Spotlight on an Urban Senior Village: The Jewish Association on Aging

After hearing Jeff Krakoff present a workshop on issues and crisis communications earlier in the year, leadership from The Jewish Association on Aging (JAA) reached out to Krakoff Communications, Inc. (KCI) to inquire about support for a major announcement in the fall at its annual meeting. Their needs included a strategic communications plan, messaging, media training, media relations, invitations, program development, presentations and more. It has been a while since JAA had exciting news of this caliber, so they wanted to ensure they took advantage of this opportunity to showcase a transformational announcement.
For this meeting, the JAA was returning to their in-person annual meetings for the first time since the pandemic. They wanted to share an exciting plan with their community: a new, unique urban senior village, including two state-of-the-art facilities that would expand their offerings on and off their Squirrel Hill campus.

Setting the Stage
To set the stage for a dynamic and easy-to-follow presentation and ensure the JAA’s voice came through in later news coverage, KCI created a strategy and started working on the messaging for this announcement.
The messaging document creates a foundation for KCI and the JAA to reference pre-approved rhetoric when discussing the announcement and vision. Establishing clear messaging helped the JAA to explain the news and to also rapidly respond to questions from all stakeholders and ensure that the message to all audiences remains consistent.
Avoiding Negativity with Clear Talking Points
Talking points were established to show how the project and the overall health of the JAA was all positive, good news. The talking points were created to get all the facts out and eliminate any questions or negative thoughts. They included answers to tough questions to be used in speeches, interviews, press releases, presentations, social media posts, website copy, community conversations, and more. Talking points can alleviate stress for staff and Board members when community members inquire about the project.
In this scenario, talking points underscored the project’s most exciting aspects—two new buildings allowing the JAA to offer a seamless continuum of care for the senior community.

Presenting the News
KCI and the JAA wanted to ensure the announcement’s speaker order was strategically designed and engaging for the audience. Curating the perfect presentation involved discussing how to incorporate anecdotes and information from different speakers who could strike a balance between factual and emotional messages.
The presentation began with a “State of the Union” address from the JAA’s president and CEO, showcasing the organization’s accomplishments, followed by an emotional speech from the family member of a former resident emphasizing the importance of quality elder care and finished up with the chairman of the JAA’s board to describe the organization’s vision and show stunning artistic renderings of the new facilities. A clean, concise slideshow kept the audience on track and provided supporting visual elements such as photos, videos, architectural renderings and key statistics. The audience (both in person and virtual) left the meeting feeling optimistic about the project and the future of the JAA.
Minding Media Relations
After the annual meeting, KCI helped the JAA quickly share its story with local media outlets, including the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Business Times, TribLIVE and WPXI-TV.
Media engagement can help keep the news of an exciting announcement buzzing for days and weeks. Are you seeking help promoting an event or big news and need help with the positioning, collateral, presentations and media coverage? Reach out to us at .