Teach For America · Dallas–Fort Worth · 2020
Donor Communication
I developed and launched PTA, Partners of Teachers and Alumni, an individual giving program that connected donors to the TFA DFW community through fundraising and opportunities to participate.
Fundraising and community results
$100,000
No. 1 in education
Raised on North Texas Giving Day in 2020, doubling the previous year’s donations.
A Clear Way to Engage
Created a clear path for individual donors to give and get involved, reducing friction and increasing engagement with the TFA DFW community.
10,000+
Students engaged across two events
Brains and Baking and Elections Explained were fully funded by PTA donations, with no additional cost to TFA DFW.
The challenge
Build relationships that lead to giving
TFA DFW wanted to develop relationships with small-dollar donors while creating meaningful ways for high-net-worth individuals to engage with the organization.
The task was to help supporters see themselves in the work and connect their donations to opportunities to participate. Working with Development, I connected the giving strategy to communications and community experiences that could make that relationship tangible.
The strategy
Connect giving to participation
Create a place in the work
I developed the program framing and brand identity and launched the giving site. Introducing PTA during Teacher Appreciation Month gave individual donors a shared identity and a timely way to connect with teachers and the TFA DFW community.
Focus the invitation to give
North Texas Giving Day created a fundraising moment within that broader relationship. The matching gift gave supporters a clear reason to act and a way to increase the impact of their donations.
Show what support makes possible
I conceived and produced Brains and Baking and Elections Explained as PTA-sponsored experiences. They connected donors to the community through programming for students and families, with costs covered by PTA donations.
Selected work
Four parts of the campaign
A connected sequence of donor engagement, fundraising, and community experiences. Each campaign shows the strategy I led, how I carried it through delivery, and the work.
01 · May · Teacher Appreciation Month
Launching the PTA donor community
My role: I created the brand identity, developed the campaign strategy, and launched the giving site to give donors a clear path to donate.
View PTA brand identity and giving site
Brought to you by
Brand identity
The PTA logo and co-branded lockup I developed for the program launch.
View logo
Giving site
I launched the giving site to connect campaign messaging with a direct path to donate.
02 · September
North Texas Giving Day
$100,000 raised · No. 1 in education · 2× prior-year donations
My role: I led campaign framing and communications, connecting the giving invitation to PTA’s broader donor engagement strategy.
View North Texas Giving Day coverage
Matching-gift coverage
People Newspapers documented Chris and Joe Popolo’s $50,000 matching gift, included in the campaign’s $100,000 total, and the campaign’s focus on technology access for Dallas ISD students during remote learning.
Read matching-gift coverage
03 · October
Brains and Baking
DFW’s most-attended Halloween family event · Fully funded through PTA donations
My role: I conceived and produced the experience, leading creative direction, production, and media outreach.
View Brains and Baking coverage
Dallas Morning News coverage
Brains and Baking brought students and families together during the pandemic and showed supporters what their donations made possible.
View the clipping
04 · November
Elections Explained
Award-winning community experience · Fully funded through PTA donations
My role: I created and produced the experience, bringing together civic leaders, families, community partners, and media.
View Elections Explained coverage
CBS coverage
Coverage of Elections Explained, the award-winning community experience funded by PTA donors.
View CBS coverage