Boston Pride Seeks Digital Marketing Firm

Boston Pride is accepting proposals for the design, planning and execution of its Digital Marketing activities pertaining to the 2018 calendar year. This will be a concept to completion production. The purpose of this request for proposals (RFP) is to define the scope, expectations, and background for these activities, as well as to specify the evaluation criteria against which respondents will be judged. Currently, Digital Marketing endeavors are handled by volunteers within the organization, with support from the Board of Directors. Considering the rate of expansion at which the organization is growing, as well as the expected increase in the number of events and their attendance in 2018, Boston Pride is seeking to externalize, in whole or in part, its Digital Marketing activities. After Pride 2018, a thorough evaluation of this externalization endeavor will be performed to assess a potential renewal for the 2019 calendar year.

Background:

Mission

Boston Pride produces events and activities to achieve inclusivity, equality, respect, and awareness in Greater Boston and beyond. Fostering diversity, unity, visibility, and dignity, we educate, communicate, and advocate by building and strengthening community connections.

Vision

Boston Pride creates change and progress in society by embracing our community’s diverse history, culture, and identities, promoting community engagement and inclusivity, and striving for visibility and respect in unity.

Structure

Boston Pride is composed of four groups of volunteers who work collaboratively to achieve the organization’s mission:

• Board of Directors – the Board of Directors of Boston Pride is composed of six volunteers who steer the organizations’ strategy, ensure its financial oversight and compliance, and supervise all activities and programs of the organization.
• Council of Advisors – the Council of Advisors of Boston Pride is an external, advisory group composed of community leaders who provide feedback and suggestions to the Board of Directors.
• Boston Pride Committee – the Boston Pride Committee is composed of about twenty volunteers who chair the various events of Boston Pride or who supervise cross-organization operations.
• Pride Volunteers – Boston Pride enjoys annually the support of about 125 volunteers who contribute to the success of the various Pride events.

Programs and Events

Boston Pride’s activities are currently organized into six programs. Note that some events are part of multiple programs. For a complete list of programs, visit our website at www.bostonpride.org/calendar.

• Boston Pride Week – commonly referred to as “Boston Pride”, this is the main program of the organization, which consists of 10 days of events in the first two weeks of June. These events are a celebration of the LGBTQ community and a continuation of the fight for equal rights for all.
• Latinx Pride – a series of events organized specifically for the visibility of the LGBTQ Latinx communities.
• Black Pride – a series of events organized specifically for the visibility of LGBTQ communities of color.
• Youth Pride – a series of events organized specifically for LGBTQ youth, including the Valentine’s Dance, Massachusetts Youth Pride and the Pride Youth Dance.
• The Boston Pride Guide – Boston Pride’s official, annual publication; a premium, full color, glossy magazine with community-focused, original content.
• The Boston Pride Community Fund – a fund focused on supporting small, grassroots organization in the community.

Relevant Technology Resources and Integration

Boston Pride currently uses a number of technological platforms for its operations, which will be made available to the selected provider as necessary to perform the work contracted:

• WordPress for web publishing
• Event for newsletter marketing, surveys, and event registration
• Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn for social media
• PayPal and Square for merchandizing and donation collection
• Spreadshirt for merchandizing
• Showclix for event ticketing
• SmugMug for photo and video archiving
• Pride Labs mobile app

Respondents are expected to submit proposals that make use of these platforms. The addition or replacement of technological platforms will be considered only where appropriately justified. Members of the Information Technology committee of the Board of Directors of Boston Pride will be available to enable necessary technology integration or linking indispensable to the execution of the work contracted.

Scope of Work:

(1) Branding and Value Messaging

• Determine, with Boston Pride stakeholders, how the organization can or should brand itself.
• Identify key value messaging components and milestones in support of the Boston Pride brand.
• Establish a strategy to market Boston Pride to new, untapped audiences.

(2) Content Marketing

• Provide content creation, development and management services.
• Devise a content marketing strategy that exploits all Boston Pride communications channels.
• Train Boston Pride stakeholders for best practices in content marketing.

(3) Creative Services

• Define a graphic identity and visual language for Boston Pride.
• Provide graphic and visual design services for asset creation on all media types employed by Boston Pride, including, but not limited to:

o Digital assets for all our events, for social media, website, newsletter and other media

o Print and digital media kit, sponsorship packet, and annual report

o Print ads for marketing partners’ publications

o Digital design for banners and signs

• Implement a redesign of and manage the Boston Pride website.
• Develop merchandising and clothing identity and designs.
• Produce, from start to finish, the Boston Pride newsletter.
• Produce promotional videos.
• Support other creative needs as they emerge.

(4) Analytics and Testing

• Establish a SEO strategy for Boston Pride’s online properties.
• Research which digital channels are worth keeping, expanding, retiring based on collected data.
• Identify meaningful measures of performance for our digital marketing efforts.

(5) Social Engagement

• Develop and supervise the execution of a social media strategy and of a posting policy.
• Manage Boston Pride’s secondary social media accounts.
• Identify effective means to engage our community through social media platforms.

(6) Advertising and Promotion

• Establish a strategy for advertising and promoting our events in the community and beyond.
• Identify relevant opportunities for marketing and advertisement in the community and beyond.
• Track ROI on marketing and advertising projects.

Due Date:

November 10

Address:

sbruni@bostonpride.org

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