Breathing Life into Asthma, Allergies and the Environment: The Re-positioning and Re-branding of the ASC

The Asthma Society of Canada (ASC) is seeking your support transition from a health charity with an environmental interest into a health and environment charity This new charity will link environmental concerns and action with individual health outcomes and overall population health, particularly air quality, allergies and asthma. Repositioning the ASC with a new brand, a new vision and a new mission will enable us to fulfil our vision of every Canadian child and adult with asthma and respiratory allergies living an active and symptom-free life while continuing to be the balanced, evidenced based voice for people with asthma and respiratory allergies in Canada. It will make explicit our current work in outdoor and indoor air quality and allow for greater capacity to engage Canadians on environmental issues. Breathing Life into the ASC

Create, position and brand a reinvented health and environment charity that will reach out to a wide community interested in the broadest quality of life issues for people with asthma, respiratory allergies and the breathing public; Develop a collaborative agenda for asthma, allergies, respiratory health and the environment at a national gathering of partners from industry, business, government, health care providers, researchers, patients and citizens; Prepare a fully developed three-year strategic plan to shape public interest and public policy on air quality, gain broader public awareness of indoor air quality issues, enlarge the and develop programs that will both fulfil the new mission and sustain its operations; Launch the new, repositioned and rebranded charitable organization through a public relations campaign announcing the new name of the organization and its expanded scope, executing a strategic national media outreach campaign with print, broadcast and on-line news outlets, and engaging the public in an initial fundraising endeavour. Project Objectives

This initiative will include: Development of a three-year strategic plan with extensive stakeholder consultation Development of a Senior Advisory Committee to guide the transition process Branding and creative design work Communications and public relations activities A national gathering will be the centrepiece of the re-positioning process at which time the plan for the new organization will be announced and a working agenda is developed. Project Summary

Research, imagine, create, position and brand a reinvented health and environment charity that will reach out to a wide community interested in the broadest quality of life issues for people with asthma, respiratory allergies and the breathing public. Strategic approach: Using contracted branding, website and communications specialists, ASC staff and board members and a new Senior Advisory Committee, develop a new brand for a repositioned Asthma Society of Canada as the leader in asthma, respiratory allergies and the environment. Objective 1: The Imagine and Plan (fall 2013/winter 2014)

Situational Overview, Brand Audit and Assessment Analysis of Options Stakeholder Engagement Advisory Committee Recruitment Initial Creative Development, Branding and Naming Capacity building for Objectives 2 and 3 (fundraising) Objective 1 Key Steps:

Develop a collaborative agenda for asthma, allergies, respiratory health and the environment at a national gathering of partners from industry, business, government, health care providers, researchers, patients and citizens. Strategic approach: Hold a national event in the GTA in the spring of 2014 for a launch of this new organization. Event will further develop a collaborative agenda on asthma, respiratory allergies and environmental health by gathering key opinion leaders such as policymakers, researchers, medical practitioners, health and environmental advocacy groups and industry. Objective 2: The Event (spring 2014)

Outline scope of event Identify Key Stakeholders Engage partners Develop theme, content and speakers Identify and Invite Participants/Audience Promote Event Objective 2 Key Steps:

Prepare a fully developed three-year strategic plan to accomplish the renewed vision Strategic approach: Using a widely-respected NGO planning consultant, review and revise the current three-year strategic plan within the context of a renewed organization focusing on asthma, allergies and the environment. Objective 3: The Strategic Plan (late spring – early summer 2014)

Objective 3 Key Steps: Review current Vision and Mission Statements, revise to meet new vision as being articulated and as approved by Board of Directors Draft clear organizational goals over a three-year period Assess all current assets, intellectual property, staff and volunteer structures for congruence with new Vision, Mission and Goals, revise as necessary Draft initial statement of Strategic Priorities for a three-year period Adjust Vision, Mission and Goal Statements following For Life and Breath Summit Develop detailed Strategic Priorities for programming Develop detailed funding proposals for stakeholders, partners and funding agencies Develop popular campaign for direct fundraising

Launch the new, repositioned and rebranded charitable organization Strategic approach: Using a national Public Relations firm, we will launch the new charitable organization simultaneously in key Canadian markets (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver) concurrent with a national fundraising campaign to kick start education, awareness, health and advocacy programming. Objective 4: The Launch (Fall 2014)

Develop targeted traditional and social media list Craft customized media pitches and social media content Identify key organization, patient and third-party spokespeople and prepare for media availability Create and edit key messages for launch spokespeople Conduct media outreach and coordinate interviews Launch social media messaging in conjunction with first social media fundraising campaign and Direct Mail fundraising campaign. Objective 4 Key Steps:

Bring together patients and citizens with environmental, scientific, medical and public health leaders to change the lives of people with respiratory challenges The new organization will become: Canada’s leading health and environment organization linking, asthma, respiratory health, allergies and air quality And we will remain: Canada’s main portal for all matters relating to asthma and associated allergies A Repositioned and Rebranded ASC will: