Introduction
We know the routine: a crisis emerges, and an organization temporarily jumps in to support the emergency, disappearing before the dust settles on the long-term plans to rebuild anew. Orange County United Way (OCUW) embodies a rooted, initiative-driven model of care that is not commonly seen in social service spaces and is antithetical to most.
Their dedicated, passionate volunteer and partner support, due in part to its name recognition, has enabled the organization’s programs to create meaningful impact for thousands of its neighbors.
OCUW fosters a consistent, active presence in Orange County, from young students receiving stacks of new books for their classrooms to dedicated landlords championing housing advocacy for their tenants.
Mixte was responsible for identifying, reaching, retaining, and mobilizing these dynamic networks of community partners, donors, and volunteers, which involved capturing these audiences at various points of entry into the organization.
Our Objectives
Prioritize and deepen the organization’s understanding of its diverse and growing audiences in order to make its communications all the more impactful.
- We created internal and collaborative systems to streamline the many avenues of information and create effective communication with OCUW audiences
- Grew their network and relationship with partner organizations, expanding reach and visibility in the process
- Elevated OCUW’s many philanthropic events and gatherings, often attended by Mixte staff in person, to distinguish the elegance and intentionality of the Orange County community.
- Uplifted OCUW volunteer involvement in initiatives and local projects, displaying a vast network of local leaders and champions.
- Managed digital media for the organization’s initiative, United to End Homelessness
The Outcome
Within one year, we elevated the United Way brand in Orange County. Here’s how we did it:
- Developed Audience Personas, fictionalized representations of OCUW’s target audience segments based on publicly available data research, allowing us to step into this community’s shoes and how OCUW can connect them to the solution to their concerns.
- Created social media content – and a lot of it! Posts and assets were curated for daily impressions, promoting meet-ups, sharing opportunities to get involved, and showing off celebratory moments. Mixte covered numerous philanthropic events, which are cornerstone gatherings that financially support OCUW’s initiatives. We also managed OCUW’s cause marketing promotions, ensuring corporate partnerships were respected and uplifted.
- Our content reached 9.7 million people
- We helped OCUW increase their followers across channels by 37%
- Produced toolkits that included social media posts across channels and graphics so advocates and leaders could
- Provided detailed reporting on a weekly and monthly basis, which we used to reflect on what was (and wasn’t working) and shift our strategies as necessary
- Optimized SEO surrounding blogs and new landing pages to keep the site on brand and up-to-date with community needs.
