Challenge: Reimagine how digital content inspires colleagues
Shortly after I joined United Way of New York City (UWNYC), the leadership team aspired to amp up culture. They hoped the internal e-newsletter would improve employee communication and connection to mission.
The Chief Marketing Officer turned to me to redesign the existing communication. She said brand it, gather stories, write, edit, design and publish it weekly. Through consistent creation and distribution, I would grow employee affinity for the organization.
Solution: Craft the right personality to shepherd community content
The e-newsletter deployed on Friday mornings. I hypothesized that employees would want to feel happy and appreciated at the end of the week. Content would spotlight their individual and collective accomplishments. Content would aim to inform while making space for employees to have fun.
I named the e-newsletter Community Chatter to support collaborative celebration and playfulness. I coupled this name with a spirited, amiable, amusing and reliable voice.
I also created features that invited contributing editors from across the organization. These features grew shared investment in the e-newsletter and boosted communication among departments. For example, in the Community Chatter Stars Wars edition, employees enjoyed “A Word from Wallace” and “Venturing with Master Vanasdale.”
COMMUNITY CHATTER STAR WARS EDITION
Path to the solution: Teams, activities and tools
UWNYC teams engaged
Marketing and Communications
Design
Resource Development
Community Impact
Human Capital
Activities executed:
Voice development
Writing and editing
E-newsletter design
Tools used
Google Docs
BSD Tools
Adobe Photoshop
HTML
Result: Fix content as a staple of culture and community storytelling
Community Chatter became a beloved staff communication, and "chatter" an organizational buzzword. One early poll revealed that 81% of employees found it highly engaging.
While at UWNYC, I published 200+ issues, and each year more chattering poured in from my teammates. The e-newsletter broke down departmental silos and built a culture of storytelling.
