Healthy School Food Collaborative

Healthy School Food Collaborative – Email Campaign Hi David The problems/solutions provided by the client were really great – much better at hitting the emotional factors involved than what we had before. I have built the entire email series around them. It really helped to ask the right questions and provide some prompts to the client. To create a compelling series and because we still have no case study, I am proposing a slight format change: 6 emails in the following format: Intro – compelling questions and set expectations for further emails Problem 1/Solution 1 Problem 2/Solution 2 Problem 3/Solution 3 Problem 4/Solution 4 Wrap up of main benefits and reminder to act If I understand correctly. the client has asked for the same email series to go to both groups (charter schools and school districts) now? So, the main body of the second set of emails for school districts is roughly the same – just with a slightly different angle in intros/outros. The 6 emails total around 2000 words…but as they are basically repeated for the second group (with a few tweaks) we can still treat the final word count as 3000? We had to put extra work into this as there was a lot of research for me to do with the resources/emails requesting further info, etc. Does that sound fair? Mark ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS/PRIVATE SCHOOLS Email 1: Compelling questions and setting expectations Subject: How can you make your pupils’ meals healthier AND more profitable? Hi (Insert name), As we look at schools around the U.S., children are growing more obese and consuming food that is neither healthy nor particularly profitable for the school. Many charter and private schools are struggling to address the following challenges with their foodservice programs: How to look after children's health interests How to look after the interests of public and private funders How to meet the basic requirements of federal and state regulations Ask yourself the following questions: Do you know what is being served in the cafeteria daily to your students? Would you or your family want to eat? Do many students prefer to go to the local corner store than eat in the school cafeteria? Are you struggling to meet the requirements of administrative reviews? What would you do if an auditor walked into your school right now? Have you reviewed your foodservice financials? In the past week? In the past month? Your answers to these questions may mean that the health and wellbeing of students are at risk. You may also face the prospect of administrative penalties and reluctance from funders to provide support going forward. As a charter or private school in the U.S., you are not alone in these challenges. The good news is that solutions do exist. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be following up with a few brief emails on how you can meet these challenges through The Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC). In the meantime, if you’d like to discuss the food service requirements in your school, simply reply to this email or contact us on our website and we’ll be in touch. Talk soon, Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email 2: Problem 1/Solution 1 Subject: How do you introduce more nutritious & popular meals to the menu? Hi again (Insert name), Children will eat healthily if it’s tasty. That’s a pretty basic truth that should be the underlying the plan to tackle the crisis of childhood obesity that we are experiencing in the U.S. The CDC estimates that 18.5% of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese. That’s about 13.7 million children and adolescents affected across America – which is alarming. We believe that if more schools sought the child nutrition support that they need, they would help solve the problem rather than exacerbating it. Most problems with school menus result from a lack of thought and oversight that go into preparing them – and a lack of student input and local produce used in the meals. Children simply decide to eat elsewhere – often junk. Improve this situation and the obesity problem will be eased. I’d like to ask you about your current menus and how the Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC) may help… Do you know what is being served in the cafeteria daily to your students? Would you or your family want to eat it? Unfortunately, the answer is “no”, in many cases. HSFC can review your menu variety and food scorecards for evolving data assessments – and use the data to create more exciting and varied menus for your children. Would your students rather go to the local corner store than eat in the school cafeteria? HSFC can coordinate student focus groups to introduce new menu items and actively track participation rates and consumption rates. Increasing student participation, input, and feedback into the system are proven to get results. Are you proud enough of your cafeteria to lead potential students and their families on a tour? HSFC provides best-practice advice on school cafeteria marketing and conducts site reviews that display all of the positive features. Do you think it would be good PR if students and their families know that local farmers contribute to the meals they eat? HSFC can work with local farmers to contribute produce to menus and coordinate tours, working with an on-site team for chef demonstrations and introductions. In the next email, we’ll think about another important challenge for charter schools and private schools in the US: meeting local and national compliance regulations. Until then, Name PS. If you’d like to discuss how to improve the menus in your school, simply reply to this email or contact us on our website and we’ll be in touch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email 3: Problem 2/solution 2 Subject: Are you ready if an auditor walks into your school right now? Hi again (Insert name), In the last email, we discussed how better menus are better for children's health AND for the image of your school – in particular, with regards to tackling childhood obesity. We also considered how the Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC) helps with these challenges. Another challenge for schools with meal preparation is how to constantly meet the regulations imposed by federal and state governments. Reviews are common and an auditor could arrive at the school gates at any time. Are you ready for that? I’d like to ask you about compliance challenges and how the HSFC may help… Are you prepared if your state auditor walked through your cafeteria doors… right now? HSFC focuses on helping charter and private schools be audit-ready every single day and not just before a scheduled audit. That makes things far less stressful for school administrators and principals. Did you receive any corrective actions on your most recent administrative reviews? HSFC can help prepare you for your administrative reviews. We are familiar with working and coordinating with state officials in these matters. Do you know where the required documents are located and are you 100% confident of their accuracy? Many schools cannot put their hands on the necessary documents for state auditors when required – and do not keep them up to date. HSFC keeps all documents in a shared folder as well as in an audit binder prepared specifically for your school. This way, you are always prepared for an audit. In the next email, will look at another major challenge for private and charter schools in the US: the lack of profitability from school menus. If you’d like to discuss how to improve menus or compliance in your school, simply reply to this email or contact us on our website and we’ll be in touch. Talk soon, Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email 4: Problem 3/Solution 3 Subject: Could your school increase profits from foodservice programs? Hi again (Insert name), In previous emails, we discussed how the Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC) can help you improve menus to tackle obesity and meet regulatory requirements imposed by state governments. Today, let me start by asking you whether your school has to supplement your nutrition program with your general fund? From our experience of working with charter and private schools across the US, this is often the case. Obviously, this is not ideal. Is there another way? So, I’d like to ask you about profitability and how HSFC may help increase it… Have you reviewed your foodservice financials? In the past week? In the past month? Regular reviews of foodservice financials are essential to maintain profitability. HSFC can manage this process, reporting back to you on the findings and making recommendations for improvements at regularly scheduled meetings. Are your vendors or FSMC billing you in accordance with your contracts? Unless you are actively checking this, you could be paying unnecessarily for items. HSFC will reconcile invoices with contracts and procurement documents and thereby help control costs. Are you in a local purchasing coop? Buying power can help increase the profitability of your meal programs. By integrating into a coop with the help of HSFC, you will reduce the overall pricing for items purchased and raise profitability. In the next email, we will look at another challenge for private and charter schools in the US: the lack of operational capacity to deliver optimal meal programs to your students. If you’d like to discuss how to create better menus, improve compliance or increase profitability, simply reply to this email or contact us on our website and we’ll be in touch. Until then, Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email 5: Problem 4/Solution 4 Subject: Do foodservice standards in your school get a Grade A? Hi (Insert name), We’ve already looked at how the Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC) can help improve menus to tackle obesity, meet regulatory requirements, and increase profits. For families looking to send their children to your school, existing students, and your general reputation, food service standards should be a priority. A school that takes meals seriously takes the health of children seriously – and that can be an important differentiator from other schools. Some schools are handicapped by a lack of operational capacity. They cannot provide the service they’d like to provide. So, I’d like to ask you about your current food service standards and how HSFC may improve them… Would you grade your current food service with an “A”? If you’re not getting an A, why not? It is expected of students so why not hold your schools to the same standards? HSFC can help improve your foodservice operations to get premium marks. Do you have a full food service team on staff? Many of the problems of delivering quality meals are due to lack of high-quality staff. HSFC can help find solutions to targeted issues and reduce operational burden. Is food service simply one of many school operations that you manage? Because of our experience in managing food service for schools, our outsourced child nutrition directors and operational support services can provide an entire department worth of service for less than the cost of one employee. If you’d like to discuss how to improve menus, improve compliance, increase profitability or raise food service standards simply reply to this email or contact us on our website. I’ll be sending a final summary email soon. Until then, Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email 6: Summary of problems/solutions, testimonials and a reminder to act Subject: Reach out to HSFC as these schools did… Hi (Insert name), Over the past few weeks, we’ve looked at four of the key foodservice challenges faced by charter and private schools: How to introduce more nutritious, popular, and affordable meals into menus How to prepare for, and comply with, state audits of your foodservice program How to increase the profitability of your cafeteria’s meal programs How to raise food service standards to a Grade A Getting food right for most schools is a balance of providing nutritious, tasty meals that students choose over fast-food alternatives – thereby helping with the obesity problem – and running a profitable operation that provides a level of service you can be proud of. The Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC) can help you do that. Our child nutrition consultants are intimately familiar with the types of problems that charter and private schools face and have helped many schools across the US implement programs to address these issues. Our mission is to reduce childhood obesity by providing students, families, and communities access to nutritious and affordable food sources, sustainable, healthy meal choices, and by promoting the development of lifelong healthy dietary and living behaviors. The best way to do that is to get schools on board by showing them how it can be done profitably. Here are a few comments from other schools we’ve helped: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “HSFC has engaged local farmers to partner with our “Farm-to-school" Programs, helping ensure local producers contribute healthy options to our child nutrition program and services. Chief Operating Officer / Chief Financial Officer, KIPP NEW ORLEANS SCHOOLS “HSFC has helped us maintain a compliant program in which our students receive nutritious meals that exceed USDA requirements.” Chief Operating Officer, MEMPHIS DELTA PREPARATORY CHARTER SCHOOL “We trust the HSFC to assist us in the implementation of all mandatory components from administrative review preparation, summer audits, RFP process management and USDA rules and regulations.” Director of Administration, BRICOLAGE ACADEMY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------HSFC can help with each of the four key challenges outlined above and more, helping you provide a premium food service that looks after the needs of children, staff, and school administrators. This will be the last email from me in a while but there’s still time to reach out to discuss your school’s foodservice needs. If the time’s not right just now, keep us in mind and reach out next time you are having difficulties with menus, struggling with foodservice levels or profitability, or receiving bad news from an audit… All the best, Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS Email 1: Compelling questions and setting expectations Subject: How can you make school meals healthier AND more profitable? Hi (Insert name), As we look around U.S. school districts, children are growing more obese and consuming food that is neither healthy nor particularly profitable. Many elementary and secondary schools are struggling to address the following challenges with their foodservice programs: How to look after children's health interests How to meet the basic requirements of federal and state regulations How to improve the level of food service without increasing staffing overheads School district administrators might ask the following questions: Do your schools know what is being served in their cafeterias daily to students? Would you or your family want to eat? Do many students prefer to go to the local corner store than eat in school cafeterias? Are schools struggling to meet the requirements of administrative reviews? Have your schools reviewed foodservice financials in the past week? In the past month? Your answers to these questions may mean that the health and wellbeing of students are at risk. Schools may also face the prospect of administrative penalties. As one of many school districts currently struggling with these challenges in the U.S., you are not alone. The good news is that solutions do exist. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be following up with a few brief emails on how you can meet these challenges through The Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC). In the meantime, if you’d like to discuss the food service requirements in your school district, simply reply to this email or contact us on our website and we’ll be in touch. Talk soon, Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email 2: Problem 1/Solution 1 Subject: How to introduce more nutritious & popular meals to schools? Hi again (Insert name), Children will eat healthily if it’s tasty. That’s a pretty basic truth that should be the underlying the plan to tackle the crisis of childhood obesity that we are experiencing in the U.S. The CDC estimates that 18.5% of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese. That’s about 13.7 million children and adolescents affected across America – which is alarming. We believe that if more schools sought the child nutrition support that they need, they would help solve the problem rather than exacerbating it. Most problems with school menus result from a lack of thought and oversight that go into preparing them – and a lack of student input and local produce used in the meals. Children simply decide to eat elsewhere – often junk. Improve this situation and the obesity problem will be eased. I’d like to ask you about the menus in your schools and how the Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC) may help… Do you know what is being served in school cafeterias daily to students? Would you or your family want to eat it? Unfortunately, the answer is “no”, in many cases. HSFC can review your menu variety and food scorecards for evolving data assessments – and use the data to create more exciting and varied menus for your schools. Would many students rather go to the local corner store than eat in the school cafeteria? HSFC can coordinate student focus groups to introduce new menu items and actively track participation rates and consumption rates. Increasing student participation, input, and feedback into the system are proven to get results. Do you think it would be good PR if students and their families know that local farmers contribute to the meals they eat? HSFC can work with local farmers to contribute produce to menus and coordinate tours, working with an on-site team for chef demonstrations and introductions. In the next email, we’ll think about another important challenge for school districts in the US: meeting local and national compliance regulations. Until then, Name PS. If you’d like to discuss how to improve menus in your district, simply reply to this email or contact us on our website and we’ll be in touch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email 3: Problem 2/solution 2 Subject: Are your schools ready if an auditor arrives at the gates right now? Hi again (Insert name), In the last email, we discussed how better menus are better for children's health AND for your school district’s image – in particular, with regards to tackling childhood obesity. We also considered how the Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC) helps with these challenges. Another challenge for school districts with foodservice programs is how to constantly meet the regulations imposed by federal and state governments. Reviews are common and an auditor could arrive at the school gates at any time. Are your schools ready for that? I’d like to ask you about compliance challenges and how the HSFC may help… Are your schools prepared if a state auditor walked through their cafeteria doors… right now? HSFC focuses on helping elementary and secondary schools be audit-ready every single day and not just before a scheduled audit. That makes things far less stressful for school administrators and principals. Did any schools receive corrective actions from recent administrative reviews? HSFC can help prepare your schools for administrative reviews. We are familiar with working and coordinating with state officials in these matters. Do your schools know where the required documents are located and are they accurate? Many schools cannot put their hands on the necessary documents for state auditors when required – and do not keep them up to date. HSFC keeps all documents in a shared folder as well as in an audit binder prepared specifically for your schools. This way, they are always prepared for audits. In the next email, will look at another major challenge for school districts in the US: the lack of profitability from school menus. If you’d like to discuss how to improve menus or compliance in your schools, simply reply to this email or contact us on our website and we’ll be in touch. Talk soon, Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email 4: Problem 3/Solution 3 Subject: Could your school district increase profits from foodservice programs? Hi again (Insert name), In previous emails, we discussed how the Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC) can help you improve menus to tackle obesity and meet regulatory requirements imposed by state governments. Today, let me start by asking you whether your schools need to supplement nutrition programs with their general funds? From our experience of working with school districts across the US, this is often the case. Obviously, this is not ideal. Is there another way? So, I’d like to ask you about profitability and how HSFC may help increase it… Have you reviewed the foodservice financials of your schools? In the past week? In the past month? Regular reviews of foodservice financials are essential to maintain profitability. HSFC can manage this process, reporting back to you on the findings and making recommendations for improvements at regularly scheduled meetings. Are your vendors or FSMC billing your schools in accordance with contracts? Unless this is being actively checked, your schools could be paying over the odds. HSFC will reconcile invoices with contracts and procurement documents and thereby help control costs. Are you in a local purchasing coop? Buying power can help increase the profitability of your meal programs. By integrating into a coop with the help of HSFC, your schools will reduce the overall pricing for items purchased and raise profitability. In the next email, we will look at another challenge for school districts in the US: the lack of operational capacity to deliver optimal meal programs to students. If you’d like to discuss how to create better menus, improve compliance or increase profitability, simply reply to this email or contact us on our website and we’ll be in touch. Until then, Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email 5: Problem 4/Solution 4 Subject: Do foodservice standards in your schools get a Grade A? Hi (Insert name), We’ve already looked at how the Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC) can help improve menus to tackle obesity, meet regulatory requirements, and increase profits. For families looking to send their children to your schools, existing students, and the general reputation of your district, food service standards matter. Schools that take meals seriously take the health of children seriously – and that can be an important differentiator from other districts. Some schools are handicapped by a lack of operational capacity. They cannot provide the service they’d like to provide. So, I’d like to ask you about your current food service standards and how HSFC may improve them… Would you grade the current foodservice standards in your schools with an “A”? If you’re not getting an A, why not? It is expected of students so why not hold your schools to the same standards? HSFC can help improve your foodservice operations to get premium marks. Do your schools have full foodservice teams on staff? Many of the problems of delivering quality meals are due to lack of high-quality staff. HSFC can help find solutions to targeted issues and reduce operational burden. Is food service simply one of many operations that your schools must manage? Because of our experience in managing food service for schools, our outsourced child nutrition directors and operational support services can provide an entire department worth of service for less than the cost of one employee. If you’d like to discuss how to create better menus, improve compliance, increase profitability, or raise food service standards, simply reply to this email or contact us on our website. I’ll be sending a final summary email soon. Until then, Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email 6: Summary of problems/solutions, testimonials and a reminder to act Subject: Reach out to HSFC as these schools did… Hi (Insert name), Over the past few weeks, we’ve looked at four of the key foodservice challenges faced by schools in the US: How to introduce more nutritious, popular, and affordable meals into menus How to prepare for, and comply with, state audits of foodservice programs How to increase the profitability of cafeteria meal programs How to raise food service standards to a Grade A Getting food right for most schools is a balance of providing nutritious, tasty meals that students choose over fast-food alternatives – thereby helping with the obesity problem – and running a profitable operation that provides a level of service to be proud of. The Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC) can help the schools in your district do that. Our child nutrition consultants are intimately familiar with the types of problems that elementary and secondary schools face and have implemented many programs across the US to address these issues. Our mission is to reduce childhood obesity by providing students, families, and communities access to nutritious and affordable food sources, sustainable, healthy meal choices, and by promoting the development of lifelong healthy dietary and living behaviors. The best way to do that is to get schools on board by showing them how it can be done profitably. Here are a few comments from other schools we’ve helped: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “HSFC has engaged local farmers to partner with our “Farm-to-school" Programs, helping ensure local producers contribute healthy options to our child nutrition program and services. Chief Operating Officer / Chief Financial Officer, KIPP NEW ORLEANS SCHOOLS “HSFC has helped us maintain a compliant program in which our students receive nutritious meals that exceed USDA requirements.” Chief Operating Officer, MEMPHIS DELTA PREPARATORY CHARTER SCHOOL “We trust the HSFC to assist us in the implementation of all mandatory components from administrative review preparation, summer audits, RFP process management and USDA rules and regulations.” Director of Administration, BRICOLAGE ACADEMY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------HSFC can help with each of the four key challenges outlined above and more, helping you provide a premium service that looks after the needs of children, staff, and school administrators. This will be the last email from me in a while but there’s still time to reach out to discuss the foodservice needs of your schools. If the time’s not right just now, keep us in mind and reach out next time your schools are having difficulties with menus, struggling with foodservice levels or profitability, or receiving bad news from an audit… All the best, Name -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------