This document provides an overview and case study of Backpack BLISS, a virtual backpack program implemented by Orland School District 135 to distribute community organization flyers digitally rather than via paper. Research found the program saved organizations and the district money on printing and distribution while parents liked the idea but did not regularly visit the webpage. The case study outlines goals to make the webpage a primary resource for parents and organizations. Objectives, strategies and tactics are presented to increase webpage visits and organization participation through regular parent communication, a community expo, and surveys.

1. Backpack BLISS
APR Online Prep
Case Study Presentation
Candidate: Bridget McGuiggan

2. The Situation: An Overview of
Orland School District 135

District 135 is an elementary district (K-8) serving
nearly 5,500 students

District 135 employs 750 teachers and staff

District 135 is located in Orland Park, IL (South
Suburban Chicago) – It is an affluent, strong
community

District 135 is among the top tier of local districts in
the areas of academics, Special Education,
athletics, activities, and facilities

3. The Situation: An Overview
of the Paper Flyer Program (1)

A variety of organizations and businesses in the
area serve elementary-aged children, including:
 Sports
groups (LaCrosse, Soccer, Football, etc.)
 Martial Arts groups
 Dance / Cheer groups
 Tutoring / Development centers
 Physicians
 Scouts
 Special Needs
 Parochial elementary and high schools

4. The Situation: An Overview
of the Paper Flyer Program (2)

Organizations interested in sending flyers to our
families were required to:
 Be
an approved organization (meet set criteria)
 Have the flyer approved by the District
 Copy the flyer
 Bundle the flyers by school and grade
 Deliver the bundled flyers to the District Office

The flyer coordinator was required to then ensure
flyers were copied and bundled correctly and
then coordinate their distribution with the
Maintenance Office.

5. The Situation:
Why Paper Flyers Don't Work (1)

Excessive paper consumption


Students as mules


6,800 copies x 100 flyers per year =
680,000 pieces of paper used per year
The weight of student backpacks has long been a
concern of parents and flyers add up quickly.
Ineffective distribution

Children don't always share the information they are
supposed to bring home, the information gets lost at
the bottom of a backpack, or they pull it out after
deadlines and events have passed.

6. The Situation:
Why Paper Flyers Don't Work (2)

Expense in copying for organizations
One flyer to all students requires nearly 6,800
copies
 6,800 copies x $.05 = $340


District time (money) quickly spent
The flyer coordinator estimated she spent 3 hours
per week with the flyers, often surrounded at her
desk by dozens of stacks of event and program
announcements.
 The turn-around time for flyers was sometimes
three days to ensure proper approvals were met.
 The District Courier was responsible for hauling all
flyers to each of the District's ten buildings


7. The Situation:
Introducing BLISS (1)

In Spring 2009, we learned of an Illinois
school district that implemented a virtual
backpack program.

In June 2009, the flyer coordinator,
Superintendent, and I met to discuss the
possibility of adapting the virtual backpack for use
in District 135.

In September 2009, Backpack BLISS was
launched in District 135.

8. The Situation:
Introducing BLISS (2)

Backpack BLISS stands for the five
reasons for implementing the system:
 Be
environmentally friendly
 Lighten
student backpacks
 Improve
flyer effectiveness
 Save
money for organizations
 Save
time for District personnel

9. The Situation:
Introducing BLISS (3)

Backpack BLISS was introduced after the school year had
already begun, missing many of the communication
opportunities available in the first weeks of school.

Organization leaders had positive comments to say about
the system, but complained to the BLISS Coordinator
because they were not getting the amount of responses
from parents they had prior to posting and thought the
system might not be working as well as it could be.

The virtual backpack requires parents to go online to the
District website to view the flyers, to take action
themselves.

10. Research:
Making BLISS more Blissful

Research Activity #1: Primary, Formal
 How
much money and paper were the
organizations actually saving using BLISS?
 Type: Data Gathering / Source: BLISS Reports

Research Activity #2: Primary, Formal
 How
many visitors were there to the BLISS
page, and how long were they staying on the
page? What was the most popular time to
visit?
 Type: Data Gathering / Source: Google
Analytics

11. Research:
Making BLISS more Blissful

Research Activity #3: Secondary, Informal
 How
many members / attendees have
organizations lost since switching to the virtual
backpack for posting flyers?
 Type: Phone Survey / Source: Organization
Leaders

Research Activity #4: Primary, Informal
 What
did parents think of the new virtual
backpack?
 Type: Focus Group / Source: Parents for
Education (Parent Association)

12. Research:
Making BLISS more Blissful

Findings from Research

We compared the money spent and paper used prior to
the virtual backpack's implementation and found the
savings to be outstanding. We were able to provide a
group-by-group breakdown of the savings.

We used Google Analytics to track the number of visitors
to the BLISS webpage. We found it to be among the top
ten most-visited pages of the website, with a steady, but
small stream of visitors. The total number of visitors was
a fraction of the total number of potential visitors, though.
The number of visitors was significantly higher on the
days we sent an e-news reminder to check the page with
a direct link to the site.

13. Research:
Making BLISS more Blissful

Findings from Research

In doing an informal phone survey, the BLISS Coordinator
determined that few groups were able to track how
members / attendees learned about their services, so
conversations were inconclusive in regard to possible
drops in attendance or membership. Overall, groups
shared their love of the program, noting that the cost and
time savings was worthwhile.

In doing an informal focus group with members of our
parent association, we learned that parents who have
heard of Backpack BLISS really liked the idea of a virtual
backpack and found it useful, but learned that even the
"involved" parents had not been to the page after months
of posts and a number of reminders.

14. Research:
Making BLISS more Blissful
 Problem
 While
Statement
the idea of a virtual backpack is
well received by group leaders and
parents alike, the number of visitors to
the page shows that parents are either
not taking the action to go to the BLISS
page at all, or are not returning regularly
to check for new posts. Community
organizations are noticing a drop in
membership and attendance and suggest
it is a result of the change in flyer

15. Goals

Goal #1: The Backpack BLISS webpage is
known among District 135 parents as the
place to find community flyers.

Goal #2: The Backpack BLISS webpage is
visited regularly by District 135 parents.

Goal #3: The Backpack BLISS webpage is
known by qualifying community organizations
and used regularly for sharing events and
program registration opportunities.

16. Key Publics

District 135 Parents

District 135 Students

District 135 Staff Members

District 135 Board of Education and
Administration

Community Organization Leaders

17. Objectives

District 135 Parents




(Obj. #1) By January 2011, 50% of District 135 families will have
visited the Backpack BLISS webpage. (Goal 1, 2)
(Obj. #2) By June 2011, 75% of District 135 families will report that
Backpack BLISS is their primary resource for learning about
community events and programs. (Goal 1)
(Obj. #3) By June 2011, 75% of District 135 families will have visited
the Backpack BLISS webpage a minimum of three times. (Goal 2)
Community Organization Leaders



(Obj. #4) By August 2010, 100% of organizations who had a paper
flyer distributed to District families in the 2009-10 school year will be
aware of the virtual backpack program.
(Obj. #5) By December 2010, 75% of organizations who had a
paper flyer distributed to District families in the 2009-10 school
year will use the virtual backpack program.
(Obj. #6) By June 2011, 90% of organizations using the Backpack
BLISS program will give the program a satisfactory rating.

18. Strategies

(Obj. #1, 2, 3) Contact District parents regularly to remind
them of the current postings on the BLISS webpage.

(Obj. #2, 4) Create an event where District parents and
community organization leaders can meet face-to-face.

(Obj. # 4, 5, 6) Contact organization leaders who sent a
paper flyer to District families in the 2009-10 school year
to explain the virtual backpack program.

(Obj. # 2, 6) At the end of the 2010-11 school year, do
formal research with parents to gauge their response to
the BLISS program, and then also gauge the response of
the organization leaders.

19. Tactics (1)

(Strat. #1) Contact District parents regularly to alert them of
the current postings on the BLISS webpage.
 Tactic: Enhance Contact Contact e-news database.
 Tactic: Send e-mails twice per month noting current
postings.
 Tactic: Post a Twitter message when a new posting is
added.

(Strat. #2) Create an event where District parents and
community organization leaders can meet face-to-face.
 Tactic: Host an EXPO in a District school, featuring
booths of community organizations. Allow non-profits to
have a free booth; for-profit / non-qualifying groups can
be charged a fee.

20. Tactics (2)

(Strat. #3) Contact organization leaders who sent a paper flyer to
District families in the 2009-10 school year to explain the virtual
backpack program.
 Tactic: Call organization leaders.

(Strat. #4) At the end of the 2010-11 school year, do informal
research with parents to gauge their response to the BLISS
program, and also gauge the response of the organization
leaders.
 Tactic: Create two Survey Monkey surveys to be sent as email links.

21. Main Message, Spokesperson
Main Message (Parents): The virtual backpack program
"Backpack BLISS" is a highly effective means of
learning about opportunities for involvement with
community organizations.
Main Message (Organizations): The virtual backpack
program "Backpack BLISS" is a highly effective means
of sharing community organization information with the
families of Orland School District 135.
Spokesperson: Community Relations Coordinator

22. Costs (1)
Enhance Constant Contact E-Mail
Database:

 Flyer
Printing – No cost (printed in house, sent
through the school to students directly)
 Online e-mail sign up – No cost (existing web
feature)
Send
 No

E-mails Twice per Month
cost (existing e-mail system)
Post Twitter Message for New Posts

23. Costs (2)

Host EXPO - Costs:
 Drinks
/ Food for
volunteers,
participants: $60.00
 Raffle: $20.00
 Balloons: $20.00
 Advertising: $1,000
 Labor: $1,000
 Total Expenditures:
$2,100.00

Host EXPO - Income:
 $100
booth fee
x 30 booths
 Total Income: $3,000
EXPO will net a profit of
$900.00

24. Costs (3)
Phone


calls to Organization Leaders:
No cost
Send Two Surveys:

No Cost (existing system)
Time






Spent:
Phone calls to leaders: 3 hours
E-Mail Enhancement: 2 hours
E-mail Sending: 30 minutes / 2x per week
Tweet Posting: 5 minutes / 3x per week
EXPO: 48 hours
Surveys: 3 hours

25. Timetable
June 2010: Call organization leaders to discuss virtual
backpack program and invite them to host a booth at EXPO

June 2010: Send flyer to District families to obtain e-mail
addresses


July / August 2010: Implement EXPO advertising campaign

August 2010: Host EXPO
September 2010: Begin bi-monthly e-mails and Tweets with
BLISS posting information

May
2011: Send surveys to parents and community leaders

26. Evaluation Against Objectives

By January 2011, 50% of District 135 families will visit the Backpack BLISS
webpage.
 Evaluation: Google Analytics, Survey Results

By June 2011, 75% of District 135 families will visit the Backpack BLISS
webpage a minimum of three times.
 Evaluation: Google Analytics, Survey Results

By August 2010, 100% of organizations who had a paper flyer distributed to
District families in the 2009-10 school year will be aware of the virtual backpack
program.
 Evaluation: BLISS Coordinator Report

By December 2010, 75% of organizations who had a paper flyer distributed to
District families in the 2009-10 school year will use the virtual backpack
program.
 Evaluation: BLISS Coordinator Report

By June 2011, 90% of organizations using the Backpack BLISS program will
give the program a satisfactory rating.
 Evaluation: Survey Results

27. Evaluation Against Goals

Goal #1: The Backpack BLISS webpage is known among District
135 parents as the place to find community flyers.
 Evaluation: Ensure that at least 50% of District parents have
visited the BLISS page by the middle of the school year.

Goal #2: The Backpack BLISS webpage is visited regularly by
District 135 parents.
 Evaluation: Ensure that at least 75% of District parents have
visited the BLISS page at least three times by the end of the
school year.

Goal #3: The Backpack BLISS webpage is known by qualifying
community organizations and used regularly for sharing events and
program registration opportunities.
 Evaluation: Ensure that at least 75% of paper flyer users post a
flyer on the BLISS webpage and that 90% of those who use it
give the program a satisfactory rating.

28. Conclusion

The Backpack BLISS program is a real, working effort in
District 135. We have implemented the strategies and tactics
referenced, including the EXPO. It was held on August 18,
2010, and welcomed more than 1,200 visitors to see 70
community groups and businesses. The event received
excellent media coverage, and comments that followed the
event showed it was a true success. The event netted a profit
of $930 and post-event evaluation results were extremely
positive.

In developing this case study, I have considered that more
can be done to enhance the success of our virtual backpack
program. I plan to re-visit the original goals and objectives for
Backpack BLISS, and then I will re-visit the strategies and
tactics needed to achieve our vision, including more
paperless options.