Below are summaries of examples of our successes.

Neighborhood Progress, Inc.

In 2008, Neighborhood Progress, Inc., a Cleveland-based non-profit group that works to rebuild the city’s neighborhoods, called on Riverside Communications Group to lead their media relations efforts on behalf of several groundbreaking initiatives, including its Opportunity Homes program. In addition, Riverside developed marketing and public relations efforts surrounding NPI’s milestone 20th anniversary. RCG worked with NPI to develop a 24-page anniversary report and plan an anniversary celebration for investors, supporters and friends and the organization.

Slavic Village Development

Slavic Village Development (SVD), a Community Development Corporation located in the heart of Cleveland, engaged Riverside Communications Group to help with their marketing efforts. Riverside conducted a series of focus groups in an effort to better understand the perception and positioning of the Slavic Village neighborhood with current residents and employees of neighborhood-based businesses. By exploring how Slavic Village is viewed, Riverside was able to uncover opportunities to better generate interest among residents and non-residents in an effort to improve marketing and increase homeownership. Specific objectives of the research included: gauging the overall reputation of Slavic Village; uncovering the most important considerations when selecting a place to rent or buy a home; exploring potential incentives to homeownership in general and in Slavic Village in particular; and uncovering possible solutions for improving the neighborhood.

Medicare Today

Directed the Ohio Medicare Today project for the Washington-based Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC). Medicare Today was a broad-based partnership of over 200 organizations, representing seniors, patients, healthcare providers, employers and others. Its mission was to educate and inform Medicare beneficiaries and the public-at-large about new prescription drug benefits and other improvements to the Medicare program and convince them to research the program and potentially enroll. This year-long project included extensive media relations, public education, government relations and community engagement. We worked closely with dozens of organizations and government agencies, including The Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Medical Center, The Benjamin Rose Institute, Fairhill Center, Social Security Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, local municipalities and members of Congress. We received extensive state-wide media coverage, leveraged targeted media buys and educated and enrolled hundreds of seniors in Medicare Part D. Our work was deemed a great success and gained attention from HLC’s leaders.

Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE)

Directed the development and implementation of a Customer Resource Management (CRM) tool for the small business organization’s 16,000 members. COSE launched its new Web-based customer tool fittingly called the COSE OneForm in May 2005. The OneForm is driven by the collection of data to create a “one-to-one” relationship strategy with members. Knowing what members want, when they want it and how they want to receive it enabled the organization to increase enrollment in product and service offerings; provide access to quality resources; and ultimately enhance membership value and retention.

With such a large membership base, COSE has long wrestled with the challenge of effectively communicating with a substantial and diverse audience. The idea of the OneForm stemmed from a simple marketing agenda – make it easier for current members to enroll in COSE’s affinity programs. However, after much discussion at the staff and key volunteer level, it was clear that the potential of the OneForm as a marketing tool was much more than originally planned. It ultimately laid the foundation for a full-service Customer Relationship Management tool. Our research and external market analysis indicated that the type of CRM tool COSE was considering – often used in corporate America, but typically not found in the nonprofit world – could support COSE’s mission and have a positive return on investment. With the COSE OneForm, the organization has taken a major step toward delivering a customized membership to its members.