Where Are They Now?: Growing Home

by Julie Schumacher

Each year, we embark on a partnership with three organizations. What starts as an application then becomes a wish list of specific tasks and projects. That typically grows into a responsive and ongoing collaboration as new needs are identified and new ideas encouraged. 

These year-long partnerships often become multi-year relationships, and we couldn't be happier. We checked in with a few of our past clients to see how things went, how things are going, and where things are headed next.

Last month we reconnected with 2021 - 2022 partner, Growing Home, a non-profit USDA-certified organic, urban farm and workforce development program serving Chicago's West Englewood and Englewood communities. 

Working from the intertwined belief that everyone deserves a good job and good food, Growing Home provides a 12-week paid employment training program. Participants can join for any reason, and many are among those with barriers to employment. This can include people who are formerly incarcerated or experiencing housing insecurity, individuals who lack work experience as returning veterans or single parents. Individuals work on the farm in the mornings — learning skills like teamwork, communication, and quality control — and receive job readiness and environmental science curriculum in the afternoons. 

All this work is done on a USDA-certified organic farm located in a neighborhood with high levels of food insecurity. More than half of the produce grown is distributed in or around greater Englewood, whether at an affordable farm stand, through a no-cost CSA or in partnership with local food pantries.

Building a Department with Room to Grow

Throughout 2020, Women Unite! partnered with Growing Home to build a marketing and communications foundational strategy with their first marketing and communications coordinator. Together, we built a year-long calendar incorporating communication and network stewardship. Templates for a monthly newsletter and a longer seasonal printed piece were created, along with social media and graphics for ongoing events. A larger strategy for the annual campaign, including an outreach strategy for content with the appropriate mix of hard-hitting data and heart-tugging stories. 

Megan Morrison, the very same newly hired marketing coordinator, shared that "Insight for one year of an annual campaign gave us a baseline template for what we wanted to do the following years. It all stems from what Women Unite! helped us create."

She shared that being both new to an organization and in a new role at an organization meant the support from Women Unite! included bouncing ideas about best practices and understanding motivations and thought processes around strategy and timelines. This helped build something solid from the ground up to replace what had only been bits and pieces before. Megan shares that these conversations helped her hit the ground running but also helped create the growth path for what the marketing and communications department would become.

Beyond her department, clearly defining roles freed up space, time, and talent to go where it was needed most. As Megan shares, "It was such a relief. People were getting stretched in directions that were not their strengths or expertise. This benefits the organization, which ultimately is benefitting our community."

Connecting People Online and In Person

The partnership also explored how to reinvigorate the Associate Board, an essential cohort of super ambassadors, volunteers, and donors for Growing Home. The Associate Board was strengthened by in-person events and collaboration, something the pandemic took away. They needed to be re-engaged, and Women Unite! Was able to review the bylaws to look at how to reimagine this critical part of the organization. 

Even after the year-long scope has wrapped, we look for ways to stay connected to partner organizations. Megan noted the success of a Women Unite! sponsored a donation party at Avondale Bowl. Our network came together to collect cold winter gear, toys and toiletries to be given out at the Growing Home's annual Winter Fest.

Looking Ahead

Megan can point to better open rates and click-through rates on emails, the hard data of marketing, that she credits to the collaboration with Women Unite!. She also reflects on having a team on her side for the entire year that was responsive to the overarching organizational goals and could also step in and triage a crashed website. During 2020, that kind of reliable relationship meant having, as Megan put it, both a great stabilizer and a creative force to try different things. "Women Unite! asked how can we help you do your work better?"

As Growing Home looks to the future, Megan is excited to continue to distill the communication touchpoints, targeting and segmenting their outreach based on interest and audience. She also points to a three-year strategic plan they'll roll out in part with a tailored plan rooted in the comms work developed with Women Unite!. We look forward to seeing what they envision for the next three years!

Connect

Want to learn more about Growing Home? Visit their website or follow them on Instagram!