CHALLENGE
Launch a publicly-funded program to connect Chicago educators with free school supplies.
The WasteShed, a creative reuse center in Chicago, received funding to create a program to connect city teachers with free, secondhand materials for their students and classrooms. Do It Better was engaged to bring the Teachers Resource Project to life, from ideation through implementation.
RESEARCH
Do It Better coordinated group listening sessions with teachers across Chicago. We asked about the materials their classrooms needed most, solicited feedback on design prototypes, and invited teachers to share their stories. Additional research was conducted through a web-based enrollment form that captured participant data and generated content for project storytelling.
STRATEGY
Thinking strategically about how to stretch a limited budget, Do It Better focused on creating a strong brand identity, design assets, and social content that The WasteShed could use to promote the project for years to come.
We created a calculation to communicate the social impact of each donation and focused on developing creative assets for digital storytelling and crowd-funding. Our messaging focused on soliciting monthly, recurring donations that would allow the project to be self-sustaining after the initial grant expired.
A launch party for teachers at The WasteShed helped to cultivate community, grow our email list, and generate visual resources for a project content library.
BRANDING
Do It Better worked with Chicago illustrator Anna Jo Beck to create the Teachers Resource Project brand identity and custom illustrations. We also collaborated with photographer Nathan Keay on photos to be used for promotional collateral.
DESIGN
Multimedia creative assets came together to establish a unique and recognizable project identity across media channels. Do it Better created the website’s user experience based on audience research, optimizing the platform to accept donations and facilitate teacher enrollment. We created workflows to automate donor communications and reporting, minimizing the time WasteShed staff would need to spend on project management. We also designed a print postcard to advertise the project in-person.
COMMUNICATIONS
Do It Better brought on a public relations pro to spread the word while we promoted the project launch to teachers via email. By project end, we enrolled over 200 teachers in the Teachers Resource Project email list.
We brought teachers’ and students’ experiences to life through digital storytelling. Do It Better established a social presence for the project on Facebook and Instagram, drafted and scheduled posts, and created a posting guide for WasteShed staff to seamlessly continue project promotion.
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