Friends of Learn4Life Grassroots Marketing Report - Fall 2024

Background

Friends of Learn4Life was established in March 2024 to advocate against the proposal to eliminate TDSB’s general interest and seniors' daytime programming (Learn4Life). Committed to ensuring Learn4Life’s long-term sustainability, our group supports TDSB’s efforts to attract learners and increase enrollment. Although Learn4Life has dedicated staff with a well-established marketing strategy, our aim is to augment their work by undertaking initiatives that require significant community involvement. We will continue to engage with and seek advice from Learn4Life administration to maximize the impact of our efforts. Recently, we published a report demonstrating that revenues cannot be significantly increased by raising prices due to the negative impact on enrollment. Instead, we suggested that cost recovery can only be achieved by growing the program. This report outlines our strategic plan to do so over the coming months.

Engaging with Local Employers 

One of our group members shared that at his workplace over 30% of employees regularly enroll in Learn4Life classes. He said enrollment dates are shared on the company calendar, and the breakroom buzzes with co-workers discussing which classes to try next. We plan to encourage other businesses to promote Learn4Life as a way for their staff to expand their horizons, stay healthy, and have fun outside of work. Additionally, colleagues signing up for classes together helps develop bonds and improves workplace culture.

We will contact employers throughout the city to promote the advantages of Learn4Life at their workplaces, specifically through a proposed “Learn4Life Workplace” program. Employers who join this program would agree to cover a portion of their employees’ Learn4Life courses, promoting wellness and learning. This initiative is similar to how many businesses already cover gym memberships. Employees are likely to prefer Learn4Life classes as they teach new skills and encourage socializing outside of work. We’ll begin by targeting businesses within our networks and then move on to small to medium sized companies who could implement the program without red tape.

This initiative requires minimal support from Learn4Life staff and relies on our group reaching out to employers in our networks. Once established, TDSB staff could publish a list of “Learn4Life Workplaces” in course brochures, recognizing participating companies and encouraging others to join. We expect many new students to discover Learn4Life through their employers, particularly younger and newer Toronto residents.

Canvassing

Our next strategy involves group members going out onto the streets to promote Learn4Life. Our members have had extremely positive experiences with their classes and are eager to share them. We will create signs listing various course categories, invite passersby to ask for more information, and distribute course brochures and flyers.

We will begin this campaign as soon as the fall semester brochures are released in early August, continuing until registration closes. By tracking enrollment numbers on the registration website, we can target our efforts to the course categories and sites most in need of support. In the future, an enrollment data dashboard will facilitate this process.

One creative initiative involves handing out recipes to supermarket shoppers to advertise our cooking classes. Each handout will include a recipe from a Learn4Life cooking class, registration instructions, and a list of other course categories. Additionally, we will distribute flyers for specific courses to relevant locations, such as bike shops for bike repair classes and art supply stores for art classes.

Newsletters and Media

Community leaders, including MPs, MPPs, city councillors, and school board trustees, send out newsletters to thousands of people each month. We have begun asking them to include information about Learn4Life registration. These leaders understand the benefits of these programs for their constituents and are eager to help spread the word. We will also target community-Facebook groups and community email lists to reach even more potential learners.

We will encourage journalists to publish stories about Learn4Life leading up to and during the registration period. Traditional media outlets, such as the Toronto Star and City News, have covered the TDSB budget process and the delay of the Learn4Life elimination. We expect they will be interested in follow-up stories. Digital media companies like BlogTO and Streets of Toronto, which have a significant reach among younger Torontonians, will also be targeted.

Building the Learn4Life Community

Learners who form community bonds within their classes are more likely to re-enroll and recruit their friends. Some learners already organize outings after class to get to know each other better. We aim to encourage this by partnering with local restaurants to offer specials for Learn4Life participants who come after class.

We will also have volunteers visit each class when the next semester’s registration opens. These visits will remind people to register and spark conversations among classmates about which courses to join, increasing the likelihood of group sign-ups. During these visits, we will invite learners to join the Friends of Learn4Life community and explain the importance of growing enrollment.

The Bottom Line

With persistent effort, we expect enrollment numbers to surpass the Spring 2024 boost. Our group is dedicated to raising revenues to achieve cost recovery. As our community continues to fight against proposals to eliminate Learn4Life or drastically increase fees, we are committed to promoting the program and ensuring its financial sustainability for future generations. If you are interested in getting involved with Friends of Learn4Life or joining our mailing list, please contact us at learn4lifefriends@gmail.com.