional Produce and Foods Donated to the Puyallup Food Bank”. Upon review, we realized the Puyallup Food Bank’s website and social media accounts would be the primary sources of information for our product’s content.

In addition, from Ms. Pike’s research, we learned the food bank struggled to communicate its needs effectively. To assist in alleviating this difficulty, we felt the design of a simple, visually interesting “call to action” pamphlet would be an appropriate, effective tool.

Using the food bank’s website to gather important details of their organization, the team perused and selected the most applicable material. Then, using the team’s chosen content, we created our pamphlet using the application software Lucidpress. Lucidpress allowed our team to design a pamphlet that was both informative, professional, and visually attractive.  

Reading our pamphlet, readers will be able to easily locate information on how to support their local food bank. As such, we hope this communication tool will be successful in helping the food bank receive an increase of nutritious donations year-round.

In testing the pamphlet effectiveness, our team created a survey through surveymonkey.com. The survey contained our pamphlet along with four questions:

Do you think our pamphlet will inspire residents to donate or volunteer at the organization?

Do you think the pamphlet itself is eye-pleasing/attractive? Would you feel inspired to donate or get involved if you lived in this community? Any other suggestions you would recommend for improvement? Do you overall feel it is

an effective product?

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Overall, the feedback was positive and encouraging. In addition to a few minor typographical errors, a valuable finding was the suggestion to reformat the food bank’s most needed items into a bulleted list. A few survey respondents requested this format so the items would be easier to retrieve and remember.

Looking ahead, we visualize the best use for the pamphlet is as a promotional tool to increase awareness about the Puyallup Food Bank’s deeds and needs. With this vision in mind, we recommend the Puyallup Food Bank use the pamphlet template (which we will provide them) as a guide to update and modify as needed. For example, we recommend the food bank adjust the pamphlet content seasonally in order to stay relevant and connected with their audience.

For accessibility concerns, we recommend the food bank consider distributing their new pamphlet to local schools and community organizations in order to reach a larger audience. Additionally, since the food bank also participates in social media, they can also post the updated pamphlet to their various accounts throughout the year.

We appreciate the time spent reading our report. Hopefully, our efforts will be successful in creating a positive difference for the Puyallup community. If you have any follow-up activities regarding this report, we look forward to working on it with you. Additionally, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at either: Mollie Erickson at mollie.erickson@wsu.edu, Sarah Pike at Sarah.D.Pike@wsu.edu, Connie Rae Shobaken at constance.shobaken@wsu.edu, or Lauren Willar at lwillar@wsu.edu.

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Table of ContentsExecutive Summary.........................................................................................................................5

Introduction......................................................................................................................................5

Research Methods............................................................................................................................6

Task 1. Write a project justification statement............................................................................6

Task 2. Develop the pamphlet content through delegated research task.....................................6

Task 3. Design the pamphlet.......................................................................................................7

Task 4. Test the pamphlet effectiveness by obtaining feedback and finalizing the content........7

Results..............................................................................................................................................8

Task 1. Write a project justification statement............................................................................8

Task 2. Develop the pamphlet content through delegated research task.....................................8

Task 3. Design the pamphlet.......................................................................................................9

Task 4. Test the pamphlet effectiveness by obtaining feedback & finalizing the content..........9

Conclusions......................................................................................................................................9

Justification Statement...............................................................................................................10

Delegating Tasks.......................................................................................................................10

Designing the Pamphlet.............................................................................................................10

Pamphlet Effectiveness..............................................................................................................10

Recommendations..........................................................................................................................10

Option 1: Update the pamphlet seasonally................................................................................11

Option 2: Distribute the pamphlet through different community access points........................11

Option 3: Test pamphlet effectiveness......................................................................................11

Appendices....................................................................................................................................11

Appendix A: Repurposed Product.............................................................................................12

Appendix B: Usability Survey...................................................................................................13

Appendix C: References............................................................................................................15

Appendix D: Justification statement questions..........................................................................15

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Executive Summary

The majority of food donated to the Puyallup Food Bank is heavily processed. A heavily processed diet can lead to essential nutrient deficiencies, as well as excessive sodium, sugar, and fat intake. Along with heavily processed foods being donated; during the non-holiday months, donations to the food bank slow down considerably. In an effort to increase year-round donations of nutritious foods, we have repurposed Sarah Pike’s research project, “Finding Ways to Increase the Amount of Nutritional Produce and Foods Donated to the Puyallup Food Bank”, by designing an informative and inspirational pamphlet. The information in our pamphlet includes: the needs of the food bank, how to receive food, how to help the food bank (monetary donations, food donations, and/or volunteering), and a healthy recipe. Through distribution to appropriate potential donors and charitable organizations, we hope the pamphlet will educate and inspire the community to rally around those among them most in need. As such, we recommend the food bank use our pamphlet template as a seasonally updated and distributed communication tool.

Introduction

According to Feeding America, a U.S. Hunger Relief Organization, over 50 million people suffer from hunger in America. Although a complex issue, nonprofit organizations such as food banks make tremendous contributions each year toward combating hunger. Unfortunately, the majority of food donated to the Puyallup Food Bank located in Puyallup, Washington is heavily processed. A heavily processed diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies in fiber, calcium, iron and vitamins. These nutrients are vital to human survival.

Additionally, during non-holiday months, donations to the Puyallup Food Bank decrease considerably. To change this and help the food bank receive sufficient nutritional food donations year-round, team 6 decided to repurpose Sarah Pike’s research project.

Using Ms. Pike’s research, we realized the Puyallup Food Bank had issues in communicating its needs effectively with the community. To assist in correcting this, we felt the design of a simple, visually interesting “call to action” pamphlet would be an appropriate tool.

To accomplish the creation of this pamphlet, we broke the collaboration up into three tasks: Develop the pamphlet content through delegated research assignments Design the pamphlet Test the pamphlet effectiveness by obtaining feedback & finalizing the content

Our overall goal in completing this project is to create an effective pamphlet that will educate the residents of Puyallup, WA about the unmet needs of their local food back. We also hope the pamphlet will inspire nutritious donations year-round.

In the following sections, we provide additional details about our research methods, results, conclusions, and recommendations.

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Research Methods

We began our project by delegating the necessary tasks and determining what information we wanted to include in our pamphlet. After determining the necessary information and compiling it, we designed the actual product itself, the pamphlet.  

Once the design of the pamphlet was complete, we tested its effectiveness by conducting a usability test. Reviewing our results, we then made the appropriate changes to the pamphlet.

Steps to completing this repurposing project can be summarized into three tasks: Develop the pamphlet content through delegated research assignments Design the pamphlet Test the pamphlet effectiveness by obtaining feedback & finalizing the content

In the following sections, we explain how we performed each task along with the subsequent reasoning that guided our project.

Task 1. Develop the pamphlet content through delegated research task

We divided the four sections of our pamphlet (front, middle, back, design) equally among our team members by having each person decide which section they preferred. The three team members in charge of the front, middle, and back pages of the pamphlet took on the tasks of compiling information. We preselected the information that would be collected by outlining what each page represented. The front page was intended to explain who the food bank serves, the middle section was intended to show how the food bank serves, and the backside was meant to have a fun healthy recipe (to spark interest).

After each team member compiled the necessary information for their assigned page, the fourth team member reviewed, selected, and designed the actual pamphlet using Lucidpress.

Task 2. Design the pamphlet

Since non-cloud applications such as Microsoft Publisher can have version control issues, we decided to use the Lucidpress program. For instance, even if the food bank has the MS software installed, they might not have the correct version to view our pamphlet. Lucidpress, on the other hand, can be easily viewed and download as a PDF or image file (JPEG).

In designing our bi-folded pamphlet, we chose to first draw people in by showcasing a big, bright green door on the front page. Above this green door, we use a distinct typeface for the Puyallup Food Bank’s name (including their shopping cart logo) and their commonly expressed caption: “Help a neighbor in need”. In keeping with the green door color theme, we also chose to conclude the pamphlet with a recipe section on the back page shaded in green.

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To break up the informative text in our pamphlet, we managed to utilize shapes and diagrams. This can mainly be seen from the inside sections of our pamphlet. For instance, starting with the inside left page, we chose to incorporate a three circle Venn diagram highlighting the inner-relationship between food, people, and community. Moving to the right side, the shape of two circles (one red and one green) is prominent. The red circle (symbolizing stop) represents the goods that are not accepted by the food bank and the green circle (symbolizing go) represents the items that are accepted. We thought this subtle use of symbolic colors would be an easy format for our audience to quickly identify with.

Finally, as an incentive for the audience to hold on to the pamphlet, we shared a fun healthy recipe on the back page. The inner pages, besides graphs and shapes, also instruct the audience on how they can help support the Puyallup Food Bank.

Images of the entire pamphlet can be found in Appendix A of this report.

Task 3. Test the pamphlet effectiveness by obtaining feedback and finalizing the content

To test the effectiveness of our pamphlet, we created a survey via SurveyMonkey.com and posted the link to Mollie Ericson’s Facebook account. The social media post indicated that we were seeking opinions pertaining to our completed pamphlet.

Below are the questions we included in the survey:1. Do you think our pamphlet will inspire residents to donate or volunteer at the

organization?2. Do you think the pamphlet itself is eye-pleasing/attractive?3. Would you feel inspired to donate or get involved if you lived in this community?4. Any other suggestions you would recommend for improvement? Do you overall feel it is

an effective product?

After receiving a good sampling of feedback, we feel this was a valuable tool in evaluating the effectiveness of our product. The questionnaire (including response data) appears in the Appendix B.

Results

In this section, we present the results of our research. For each of the tasks we carried out, we present the most important data collected.  

Task 1. Develop the pamphlet content through delegated research task

Performing this task allowed us to efficiently finish the product in a timely manner. Each team member also learned more about the Puyallup Food Bank and their commitments to the community. For instance, we learned this particular nonprofit serves 10 tons of food each week

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and over sixteen thousand people per year. The products and services of the Puyallup Food Bank also include both food and personal hygiene products.

According to the US Census Bureau, an alarming 9.1% of the population in Puyallup is living below the poverty line. For community members to lower this statistic and get involved, the food bank has four main avenues to look into:

1. Donate monetary funds via online, mail, or in person. 2. Donate food or personal hygiene products. The food bank also accepts gift cards to

selected grocery stores.3. Volunteer.4. Involve your own group. The food bank encourages and welcomes individuals/companies

to organize their own food drives/fundraisers on behalf of the food bank.

Task 2. Design the pamphlet

As with most software, there was a learning curve to use Lucidpress.com to design our product; however, after exploring the application and its capabilities the team felt it would be a perfect fit to create our product. Our lead designer, Lauren Willar, found the application easy to use because there is nothing to install, and text, photos, and shapes are simple to add to the design. It was also very easy to add collaborators and export our creation, which is essential in a collaborative project.

Task 3. Test the pamphlet effectiveness by obtaining feedback & finalizing the content

On April 9th, 2016 we linked a four question survey to Mollie Erickson’s Facebook account. In the posting, we indicated the survey was seeking opinions about the effectiveness of our pamphlet.

In total, we received 22 responses. 90.91% of respondents thought our pamphlet would inspire residents to donate and volunteer at the Puyallup Food Bank. Another 90.91% of respondents claimed they would feel inspired to donate if they in Puyallup. Overall, 86.36% of respondents felt our design was attractive and eye-catching.  

In addition to statistical survey response percentages, our questionnaire included a comment section for any further feedback. The main findings from this open forum include:

Utilize bulleted lists (particularly in the most needed item section) as they are easier to read at a quick glance

The front page grabbed some respondent’s attention and displeased others. Likewise, some people like the color green and others preferred another color scheme The QR code and diagrams were a nice feature/touch

Since we received some mixed reviews on the choice selection of our front page, we understand that not every respondent will like our design. However, we are very pleased that well over a majority of respondents found the pamphlet eye-pleasing and inspiring. Additionally, we were

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happy some respondents shared feedback that pertained directly to the usability factor of our product (using a bulleted list). Multiple comments of this nature reinforced to us that this was a common concern for helping the audience retrieve information quickly.

Conclusions

In this section, we present our conclusions based on the findings and tasks performed to complete our repurposing project.

Designing the Pamphlet

Designing the pamphlet using the program Lucidpress allowed our team to use infographic technology, information that is presented in a graphically stunning way. Using this type of software enabled us to create an eye catching, easy to read, and cleanly designed piece of communication. In addition, to further increase the probability of grabbing the audience’s attention and making the information even easier to retrieve/understand, we mixed in a variety of shapes, colors, and diagrams to break up the monotony of plain text.

Pamphlet Effectiveness

The survey results were important to obtain because it helped our team pinpoint the specific areas needed for improvement. For instance, a few responses recommended we make the regularly needed donation items more prominent, such as listing them in a bulleted format. This type of feedback was great to receive because it revealed the strengths and weakness of our current product. By listening to this feedback and reformatting our pamphlet to reflect such changes, we believe the usability component of our pamphlet has improved.

Recommendations

We recommend the Puyallup Food Bank use the pamphlet template we provided them as a promotional tool to further increase awareness about their communal philanthropic efforts.

Option 1: Update the pamphlet seasonally

By giving the food bank the template we designed for them, they will have the option to either keep our original formatting or modify it as they see fit. We personally feel a seasonal update would be the best choice. For example, our current design includes a summer recipe for a low cost “Half-Veggie Burger” but come fall, the food bank might consider sharing a new recipe that better reflects the current season such as a squash soup recipe.

Conducting regular updates and refreshing the literature allows the food bank to showcase their current needs on a more accurate real time basis. Slight modifications also help to ensure the pamphlet is not easily disregarded or considered irrelevant. And although frequent updates are, in our opinion, most ideal to continually generate interest, we realize the Puyallup Food Bank

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might be limited in their access to given resources. If this is the case, we recommend the food bank extend the occurrence of updates to a biannual or yearly basis.

Option 2: Distribute the pamphlet through different community access points

In order to reach a larger audience, we recommend the Puyallup Food Bank distribute our pamphlet to schools via “backpack mail”, gardening supply stores, grocery stores, libraries, and other community centers. Another versatile option would be for the food bank to use our pamphlet as an invitation to invite local charitable organizations (Girl/Boy Scouts, religious organizations, civic clubs, etc.) to conduct a food drive for them. Lastly, since the food bank participates in social media through a Facebook page and Twitter account, we suggest they post/share the pamphlet on these venues in order to connect with their online followers/fans.

Option 3: Test pamphlet effectiveness

To determine and reassess if the pamphlet is increasing awareness, we recommend the food bank track how donors are hearing about their organization. If our pamphlet receives a high mention of recruitment, then it would be fairly reasonable to consider it a successful tool. As a side note, determining what a high level of recruitment entails is beyond this report. We recommend the food bank use their own criteria to form an appropriate benchmark.

Furthermore, if the food bank decides to pursue our option two recommendation, they might be able to ask the various community centers to conduct a small market research campaign on their behalf to determine the overall reception of the pamphlet. From these results and after a given time period (of at least six months) of frequent distribution, the food bank can use their own predetermined benchmark to evaluate the pamphlet. If the results surpass the benchmark criteria, the continual use of the pamphlet would be advised. However, if the pamphlet does not meet the given standards, we suggest the discontinuation of the marketing tool.

References

Pike, S. (2016). Finding Ways to Increase the Amount of Nutritional Produce and Foods Donated to the Puyallup Food Bank. Puyallup: Self-published.

Puyallup Food Bank. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2016, from Puyallup Food Bank: www.puyallupfoodbank.org

Puyallup Food Bank. (2012). Puyallup Food Bank. Retrieved Mar 30, 2016, from Twitter: https://twitter.com/Puyallupfoodbnk?lang=en

Puyallup Food Bank. (2016). Puyallup Food Bank Page. Retrieved Apr 2, 2016, from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/puyallupfoodbank/?fref=ts

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Appendix A: Repurposed ProductThe following images show the end-product of our collaborative project.

Figure 1 – Image of pamphlet front and back covers

Figure 2 – Image of pamphlet interior pages

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Appendix B: Usability SurveyThis is the survey we distributed using SurveyMonkey.com to sample the community regarding the usability and effectiveness of our pamphlet. The respondents’ data is shown in boldface below.

1.    Do you think (our pamphlet) will inspire residents to donate or volunteer at the organization?

Yes     20 responses        90.91% No    2 responses             9.09%

            22 total        100%

2.    Do you think the pamphlet itself is eye-pleasing/attractive? Yes    19 responses        86.36% No    3 responses             13.64%

            22 total        100%

3.     Would you feel inspired to donate or get involved if you lived in this community? Yes    20 responses        90.91% No    2 responses             9.09%

            22 total        100%

4.     Any other suggestions you would recommend for improvement? Do you overall feel it is an effective product?

On the page "how you can help": maybe skip paragraph style & have bullet points. It's easier to read quick at a glance.

Make the regularly-needed items list more prominent, that way I would notice and be

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able to look out for good deals on these items in future.

I think some people will read all of it and be inspired to donate but for me, there isn't anything that grabs my attention enough to read all the information. The one page with the door is the best of the 4 and grabbed my attention the most.

This is very good. I do think it is effective and you all did a great job. My only critique is that in the red circle (a great idea, those circles) it says "Home preserved GOOD." Is that what was intended? I would have expected either "food" or "goods". I'm being very picky though. Good job!

I love the graphics. I only wonder if the how you can help has too many words. Would a bullet list be more effective? Also maybe we can vs we will....   

I may feel inspired but would probably forget to actually donate. The Qr code may actually help me do it right away, as long as it leads to a simple donation site and not just the general web page. In the end I'm more likely to make donations at the grocery store by rounding up my bill or adding to what I'm already doing.

Loved the list of specific items needed.

On page 1 choose a brighter color then green. It makes it hard to read.    That's amazing they can feed 4 for 4 days with $10!

To motivate a person to help another, it helps to strike an emotional chord. There are no pictures of poverty, or even a cute kid. There is no photo of an empty cupboard, nothing. Instead is a photo of a freshly painted door with bright happy colors. Not feeing/seeing the need to help. Sorry.