HomeMy WebLinkAbout13 Attachment 1 - 2023 Public Information Department Plan_FINAL_1.24.23 TRUCKEE DONNER
Public Utility District
Public Information Department
2023 Plan
Last Updated: January 24, 2023
Public Information and Strategic Affairs Department
Truckee Donner Public Utility District
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary.................................................................................................3
Objective ...................................................................................................................4
Missionand Values ..................................................................................................4
Mission, Vision & Values.......................................................................................4
Communication Principals......................................................................................5
Communication Landscape.....................................................................................5
CommunicationGoals .............................................................................................7
TargetAudiences......................................................................................................8
Communication Themes..........................................................................................8
Communication Tactics...........................................................................................9
Communication Opportunities.............................................................................10
Communication Channels.....................................................................................12
Communication Roles & Responsibilities............................................................15
2023 Communications Campaigns.......................................................................16
New/Improved Communication Tools.................................................................16
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' TRUCKEE DONNER PUBLIC INFORMATION DEPT.
PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT
2023 COMMUNICATIONSPLAN & STPATEGY
WHO WE ARE
Steven Poncelet, Public Information Officer Alex Spychalsky, Communications Specialist
and Strategic Affairs Director Responsible for the creation of the
Responsible for the overall management of communication themes, campaigns and
TDPUD's Public Information Department 2023 strategies. Executes all stages of the
Plan. Responsible for legislative and regulatory communication plan. Handles the day-to-day
communication focuses. Works with GM to communication needs of TDPUD across all
inform board members. channels.
WHAT WE • COMMUNICATION GOALS
PIO DEPAPTM ENT VISION - Increase the community's
To inform and educate our rate payers and the understanding of the District's role and
initiatives
broader community about the District by - Increase participation in programs and
sharing topics that are relevant, in ways that initiatives
are helpful to their life, and in language - Increase the flow of clear, relevant
anyone can understand, so they can maximize information to inform rate payers and
their understanding and use of our services. answer their most frequent questions
HOW WE DO IT 2023 CAM PAID NS
COMMUNICATION THEMES • TDPUD First Timer's Guide
• We provide essential, reliable services • Your Money at Work
• We help you save money • Living the Mountain Lifestyle
• We keep your community safe • Electrification & Rebates
• We promote sustainability • Wildfire Season
• We're built for the mountain lifestyle • Responsible Water Usage
• We invest in our infrastructure • Energy Sources & "Clean" Energy
• We plan for the future • Working for the TDPUD
• We are the TDPUD • What Goes into Your Rates
CHANNELS
• Earned Media (PR) • Social Media • Internal Newsletter • Direct Interaction
• Paid Media (Advertising) • Customer Email • Community Outreach • Print Collateral
• Website • Signage • Public Meetings/Workshops/Presentations
NEW IN 2023
• Editorial Calendar - Brand Guidelines - Digital Signage
• Asset Library • •• - Crisis Communication Plan
Objective
Truckee Donner Public Utility District (TDPUD) strives to provide open and transparent
outreach and communication to our customers, employees, community, and stakeholders.
The objective of this plan is to connect the TDPUD mission, values, strategic plan, and
programs to our customers and community. This is accomplished by effectively raising
awareness, educating, and engaging with our customers and partners in a manner that is
most beneficial to them. The TDPUD's Public Information and Strategic Affairs Director
and Communications Specialist, as part of the General Manager's Department, manage
external and internal communications and outreach, and are dedicated to provide clear,
timely, and relevant communications, in order to:
• Raise awareness, educate, and engage TDPUD's community regarding the value
of public power and water and the critical role we play.
• Build trust and lasting relationships to understand our customers' needs in order to
tailor our communications to be most effective.
• Increase customer and public awareness of potential electric and water outages
and communicate appropriate actions to take before, during and after emergencies.
• Support TDPUD's employee's efforts to effectively do their jobs by
communicating the "why" behind current efforts in order to raise awareness,
educate, and celebrate successes.
• Leverage TDPUD's resources and successes though joint-action with other sister
electric/water utilities in order to protect local control and inform the regulatory
process at the local, state, and federal levels.
• Increase trust and credibility as a reliable and effective source of information and
news
This Public Information Department 2023 Plan will address key TDPUD
communications and outreach efforts. This includes 2023 communication themes,
campaigns and strategies, as well as a deep dive into the community and media
environment the TDPUD communicates in.
Mission and Values
Truckee Donner Public Utility Mission: To provide reliable, high-quality water and
electrical power services while meeting customer demand, and to manage District
resources in a safe, open, responsible, environmentally-sound manner at the lowest
practical cost.
Truckee Donner Public Utility District Values: Staff and Board believe that TDPUD's
mission is the foundation of everything that we do, and that shared values are the bridge
that connects every action with the mission. The TDPUD values are:
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• Accountability—Own It
• Integrity—Be Honest and Ethical
• Communication— Send and Receive
• Timeliness —Responsive to Goals and Commitments
• Safety— Safety is the Way of Life
• Work-Life Balance—Work Hard, Play Hard
Public Information Department Vision: To inform and educate our rate payers and the
broader community about the District by sharing topics that are relevant in ways that are
helpful to their life and in language anyone can understand, so they can maximize their
understanding and use of our services.
Communication Principals: TDPUD is committed to clear, timely, and relevant
communications in support of TDPUD's mission, key messages, operations, and the
Board of Directors' strategic plan and policies. This is accomplished by raising
awareness and educating customers and stakeholders on the role TDPUD plays in their
lives, engaging them on essential issues and initiatives, and enabling them to manage
their energy and water needs. Effective communication is accomplished with the support
of all levels of the organization, is grounded by our established themes and tactics, and
strives for the following:
• Communicate early, clearly, transparently and often.
• Deal in facts and truth.
• Be accessible, courteous and prompt.
• Anticipate and prepare rather than react; be proactive as well as responsive.
• Communicate to all audiences using a variety of channels, tools and tactics to
ensure the widest reach possible.
• Encourage dialogue and two-way information exchange.
• Communicate by word and deed. Do what we say we will do.
• Be consistent; communicate with one voice throughout the organization.
• Support an environment that creates informed, engaged employees.
• Control messaging in times of crisis and controversy.
• Do more than just what's required.
Communication Landscape
The TDPUD communication landscape is rapidly changing due to evolving regulations,
technology, demographics, and customer expectations. The impacts of climate change are
everywhere. In addition, the political landscape remains dynamic with electric and water
utilities finding themselves in the middle of important issues related directly and
indirectly to their core business. This is true both locally, at the state level, and at the
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federal level. The COVID-19 crisis and subsequent global disruptions have impacted
operations (supply chain, staffing obstacles, production delays, change in local
demographics, etc.) and the duration of these impacts is unknown. The current landscape
poses a variety of challenges and opportunities for effective communications.
Political Landscape: Where in the past customers did not analyze the origins of their
utility services, there is significant focus today on the various models for serving
electricity and water (investor-owned, public-owned, microgrids, etc.), as well as the
resources used. In addition, shifting customer priorities and sentiment have resulted in an
increased focus on climate change, economic diversification, housing, and social
services.
Demographic Landscape: The average age of Truckee residents has decreased over the
last decade. In addition, due in part to the very high cost of living in Truckee, the region
is seeing a migration out of the state from long-term residents, and an influx of wealthy
residents and visitors resulting in growing income inequality. The explosion of second
homes and short-term rentals are also contributing to a change in demographics, and
these transient populations are becoming a larger portion of overall population. The
region's substantial Hispanic population is also an important and large demographic to
consider.
Social and Technology Landscape: As is the case globally, increasing customer demand
for more information and control is forcing a change in the way TDPUD communicates
and does business. Social media and the news cycle operate 24/7/365, with information
quickly disseminated from both official and unofficial sources. Customers are demanding
real-time, digital access to information and services. However, due in part to an overload
of digital information, the attention span for communications is shrinking and
images/videos are often needed to capture attention and tell a story. At the same time,
older and less tech-savvy populations struggle to keep up with new technology, and still
require traditional communications and, in some cases, face-to-face service. To
communicate with all customers and stakeholders effectively, TDPUD must leverage
both traditional and digital communication channels.
Legal Landscape: California has detailed and comprehensive laws that define the role
and responsibilities of TDPUD, along with ensuring open and transparent
communication. This includes the Special District Act, Public Records Act, and the
Brown Act. In addition, both the electric and the water utility are faced with significant
new unfunded laws and regulations every year coming out of Sacramento and
Washington, DC. Finally, the dramatic increase in catastrophic wildfires in California
caused by electric utility equipment, along with the state's inverse condemnation law,
have increased the legal and fiscal risk of all electric utilities and public agencies who
operate in the state.
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Regulatory Landscape: California has always been a highly regulated state, often well
ahead of federal regulations, and especially with environmental regulations. The impacts
of long-term drought and the increase in catastrophic wildfires has only increased the
number and significance of regulations impacting the water and electric utility. The
California water regulation, "conservation as a way of life," includes new stringent
requirements on water loss and indoor/outdoor residential water use. On the electric side,
climate impacts, including the increase in catastrophic wildfires, have accelerated
environmental mandates and introduced wildfire safety power outages and mitigations
that are impacting electric system reliability. California's regulatory landscape is only
expected to be more impactful in the future.
Economic Landscape: The Truckee-North Tahoe region has been experiencing
explosive growth and development, but maintains an economy dominated by tourism and
service sector jobs, with a growing population of remote workers. Local economic
development efforts have focused on promoting economic diversification. The gap
between local wages and the cost of housing/living remain a structural problem creating
recruitment and retention issues for TDPUD and many others. The combination of
remote work opportunities and the influx of wealth and talent from metro areas create
some opportunities for economic diversification, but also furthers the issues of inequity.
TDPUD Internal Landscape: TDPUD has performed at a very high level for the last
decade, when measured by financial, environmental, and operational metrics. TDPUD
remains a great place to work and a key leader in the greater Truckee community.
However, as indicated above, both the utilities business model and overall environment
are changing rapidly. After a period of leadership transitions, the organization is entering
a period of stability which creates the opportunity to support and grow TDPUD's culture.
TDPUD board and staff are eager for timely and relevant internal communications and
are very mission-driven.
Communication Goals
• Foster and enhance TDPUD's relationships with customers and community to
build upon strong past performance and a trusted brand.
• Provide TDPUD customers and the community with access to clear, timely, and
relevant communications about TDPUD and its services, projects, performance,
and emerging issues.
• Be visible in the community and serve as a trusted source of information on
energy and water issues.
• Connect our customers and community to the incredible people who work at
TDPUD, and give them a window into what we do.
• Improve stakeholder participation in TDPUD's affairs to ensure their voice has
been heard in decision making.
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• Foster customer and community engagement to optimize resource conservation,
and help customers understand how and why they should use only the energy and
water that they need.
• Achieve coordinated and consistent communications both internally and
externally.
• Grow positive relationships with all stakeholders.
• Strategically plan and execute communications.
Target Audiences
Target audiences will vary by utility, program, and specific issue. Communication
messages and channels will be tailored to meet the needs of each program's identified
target audiences. TDPUD communications will consider individuals with disabilities and
speakers of other languages. TDPUD's main external and internal customers include:
External Audiences:
• Customers/rate payers
• Community members
• Visitors
• Local businesses
• Local agencies and partners
• Local homeowners associations
• Other electric/water utilities and joint-action groups
• Legislators and regulators (local, state, and federal)
• Potential employees
Internal Audiences:
• Staff
• Board of Directors
Communications Themes
Communications themes are the foundation for building our communications strategy.
They create a high-level outline of what we want our audience to know about TDPUD.
These broad topics center the customer experience, allowing out customers' needs to
guide our communication priorities. They encapsulate what we do for the community,
how we are a benefit to the community, and how customers can get the most out of our
services. This is meant to serve as a planning and organizational tool, creating buckets we
can organize our communication campaigns and topics under.
Communications Themes:
• We provide essential, reliable services
• We help you save money
• We keep your community safe
• We promote sustainability
• We're built for the mountain lifestyle
• We invest in our infrastructure
• We plan for the future
• We are the TDPUD
Communications Tactics
In order to effectively serve the TDPUD mission and maximize the benefits to customers
and community, an evolving communications strategy should:
Adapt to dynamic communications trends: Traditional communication channels need
to be augmented by the effective use of new channels, formats and techniques. There will
also always be a need for effective face-to-face communications, led by TDPUD's
customer service department and supported by efforts to interact with customers and the
community through meetings, speaker engagements, and community events. A balance of
traditional, digital, and face-to-face provides information that is timely, easily-accessible
and addresses the needs of the customer base. A well-designed, usable, accessible and
mobile-friendly website is at the foundation of our digital communications program. In
addition, the evolution of our customer engagement platform, SmartHub provides
tremendous opportunities to combine the data from modern customer utility meters with
analytics and targeted digital communications. The new electric outage management
system is one key example of adapting technology to meet customer communications
needs.
Effectively utilize social media: Social media is an effective and low-cost way to
increase awareness and understanding of programs and services, optimize customer
service, address outages/emergencies, and get immediate feedback from customers and
community. Messages must be targeted, relevant and encourage public engagement.
Timely social media communication must be balanced against the need to be an accurate,
credible source of information. When planning posts, TDPUD must have an image-first
mentality, as text-only posts do not get the same attention or engagement as visual ones.
Leverage partnerships: Partnering with other local agencies,joint-action groups, and
key influencers is a way to leverage TDPUD resources and get the maximum benefit
from communications efforts. This includes considering outside resources and expertise
where appropriate.
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Solicit and incorporate customer and community feedback: TDPUD should regularly
gather data that helps evaluate and make future decisions based on customer behaviors
and preferences. TDPUD now has access to data and analytics that provide valuable
insights into customer needs. TDPUD also needs to develop more avenues where
customers and stakeholders can communicate what they think. This may include surveys,
social media direct messaging, digital forums, or other spaces that encourage that
customer and community engagement
Educate and train employees in effective communications: All staff and board
members engaged in public communications should receive ongoing training in best
practices and proper techniques for media and public interaction. Effective internal and
external communications are the foundation for effective response to almost any
situation. This includes communicating during a crisis or contentious situation. It is also
important to celebrate successes and recognize strong performance.
Deliver open and transparent communications: As a public agency, TDPUD follows
all laws and regulations and strives for transparency and open communications in
everything that we do.
Communications Opportunities
Branding: TDPUD has a strong brand based on its decades-long electric and water
services, and role as a leader in the community. This was enhanced by the
implementation of TDPUD's strategic plan, and a deliberate focus on people and culture.
There is an opportunity, given the rapid evolution of the energy and water sectors, to
raise awareness and educate the community about the value of public power and the very
strong performance of TDPUD. TDPUD's successes in delivering conservation
programs, transitioning to carbon-free resources, improving system reliability,
maintaining competitive rates, supporting electrification, managing water resources, and
helping our employees excel are worthy stories to be told. The opportunity exists to
further create an image that is consistent with the brand and performance of the TDPUD.
Customer Engagement: Customer engagement is a key focus for almost all electric and
water utilities. This is primarily served by the "My Account" section on a utilities website
where customers can log in to their account, manage contact information, make
payments, access energy and water usage, and sign up for outage alerts. The investment
in modern electric and water customer meter systems has opened up the opportunity to
combine detailed energy/water usage data with modern analytics to help customers
understand and manage their energy usage and provide targeted communications. This is
an opportunity for growth that has not yet been attempted by TDPUD. New technology,
such as the electric outage management system, has also been deployed to better serve
customer needs.
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Employee Engagement: Every employee, board member, and retiree is an ambassador
for TDPUD, and are often asked questions from customers or the public about tough
issues. Providing the board and staff with timely, relevant, and clear communications
enables them to excel at their job and effectively represent TPDUD. Given the strong
commitment to the TDPUD mission and values, communications with the emphasis on
`why', celebrating success, building relationships, and recognizing strong performance
are a key ingredient to a world-class workforce and organization. Recent internal
communication efforts that TDPUD will continue to build on include a monthly
employee newsletter, making external communications efforts more visible to employees,
regular staff-wide face-to-face meetings, and employee recognition programs.
Stakeholder Engagement: TDPUD has a broad array of stakeholders beyond the
customer base it serves. This includes local public agencies, regional interests, not-for-
profit organizations, HOAs, sister public electric/water utilities, labor and industry
groups, and key influencers. There are also special-interest groups that are advocating for
immediate action on topics that involve TDPUD, and lobbying in local public forums and
engaging in political activities like gaining seats on local boards and councils to advance
their causes. Opportunities for stakeholder engagement include speaking directly to the
stakeholder groups, educating by proxy, and targeted social media interactions. TDPUD
should focus on educating the community and these stakeholder groups about how their
causes intersect with key issues impacting the electric and water utilities, emphasizing
data, science and financial implications, and leaning on TDPUD's reputation as an expert
in its field.
Trusted Information Source: TDPUD is trusted and respected by many of our
customers and stakeholders. TDPUD is uniquely positioned to help our community
navigate complex energy and water issues in a way that allows everyone to become
aware, educated, and empowered to make informed decisions. This includes: learning
how to conserve energy/water and save money; understanding the performance,
economics, and environmental benefits of TDPUD's operations; the pros and cons of
electric vehicles, solar, batteries, etc.; and what is being done to manage local water
resources. Customers are also being offered enhancements or alternatives to traditional
utility services from a variety of market-based organizations leveraging new technology
and innovations. The electric and water utility of the future must be able to communicate
its value and help customers make informed decisions about new technologies, products,
and services.
Media Relations: TDPUD is committed to being both proactive and responsive with the
media so that the public has access to the information it needs. The media can be very
helpful in educating the public, however, in pursuit of objectivity,journalists will balance
our point of view with others, and as a result may not carry our message fully. The
opportunity exists to be helpful to the media by fostering strong relationships and
ensuring they understand the context and the background of TDPUD issues and/or
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actions. When successful, the resulting stories are more accurate and balanced, helping
TDPUD's communications efforts by introducing an objective perspective. The TDPUD
Public Information Officer and Communications Specialist manage media relations and
are the first line of contact with the media. However, when practical, including TDPUD
subject matter experts on a given topic can be effective, as the public trusts the people
actually doing the work being discussed. The PIO and Communication Specialist
facilitate media inquiries, getting journalists the answers they need when they need them.
Ideally, TDPUD's communications efforts with the media are proactive and minimize
unknown and/or reactive situations. TDPUD communicates with the media proactively
with press releases, reactively with interviews and inquiry responses, and passively via
social media, customer emails and our website, as we know the media also scans these
channels for stories.
Government Affairs: TDPUD, as a regulated electric and water utility, is subject to a
complex array of existing laws and regulations with new proposals coming out daily.
Many of the new laws and regulations are being driven by environmental concerns,
natural disasters (wildfire, flood, earthquake, mega storms, etc.), social justice, and
safety. Almost all new efforts result in unfunded mandates, meaning the cost of
compliance must be passed on to our customers and community. Educating and
informing our political representatives locally, in Sacramento, and in Washington D.C.
regarding TDPUD's performance and the impacts of proposed laws/regulations is critical
in influencing policies impacting TDPUD's ability to achieve its mission. Much of this
work is accomplished through joint-action with sister electric and water utilities through
the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA), Northern California Power
Agency (NCPA), Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), California Special
Districts Association (CSDA), Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS),
and American Public Power Association (APPA).
Stakeholder Input/Feedback: Understanding rapidly evolving customer (and
community) needs is critical to delivering on goals and providing cost-effective programs
and services. TDPUD is very active in the community and provides opportunities for
feedback through board meetings, community events and regular communications.
We've also involved our community in the discussion on key issues such as TDPUD's
strategic plan, water and energy resource stewardship, and preventing wildfires. There are
opportunities to increase stakeholders' input/feedback through community engagement,
surveys, and digital/social tools.
Communication Channels
TDPUD will continue to utilize existing communications channels as well as implement
and explore new methods to convey its messages to its intended audiences. The below list
of channels and tactics should be viewed as a living document and modified as conditions
change.
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Paid Media (Advertising): For TDPUD, this includes advertising in the Sierra Sun,
Moonshine Ink, Tahoe Donner News, The Shire, KTKE, the Truckee Insider's Guide,
and other local publications. In 2023, we will be exploring new digital advertising
channels, both with local publications and on social media. We will continue to analyze
the local media market to decide how much to invest in this channel.
Earned Media (PR): TDPUD writes and distributed press releases to encourage the
media to share our messages with their readers/viewers. Press releases are often used
word-for-word in some of the smaller publications, while larger media outlets tend to use
them to represent TDPUD's side of a story/issue or to inspire a more detailed story.
TDPUD posts all press releases to the website. TDPUD also engages in ongoing dialogue
with the media to provide awareness of potential stories and emerging issues, while
effectively responding to media inquiries to ensure balanced and factual stories. In 2023,
TDPUD will explore new ways to engage with the media, including utilizing shorter
media alerts to draw attention to events, initiatives and projects, submitting op-ed pieces
to local media, expanding to new publications where relevant, and submitting to local
event calendars.
TDPUD Website: The website is the ultimate landing spot for customer
communications. It is critical that the website be easy to navigate, effectively organized,
visually-appealing and contain relevant content that is frequently updated. In 2023,
TDPUD plans to overhaul the website and introduce new content. Ideas include
streamlining the navigation, reorganizing the homepage with customer needs in mind,
standardizing the look and content of pages across all sections, and adding a media center
and a "blog" component, to allow for the addition of more editorial content.
Social Media: In 2022, TDPUD prioritized social media as a crucial communication
channel, and will continue to expand the role of social media in District communications
in 2023. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are the current social platforms utilized, and
content is shared in the various formats these platforms afford, including images, reels,
stories and text-only posts. In 2023, TDPUD will re-launch its LinkedIn presence and
will consider the value of utilizing other platforms like YouTube and NextDoor. TDPUD
will also explore new types of content to produce to get our messages across in a way that
aligns with what our audience wants to see and what these platforms prioritize for reach.
Content Creation: In this age of information overload, creating content that grabs the
audience's attention and keeps it long enough to get your message across is critical. In
many cases, words have been replaced with videos, photos, and infographics. In 2023,
TDPUD will continue to explore new ways to communicate in a visually-forward way,
and expand on the types on content it shares in order to stimulate interest in the District.
New ideas include quick educational videos, employee spotlights, behind-the-scenes
footage, ride alongs, infographics for dense topics, and more.
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Customer Emails: TDPUD now has email addresses on file for nearly all customers, and
uses SmartHub to facilitate customer-wide and targeted emails. Typically, these emails
include a call to action regarding an initiative, but in 2023 TDPUD will explore other
ways to expand on customer emails, including a quarterly newsletter and possible format
upgrades.
Public Meetings/Workshops/Hearings: Every time TDPUD holds a board meeting
(formal) or public workshop (informal), there is an opportunity to communicate with the
public. Public meetings come in many forms and have various purposes, but are usually
used to inform the public and conduct business in an open and transparent manner. They
are also an opportunity to receive input from participants about their thoughts, concerns
or ideas around a given topic. Depending on the type of public meeting, there may be
formal notification requirements as required by law. TDPUD also uses a local partner to
live stream video and audio of TDPUD board meetings, plus a recorded version is
available online shortly after the meeting. This community service allows citizens who
are not able to attend meetings in person to watch/listen to the proceedings and get
information
Signage: The TDPUD's main lobby, board room, and event pop-ups are places that the
TDPUD has an opportunity to display messages, provide information, and interact with
customers and community. In 2023, TDPUD will be updating its vertical banners to
reflect the new direction of our public messaging. TDPUD will also be updating its
Conservation Garden signage, launching its on-site digital signage, and expanding its use
of roadside digital message boards. Incorporating TDPUD's brand and messages into
these areas in a clean and compelling way is an important communications opportunity.
Community Outreach: After a hiatus due to COVID-19, TDPUD returned to
community events in 2022. Being face-to-face with the community at big events like
Truckee Thursday and Big Truckee Day, or with targeted audiences like Good Morning
Truckee or the Rotary Club, is an important way for TDPUD to engage with customers
and get its messaging across directly from the source. In 2023, TDPUD will exploring
new outreach opportunities like local career days, quarterly community workshops and a
conservation scavenger hunt.
Face-to-Face: Building strong and lasting relationships across the community is integral
to the success of the TDPUD. There will always be a place for in-person
communications and the personal touch. TDPUD's customer service department is on the
front line of this effort.
Internal Communications: Improving communications among TDPUD staff is a high
priority for ELT, and the communications team has been tasked with helping to facilitate
this. In 2022, TDPUD redesigned the monthly internal newsletter, and also began
circulating talking points for important initiatives, to empower all staff to be ambassadors
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for the District. In 2023, the communications team will also work with customer service
to improve our flow of communication with their department and be mindful of their
staffing schedule when planning external communications, create a talking points library
for CSRs and all employees to access to ensure consistent communications, have a
standing meeting with water and electric department heads to review communication
needs and stay ahead of upcoming projects, and improve the pipeline between staff in the
field and the communications specialist to gather behind the scenes content for
publication.
Communications Roles & Responsibilities
Public Information and Strategic Affairs Director: Responsible for the overall
management and execution of TDPUD's Public Information Department 2023 Plan.
Responsible for legislative and regulatory communication focuses. Manages relationship
with board members.
Communications Specialist: Responsible for the creation of the communication themes,
campaigns and strategies. Executes all stages of the communication plan. Handles the
day-to-day communication needs of TDPUD across all channels.
Executive Leadership Team: Works directly with the Public Information and Strategic
Affairs Director and Communications Specialist to review develop the TDPUD Public
Information Department 2023 Plan, share feedback, and support its implementation. The
ELT serves as key ambassadors for TDPUD both internally and externally.
Staff and Board: All representatives of TDPUD play a role in communications, so
internal communication on major initiatives and talking points should be prioritized to
ensure consistency across all departments in customer and community interactions.
Outside resources and expertise: TDPUD has traditionally relied, where appropriate, on
outside consultants to support communications efforts. This includes public relations,
communications, and design services.
Partner agencies: Sister electric and water utilities along with joint-action groups
(CMUA, NCPA, ACWA, CSDA, UAMPS, and APPA) are a source of communication
content. TDPUD staff also coordinate with local communications efforts from key
partner agencies and organizations (Town, Fire, Truckee Chamber, non-profits, HOA's,
etc.) in an effort to leverage resources and expand reach.
2023 Communications Campaigns
Campaigns are how the TDPUD will organize its long-lead, multi-platform
communication topics. Campaigns will reflect a high priority of the Distict, cover a topic
that is relevant to customers, have a clear goal, and be something TDPUD can build upon
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to educate customers in the proper phases. Campaign goals can range from awareness to
education to a call to action. The following are TDPUD's 2023 campaigns.
• TDPUD First Timer's Guide
• Your Money at Work
• Living the Mountain Lifestyle
• Electrification & Rebates
• Wildfire Season
• Responsible Water Usage
• Energy Sources & "Clean" Energy
• Working for the TDPUD
• What Goes into Your Rates
New/Improved Communication Tools
Editorial Calendar: The Public Information Department will implement an editorial
calendar to assist in long-term communication campaign planning. A high-level annual
plan will keep important topics in view, while a more detailed monthly calendar will
highlight the District's day-to-day communications across various channels.
Asset Library: All District images and videos will be cataloged and organized in an
easy-to-access asset library.
Talking Point Library: To ensure consistent communication and understanding of
important issues across all internal departments, a library of talking points will be
compiled on the P Drive.
Website Redesign: The TDPUD website will be audited and redesigned in 2023, to
ensure that it is an intuitive, accessible platform with users' needs in mind.
Media Kit: A media kit is a quick and easy way for journalists to access information and
content for your brand. Having this on hand will help with requests for images, basic
information about TDPUD, etc.
Media Center: The TDPUD website needs a dedicated landing page for the Public
Information Department, which will be known as the media center. The media center will
include quick resources for journalists like the media kits, as well as host press releases,
blogs and other relevant communications content.
Brand Guidelines: To ensure consistency across the District, the Public Information
Department will create TDPUD brand guidelines, which will build on the existing
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mission and values to further define the brand's characteristics and voice, as well as
visual elements like logos, fonts, colors, etc.
Crisis Communications Plan: The District has an existing crisis communications plan,
but it has not been updated in a few years. The plan will be reviewed and updated to
reflect the District's current needs and potential scenarios it might face.
Operational Communications Plans: Building on the PSOM SOP created in 2022, the
Public Information Department will build out communications plans for both planned and
unplanned outages, as well as other operational needs.
Social Media Policy: The District has an existing social media policy, but it has not been
updated in a few years. This document will be updated to reflect the current landscape of
social media, and reflect reasonable expectations for employees.
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