Reaching donors through relentless storytelling
Georgia-based nonprofit organization Christian City sought to increase awareness about its 500-acre multigenerational campus and the many ways it serves the community, particularly children in crisis. Christian City hired The Wilbert Group to tell its story through a strategic media relations and thought leadership program aimed at potential donors in Atlanta. Our goal was to create a steady drumbeat of coverage about Christian City so that the target audience would hear positive stories about the organization over and over again.
In our first six months with Christian City, we quickly jumped in to learn about the organization’s story and values, created a robust PR strategy and relentlessly executed against it. We identified five newsy themes for Christian City:
- Campus Milestones: We worked with Christian City to highlight key milestones such as the opening of the Thrive Village cottages for young adults, the announcement of a forthcoming mixed-use project for the greater community and recognition of Children’s Village high school graduates. These stories demonstrated Christian City’s thoughtful and impactful stewardship.
- Human Interest: We quickly realized Christian City has no shortage of unique, feel-good human interest stories, so we amplified those angles to appeal to potential donors. For instance, we wrote custom pitches around Hilda Barron, a Christian City resident who dreamed of working at Waffle House one more time; Arshaad Norwood, a former foster child at the Children’s Village who is now a local art teacher returning to paint a mural on Christian City’s campus; and Sarah Moore, a mother to three plus 150 foster children thanks to her work at Christian City – a story that helped promote the special role of house parent. This placement was particularly important given Christian City’s desperate need for more house parents on campus.
- Events: From the Terry Chapman Day of Service to the Christmas tree lighting, we pitched various events to media that earned consistent coverage and placements on calendar listings, keeping the steady drumbeat of Christian City happenings in the news.
- Grants/Fundraising: We wrote press releases announcing Christian City’s latest grants, including the Americorps and ACL grants, further elevating its reputation in the nonprofit world.
- Thought Leadership: To position Christian City leadership favorably in the eyes of donors, we submitted the CEO for awards, podcasts and expert commentary.
In the first six months of our partnership, our work doubled the number of media hits compared to the same period in the prior year. The quality of the storytelling is also notable, with a strong mix of headlines that highlight all the good being done by the nonprofit.
Christian City’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Hala Hess White, said: “The Wilbert Group’s work is incredible. In all my years – and there are plenty of them – I have never before worked with contractors who met the expectations I had going into the relationship, much less folks who exceeded my expectations. They are professional, talented, proactive, creative and they can write! We are so grateful for the partnership.”
