DC

Central
Kitchen
Grassroots
Communication Plan

Ali Murshed
Joseph LaMountain
Grassroots Communications
Spring 2015
Georgetown University

Background
DC Central Kitchen is a Washington, DC
based nonprofit support organization whose mission
is to use food as a tool to strengthen bodies,
empower minds, and build communities (DCCK
Official Website). The organization cooks and sends
out nearly 5,000 meals per day to around 80
destinations around DC; ranging from homeless
shelters to other nonprofits for little to no charge.
Operating since 1989, DCCK offers a rigorous training program that helps unemployed men and
women be part of various initiatives to combat hunger and food waste.
DCCKs unique social enterprise model allows it to develop various programs dedicated
to reducing hunger with healthy foods for dwellers all around DC. One such initiative is the
Healthy School Food program, through which DCCK provides scratch-cooked breakfasts and
lunches for children at public and private schools in low-income neighborhoods. Another
innovative business venture that DCCK championed was to partner with corner stores in a
number of neighborhoods to supply them with fresh produce, charging less than market-price.

Issue
However it seems that DCCKs noble programs are quite expensive to implement and the
amount of revenue that is flowing in is not steady enough to cover their bank loans. The
organization has reported that in 2011 they borrowed $300,000 from Bank of America and have
been required to make monthly payments with an interest of 4.68%. As of June 2014, the
outstanding principal on the amount still owed to the bank stood at $133,448. Most of their
borrowed amounts is secured by DCCK vehicles, equipment, and inventory, meaning any default
on payments could pose a significant threat to their operations.
DCCK is able to stay financially active mostly through charitable donations from
individuals, foundations and corporate fundraisers. Another source of revenue comes from their
grocery supply and catering service contracts, which they claim fills in over half of their total
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budget. Although DCCK is managing well enough in their current state, having a larger audience
to reach out to using effective grassroots can help expand the scope of their programs.

Core Problem/Opportunity
DCCK is in a position that offers the opportunity to explore cost-effective grassroots
initiatives to achieve financial sustainability by boosting brand recognition beyond currently
serving communities. If DCCK is not able to reach a greater audience, then it faces the risk of
losing funding for and momentum of its various projects to make a positive social impact.

Goal
Develop grassroots communications to attract wider attention to DCCKs efforts in
developing sustainable and engagement-driven solutions to countering food waste and hunger.

Objectives

Increase candidate applications for DCCK culinary training program by 50 percent within

a period of 12 months leading up to 2016.

Sign a minimum of two partnership agreements with other nonprofit to develop co-

sponsored programs by the end of 2016.

Increase monetary and in-kind donations by 25 percent each to ensure the meal
distribution and Truck Farm projects are self-sufficient by 2016.

Key Publics
Each of the following group of people represent a crucial part of DCCKs stakeholder
base that need to be aligned with to fulfill the organizations objectives effectively. These
stakeholders can be leveraged to act as advocates for DCCKs cause within their respective
surroundings to drive change in levels that matter most.

Volunteers
o DCCK possesses a motivated and diverse group of volunteers involved with the
various meal distribution and anti-hunger projects. These volunteers show their
dedication each year by participating to help convert donated food items into
balanced meals that are then distributed across nearby shelters, schools, and
offices. There is no doubt that these individuals are consciously aligned with

DCCKs mission, but they need to be trained to take on a bigger responsibility of

acting as spokesperson to educate, raise awareness, and develop fundraising

projects.
Beneficiaries
o DCCK has built its entire organizational foundation around helping feed people
from low-income groups. However these beneficiaries are not limited to
recipients of the service, but also includes employees, chefs, corner store
merchants, and urban farmers. These beneficiaries need to be mobilized to act as
advocates within their respective communities on behalf of DCCK so that their
voices can evoke authenticity to the organizations efforts. Such groups of people

can also help enforce policy changes.

Donors
o DCCK receives thousands of dollars in charitable contributions from various
personal and corporate foundations. Despite that there are smaller group of
donors who provide recurring support for a period ranging from five to ten years.
In addition there are corporate groups making significantly larger donations and
participating in fundraisers as a means of improving their CSR initiatives. These
donors need to be partnered with and engaged to gain an audience among higherups.

Strategies and Tactics

Volunteers
Strategy
Expand the roles of current volunteers by encourage them to develop educational
workshops, toolkits, and outreach programs that boost public engagement. Also train them to
identify and help convince locally growing businesses to contribute to DCCKs cause either
through financial or in-kind support. Using the volunteers to plan and implement grassroots
tactics and dividing them across several communities will ensure that people are getting to know
more about DCCK and its mission to fight against hunger.
Tactic 1: Volunteer Initiative Board

This board will be directly accountable to the DCCK staff and collaborate with them to
plan and implement all educational and outreach efforts. Forming an official board will help the
volunteers to coordinate their grassroots
activities and set agendas through bi-weekly
or monthly meetings. Updates on the boards
initiatives will be posted via social media
platforms and be used to proliferate further
volunteer participation in the future.
Tactic 2: Develop educational projects
Provide training for the Volunteer Board about communicating DCCKs mission and
vision in an appealing manner. This way the volunteers will be prepared to plan their initiatives
according to certain standards and tell compelling stories. The volunteers will need to be
mentored by staff to design educational toolkits and promo materials.
Tactic 3: Organize community events
Equipped with outreach training and educational resources, the Volunteer Board will
organize various workshops that raise awareness about DCCKs programs such as Truck Farms
and Corner Markets. There will also be events in the form of fundraisers that will allow
volunteers to collect donations on the spot. Another unique opportunity will be to explore student
volunteers at college campuses and arrange events that garner youth attention to DCCKs efforts.
Beneficiaries
Strategy
Using resources and volunteer initiatives, educate and groom a minimum of ten
beneficiaries (two from each of ten programs currently conducted by DCCK) to play the role of
brand advocates in order to strengthen the campaigns by sharing their experiences.
Tactic 1: Design and issue testimonial guidelines
The testimonial formats will be help provide a roadmap that beneficiaries can easily
follow when telling stories of how much of a positive impact DCCK has had on their lives. The
guideline should also seek to highlight DCCKs various campaigns and how important they have
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been in discouraging food waste or hunger related issues. The stories can be recorded in several
formats and distributed across DCCK website, social media pages, videos, and even email
scripts. Copies of the testimonial guidelines will be included as handouts at Corner Markets and
Truck Farms for consumers purchasing groceries or cooked meals. These will be in the form of
pamphlets outlining instructions on how to share their experiences with DCCK and the benefits
attached to being an active contributor.
Tactic 2: Organize educational seminars
On a scheduled basis over a 12 month period, staffs and mentors at DCCK will need to
arrange discussion forums that are open to public. Through such forums DCCK will hold
learning sessions that are presided over by actual beneficiaries, who will inspire a crowd with
stories of DCCKs accomplishments. The seminars will be a great way to thoroughly engage
beneficiaries who are grateful for the services provided by DCCK and would like to have the
opportunity of returning the favor by advocating on the organizations behalf. To help fund such
seminars and other events, DCCK volunteers will also try to convince beneficiaries to offer their
financial support. Attendance will be strictly monitored to keep track of audiences as well as
spokespersons to be able to keep them updated on upcoming activities.
Tactic 3: Collaborate to host rallies and community cookouts
Beneficiaries who have participated in one of the many educational seminars will be
encouraged to collaborate with the volunteers to plan and implement a day-long rally to ask for
changes in food-waste policies. Also the beneficiaries should be able to take lead on community
cookouts that take place on a bi-monthly schedule, using food items generally considered
garbage but not inedible. These events would be an excellent opportunity for the beneficiaries to
play an active role in boosting recognition for DCCK that will attract people from all stages of
life within their respective communities. The execution of events like the cookout is crucial
because it will encourage a community-driven effort, where the beneficiaries in turn are
gradually being transformed into future opinion leaders and possibly staffs or donors for DCCK.
Donors
Strategy

By leveraging the knowledge and skills developed among volunteers and beneficiaries,
DCCK needs to convince current donors and attract potential future supporters to willingly
contribute financially to the organizations causes.
Tactic 1: Categorize donors to tailor benefits
With the help of volunteers, it is
important to prepare a list of all current
supporters and divide them into groups (Gold,
Silver, or Bronze) based on the nature of their
donations. Each category will have its own
specific perks (such as mentions in
publications and personal tour of DCCK
facilities) but they will all share some common ones. This will help DCCK offer their gratitude
to donors as well as provide special recognition to the individuals and corporations who have
been kind enough to contribute. The point of this system is to make sure the donors, regardless of
how small or big their contributions may be, feel respected and connected to the cause they
support. Another motive of such a tactic is to ensure that these donors are always kept in-theloop about upcoming projects and campaigns that require attention.
Tactic 2: Send emails and newsletters as updates
The mails will contain important information about DCCKs current conditions and
updates on programs taking place that are of interest to each contributor. For example, monthly
emails to donors highlighting best practices that ensure DCCKs sustainable vision or update on
the progress made through a recently implemented program. Also newsletters will need to be
distributed on a monthly schedule to ensure that the donors are consistently connected to
throughout a certain year.

Budget

In terms of the budget to carry out the proposed grassroots plan, it is not likely to be a
very expensive endeavor as most of the work will be conducted through volunteers and
beneficiaries for no direct charge. With that said, despite having to spend little to nothing on the
manpower, there will be costs associated with executing some of the tactics. These are outlined
as follows:
-

Educational materials: $6000 for 200 pieces charged at $30 per item.
Event flyers: $900 for 3000 copies of half page flyers charged at $300 per 1000 items.
Event banners: $700 for 25 pieces charged at a bundled rate.
Vehicle fuels: $400 for four trucks charged at $2.75 per gallon.
Cookout supplies: $1000 for overall arrangements (funds from donations also apply

here).
Online content and videos: $500 for overall content creation that will be handled inhouse.

The costs outlined above will continue to be implemented from late-2015 onwards until the end
of 2016. All strategies and tactics will be replicable in nature and can be repeated step-by-step,
with careful consideration to price changes as well as fund availability.

Calendar
August December 2015
-

Form the Volunteer Initiative Board

Plan schedule for seminars and workshops
Promote the Volunteer Board to external audiences
Hold planning meetings with volunteers and staff
Develop Beneficiary involvement ideas

January April 2015

-

Complete training of volunteers

Promote donor engagement through Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories
Approach potential stakeholders to sign donor or participation agreements
Organize educational workshops with volunteers
Develop content with Beneficiary testimonials
Create educational resources for public to access

May August 2015

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Plan and organize community-wide cookout events

Host awareness rallies

Organize workshops with volunteers and beneficiaries
Invite donors to attend events as special guests
Distribute newsletters and emails to update donors
Evaluate workshops and events
Evaluate donor engagement levels

September December 2015

-

Organize last few workshops and community projects

Organize revenues and donations to allocate for future programs
Evaluate Volunteer Board effectiveness and impact
Send recognition messages to all stakeholders and contributors

Conclusion
DCCK and its community service programs is a great example of how a simple enough idea can
give birth to a movement that has a positive impact on society. Using the proposed plan laid out
above, DCCK will be able gain the brand recognition as well as awareness for all the good work
it is putting into communities on a nation-wide level. By leveraging the proposed plan, DCCK
will be able to mobilize its growing number of staff, chefs, volunteers, and even customers to
help spread the message on behalf of the organization. As word-of-mouth will travel fast, there
will be the opportunity for DCCK to expand their anti- food waste movement beyond the borders
of DC Metro Area to other parts of the country. This will result in bringing the kind of profound
change that is embedded deep within the organizations mission to solve hunger-related
problems.

References

DCCK Official Website. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2015, from

http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/
DCCK Annual Report, FY 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2015, from

http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/
Consolidated Financial Statements, DCCK Inc., Year Ended June 30, 2014. Retrieved
April 28, 2015, from http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/

DCCK Annual Report, FY 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2015, from

http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/