The reality of public school finance means that there are a select few districts that have the budget to support a dedicated public relations and communications specialist. We see this in every state in which we work.

In most school districts, the bulk of communications duties are left to superintendents, administrators, principals, IT professionals and support staff. This usually means districts communicate by chance, rather than by design. It can leave them at a big disadvantage, especially at a time when public schools often need to compete for students against private options and neighboring districts.

While we find that many of these staff members do a good job of communicating given the circumstances, they simply do not have the capacity to dedicate large amounts of time to communications.

This is where we believe we provide significant value.

Working with the Donovan Group, small, medium-sized and large school districts can suddenly secure the same level of communications support as the biggest districts in the country. Furthermore, instead of having a single public relations specialist, our clients gain access to a team of communications professionals, with each member possessing specific skill sets a school district can tap as needed.

The Donovan Group team includes experts in communications planning, video production, surveys, content writing, editing, web and graphic design, media relations and marketing strategy. We regularly assist school leaders with referendum planning. And, during crisis situations, our entire team is available 24/7/365 to help school leaders reach the right stakeholders when time is of the essence.  

From planning to execution

It’s typical for us to begin working with a school district by developing a communications plan through a process that may involve administrators, teachers, support staff, parents and community members. Once we’ve formed the strategy, we then put it in action, delivering a wide variety of content, designed materials, videos and various other items as outlined in the communications plan.

In other words, our school district clients get the benefit of a full-time communications team at a rate that’s often far less than the cost for the larger districts to hire a single employee to lead their communications efforts. We even work with many of those very large districts, often providing additional support and capacity to their communications specialists.

If your school or district could use a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy, consider reaching out to the Donovan Group. We would be happy to discuss your needs and share more about the various school communications services we offer.