Narrative Change Case Study

Between July 2017 and November 2023, I worked at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Union Station Homeless Services, and All For Kids (formerly Children’s Bureau of Southern California) to shape public opinion and address misconceptions surrounding the unhoused community and the foster youth population.

For Union Station Homeless Services, I developed and executed the marketing strategy for the Changing the Narrative webinar series, featuring conversations with experts in the homeless services sector and centered the voices of lived expertise. The series was named one of the top five most innovative awareness campaigns by Los Angeles Business Journal. Furthermore, I developed several integrated marketing campaigns for social media, email and direct mail, including the “1,000 Beacons of Hope” year-end giving campaign and “Did You Know?” campaign, which dismantled myths and highlighted the humanity of the unhoused community.

For All For Kids, I developed and executed the “My Reason” social media campaign, partnered with chefs, hotels, and government officials for Instagram takeover posts, and launched a monthly Twitter Chat interviewing program directors and online conversation format with program directors. Additionally, I secured media coverage in top local and national outlets.

At the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, my work centered on raising awareness for seven programs (Catholic Sisters, Foster Youth, Global Early Childhood Development, Homelessness, Opportunity Youth, Refugees, and Safe Water) in addition to the Hilton Humanitarian Prize Symposium.

I partnered with organizations and government agencies to not only raise awareness of the critical work being done but to increase support and funding necessary to alleviate issues facing disadvantaged populations globally.

Government Partnerships

In my roles at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Union Station Homeless Services and All For Kids (Children’s Bureau of Southern California), I partnered with changemakers at the government level, including councilmembers, mayors, and nonprofits, to actualize systemic changes that would improve lives.

Changing the Narrative Around Homelessness

At Union Station Homeless Services, my goal as the print and digital marketing manager was to humanize the unhoused community, shed light on the systemic causes of homelessness, and inspire support from neighbors.

The Challenges

The issue of homelessness in Los Angeles is complicated: citizens don’t want to see encampments in their neighborhood and they want people “off the streets” but they don’t want shelters or affordable housing to be built where they live. NIMBYism increases tensions within communities where housing is being developed.

Furthermore, misconceptions about the causes of homelessness and the unhoused community at large have dehumanized this group of people. Many believe that the unhoused community are drug addicts, choose to stay on the streets, or moved to Los Angeles to take advantage of the city's resources. I knew it was critical to shed light on the truth and lived experience of this misunderstood community, debunk the myths and show their humanity in order to garner neighborhood support and compassion.

The Solutions

As soon as we began developing new housing within a neighborhood, such as El Sereno or El Monte, we started the work of communicating to neighbors and earning their support. We mailed letters to homeowners and apartment complex residents announcing the new project and the positive impact it would have on their neigborhood. Announcements were also posted in public areas like Starbucks and gyms. Additionally, we hosted public round tables and open forums with councilmembers and program staff to answer questions from the community and address their concerns.

I took an integrated approach to this work, highlighting the stories, the challenges, and the successes of clients through interviews and graphics that were shared via social media, email and direct mail.

The Results

The integrated marketing strategy I developed and executed for Union Station Homeless Services across social media, email, web, and direct mail:

doubled referrals to the website from email and social media, cut bounce rate in half, and doubled time spent on the site
surpassed the marketing and development team's end-of-year fundraising goals by $600,000
increased community support of the organization and new housing developments, including partnerships with celebrity volunteers through Feeding America and fundraising events that sold out a month in advance and raised over half a million dollars for the organization