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Transforming Reputation: Engineering the Path to Success
Advertising | Brand Management/Strategy | Content Writing | Embedded Support | Event Planning Fundraising | Internal Communications | Photography/Videography Production | Reputation Management | Social Media Management | Stakeholder Communication | Strategic Communication Planning | Website Redesign
The Brighton School is a private first through twelfth-grade school for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. Brighton has been serving the Baton Rouge community for over 50 years.
The Challenge
The Brighton School approached us with a need for communication support as educators and administration were handling all internal and external communication with no support or strategy. As we dove into the needs of the school, we realized that the real challenge lay in the lack of a dedicated team or person for communication as well as reputation management.
While the school is well-known in the Baton Rouge community, name changes and misunderstandings of who they serve were critical issues. This was hindering the school from growing enrollment and funds raised throughout the year.
The strategy
Based on the diverse scope of work needed, our team embedded ourselves into the school by allocating a couple of days a week where we would work on-site. This allowed us to build rapport with the faculty and staff, as well as, have a better grasp on the workings and needs on a day-to-day basis.
Along with our embedded support, we regularly met with the administration to identify the goals of the school to align our communication support. Our first goal was to change the reputation of the school to accurately reflect its mission. To do so, we knew we would need creative collateral, an updated website, and better messaging. Social media would play a critical role in disseminating these messages and showing the culture of the school.
Internally, there was a lack of organization and streamlined messaging to key stakeholders – parents, students, alumni, board members, and faculty. We surveyed the stakeholders to identify preferred communication methods. With this in mind, we created a weekly email for faculty, staff, and parents with reminders on upcoming events and news; and a monthly newsletter to keep board members and alumni informed and connected.
Lastly, increasing financial support through dollars donated and the number of donors was crucial to the school. As the educators at the school are required to have specialized training for students with language-based learning differences, we had to ensure they have the proper support for continuing education and classroom resources. This solidifies student success. To gain fundraising support, we knew we needed to share the stories of the families impacted by the school as well as highlight what makes the school unique.
The execution
The Brighton School approached us with a need for communication support as educators and administration were handling all internal and external communication with no support or strategy. As we dove into the needs of the school, we realized that the real challenge lay in the lack of a dedicated team or person for communication as well as reputation management.
While the school is well-known in the Baton Rouge community, name changes and misunderstandings of who they serve were critical issues. This was hindering the school from growing enrollment and funds raised throughout the year.
outcomes
The reputation of the school is now accurately reflected in the community as well as surrounding areas such as New Orleans, Lafayette, and more. People know what The Brighton School is and what it does – teaching those who learn differently.
The first annual campaign we assisted earned $85,000 which normally only brought in $50,000 at most. This was over 6 months as we had come in at the halfway point. Future years saw a steady increase in funds raised.
Enrollment increased by 15 percent and continued to grow each year leading to the need for new buildings to accommodate.
The 50th Anniversary Gala raised almost $40,000 in profits and had 206 attendees. An alumni database of 250 individuals was created and established.
The Brighton School improved its reputation and relationship with the community in Baton Rouge. It is now well-known for its mission and dedication to students. Our work with them to create consistent branding and messaging has set the school up for success in years to come.
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