Literacy Basics - Community Literacy of Ontario

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MARKETING

Community Literacy of Ontario, Marketing Survey Results, 2007 (Based on 55 respondents)

Community Literacy Ontario received feedback from 55 community literacy agencies from all around Ontario about outreach, marketing and promotional events that they conduct in their communities. There were nearly one hundred promotional events listed in total and about 20% of these were duplicated in various communities. For example, nine agencies reported successful job fair events, eight reported Family Literacy Day promotions and seven said their spelling bees were very popular in the community. Setting the duplications aside, there were close to eighty events listed that were unique to their communities. It is reasonable to assume that, had everyone responded to the survey, this number would almost double.

These statistics translate into some interesting facts about community literacy agencies in Ontario:

  • Successful promotions are not always events. They include anything that raises the profile of the agency in their community and beyond.
  • Community literacy agencies are able to see and seize opportunities for promotion quickly.
  • Promotional events reflect the uniqueness of the communities that support them.
  • Community literacy agencies are incredibly creative when it comes to promoting their programs and the overall cause of literacy in their communities.

The most popular fundraising events listed were book sales and fundraisers and community events and fairs. Literacy and on-site events, job fairs and employment events, and regional and interagency events followed in popularity. Finally, reading festivals, Scrabble® and spelling bees were next in popularity. There were also a number of “other” promotional events listed, which did not seem to fall in to any of the above categories.

Best Practice: The Thunder Bay Literacy Group

The Thunder Bay Literacy Group (TBLG) hosts Scrabble® Magic, an annual Scrabble® tournament that is heading in to its tenth successful year. The tournament both raises funds and the profile of TBLG. Players may pay to play or collect pledges for a minimum of thirty dollars. Hasbro donates a case of deluxe Scrabble® games every year and local businesses contribute prizes. Executive Director Jean Fairbairn says that Scrabble® Magic often receives front page coverage in the daily newspaper the Chronicle Journal.

Schools are encouraged to hold tournaments and there is also a celebrity tournament that is played at the central Scrabble® Magic location: Intercity Shopping Centre. A large area is made available to TBLG for the tournament and they also set up booths and displays to educate the community about their programs. The Thunder Bay Literacy Group always signs up new volunteers as a result of this excellent community exposure.

If you want more information on Scrabble® Magic, visit the TBLG website:
www.tblg.org/ and click on the Scrabble® board!

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CLO gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided by the Ontario Government under Employment Ontario and the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) and the technical support provided by the National Adult Literacy Database in developing this web site.

All external links within this website were valid at the time of publication.
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