E-Newsletters

Image of CT Fair Housing Center Fall 2018 E-Newsletter. An attractive custom-designed heading is at the top, followed by excerpts of newsletter stories and images. (Post contains PDF of actual newsletter.)

While at the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, I started the Center’s first quarterly e-newsletter using Constant Contact. I wrote nearly all of the content, but also sometimes worked with other staff to have them contribute stories about their work. I designed a custom header for the newsletter using Canva and switched to a mobile-responsive design to ensure readability on all devices. Later, I linked newsletter story excerpts to full articles on the Center’s blog to drive more website traffic. I carefully maintained the Center’s email list and used results from each email (open and click rates) to inform changes going forward. The newsletter was distributed to a list of ~1,500 readers (including fair housing advocates, donors and funders, and elected officials) and typically had a ~20% open rate, which is about the industry average.

Annual Reports

Cover of CT Fair Housing Center 2017 Annual Report, which features the Center's logo in the upper right and then a full-page photo of one of the Center's clients, an older Black woman standing in a parking lot, smiling.

At the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, I was responsible for developing the annual report. I worked closely with an outside graphic designer on the layout and design, worked with a photographer for client photos, and wrote nearly all of the report’s content. The report was shared on the Center’s website, shared on social media and in the e-newsletter, and printed in a limited quantity for distribution to funders, elected officials, and major donors.

Annual Appeal Email – Literacy Volunteers

Shows a preview of a fundraising email written for Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford. Click PDF to read full text.

Fundraising email When I worked as Assistant Director of Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford, a small adult education nonprofit, I managed the organization’s annual fund campaign, a multichannel effort utilizing email, social media, and print.  This email is one I wrote for the organization’s 2015 annual fund campaign. In my last year with LVGH, the Annual […]

Year-End Fundraising Email

Shows a preview of a year-end fundraising email I wrote. Click through to read PDF version.

Year-End Fundraising email I wrote this year-end fundraising appeal email in 2018 while managing development and communications for the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. It featured artwork from the Center’s fair housing poster contest for youth Click on the image to read the full PDF version of the CT Fair Housing Center’s 2018 year-end email. CT Fair Housing […]

General Brochure

Image showing preview of a brochure created for the CT Fair Housing Center. Click through to read PDF.

CT Fair Housing Center Brochure When I started my role managing communications for the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, the organization had produced several issue- and service-specific brochures, such as “know your rights” brochures and guides on how to represent yourself in foreclosure.  However, the only general print marketing item the Center had was its Annual […]

Event FAQ Blog Post

Image of beginning of blog post about annual event. Click through to view PDF.

Blog Post: Fundraising Event FAQs Part of my role managing development & communications for the Connecticut Fair Housing Center (2015-2019) was planning and promoting the organization’s annual fundraising and awards dinner. I received many of the same event-related questions from attendees and sponsors every year, and on top of that, we made some changes to […]

Client Stories

Sheila M., an older African-American woman, smiling and wearing glasses, standing in a kitchen.

I have often been responsible for interviewing clients and writing up their stories to illustrate the impact of various programs and policies on real people.

To respect the client and avoid stereotyping, I use the clients’ own words as much as possible and try to paint a picture of the full, complex person, not just the challenge they were facing. There is often a fine line between illustrating a program’s positive impact and painting an organization as a savior – thus disempowering the client. I encourage giving clients as much information and control over how their stories will be shared as possible.