Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations

Services:

Communications audit and plan, pilot program for member communications

Challenge:

Community development corporations have a tremendous impact on Philadelphia neighborhoods, and yet most residents would have a hard time defining them or their work.
The umbrella membership organization for these CDCs needed to translate this impact into everyday language, raise public awareness, strengthen its positioning and communications, and find new ways to support members’ communications.

Approach:

Beginning with a detailed audit, SteegeThomson delved into the challenges and opportunities that define PACDC’s communications. Our plan proposed a clear, concise platform of messages and an array of tactics to support storytelling, audience building, and related goals, backed up by an 18-month work plan. We drilled down on key questions, from how to educate citizens about what community development means and why it should matter to them, to how to craft communications that spotlight the reciprocal relationship between the umbrella organization’s policy savvy and its member CDCs’ grassroots success. SteegeThomson topped off the engagement with two workshops for PACDC members and technical assistance for six CDCs.

Results:

PACDC quickly acted on several SteegeThomson’s recommendations, with tangible results. We helped PACDC hire its first-ever communications director ─ the plan’s first priority ─ and take advantage of significant media opportunities. Its annual event grew with the addition of volunteer awards and tools to tell stories more effectively. Based on the technical assistance results, PACDC is pursuing funding to formalize this initiative on an ongoing basis. All of this work also taps into the bigger picture as Philadelphia launches a comprehensive planning effort, including opportunities for CDCs to play more vital roles in their neighborhoods’ futures.