CASE STUDY
Strategy for Change
CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION
DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIC PLANNING, SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
THE PROJECT
The Cambridge Public Library Foundation needed assistance promoting their virtual speaker series, Voices for Justice, which featured nationally-recognized speakers on diversity, equity and inclusion issues.
THE CHALLENGE
Due to accessibility limitations during the pandemic, the Foundation was unable to leverage the Library’s physical space to promote the event to the local community. The virtual nature of the event opened up the reach beyond the Cambridge area, but the team had little prior experience with this.
THE RESULT
The Foundation’s attendance goal was met and exceeded by nearly four and a half times their original expectations. Their total reach was more than nine times their original attendee goal, and they were able to exceed fundraising expectations by more than 15%.
Voices For All
For many organizations, the changing landscape of virtual events has offered opportunities for outreach to new and wider audiences. As the independent fundraising organization for the Cambridge Public Library, the Foundation sought to support DEI efforts at the Library through a special event series featuring key speakers who helped to examine the glaring inequities that still exist, and discussion of solutions. While the Foundation had a wealth of experience and expertise at running live events, expanding to the virtual world was a new experience, and one that needed to be managed carefully, due to the topics and level of prestige of the speakers.
Working closely with the Foundation staff, we were able to provide strategic guidance in key areas necessary to expand the reach to meet their goals. We helped them define target personas and messaging, launch new social media platforms and institute new procedures for messaging consistency. During several challenging episodes of the project, we assisted with crisis management and coaching to help the Foundation manage unexpected hiccups that could have derailed the series.
Successful Partnership
We were proud to partner with Empower Success Corps (ESC) to assist the Foundation in meeting their goals for this project. A New England-based nonprofit, ESC is dedicated to assisting other nonprofit organizations in creating sustainable change through the use of volunteer consultants who are industry experts. Their collaborative approach partners industry experts with nonprofit organizations to advance their mission through strategic planning, financial guidance, marketing program development, succession planning and board development.
ESC was able to provide volunteer assistance from Hult International Business School, who aided the Foundation in tactical and day-to-day needs for their social media program. The hands-on and research-based assistance from the Hult team enhanced the knowledge of the Foundation team, paving the way for ongoing social media programs to support future Library endeavors.
How We Built It
As strategic advisors for the Foundation’s program, we were able to leverage data available from all of the Foundation’s platforms to provide insights and direction for improvement.
