A guide to the activities of the Federal Communicators Network, prepared to assist the incoming 2013 Board.

1.
A Guide to FCN Activities
For Incoming FCN Board 2013 - by Dannielle Blumenthal
Category Activities Tools
Social Media • Networking • LinkedIn (Federal employees and
contractors)
• Twitter
• Blog
• GovLoop
• Dlvr.it (sends blog to Twitter)
Collaboration Among Board • Email updates • Gmail
• Google Docs • Google Docs
• Internal Blog • Blogger (internal blog)
• • Google group for archiving emails
Event Planning • Recruiting a speaker • Telephone calls
• Preparing speaker • EventBrite
• Posting event online • See social media tools for
• Promoting via social media promoting event
• Distributing PowerPoint in • Email to distribute PowerPoint
advance • Slideshare for posting FCN
• Moderating event documents and presentations
• Posting presentation
afterward to Slideshare
Newsletter • Researching • Review Udemy, MIT Open
• Writing the intro Courseware, Public Relations
• Distributing via Society of America, Capitol
MailChimp Communicators, etc. for free/low-
cost training
• Write introduction
• Format and distribute through
MailChimp (free up to a certain
number of emails)
Governance • Board meetings – • Most meetings held by phone call
telephone • Occasional gatherings at coffee
• Board meetings – live shop (e.g. Starbucks)
• Charter updates • Usually 1-2 Board members
• Strategy collaborate on Charter updates
• Election • Decisions made by voting via
email
• Election via Obsurvey.com (free)
• Google group archives messages

2. A Guide to Strategy Formulation for FCN
Ellen Crown, FCN Board Member 2012
1. The new Chair, co-Chair, and Board should review and revise this plan to adapt is based on
their Mission and Vision of FCN.
2. Do they agree with the Mission statement? If not, what is a better statement that frames their purpose?
3. Do they agree with the Vision? If not, what is their Vision?
4. Next, review the Goal/Objective. NOTE, this must be measurable.
5. Tactics (communication vehicles) should be selected based on the Goal/Objective; what will help
them achieve these outcomes?
6. Actions describe what work will be done for each tactic.
7. Measures describe how you will quantify success.
8. Goal alignment explains how everything rolls back up to the original Goal/Objective (which part).
9. This should be a living, breathing document.
10. The plan is only about 10% of the work. Don’t forget to measure outcomes!

3.
Strategic Plan 2012-2013
By Ellen Crown
GOAL/OBJECTIVE: Increase FCN membership, so that we can better connect with our communication colleagues, understand
their needs, and strengthen our collective intelligence.
VISION: To provide a unique service via a safe environment that allows for open communication.
MISSION: To facilitate free training, networking, and the sharing of lessons learned and best practices among Federal
communicators.
Tactic 1: Tactic 2: Tactic 3: Tactic 4: Tactic 5:
Free bi-monthly events FCN LinkedIn blog Newsletter (quarterly) Blog Slideshare
(either live, teleconference Purpose: Engage FCN Purpose: Provide focus on Purpose: Present latest Purpose: Share
or web-based) members in professional training activities, information on training presentations and training
Purpose: Professional discussion. Also used for repurposed materials from activities, blogs, materials among peers.
development – the core of membership outside sources, perhaps newsletter, etc. –
FCN’s existence. management member spotlights. repurposed from and
coordinated across all
other tactics.
Action: Plan, promote and Action: Post a minimum Action: Plan, craft, and Action: Spruce up Action: Ensure all event
host 6 in-person, telephonic of 24 blogs over the next publish 4 newsletters per existing FCN site, which slide sets are archived
or online events over the year (2 per month), year, with articles able to will be used as a hub for
next year. Topics TBD. contributed by various be repurposed on various our other tools
members of the FCN platforms such as
Measure: Audience board on a range of LinkedIn blog and Measure: Measure: N/A
attendance communication topics GovLoop N/A
Goal alignment: Increase Measure: LinkedIn Measure: number of
membership / understand membership, individual subscribers / qualitative
needs / communication blog views, and feedback on articles
comments Goal alignment: Goal alignment: N/A
NOTE: Will circulate Goal alignment: connect N/A
questionnaires at events Goal alignment: with our communication
asking attendees if they Increase membership / colleagues
would prefer to connect communication/
with us social media understand needs/
platforms, such as Twitter, collective intelligence
Facebook, etc. This will (conversations on
inform future tactics. LinkedIn topics)