Situation

Founded in 2007 in the upper Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina when so many in New Orleans needed permanent shelter, the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter was at first a temporary solution to protect and keep together women and children who needed a home. Now, it is the largest provider of services for homeless families in Greater New Orleans transitioning to a Central City location in 2014.  

More than a shelter, the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter is on a mission to enable parents and their children to transition from a life of homelessness and poverty to one of stability and self-sufficiency. Preventing homeless families from returning to the streets while helping families stay together is one of its main goals. In 2016, they expanded outreach and opened its doors to fathers to help keep homeless families whole. It provides single mothers, single fathers and intact families with children a safe place to stay together as they seek the training and support they need to live independently.  

They are proud to provide so much more than shelter and meals – all at no cost to its families. It provides intensive case management during residents’ stay and for at least 18 months afterward, including children’s programs (after-school and summer), workforce development programs, financial literacy, and more. These comprehensive services contribute to its success rate. All NOWCS services are funded through private donations and grants.  

Research shows New Orleans' rate of homelessness is one of the highest in the nation. Families, including single women and their children, comprise a significant portion of those without a place to call home. Families often come to The New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter from living under an overpass or in their car. Many have timed out of benefits or been asked to leave the homes of relatives. 100% of individuals they serve are in poverty and most are minorities. Children of homelessness experience higher rates of exposure to violence, are sick twice as often, have three times the rate of emotional problems as non-homeless children and have higher rates of developmental delay and poorer academic performance. They are prone to repeating the cycles of despair and poverty in their own lives.

More than 4,000 lives, over half of them children, have been launched toward brighter futures because of 15 years of service of the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter. Less than 2% of residents return to New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter after the shelter helps them find homes of their own. This is attributed to the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter’s comprehensive case management, education, training and transition assistance. To celebrate this milestone anniversary, the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter asked Gambel Communications for assistance with low-cost yet impactful communications to celebrate its success and showcase its mission.  

Strategy

Since funding is scarce in a nonprofit atmosphere, Gambel and the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter envisioned a lost cost solution to increase awareness.

Leveraging robust media relationships and a partnership with a family-oriented local influencer group, New Orleans Moms, Gambel Communications conducted traditional media outreach supported by sponsored social media content to help the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter amplify its story. Media outreach focused on how the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter had grown from a makeshift shelter to the largest provider of services for homeless families in Greater New Orleans in the last 15 years. It also highlighted the comprehensive services the organization provides other than shelter.

Gambel guided the creative for a 15th Anniversary infographic to easily explain 15 years of impact, while highlighting 15 Forward ways people could help. We also brokered a low-cost partnership with a mom-based local influencer group to amplify the plight of homeless single mothers.

Gambel also brokered a low-cost partnership with a local parent influencer blog to amplify the plight of homeless among single mothers and families. A partnered social media campaign featured the anniversary key messages and highlighted ways the public could support the organization through 15 creative options. The message was further amplified through a dedicated email blast to blog subscribers.

Results

The New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter received influential broadcast coverage and results, including back-to-back morning show appearances on the top New Orleans rated broadcast stations. The influencer content performed incredibly well and saw high rates of engagement. Comments were also overwhelmingly positive showcasing and reinforcing that the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter was celebrating an anniversary and doing important and impactful work. The New Orleans Mom Facebook post generated 46,000 total impressions, a reach of 11,744 with 393 likes and 36 shares. Email open rates were between were between 30 - 37% with an industry average of 20 -25 %. Call-to-action links in the post were clicked 100 times.