The Francisco Homes

Strategic Public Relations Plan

IDAP 370 Final Project

Charlotte Becker, Cassandra Conella, Shannon Henley, Jesse Lucas

28 April 2015

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Executive Summary

This campaign is designed to help the Francisco Homes, a non-profit organization that

provides housing for formerly incarcerated men, to achieve greater awareness, acceptance, and

action within the Los Angeles community. The main target audience of this campaign is college

students. We believe that targeting college students will allow us to mold the minds of an

extremely influential population who are more liberal and accepting. This population is also the

next group that will be heading into the "real world," and as they do so, acceptance of

organizations like the Francisco Homes can be spread to others. The creation of events for the

men of the Francisco Homes and the members of the community to participate in together is

integral to the success of this campaign because it emphasizes the humanity and rehabilitation of

these men. The only way that people's minds can change about this organization is by having

people meet and work with the men that this organization serves.

I. Background

The Francisco Homes is a non-profit organization that offers hope and multi-

faceted, holistic support to formerly incarcerated men that aspire to re-integrate back into

the community. The Francisco Homes was created in 2007  in order to serve men coming

back from prison and to give them a transitional housing program. Between 2008 and

2011, they expanded from one house to five houses and they are now able to serve 55

men at one time.

The Francisco Homes encourages the community to acknowledge the worth and

dignity in all people, and they open the door of opportunity for healing. They strive to

make the re-entry process for former inmates restorative. Enlightened by the Gospels,

The Francisco Homes embrace all people with forgiveness and hope of restoration. They

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have built their foundation upon the values of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration.

There is a great camaraderie among all residents of The Francisco Homes, no matter their

culture, age, or race. They truly believe in supporting one another while giving back to

the community.

While the men stay at the Francisco Homes, they are offered housing and basic

support for immediate residential and personal needs. They are encouraged to connect

with other residents and empower one another to network within the community. The

men connect with the community through job centers, employers, volunteer

organizations, local colleges and universities, and benefit services. The Francisco Homes

also provides resources for residents to be active, productive, and enrolled in service

projects within the community. The Francisco Homes acknowledges the importance of

strong relationships so they facilitate and guide the establishment of interdependent

healthy relationships and help the men to reconnect with family, friends, and members of

the community. The men also are assisted in finding permanent housing once they are

equipped and ready to leave the Francisco Homes. The Francisco Homes continues to

support their residents and build their confidence toward healthy choices for their lives

and their community through support groups and mentoring.

The Francisco Homes offers multiple programs for the men staying with them.

These programs help to ease the process of reintegration back into society and benefits

the men’s mental, emotional, and physical health. These programs include Alcoholics

Anonymous, Criminals and Gangmembers Anonymous, and Process. The programs can

also give the men fundamental skills through programs such as Life Skills, Relationship

Development, Creative Writing, Bible Study, and Finances and Budgeting.

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While at The Francisco Homes, there are both short term and long term goals that

the men are expected to meet. In the first few weeks that the men are at the home, they

establish resident records and develop a personalized plan for subsequent

recommendations. Throughout the first few months, it is essential that there is continuous

guidance and information gathering. Once the men find more stability and feel ready to

leave The Francisco Homes, the focus turns toward money management and the

fundamental steps for independence. Exit interviews and evaluations are conducted to

overview the goals that were completed and to formulate next step strategies. Because the

Francisco Homes provides such emotional and spiritual support, the men are welcomed

into long lasting supportive relationships. The men are able to carry the knowledge and

relationships gained at the Francisco Homes as they reconnect with the community and

find independence.

II. Business Goal

The Francisco Homes need more people to be aware of their mission and the

services that they provide to formerly incarcerated men.  In order to achieve this

awareness, we are proposing to target college students.  College students are the next

group of people heading out into the world and making them aware of this organization

now will help make more people aware of what the Francisco Homes does.  It is

important to not only make people aware of this organization, but also to create a culture

of acceptance toward an organization that has faced some hostility from the community

and the media.  In order to generate more accepting attitudes towards this organization

and the men it houses, service projects should be done with college students to benefit the

community.  If we can reach out and create volunteer opportunities and schedule talks on

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campus with different student bodies, the goal is to create a connection with the men of

The Francisco Homes so that students know who they are and how influential the

organization is in transforming the lives of these men.

III. Statement of Problem

The Francisco Homes faces problems with both awareness and acceptance.

Firstly, most people do not know what the Francisco Homes is or what it does.  In order

for people to accept the message of the Francisco Homes and to act in support of the

organization, people first need to be aware of what the organization is and does.  This

campaign needs to make more people aware of the mission of the Francisco Homes.  We

found in our research that most people have never heard of Francisco Homes, which is a

problem that can be fixed with an effective public relations campaign.  

This campaign also needs to make people more accepting of the mission of the

Francisco Homes.  There are many fears within the surrounding community directed at

people who have committed violent crimes, which the men at the Francisco Homes have.

People are afraid of living near people who they know have committed crimes and often

stereotype these people as repeat offenders.  This is a major problem that the Francisco

Homes has to overcome in order to achieve acceptance of their message.  In order to

achieve greater acceptance of these men living in the community, the campaign needs to

stress the humanity of those who were previously incarcerated as well as their extensive

rehabilitation before being released from prison.  

IV. Communications Goal

a. Reach out to colleges and universities in the Los Angeles Area, including: Loyola

Marymount University, the University of Southern California, University of

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California Los Angeles, California State University Los Angeles, Occidental

College, Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles Mission College, and Santa

Monica College.

i. Encourage college students to participate in community service events

with the Francisco Homes.  

ii. Educate the students on the process of rehabilitation that these men went

through to be allowed back into the community.  

b. Create community events for volunteers to participate in alongside the men of the

Francisco Homes.

c. Influence community members to donate to the Francisco Homes.  

i. Encourage not only monetary donations, but also donations of goods and

services such as clothing and job interview workshops.  

d. Convince the target audience to accept the men of the Francisco Homes as

rehabilitated, contributing members of society and not just as former inmates with

life sentences.  

V. Research

a. Research Goals

i. Our campaign is focusing on the college student audience.  The specific

audience segments are service organizations, Greek life organizations,

student athletes, and any other organizations on a college campus that are

looking to get involved with serving the community with the reintegrated

men of the Francisco Homes.

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ii. College students are the ideal target audience because they are the next

generation heading out into the community.  By collaborating with the

next generation, it will create an understanding in the community. The

stakeholders may perceive college students as uncommitted, but there are

organizations on campuses dedicated to service.  There are so many

students looking for different opportunities to give back to their

community and help those in need.

iii. Big cities are often known for their crime rates.  This can be a

discouraging issue determining whether or not college students are willing

to work with the reintegrated men.  These men are convicted of violent

crimes.  That is a scary reality to face.  Another issue, is that college

students and community members alike are not aware that the men of the

Francisco Homes have met so many rehabilitation qualifications to be

released.  While it is more likely for a formerly incarcerated person to

return to prison, than the average citizen, there are so many of these men

just looking for a second chance and a new start to life.

b. Methodology

i. For a campaign like this, we wanted to get as much original research as

possible.  Both qualitative and quantitative research methods allow our

campaign to be fully informed on awareness, possibility of acceptance,

and eventually action.

ii. Through a survey and two focus groups our campaign gathered

information, using LMU students as the subjects, to determine several

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factors about college students: how often do they do service, had they

heard of the Francisco Homes, and whether or not they would be

willing/comfortable working with the men.

c. Model

i. Primary

1. Qualitative - Focus Groups

a. Female Focus Group - Belles Service Organization

i. After talking to a group of women from the Belles

Service Organization at LMU, I learned that they

would be interested in a service opportunity with

the men of the Francisco Homes.  

ii. One girl said “I think a program like this would

certainly give them an opportunity to redeem

themselves to society, their family and friends, and

themselves.”  

iii. Although none of the girls had heard of the

Francisco Homes and did have their concerns about

the security level provided to them at a

collaborative event, the entire group was very

excited about this kind of service.  

iv. Helping these usually neglected men in need stand

true to the values of their organization.  Their own

organization stands for “service, love, and

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solidarity.” It is their mission to stand up for the

voiceless.  These women were open and welcome to

the idea of working with the reintegrated men on

service projects to serve their self-worth and the

community in which they live.

b. Male Focus Group - Crimson Service Organization

i. While the Crimson Service Organization at LMU

doesn’t have a directed motto or social obligation,

this all men service org has focused on tutoring the

underprivileged children of the inner city.  

ii. At the focus group, the men were very interested in

getting involved with the reintegrated men of the

Francisco Homes, especially since they are an all-

male organization.

iii. The fact that they serve the children who are at

serious risk of committing crimes and mixing with

the wrong crowds, makes these men of Crimson

think that teaming up with the men who weren’t

able to have help and guidance would be a great

idea.  

iv. Although they are concerned of any backlash or

tarnish to their organization’s name, these men

believe that working with the men of the Francisco

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Homes to send a message to the kids would be an

unbelievable opportunity.

2. Quantitative - survey

a. We decided to create a quantitative survey in order to

gauge the awareness and acceptance of the Francisco

Homes among college students. Over the course of four

days, we had 59 individuals respond to our survey. Of these

students, 42 go to LMU, 12 go to USC, and 5 go to a

different university.

b. We wanted to see how many people were aware of

Francisco Homes, so we asked if they had ever heard of it.

Only 4 people (7%) were aware of Francisco Homes, while

the other 55 individuals (93%) had never heard of it.

c. Next, we decided to evaluate how many hours of service

people typically did each month, in order to see how many

different events we should plan for people to participate in.

There were 17 people who do less than one hour a month,

five people who do one hour per month, 14 people who do

two hours per month, six people who do three hours per

month, four people who do four hours per month, five

people who do five hours per month, and eight people who

do more than five hours of service per month.

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d. We also wanted to see how many people would be willing

to travel off campus to do service. Based on our survey

results, 71% of people would definitely travel off campus

to do service, while the other 29% would travel depending

on what type of service event it was.

e. In our survey, we also wanted to see how accepting people

were of Francisco Homes. Our survey found that 47% of

people would definitely work with men that were former

inmates, 13.5% of people would not be willing to work

with the men of Francisco Homes, and 39% of our

respondents would work with them depending on the

circumstance.

f. Lastly, we wanted to see what types of service people were

most passionate about so we could plan events that people

would be excited to come to. The majority of our

respondents (44%) are interested in doing service with

children, while the remainder of respondents were equally

interested in doing service for animals, the environment,

and education.

g. Because of this survey, we were able to evaluate how many

people were aware and accepting of Francisco Homes, as

well as gain insight as to what types of service events we

should plan in the future.

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ii. Secondary: Through online research our campaign is informed of potential

collaborative service opportunities between the men of The Francisco

Homes and different organizations at LMU.  See Strategies and Tactics.

VI. Situation Analysis

a. Strengths

i. Interest - Research shows that college students are interested in helping

the cause at The Francisco Homes.  As long as the men are interested in

serving their community and the students are interested in helping the

cause, then the ideas laid out in this campaign will be successful.  

ii. Second Chance - These men residing at TFH have proven their want and

ability to rehabilitate themselves.  Driven to reintegrate, the men seem

eager to prove their place in society.  Giving back to the community in

which they live is the perfect opportunity.

b. Weaknesses

i. Skepticism- The situation that the men are in is constantly being

questioned by their community.  People who are hesitant about the men’s

true rehabilitation have the potential to make taint the reputation of the

organization.

ii. Campaign Timeline- This campaign won’t just fall into place without a

little persistence.  This campaign is about reaching out to students, if the

outreach never happens, then the rest of the steps cannot be followed, and

the objectives of the campaign won’t be met.

c. Opportunities

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i. Awareness- By the end of this campaign, the Francisco Homes has the

opportunity to reach out to so many people.  Teaming up with college

students will draw attention from not only the community, but even more

college students.  Research shows that students hadn’t heard of the work

done at the Francisco Homes, but by reaching out to students, awareness

will spread to more and more people.

ii. Acceptance- By reaching out to the next generation of people to enter the

real world (college students), this campaign is helping to formulate their

opinions about the rehabilitation of these formerly incarcerated men. If

this campaign can make them think more positively about these men, then

greater acceptance can be achieved.

iii. Action- Through the expansion of awareness and acceptance comes

action.  Once students know about the service opportunities with the

Francisco Homes they will ideally want to get involved and join the cause.

d. Threats

i. Relapse risk- Once incarcerated, a person is much more likely to return to

prison than the average citizen.  The men fall under that category and

create a higher risk for students.  Students are eager to help when they

know they are in safe environment and might be more hesitant if they feel

uncomfortable or unsafe.

ii. Media- In the past, the Francisco Homes has not receive the best treatment

or cooperation from the media.  With community outreach events, there is

the possibility that the media might report on these events in a negative

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way. We will have to be careful to avoid unwanted attention from local

media.

VII. Measurable Objectives

a. To increase awareness of the Francisco Homes organization by 40% among

college students.  

i. According to our survey, only  approximately 7% of college students are

currently aware of the organization.  This campaign should help to

increase awareness greatly.  

b. To improve acceptance of the mission of the Francisco Homes to 35% among

college students.  

c. To achieve action through involvement in community events with the men of the

Francisco Homes with 15% of college students participating.  

d. To increase donations- monetary, clothing, or services - by 10%.  

VIII. Audiences

i. College Students

1. Greek Life

a. The LMU Fraternity and Sorority community consists of 21

chapters. There are 12 registered Sorority organizations and

nine registered Fraternity organizations. These

organizations are required to complete a minimum amount

of community service each month and they are constantly

looking for new ways to become involved with the

community. Since over 25% of the LMU population is

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involved with Greek Life, this is an extremely important

population to target.

2. Service Organizations

a. There are nine service organizations on campus at LMU

and each individual in the service organization completes at

least 30 hours of service each semester. The service

organizations are student run and they make themselves

available for on-campus service as well as on-going

commitments to serve at specific non-profit agencies in

Southern California. By having an on-going partnership

with the Francisco Homes, we would be able to build a

strong relationship between the men and students in order

to help the men of the Francisco Homes seamlessly

reintegrate into society.

3. Sports Teams

a. The Azusa Pacific men's basketball team has helped

support the Francisco Homes, and there is an opportunity

for other sports teams to help them in similar ways.

b. At LMU there are 10 men’s sports teams and 12 women’s

sports teams. By having LMU sports teams collaborate

with Francisco Homes, we could host events on campus to

build awareness and acceptance of Francisco Homes.

4. Religious Groups

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a. Religious groups on campus

i. Greek Light

1. Greek Light is a student run Bible Study that

meets weekly. Most of the members are

involved with Greek Life so this is a way for

students to connect through mutual values

and faiths. Many of the students are

passionate about giving back and doing

community service, so it would be great to

be able to have men from Francisco Homes

introduce themselves to this group of

students in order to build awareness and

acceptance.

ii. The Well

1. The Well is a weekly religious service that is

aimed toward students. Students gather in

order to practice faith in a welcoming

community. Since students are gathered in

an intimate setting at The Well, this would

be a great place to talk about the mission of

Francisco Homes and how students would

be able to get involved if they are interested.

IX. Key Messages

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a. The Francisco Homes houses former prison inmates who have been fully

rehabilitated and are now ready to contribute to and give back to the community.  

i. It is important to emphasize the humanity and the rehabilitation of these

prison inmates so that people will lean towards acceptance of the mission

of the Francisco Homes.  

b. The Francisco Homes are located in Los Angeles, which makes it convenient for

students of USC, UCLA, and LMU.  

i. Convenience is very important for college students.  If they don’t have to

go too far to help an organization that really needs it, then they will be

more willing to help.  

c. The men of the Francisco Homes are willing to work with members of the

community to improve the community.  

i. Showcasing the willingness of the men to work with others is important

for the service events that can be set up.  It also emphasizes their humanity

because people will be able to get to know them as people at these events. 

d. The Francisco Homes emphasizes Catholic notions of forgiveness by giving these

men a second chance after they get out of prison.  

i. Emphasizing its Catholic background could help improve acceptance at

schools like LMU or with the Los Angeles Archdiocese and churches in

the area.  

e. The Francisco Homes provides an integral service to men after they are released

from prison- it gives them a home when they have nowhere else to go.

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i. It is important to emphasize that this organization provides something to

men that they really need when they get out of prison.

ii. After they get out of prison, these men are treated harshly by society, so its

important to emphasize the organization's kindness towards this

population that is often seen in a negative light.

iii. Using pathos is important in gaining more acceptance of the Francisco

Homes.

X. Strategies

a. Community events

i. The men of The Francisco Homes are looking to be reintegrated into

society.  By serving their community, with the help of the students who

live there as well, the men get to demonstrate just how much they can

positively contribute.

b. Donation events

i. These events fund the operations of the organization and can be used to

hold more service events, which is important rehabilitating the image of

the Francisco Homes in the community and the media. Donations are very

important for nonprofit organizations because donations are one of the

only ways these organizations can make money.

c. College/ university visits

i. Bringing the men of the Francisco Homes to various colleges/ universities

in the area will help build connections with the men and college students.

Having the men give talks about their experiences and how the Francisco

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Homes has helped them will also showcase the humanity of the former

inmates and how the Francisco Homes has positively impacted their lives.

d. Media outreach

i. Reaching out to the outlets of universities in the area will be one of the

best ways to get students involved in the cause.  Student’s collaborating on

service opportunities with the men will play a role in reaching more

students in terms awareness and action.

e. Correspondence

i. It is important for the Francisco Homes to give out materials like

brochures that are consistent with their mission and make people want to

learn more and help them.  These materials must look nice while also

providing information about the organization.  By using documents to

communicate with the public, the Francisco Homes can control the

message that it wants to send.  

XI. Tactics

a. Community events

i. Planting gardens at Churches in the area

1. By working to benefit the local Catholic community, the Francisco

Homes would gain much respect and support from local churches.

These churches would then become even more accepting of the

men at the Francisco Homes and this would positively benefit the

reputation of both the men and the organization. By teaching the

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men how to give back to the community, they will learn invaluable

life skills that they will carry with them forever.

ii. Beach clean-up

1. Beach clean ups would be a great way for the men at the Francisco

Homes to partner with LMU students. Many Greek Life

Organizations as well as service organizations enjoy participating

in local beach clean ups at Manhattan Beach, El Porto, Playa del

Rey, and Venice Beach. This would be an amazing opportunity for

the men to connect with college students and begin building lasting

relationships.

iii. Resume/ Job Application workshops with college students

1. During these workshops, both the men of the Francisco Homes and

students will be able to work together in order to work toward

employment. They will be able to encourage, support, and teach

one another during this process. This will be beneficial to the men

of the Francisco Homes because they will learn how to effectively

take part in interpersonal communication.

b. Donation events

i. Clothing drive

1. The former inmates do not own many belongings when they are

first released from prison. It is difficult enough to pay for shelter

and food, but the men also need to find money to buy clothes for.

By having donation drives where men could acquire leisure clothes

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and work clothes, this would allow them to have more money to

spend on future housing and transportation.

ii. Grocery coupon clipping

1. Since the majority of men at the Francisco Homes are working low

income jobs, this would greatly benefit them. The community

would be able to donate coupons that they do not need or want and

this would directly benefit the financial situation of the men who

are living at the Francisco Homes.

c. College/ university visits

i. Talks/ speeches

1. Reaching out to universities and providing speakers to talk about

being in prison and their rehabilitation would help students

understand the prison system while also promoting the humanity of

the former prisoners, making students more accepting of the

Francisco Homes.

d. Media outreach

i. Provide college newspapers with news releases

1. Many students at local universities such as LMU, USC, and UCLA

are very interested in learning more about the non-profit and

service organizations that are located in Los Angeles. By having

informational and positive news releases that are available to

students, this will get the word out about who the Francisco Homes

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is and what they do. This will build both positive awareness and

acceptance.

ii. Give college and universities information about upcoming events

1. Service and giving back to the community are huge aspects of life

on a college campus. Students are constantly looking for new

organizations to volunteer with in order to get involved. If the

Francisco Homes is able to organize events that college students

can attend, they will be able to connect with college students and

build loyal relationships with them. This will form ongoing

collaborations that both the students and men will look forward to.

e. Correspondence

i. Brochures

1. We consulted with a professional graphic designer to learn how to

design the brochures to make them more visually appealing.  We

will use the tips and tricks given to us to design a brochure for the

organization to distribute to the community, its supporters,

volunteers, etc.

ii. Newsletters

1. The organization should begin e-mailing newsletters to those that

request to be on the mailing list.  They should also feature a

member of the Francisco Homes each month so that those who

receive the newsletter can learn more about the men who live in

the homes.  This helps emphasize their humanity because people

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are able to get to know the men beyond knowing that they

committed a crime.

XII. Evaluation

a. We will conduct another study after the year-long public relations campaign and

compare the results to our initial study.  

i. Just as we did prior to the campaign, we will conduct both qualitative and

quantitative research to get a better understanding of how the campaign

impacted the target public.  We will send out a survey and conduct focus

groups after the campaign.  

b. We can also evaluate the success of the campaign by looking to see if there was

an increase in donations to the organization.  

i. An increase in donations would showcase that people are becoming more

accepting and more aware of the Francisco Homes to the point that they

felt compelled to give support with money, donated items, or services.  

c. Additionally, evaluating media impressions generated in college and local

newspapers can give us an idea of how many people were exposed to the

message.  

i. Reaching out to university newspapers means that we must evaluate

whether articles were published, whether they were positive or negative,

and how many people could have seen these articles.  

d. Finally, through research, we can evaluate the objectives laid out at the beginning

of the campaign were met.  

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i. By comparing research results at the end of the campaign to our results at

the beginning, we can determine whether or not we achieved our desired

objectives of more awareness, acceptance, and ultimately more action

from the college student target public.  

XIII. Timeline

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XIV. Budget

a. For each month of the campaign, we propose a budget of $150 to spend on

brochures, events, and any other expenses that arise. Over the course of one year,

this would total $1,800. Because the Francisco Homes is a nonprofit and does not

have much money to spend, we wanted to keep the budget on the smaller side.

Here are some of the expected costs:

i. 500 brochures- $350

ii. Transportation- $100

iii. Supplies for service events- $400 (to be used over the course of the year at

various events)

iv. Advertisements in college publications- $0- $100

v. Evaluation research- $100- $500