Introduction

For 30 years, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) has worked to build Latina economic and political power through advocacy, education and leadership training. During this time, more than 60,000 Latinas have joined HOPE to find the skills, knowledge, confidence and collective power to lead their communities.

Now, HOPE is looking to expand its reach. With this powerful network of Latinas already connected to HOPE and advocating for their communities — and the potential to reach many more — HOPE knew it needed to develop a strong communications plan and have a suite of effective communications tools at the ready. 

Our Objectives

Develop a strategic communications plan and redesign HOPE’s website to be a user-friendly, actionable resource for more Latinas to join HOPE programs as well as for funders to support the organization.

 

Here’s how we did it:

  • We learned from those on the ground — We held cross-functional listening sessions with HOPE staff and board members; sent a survey to HOPE alumni; scanned media coverage; and analyzed social media channels, email newsletters, web traffic and background materials. This showed us where HOPE already excelled, and where the gaps were that a strong communications strategy could help to fill in. 
  • We clarified and prioritized HOPE’s audiences — HOPE had a broad range of audiences it wanted to reach, but needed more clarity about who these people were and how to best engage them. We used publicly available data to create detailed personas that represented their target audiences, and pinpointed their unique journeys toward taking action with HOPE. We then interviewed members of HOPE’s network who represent each persona, to ensure our creations were accurate.
  • We refined HOPE’s language — We drafted and tested messaging for the audiences HOPE would like to reach. Then we used the findings from our testing, as well as what we learned from the prior two stages of our work, to draft guidelines around brand voice and tone and create a set of core messages for the organization that emphasized how HOPE builds power among Latinas. 

The Outcome

  • A comprehensive communications strategy 
    • The plan included external comms recommendations to expand HOPE’s impact and strengthen its ability to tell its own story, as well as internal comms guidance to help their small but mighty nonprofit team operationalize all suggestions. 
    • The intention and deep research during our early phases of work ensured the plan was robust: With a social media strategy, in-depth messaging guidance, individual campaign concepts and broad strategic recommendations, all crafted according to what we knew their team had the capacity to take on.
  • New website
    • Mixte served as the project manager for HOPE’s web developer, and also drafted and edited copy to bring web pages into closer alignment with new messaging. With the new site, HOPE’s tangible impact is front-and-center. It’s also easier for visitors to keep up with and get involved in the organization’s latest research, events and advocacy actions.