How We Helped CPAWS Ottawa Valley Attract Conservation Champions

July 16, 2025•4 min read

CPAWS Ottawa Valley

We partnered with CPAWS Ottawa Valley to develop a comprehensive communications campaign strategy and content for their youth program recruitment, creating a strategic framework that attracted passionate conservation champions while authentically reflecting their mission-driven values.

Challenge

CPAWS Ottawa Valley needed a complete recruitment strategy but didn't have the capacity to develop one internally.

As a 56-year-old conservation organization, CPAWS Ottawa Valley had deep expertise in protecting the Ottawa Valley watershed. But with their youth program launch approaching in less than two weeks, and only one month to recruit participants, they lacked a comprehensive communications strategy and the internal resources to develop one. Plus, their new communications manager wouldn't be starting until after the campaign needed to launch, leaving them without dedicated communications support during this critical recruitment period.

They were facing multiple challenges:

They had no structured campaign plan or timeline.
Their messaging wasn't aligned across different channels and audiences.
They needed content for multiple platforms but had limited time to create it.
Their team was spread thin across complex conservation projects.
They had no partnership outreach strategy to amplify their reach.

Without a strategic communications framework, they risked launching their program with scattered messaging, missed opportunities, and limited participant engagement—all while their small team struggled to manage recruitment alongside their core conservation work.

Solution

CPAWS Ottawa Valley partnered with Echoroot to create a complete communications campaign from strategy to execution.

Using my R.O.O.T method, we systematically addressed their communications needs:

Review (analyzed their existing messaging, mapped the participant journey, and identified gaps),
Organize (developed a strategic 30-day campaign plan),
Optimize (created all campaign materials and content), and
Thrive (delivered systems for ongoing success).

After we completed strategic planning and brand voice integration, we developed a comprehensive 30-day recruitment campaign that authentically reflected their mission while effectively reaching diverse audiences across the Ottawa Valley.

The comprehensive campaign was developed in less than 2 weeks and included:

Strategic campaign planning with 30-day timeline, messaging framework, and success metrics aligned to their conservation mission.
Program participant journey mapping to understand how participants discover, engage with, and move through their program.
Complete email sequence development with 6 mission-aligned emails that felt like authentic community invitations.
Multi-platform social media strategy with content pillars, templates, and captions ready for immediate use.
Partnership outreach strategy including research database of 60+ organizations and tailored materials for different partner types.
Partner promotion toolkit with ready-to-use templates, letters, and assets for amplification.
Brand voice integration ensuring all communications reflected their authentic voice as community-centered conservation experts.
Performance measurement framework focused on participant quality and mission alignment over volume metrics.

Result

The transformation gave CPAWS Ottawa Valley a complete recruitment system they could implement immediately.

They now have a strategic communications framework that authentically reflects their mission while effectively attracting passionate conservation participants. Every component—from campaign timeline to partner outreach—was designed for immediate implementation by their small team.

The comprehensive strategy eliminated the need for internal campaign development while ensuring all messaging aligned with their authentic brand voice. With a reusable framework, content library, and partnership strategy, they can confidently execute recruitment campaigns that build stronger program cohorts and protect their brand reputation.

Most importantly, their team can focus on what they do best—conservation work and program development—rather than getting bogged down in campaign logistics.

Project Deliverables

Strategy & Planning

30-day recruitment communications campaign strategy with timeline and milestones
Customer journey mapping session and documentation
Content strategy with four key messaging pillars
Success metrics and KPI tracking system

Email Campaign

Complete 6-email recruitment sequence
Email templates for different audience segments
Automated follow-up sequences

Social Media Content

Multi-platform content strategy (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok)
Content templates and caption library
Social media posting schedule and guidelines

Partnership Strategy

Research database of 60+ potential partner organizations (including names and email addresses)
Six tailored outreach letter templates for different organization types
Partner promotion toolkit with ready-to-use materials
Email templates for partners to share with their networks

Brand Integration