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Isla Vista staff report rising web and social reach; staff outline multi-quarter planning to sustain outreach
Summary
District staff presented an annual community-engagement report showing increases in website users, social reach and earned media; staff requested more sustained capacity to convert campaign work into regular outreach and recommended adding an intern or outreach coordinator.
The Isla Vista Community Services District’s community-engagement lead presented the department’s 2024 annual report at Tuesday’s board meeting, saying the office had expanded its digital reach and launched new volunteer and leadership programs while asking the board to consider more staff capacity and content resources to sustain work into future years.
The presentation highlighted measurable audience gains, program launches and a shift toward longer planning timelines. "Our website doubled our unique user visits last year up to 65,000 from 30,000 last year," the presenter told the board, adding that Constant Contact newsletters generated about 26,000 opens and that Instagram growth added roughly 1,724 followers in 2024.
Why it matters: The district is positioning itself as the local public-information and community-engagement hub for Isla Vista, and staff said greater capacity would allow them to sustain campaigns and expand in-person outreach.
Key numbers and programs: Staff said the spring festival and Deltopia outreach were major operations, and cited a community leadership course (Civic Leadership Initiative) with 23 applicants and 19 graduates. Social-media and web metrics included roughly 65,000 unique website users for the year, 26,000 e-mail opens across 85 messages, and an Instagram reach that included several posts with broad impressions (one reel had about 30,000 views). Paid advertising for priority messages had a modest budget (about $2,000) and helped increase reach for specific campaigns.
Operational staffing and recommendations: The presenter described three internal categories for work — campaigns (large, time-intensive pushes), new launches/expansions (program startups) and operations/maintenance (ongoing outreach). The presenter said 50% of senior content staff time is currently spent on campaigns and 30% on new projects, leaving less time for maintenance and outreach. She recommended hiring a civic-engagement intern or part-time outreach coordinator and budgeting for occasional outsourced content (memes, short-form video) so day-to-day operations would not be crowded out by new launches.
Board feedback: Directors praised the quality of materials and the Civic Leadership Initiative, and asked about platform choices (TikTok, Instagram) and patterns in website traffic. The presenter said Instagram reels and targeted ads had been effective for student audiences and that the office is piloting an intern role to help with outreach.
Ending: Staff will return with routine quarterly reports; the board thanked staff for the year’s work and signaled support for additional staffing to expand consistent outreach and in‑person engagement.
