Funding a Better Tomorrow
In the wake of social justice disparities, the Seattle-based and BIPOC-led Equitable Communities Initiative Task Force (ECITF) was formed to mitigate the effect of government investments and policies on minority groups. The team of 28 members from various departments was given full autonomy to determine programmatic investment areas and develop steps to accomplish desired outcomes.
With a budget of $30 million, transparency and community awareness were important factors to keep at the forefront of the decision-making process, but had not been prioritized after many ECITF members endured personal attacks. With a developed apprehension toward media and community members, the ECITF developed processes that lacked transparency. The Profitable Nonprofit engaged The Anchor Group to develop a marketing campaign to build awareness and community support for the Task Force’s recommendations and to leverage that support for City Council approval.
Creating Transparency
Anchor hit the ground running by providing interview and media engagement training to assist ECITF members in feeling comfortable with telling their story. The trainings allowed Task Force members to shed long-held concerns about bad press and community pushback. Over three months, Anchor also laid the groundwork for transparency in the community by working with local ethnic and mainstream media to schedule interviews, neutralize potential negative stories, and prepare press releases and talking points for a range of communications needs. Background materials were also created for the Task Force to shed light on its purpose and its members.
Local Media Outreach
Anchor began planning its media outreach by developing an interview schedule with key, local media outlets in the Seattle area. Interviews from the mayor and ECITF members were hosted live via online outlets and Black radio shows. The Seattle Times and Northwest Asian Weekly were among the picks for print media. Black media outlets were prioritized throughout the campaign to ensure that the BIPOC community were the first to hear about the Task Force’s work.
Results
