The document provides biographies of six individuals on the Akvo public relations team, along with an outline of their proposed public relations strategy. The team includes professionals with experience in communications, public relations, marketing, and journalism. Their strategic plan focuses on developing an op-ed, direct marketing materials, identifying potential funders, search engine optimization through keyword research and building topic pages, expanding social media presence through a calendar and engaging posts, and leveraging "special days" for additional content.
2. Rachel Gardner
Rachel recently graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor
in art history. She has completed internships in production, wholesale, and marketing. She is currently pursuing her
master's degree in Corporate & Organizational Communication with a concentration in public relations at
Northeastern University.
Jim Cooney
Jim is a communications professional who specializes in writing about social innovation in both the public and private
sector. Prior to graduate studies, he worked at the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT as
well as the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School. Jim has a B.A. in
Psychology from Cornell University and is pursuing an M.S. in Corporate and Organizational Communication at
Northeastern University. He’s also a fiction writer at work on his second novel.
The Team
We Listen, We Transfer,
We Deliver
3. Andy Morse, MS
Andy is a seasoned communication professional with nearly 20 years of experience. He develops and executes
strategic communication plans to reach internal and external audiences. He is a former reporter with Foster’s
Daily Democrat, Gardner News, and Peterborough Transcript. Andy earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass
Communication at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H. and a master’s degree in Management with a
concentration in Healthcare Administration at New England College in Henniker, N.H. He is currently working
towards earning a certificate in public relations and media relations at Northeastern University.
The Team
Angelika Seaman
Angelika works as a Digital Marketing Specialist for a company that maximizes Enterprise SEO efforts
for global brands. She received a B.S in Integrated Marketing Communications from Ithaca College
and in addition to her Bachelor's degree, she completed a minor in Legal Studies and pursued internships in
the fields of Public Relations, Event Marketing, and Social Media Content Development/Management.
Angelika is in her first year of the Corporate and Organizational Communication Master's program at
Northeastern University.
We Listen, We Transfer,
We Deliver
4. Neha Hamzah
Neha is a Public Relations professional with an assortment of communications experience in Financial PR,
Consumer/Lifestyle PR, Non-Profit PR, Crisis Communications, and Government Relations. She is currently an
international student pursuing her Master's Degree in Corporate and Organizational Communications with a
concentration in Public Relations at Northeastern University – where she also completed her B.S. in Political
Science and International Affairs with a minor in Law and Public Policy.
The Team
We Listen, We Transfer,
We Deliver
Yuting Dong
Yuting is studying for her Master's degree at Northeastern University, majoring in Corporate Communication,
concentrating in Public Relations. She chose PR as my career path because she has a passion for building
creative marketing campaigns. She thinks PR is about helping companies creating brand stories and messages.
5. Outline
• Op-ed
• Direct Marketing
• Potential Funders
• SEO & Keyword Research
• Social Media
• Social calendar
• Blog posts
• Analysis
• "Special Days"
6. • Develop thought leadership piece
that argues the benefit of better
data tools and expertise
• Include anecdotal details from
Akvo-related projects
• Pitch to Devex and other leading
media sources
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
Public Relations Strategy
Op-ed
7. Op-ed (1st draft)
Connects to World Development
Report 2021: Data for Better Lives
• Showcases Jeroen’s perspective and
experience as a data-for-development
“evangelist”
• Showcases Akvo’s pilot projects in
Mali and Niamey (anecdotal details
forthcoming)
Call to action
Create an
ecosystem for
better data
sharing and reuse
8. Op-ed – Next steps
• Feedback from Georgia and Jeroen
- Focus / thesis on point?
- Editing for voice
- Radical revision welcome!
• Research
- (Anecdotal) reusable data discarded
- (Anecdotal) data being reused in pilots
• Redrafting
• Placement (Devex, others, backup)
• Future op-eds (topics, strategy)
This Photo by Unknown Author is from www.akvo.org.
9. • Entice potential funders
• Rearranged information to better
align with relevant information
Public Relations Strategy
Direct Marketing Piece
10. Direct Marketing Piece
New Format:
1. Helping the
Developing World
1. Our Solution
2. Objective
3. Success Stories
4. Testimonials
5. About Us
6. Your Support
11. • All the potential funders have
supported similar programs (WASH)
before, or water-related programs
• Many drink and beverage companies
fund WASH programs
• Search for foundations that support
environmental protection
Public Relations Strategy
Potential Funders List
16. Search Engine Optimization: Pillar Page
• Decide on a topic
• Designate/design a pillar page
• Select relevant keywords
• Build out 8-10 blog posts
Relevant topics:
• Clean water scarcity
• The Clean Water Act
• Smallholder Farming
• Improving water quality
17. Search Engine Optimization: Pillar Page
• Akvo "Safe Water for All"
• Can serve as a pillar page,
but remove data journey
info. and move to individual
page.
