HomeMy WebLinkAbout13 2023 Public Information Plan + Communications Strategy AGENDA ITEM #13
TRUCKEE DONNER
Public
MEETING DATE: February 1, 2023
TO: Board of Directors
FROM: Alex Spychalsky, Communications Specialist
Steven Poncelet, Public Information and Strategic Affairs
Director
SUBJECT: 2023 Public Information Department Plan and
Communications Strategy
APPROVED BY
Brian C. Wright, General Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive this report and provide input and direction to staff.
BACKGROUND:
In the Truckee Donner Public Utility District Strategic Plan 2021-2024, it was determined
that an increased emphasis on communication, both externally and internally, would
benefit the District in accomplishing its strategic goals. In 2021,the District hired Probolsky
Research to conduct a customer satisfaction survey. The survey determined that the
District scored well in brand recognition and satisfaction among the community, and that
increased communication could help customers better understand the work the District
does and the specific ways it benefits the community. In order to accomplish this work, in
2022 the Board approved the budget for a communications specialist, whose scope of
work would be dedicated to furthering the District's communications vision. In mid-2022,
the newly-hired Communications Specialist, under the guidance of the Strategic Affairs
and Public Information Director, began to tackle a new communications plan and strategy
for the District. After six months of cross-departmental work, the 2023 Public Information
Department Plan was presented internally to the Executive Leadership Team and to All
Staff.
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ANALYSIS/BODY:
The 2023 Public Information Department Plan is an update and expansion of the 2020
Communication Themes. These existing themes sought to lay out the communications
priorities for the District, as determined by staff and the Board. With the reimagining of this
strategic process, staff has decided that the best way to ensure a comprehensive reflection
of who we are as an organization, as well as District-wide adoption and support of the
communication themes, was to create an interdepartmental working group to vet and
discuss these ideas.
The Communication Themes Working Group determined that the best course of action for
the District would be to change both the perspective and the purpose of the themes, in
order to both prioritize a focus on customer needs and lead our audiences to a deeper
understanding of what the District does for its community. Not only were the themes
themselves analyzed, but much time was spent discussing how we communicate with our
various audiences. In an industry as technical as electric and water utilities, concerted
effort must be made to ensure that communications are done in a way that our customers
can readily understand and that keeps their interest.
Through this process, a new set of communications themes was assembled. These were
formatted to encapsulate everything the District does in the simplest way possible. They
exist to ground our communications, and provide a foundation to further build the District's
communication strategy. From there, staff determined the District's 2023 communications
campaigns, which are specific marketing plans built around high-priority, buildable topics
that have a clear and relevant takeaway. To execute these campaigns, new planning and
organizational tools were implemented to ensure that the District's communications
strategy is well-organized, timely, measurable and visible.
The process was truly collaborative, cross-functional and contributed directly to building
the type of culture the District strives for. The Communications Themes Working Group
consisted of seven District employees representing the customer service, electric, clerks,
building maintenance, IT, and public information departments. The work of this group is
evident in the complete overhaul of the existing communications themes, campaigns and
strategies. The group not only tackled what the District should communicate, but also how
we communicate and the ways we should be engaging with our customers and the larger
community.
This process also involved presentations and feedback opportunities from every level of
the District, from the Executive Leadership Team to the Management Group to All Staff. It
is imperative that the District's communications plan and strategy continues to be a
collaborative effort. The work of the Public Information Department involves all of us.
Everyone from staff to the Board is an ambassador of the District. We want everyone to
feel like this is their plan, that it represents the work they do, and that it's something they
can get behind and support.
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OBJECTIVES & GOALS:
This item is in support of the following goals and objectives:
District Code 1 .05.020 Objectives:
1. Responsibly serve the public.
2. Provide a healthy and safe work environment for all District employees.
3. Provide reliable and high quality water supply and distribution system to meet current
and future needs.
4. Provide reliable and high quality electric supply and distribution system to meet current
and future needs.
Strategic Goals:
3. Engage with our customers and communities in a welcoming and transparent way to
identify opportunities.
4. Take the best of private sector thinking to modernize the utility and add value to our
communities.
5. Developing an inclusive culture drives organizational integration and success.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The costs for the District's Public Information and Strategic Affairs Department are
included in the approved Board FY 23 budget. There is no direct fiscal impact associated
with this informational workshop item.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1- 2023 Public Information Department Plan
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