FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ADVANCEMENT UNIT WITHIN ISU EXTENSION AND OUTREACH

This resource is a general overview and introduction to the

Advancement Unit of Iowa State University Extension and

Outreach. The Advancement Top Five provides answers to the

who, what, where, why and how questions you may have

about Advancement.

If you need immediate guidance or help locating a resource,

contact any member of our team. We’ll help you get the answer or

connect you to someone who can. Advancement Team

Who from Advancement serves my county or unit?

Advancement has campus-based and field-based staff.

Advancement campus staff focus on vice president

communications, news, brand management, visual

communication, social media, video and overall marketing/

communication strategies. Advancement field staff focus on these

same topics at the county or regional level The Advancement

team meets monthly to plan and implement statewide initiatives

and for professional development. Advancement contacts by

function/role

To access resources listed in the Advancement Top Five, first login to

MyExtension with your Net-ID and password.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHO

Who from Advancement serves my county or unit?

WHAT

What is Advancement, and where does it fit within ISU Extension and Outreach?

What does Advancement focus on?

WHERE

Where can I find Advancement resources online?

Where can I find information about what is new in Advancement?

Where can I find resources for program marketing?

WHY

Why is Advancement important to ISU Extension and Outreach?

HOW

How do I know where to start?

1. WHO

2. WHAT

What is Advancement, and where does it fit within ISU Extension

and Outreach?

The Advancement Unit manages the “voice” of ISU Extension and

Outreach in its internal and external organizational communication.

Our unit creates the messages and collateral materials that represent

our organization as a unified entity. Our audience is broad and

includes the public, media, university partners and local, state and

federal decision makers. Our goal is to build awareness and establish

and maintain a favorable reputation and relationships with the

stakeholder groups our organization depends upon.

In contrast, program marketing is led by the ISU Extension and

Outreach program areas: 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture and

Natural Resources, Community and Economic Development and

Human Sciences. The purpose of this marketing is to engage

prospective participants with various programs and resources,

generating demand and building support. These marketing messages

are created for targeted audiences.

Advancement staff and program marketing/communication managers

work together to cross-collaborate between our advancement and

program marketing efforts.

What does Advancement focus on?

Advancement’s primary functions include

Strategic relations

Brand management

Internal and external communication

Public Relations

Marketing

We all have opportunities in our job to interact with the public and

potential funders and partners, and it’s important to represent

ISU Extension and Outreach well. Advancement ensures that offices,

events and promotional items are properly branded, that messages

are consistent and align with ISU Extension and Outreach’s signature

issues, and that our story and local impacts are communicated. We

share best practices, ideas and resources across the state to help you

get the most out of advancement initiatives. We offer timely

professional development and encourage you to sign up for our

workshops on social media, branding and other topics.

3. WHERE

Where can I find Advancement resources online?

ISU Extension and Outreach is present online in two ways. Our main

ISU Extension and Outreach home page is targeted to the public and

this is where you will find links to programs and counties, recent

news, events, the annual report and videos that tell our story,

organizational quick facts, the Extension Store and more.

Advancement staff manage many of these pages and are responsible

for items that reside there.

Advancement resources for staff are located within MyExtension, the

ISU Extension and Outreach staff-only website. To locate

Advancement resources here, login with your Net-ID and password,

and then navigate to the “Advancement” drop down menu.

Advancement resources are organized into eight subcategories.

Advancement Team – Contact information for our staff

Guidelines and How-to Videos – Policies, procedures and

tutorials

Our Story – Organizational overviews and templates for sharing

purpose and impact

Planning Tools and Special Events – Resources for developing

advancement plans and implementing special events

Promo Items and Apparel – Links to promotional items and

apparel available from the Extension Store

Social Media – Organizational accounts and resources for using

social media

Templates and Branding Resources – Templates, images and

graphics

Video – Tool kit, playlist and current ads/commercials

Where can I find information about what is new in Advancement?

Advancement sends out a monthly email newsletter called the

“Advancement Update.” It highlights current initiatives, events,

resources and noteworthy Advancement ambassadors. Past issues

are archived. Upcoming statewide events and new resources also are

listed in the Advancement widget on MyExtension.

Where can I find resources for program marketing?

4-H Youth Development and Human Sciences marketing resources

are located in MyExtension. Go to the “Program Areas” drop down

menu and select “4-H” or “Human Sciences,” then select the

appropriate subcategory. Agriculture and Natural Resources

marketing resources are located in CyBox. (Login to CyBox with your Net-ID

and password to access.)

To access resources listed in the Advancement Top Five, first login to MyExtension

with your Net-ID and password.

4. WHY

5. HOW

Why is Advancement important to ISU Extension and Outreach?

Advancement is the means by which ISU Extension and Outreach

interacts with decision makers, partners, key stakeholders, the

government and the rest of the outside world. Organizational

messages pertain to news about the organization, specific issues and

the organization’s position on different matters. These messages

reinforce the ISU Extension and Outreach brand and shape how the

organization is perceived. This work builds awareness, strengthens

appreciation, drives action and develops advocates for the

organization. To learn more about the Advancement mission and

goals, look at our strategic plan.

How do I know where to start?

Start with the following 10 action items. We love questions, so be sure

to ask. Your Advancement Specialist will contact you to set up

additional orientation.

1. Learn how we talk about ISU Extension and Outreach by

reviewing our Strong Iowa messaging.

2. Watch this video and learn what our clients have to say about us.

3. Read the latest Extension news and review our annual report,

county stakeholder reports and Our Story videos to learn about

priority efforts.

4. Follow ISU Extension and Outreach on social media and promote

to your followers. Be sure to read our Social Media Policy.

5. Purchase ISU Extension and Outreach apparel to wear to

programs, county fairs or other community events. Order your

name badge and business cards. Set up your email signature.

6. Review and download properly branded templates and branding

resources. Review our visual identity guidelines for information on

using the red bar, wordmarks, partner logos, university colors and

fonts, justice statements and more.

7. Review our guidelines or watch a how-to video to learn about

working with the media and other Advancement topics.

8. Look at the marketing and promo items available to order. Send in

a suggestion for a new product.

9. Check out our planning tools and special events resources.

Current priorities include county land grant and 100-year

celebrations.

10. Spend a few minutes exploring the Advancement links on

MyExtension to discover more of what we have to offer.

To access resources listed in the Advancement Top Five, first login to MyExtension

with your Net-ID and password.