CASES 2020: Homecrest Community Services
At Project by Project, we not only want to help the AAPI community, but we also strive for our members to learn from each other, to gain new skills, and to grow into the next generation of leaders. We can achieve both goals through Cases, where our members work together to conduct research, brainstorm ideas, and implement a solution for fellow AAPI nonprofits.
In 2020, PbP NY’s beneficiary partner was Homecrest Community Services. They are a 501C(3) nonprofit that provides community-based, multi-social services for seniors and immigrant families living in Southern Brooklyn in New York City. With a small team tasked to manage multiple social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, the Cases team dedicated 12 weeks to overcome a major challenge to Homecrest - developing a social media presence and strategy.
How did the PbP NY team help Homecrest Community Services (HCS)?
The Cases team started by researching the following problems to best tailor their solution to Homecrest -
What message did Homecrest want to portray through social media?
How much time did the Homecrest team have to manage social media?
How often should the Homecrest team be posting on Instagram to increase brand awareness?
Who is their target audience?
Is there a more efficient way to schedule posts?
In search for scale and efficiency, the Cases team aimed to find a process that could scale with minimal effort for HCS.
After researching and scoping, the Cases team met with Homecrest virtually every two weeks to begin executing a solution. From choosing the content and designing the graphics to writing the copies and researching the hashtags, the Cases team worked to create a sustainable framework that Homecrest could leverage in the future to optimize their visibility among the AAPI community. To kick-off their social media presence, the Cases team even prepared and scheduled 3-4 posts each month for seven months for HCS.
12 weeks flew by quickly and soon enough, Cases wrapped up and the Cases team had not only seven months worth of content ready to go for Homecrest, but also hosted a social media training session. How and why to schedule posts, repost content, use relevant hashtags and regularly engage with users were just a couple of tips shared with our beneficiary partner.
“With the partnership of Project by Project, we were able to utilize the invaluable social media training they gave us to create more effective social media posts. As a result of this technical assistance and support, we were able to get more followers, post across all social media platforms, and design more interesting posts. We are appreciative of our partnership with Project by Project who helped us immensely in bringing our organization up to speed utilizing hashtags and other tools so that we can gain more visibility online.”
What did PbP NY volunteers learn from this project?
All PbP Cases volunteers gained new knowledge and skills relevant for career development, including project management, graphic design, ideation, and problem-solving.
Individual key takeaways include:
Leverage something new from the project leader, like project management skills and using a Gantt chart
“I learned a new tool, Canva! And also was super impressed with the gantt chart / project timeline that Ling created. Every time we do Cases or Project Lead, I learn to leverage something new from whoever leads it. So definitely grateful for these opportunities.” - Lisa Li
Learning to use a new tool, Canva
“I learned how to use Canva! And appreciated the change in using my creative side after looking at numbers and spreadsheets all day at work” - Nancy Wong
Understanding how to use social media to gain brand awareness better
“I have improved my hashtag skills through this Cases project. I never knew there were so many factors to consider when making a social media post. I have a whole new appreciation for social media managers.” - Amy Wong
At the end of the project, the team is grateful to be able to work together. Despite having different working styles but with the flexibility of the project, it was a successful one as everyone had the opportunity to work at their own pace and learn from each other.
“I learned so much from everyone else! I felt like we effectively brainstormed as a group and had productive discussions when we were laying out the problem statement. We all had different working styles, and the flexibility of the project allowed us to work at our own pace. Like Lisa, I also learned how to use Canva. It was great to see the immediate impact we had with our work, and I’m also really grateful to have been a part of this group!” - Ling Zhou