Community of Hope is a nonprofit long-term shelter serving unhoused single parent families in North Portland, Oregon.
When I joined as an overnight staff member in summer 2020, The website and social media assets were not regularly maintained or updated. I saw an opportunity to provide ongoing support to an organization engaged in life-saving work, and provided WordPress website edits and updates, email campaign edits, photography and social media posts on facebook, instagram and twitter. I also co-wrote a grant for an AED defibrillator and training that was approved and funded.
I coordinated the annual appeal and worked with a graphic designer to develop the graphics and layout of the impact and ask letter. A former community member told her story, I photographed her and her family, and updated all media channels as the end of year fundraising campaign proceeded over the course of a month. We surpassed our goal by $20k.
Working with Linda Jo and Harmony at Community of Hope was an opportunity for me to support a cause close to my heart as well as expand my web content management experience, and improve my social media planning, scheduling and tracking. The ongoing problem the organization faced was fundraising and increasing their reach and engagement within the community. Community of Hope does not offer a product or service that followers can consume or use, but homelessness is a huge crisis on the west coast and it requires individuals and communities to pitch in order to alleviate the struggles of the most vulnerable on the street. I wanted to balance the messaging and tone between fundraising and messages of hope including testimony, snapshots of community life, thanks for neighborhood support and updates as families moved into permanent housing.
Special thanks to Linda Jo Devlaeminck for her direction and content, and for caring so much.