Methodology

To conduct this communication and constituent engagement assessment, Segal collected and
analyzed data in the following ways:

• Interviews and Focus Groups: Between October and December of 2024, Segal
  conducted interviews and focus groups with 267 individuals from Iowa State University, the
  ISU Alumni Association, ISU Foundation, and two of the University’s external marketing
  agency partners
• Peer Benchmarking: Conducted a peer benchmarking study and reported findings on 10
  peer institutions
• Documentation Review: Reviewed more than 500 documents, data sets, and other
  information provided by the University

Findings

Findings: Strengths

As the University seeks to enhance its approach to communication and constituent engagement, it
can leverage several key strengths, especially the following:

1. High levels of trust in President Wintersteen, and confidence that she will make thoughtful
   decisions regarding the University’s communication and constituent engagement strategy
2. Tremendous brand loyalty among faculty, staff, alumni, and donors
3. Confidence in the abilities of the Strategic Relations and Communications (SRC)
   organization
4. The Alumni Association and Foundation leaders have forged deep relationships with their
   respective constituents
5. Appreciation for the Foundation’s embedded–professionals model that could be leveraged
   in other areas
6. Sophisticated communication and marketing expertise in some areas of the University

Findings: Key Themes

This assessment revealed five key themes that are described in greater detail in the following
pages. These themes include:

1. Distributed Approach: The University’s organizational structure and decentralized staffing
   approach are limiting the effectiveness of communication and constituent engagement
   efforts.
2. Alumni and Donor Engagement: The Alumni Association and the Foundation are not
   aligned in their efforts to support the University’s goals.
3. Brand Awareness: The University is missing opportunities to showcase its achievements
   and the attributes that make it distinctive.
4. Brand Consistency: Inconsistent brand elements undermine the University’s goal of
   creating a cohesive and unified identity.
5. Message Fatigue: Lack of strategy for relevant and targeted constituent communications results in message fatigue and difficulty capturing stakeholders’ attention.

Findings: Additional Details

Theme #1: Distributed Approach

The University’s organizational structure and decentralized staffing approach are limiting
the effectiveness of communication and constituent engagement.

• The University has multiple people and organizations managing its communication and
  constituent engagement activities, but they are not organized or deployed in way that
  supports leveraging their potential collective impact.
• Decentralized practices appear to be contributing to duplication of resources and
  unnecessary costs.
• There are units reported to be “haves” who have strong communication teams and “have
  nots” that struggle to produce professional work products.
• Many believe the University would benefit from a more robust SRC team.
• SRC roles and levels are not aligned with those of Iowa State’s peers.
• The University’s decentralized approach to data management and analysis is impeding its
  ability to connect with stakeholders and assess the impact of communication and
  engagement efforts.
• The University’s impressive array of community engagement initiatives operate
  independently, limiting Iowa State’s ability to coordinate efforts or highlight all that the
  University has to offer the people of Iowa.
• While community engagement is a core pillar of the University’s strategic plan, there is no
  clear point of contact (an obvious front door) for many stakeholders seeking access to
  programs, information, resources, or partnership opportunities. Further, several practices
  impede effective community engagement.
• The University has a highly distributed approach to issues management
• While decentralized models provide several benefits, they also present certain challenges.
  Iowa State has recognized the following key issues: Inconsistent messaging and branding,
  lack of coordination, duplication of effort and resources, budget challenges and quality
  control issues, difficulty in measuring success, lack of community and career ladders for
  staff, and talent and training gaps.
• Before the University can address the challenges associated with investing 93% of its
  communication–related staffing resources in colleges, departments, and divisions, it must
  understand the foundations of this approach.

Theme #4: Brand Consistency

Inconsistent brand elements undermine the University’s goal of creating a cohesive and unified
identity.

• There are multiple logos in use.
• The University uses several campaigns and taglines (e.g., “Innovate at Iowa State” (The
• University’s master brand strategy); “Cyclones in the Making (student recruitment)”;
  “Cyclones Everywhere” (Alumni Association); “#Strong Iowa” (Extension and Outreach)).
• The University does not use a consistent color palette.
• Several factors lead to brand inconsistency, including: a desire for self–expression, lack of
  knowledge, limited capacity, unclear expectations, extended timelines for reviewing
  materials, undocumented exceptions, and lack of brand enforcement.

Theme #5: Message Fatigue

Inconsistent brand elements undermine the University’s goal of creating a cohesive and unified
identity

• Communication mediums are varied across the University, but they have not been fully tailored
  to the desires of various target audiences.
• The University’s varied stakeholders report they often feel bombarded by University messaging
  and say they would favor a more coordinated and targeted approach to communication.
  Further, they are interested in having more control of the kinds of information they receive from
  various University sources.
• Because donors and alumni receive communication from across the University, they are
  especially sensitive to repetitive content and variances in communication style, tone, brand
  expression, and quality.

Recommendation # 2: Combine the Alumni Association and Foundation

Create a unified organization to streamline operations, leverage resources, and strengthen
engagement with alumni and donors.

By building a unified organization that aligns the efforts of the Alumni Association and Foundation,
the organizations can increase their impact and more effectively steward their resources. To foster
stronger collaboration, enhance engagement with alumni and donors, reduce costs, and enable a
more cohesive approach to building lasting relationships, Segal offers the following
recommendations:

• Create a plan to bring the Alumni Association and Foundation together, looking to peer
  universities for inspiration on optimal organizational structures and approaches.
• Consider a more inclusive membership model to engage a more significant percentage of
  alumni.
• If a paid membership model is continued, craft a more compelling member value
  proposition.
• As the new Alumni Association operating model is developed, look for opportunities to
  increase engagement among international alumni and those under age 55.
• Update the new organization’s communication and engagement approach for alumni by
  exploring options to target younger alumni and use social media more strategically.
• Engage international alumni by creating tailored engagement strategies that foster stronger
  connections, such as virtual events and collaborations with global University initiatives.
• Partner with international alumni to support student recruitment and build academic and research partnerships abroad.

Recommendation # 3: Increase awareness of university assets

Develop a bold and cohesive institutional narrative as part of the master brand strategy.

Iowa State is a highly student–centric university that is leading novel research efforts in areas that
are critical for national interests. It is also deeply committed to the success of Iowans and is
enhancing Iowa’s economic impact and quality of life. While the University is highly valued and
regarded by local stakeholders, there are opportunities to broadcast a greater range of its strengths
and distinctive assets.

• As the University continues to build its brand strategy, it may be useful to explore why many
  of Iowa State’s key assets did not emerge as top of mind for those interviewed.
• Promote the University’s achievements with pride, recognizing that excellence deserves
  recognition.

Recommendation # 4: Harmonize brand elements

Unify brand efforts across the university to strengthen brand identity.

With multiple logos, campaigns, and color palettes in circulation, stakeholders often experience
confusion about the University’s visual and messaging standards. This lack of consistency dilutes
the impact of the University’s brand and hampers efforts to present a strong, recognizable
presence to both internal and external audiences. Harmonizing brand elements, including logos,
taglines, and color schemes, will strengthen stakeholder recognition and enable more effective
storytelling and strategic communication. The University is invited to consider the following
strategies:

• Strengthen efforts to deploy and engage units/colleges with the master brand.
• Create greater clarity about logo use.
• Streamline and standardize campaigns and tagline usage.
• Standardize and promote a comprehensive color palette.
• Create more robust branding tools resources and training.
• Strengthen brand governance and oversight.
• Monitor and measure branding effectiveness.