Southwest Key Programs
Southwest Key Programs holds a distinguished position as the foremost provider of Immigrant Children's Shelters in the United States, with a dedicated workforce of over 8,000 staff. I built a high-functioning marketing and design department and steered branding initiatives across six regions, 45 children’s shelters, 5 alternative schools, and 12 wraparound programs in 8 states. I meticulously shaped our strategic direction and unified the brand identity.
Beginning role: Senior Designer
Final role: Interim Director of Marketing and Communications
2019 Annual Report: Creative Direction, Coordination, Production - Amanda Raby | Copy - Eric Chase | Coordination - Kasey El-Chayeb
The Challenge
Southwest Key’s primary program is funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement and provides shelters for immigrant children, serving more than 100,000 children annually. The majority of the 8,000+ staff members support this program. The Communication Department's primary challenge was the absence of data-driven responses to our internal campaigns. Additionally, our staff predominantly spoke Spanish and had limited to no access to email.
We recognized that corporate initiatives were not consistently reaching direct-care staff in all regions, yet we lacked tools to quantify the extent of communication. In order to uphold our standards of care and exemplify our values, we had to make sure our staff were accurately receiving and reflecting our communications.
Another challenge for Southwest Key's branding was increasing transparency of services for external audiences while safeguarding the children's identities. We could not feature the children in our care in our branding. Their identity had to be protected and the highly political function of the organization posed unique challenges. A lack of external education was a key challenge. We needed to simplify the experience of our refugees, the laws, and the intake/sponsorship process so that the general public could easily understand the process without politicizing the work.
In addition to the Unaccompanied Minors Program, the Youth and Family Services programs offered a diverse portfolio, including five Texas-based alternative schools, programs in Georgia and New York for rehabilitating incarcerated youth, after-school programs for young leaders, and clinical support for low-income families or children with disabilities. Our primary challenges in supporting the Youth and Family Services division included a understaffed programs and leadership, limited funding, and lack of processes for launching new programs.
The Outcome
During my tenure as the Senior Designer, interim Marketing Director and leader of the communications department, we not only met but exceeded our quarterly Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), marking a testament to our team's dedication and strategic prowess.
I built the creative and marketing team from the ground up, hiring mighty talent including designers, videographers, content strategists, project managers, and production artists. To ensure optimal output from my team, I implemented robust creative briefs and a meticulous intake process that aligned each project goals with the corporate strategy. This approach supported effective change management, ensured a comprehensive understanding of new program dynamics, delineated target audiences, mapped out audience journeys, and ensured compliance with grant stipulations. I also ensured my team’s workflow was optimized through Adobe CC Libraries, Acrobat Proofing, and intuitive file management. I developed workflows that meticulously detailed and scoped out every aspect of each campaign, teaching my Project Management staff to continually optimize the process based on our team's capacity in alignment with Southwest Key's objective key results (OKRs).
A pivotal initiative I spearheaded was the integration of HubSpot Marketing CRM, which heralded a new era of campaign engagement and interaction across all our channels. We extended integrated branding, content and marketing strategies to SEO blogs and YouTube content, funder reports, annual reports, franchise decks, websites, corporate strategy decks, drip campaigns, paid media campaigns, workshops and much more.
The results were truly remarkable. We witnessed a significant 38% increase in web traffic, indicative of our enhanced visibility and relevance in the digital landscape. Moreover, our internal campaign responses soared by an astounding 78%, a testament to the effectiveness of our CRM feedback loops, animated infographics, SEO optimization strategies, and content tailored to our audience's interests and channels.
In addition to our digital successes, I advocated for the needs to fortify our brand architecture and ensure consistency across all facets of our organization. Thus, I undertook the task of revamping our brand guidelines and charged the development of interactive franchise toolkits. These resources empowered our extensive staff of over 8,000 members across 42 shelters, facilitating streamlined processes, cohesive branding, and adherence to essential bylaws. This powerful integration ensured that our direct-care staff were responding to the our corporate initiatives and maintaining our standards for child care and trauma-informed communication.
Furthermore, I engineered innovative recruiting campaigns that surpassed KPIs, resulting in the recruitment of over 1,500 new hires within a remarkably short span of two months. This achievement not only bolstered our workforce but also underscored our organization's attractiveness as an employer of choice in our industry.
Finally, in partnership with the Heart Math Institute, I secured biofeedback meditation tools for all 45+ shelters, positively impacting the lives of millions of immigrant children.
As I reflect on my tenure as the creative and marketing lead, I am filled with pride at the significant impact we made on the organization in a relatively short period. Our collective efforts not only elevated our brand's visibility and reputation but also positioned us for sustained success in the dynamic landscape of our industry.
The experience
branding an empire
One of the most significant branding challenges my team faced was the lack of public-facing transparency and a branding approach that failed to convey empathy toward children. The brand was sterile, sober, and bureaucratic. External audiences, spanning all ends of the political spectrum, harbored suspicion, partly due to Southwest Key's imperative to safeguard the identities of the children under its care.
Externally-facing communications required clear alignment with Southwest Key's core values: cultural responsiveness, trauma-informed practices, and a deep understanding of child development. To address this, I undertook a comprehensive redesign and deployment of our brand architecture, content strategy, and marketing strategy, achieving the following objectives:
Highlighted the richness and vibrancy of Latin cultures.
Utilized agile infographics tailored for multi-lingual audiences.
Safeguarded the identities of the children in our care while effectively detailing our service work.
Integrated the artwork created by the children themselves.
Organized our cross-functional programs into various service categories for improved clarity and accessibility.
As a result of these efforts, our branding consistently conveyed Southwest Key's empathy across all 42 shelters, 5 alternative schools, 18 after-school programs, and numerous community support initiatives. Furthermore, this branding approach extended to the development of interactive franchise toolkits, ensuring uniformity in branding, management, processes, and bylaws among our extensive staff of over 8,000 members across all shelters.other programs and initiatives
Latina Entrepreneur Academy
Southwest Key's multifaceted efforts span a wide array of initiatives aimed at fostering empowerment and opportunity. One of my early initiatives involved spearheading the development of a comprehensive branding and marketing campaign for the Latina Entrepreneur Academy in Austin. This groundbreaking program sought to provide invaluable business development education to aspiring entrepreneurs within the Latin-X community. Through targeted outreach and strategic messaging, we successfully engaged over 300 enthusiastic Austin-local applicants, offering them access to a wealth of resources and support.
In the face of the unprecedented challenges brought about by the early stages of the Covid pandemic, the program demonstrated remarkable adaptability and resilience. With swift and decisive action, we transitioned the program to a digital format, ensuring that participants could continue their educational journey uninterrupted. Despite the obstacles presented by the virtual landscape, the response was overwhelmingly positive, with over 250 dedicated individuals successfully completing the course.
This achievement stands as a testament to Southwest Key's unwavering commitment to empowering communities and creating pathways to success. By providing accessible and impactful educational opportunities, we helped to cultivate a new generation of leaders and innovators, poised to make a lasting impact in their communities and beyond.
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New Program Launches
"Together Forward" stands as a transformative program dedicated to offering comprehensive planning and coordination of clinical services tailored to families and children with disabilities. This innovative initiative marked a significant milestone in our commitment to providing unparalleled support and empowerment to those in need. Central to the program's success was the implementation of an integrated marketing strategy, encompassing diverse outreach efforts, recruiting initiatives, captivating commercials, informative flyers, engaging web designs, and targeted communications sales funnels.
By leveraging a multifaceted approach, we sought to equip new clinicians with the tools, resources, and knowledge necessary to excel in their vital roles. Through strategic marketing campaigns, we endeavored to foster a supportive environment conducive to professional growth and development, ultimately enabling our clinicians to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those they serve.
Although all of Southwst Key Program's creative direction and marketing efforts are now under new leadership, the legacy of "Together Forward" continues to thrive, leaving an enduring impact on the communities it serves. As we reflect on the journey of this program, we celebrate the collective efforts and unwavering dedication that have propelled it forward, enriching the lives of countless children and families along the way.