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I help nonprofits and mental health professionals share their stories, find more clients, raise more money, and change the world. My mission is to help you achieve yours – through better communications.
Nearly all of the problems faced by society today are rooted in systemic social, economic, racial, and environmental injustice. I believe communications work has a critical role to play in changing unjust systems through education, organizing, and advocacy. Let’s do this!
I’m a social worker and writer by training and a communications specialist by accident.
I have a BA in Writing from Ithaca College, an MSW in Social Work from the University of Connecticut, and 15+ years of experience in nonprofit communications and marketing, fundraising, community outreach, project management, volunteer coordination, and program evaluation.
Communications has been part of every job I’ve held since college. But at first, that wasn’t on purpose. As you probably know, smaller nonprofits are places where everyone wears several “hats.” If you have skills in a certain area, you’ll probably end up using them, regardless of your job title. Tutoring kids and formatting the newsletter, researching policy and designing a resource guide, managing a program and its website and, oh yeah, all of its grant funding. Sound familiar, anyone? 🙂
As time passed, I naturally grew into roles focusing full-time on communications and development. And while I couldn’t have predicted it at the start of my career, it turns out this path has been the perfect way for me to use my skills and background to follow my passion for making a difference.
In my most recent full-time role, I spent nearly four years managing communications and fundraising for the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, a statewide civil rights, legal services, and advocacy organization working to ensure that all people have equal access to the housing of their choice, free from discrimination.
Before that, I served as Assistant Director of Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford, a regional adult education nonprofit, where I managed the organization’s communications, fundraising, and special events. Earlier, I coordinated communications, marketing, fundraising, and volunteer recruitment for a statewide free tax preparation program at the Connecticut Association for Human Services, assisted with communications and recruitment at Public Allies Connecticut, and served two terms in AmeriCorps programs in MA and CT.
In 2019, I decided to take some time to be a stay-at-home parent while my children were still young. I was fortunate to immediately find a contract project with a small Connecticut nonprofit needing communications support, and found that I loved the consultant role.
I especially love working with staff at smaller nonprofits who are in the same boat I often used to find myself in (you know, that rickety, old, donated boat that’s constantly springing leaks and only has one paddle?). Nonprofits that don’t have any dedicated comms staff or have just one or two people trying to do all the communications and fundraising – you are my people. I’ve been there, and I’m passionate about making your job easier.
I can serve as a strategist and thought partner or just an extra pair of hands to take some of the work – and stress – off your plate. As a consultant, I can offer a different perspective from in-house staff and have the time and space to think strategically (and support you in doing so) – something often in short supply when you’re a small comms team constantly churning out content and putting out fires.
It’s no secret that we have a mental health treatment crisis in our country – a crisis that has only worsened since the start of the pandemic. So, in addition to my work with nonprofits, I also work with mental health providers who need an updated web presence to make it easier for new clients/patients to find them and get help.
My background in social work gives me an understanding of common therapy techniques, patient/client concerns, and barriers to seeking therapy, which helps me communicate more effectively about your work and help the right people find you.
Learn more about my work history, education, and training (and connect with me!) on LinkedIn.
Check out my portfolio to see some examples of my past work.
Wanna chat about working together? Please get in touch! I offer free, no-pressure 30-minute consultations to discuss your communications needs and determine if we’re a good fit. I look forward to hearing from you.
Schedule a free 30-minute consultation to find out if I’m the right person to help you tackle your communications challenges – no strings attached.
Communications consultant
for nonprofits and mental health professionals
© Shannon Houston Consulting LLC 2024