CASE STUDY
MEDIA RELATIONS & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: WATERFORD.ORG
The Challenge
Waterford.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to combine the science of learning, the power of mentoring and the promise of technology to build family and community partnerships that deliver access, excellence and equity in early education. Waterford.org has a strong belief in “success from the start” and that every child can, and should, begin their first day of school feeling prepared.
Waterford.org developed an initiative called Waterford UPSTART, which serves as an online early learning program teaching children the basic skills they’ll need in school. The TASC Group developed a strategic communications plan aimed at creating consistent organizational messaging for both internal and external use, building strong thought leadership platforms for key spokespeople and ultimately establishing Waterford.org as a pioneering leader in the edtech field.
The Challenge
Waterford.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to combine the science of learning, the power of mentoring and the promise of technology to build family and community partnerships that deliver access, excellence and equity in early education. Waterford.org has a strong belief in “success from the start” and that every child can, and should, begin their first day of school feeling prepared.
Waterford.org developed an initiative called Waterford UPSTART, which serves as an online early learning program teaching children the basic skills they’ll need in school. The TASC Group developed a strategic communications plan aimed at creating consistent organizational messaging for both internal and external use, building strong thought leadership platforms for key spokespeople and ultimately establishing Waterford.org as a pioneering leader in the edtech field.
The Strategy
TASC conducted in-depth audits of Waterford.org’s past media coverage, including positive, negative and crisis coverage, to identify the organization’s strengths and weaknesses from a communications standpoint. TASC then revamped the organization’s messaging as well as created evergreen talking points to strengthen its brand and to more clearly communicate its mission. TASC closely monitored the news to identify strong opportunities for Waterford.org’s senior vice president of curriculum and instruction to build their thought leadership platforms across both national and educational outlets.
TASC also crafted and placed op-eds by the organization’s C-suite executives as a way of bolstering their expertise and voices in the edtech space. Additionally, TASC launched a grassroots media campaign to promote Waterford.org’s programming and impact at the local level in 15 states, with a goal of increasing school and district sign-ups.
The Results
TASC secured hundreds of media placements for Waterford.org and its UPSTART program in top-tier national and local media outlets. Overall, 38 local TV affiliates of CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox aired dozens of segments in states including Mississippi, California, Indiana, Iowa, West Virginia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Washington, Oklahoma, Virginia, Oregon, Wyoming, Maryland, Missouri, South Dakota, Michigan and Wisconsin.
TASC secured dozens of additional placements in prominent national and educational outlets, including Yahoo! Entertainment, TODAY.com, Verywell Family, Education Week, The 74 and HuffPost.
TASC also placed op-eds in outlets including The 74 and Yahoo! Entertainment, successfully expanding Waterford.org’s thought leadership platform and establishing the nonprofit as a leader in the edtech field.
MEDIA COVERAGE
