Client POV: HCC Communications Training Yields Real Results!

Neil Spears, Executive Director, Greater Los Angeles Region, of PowerMyLearning participated in Cause Communications’ Communicating for Results! coaching program from 2014-2015. Communicating for Results! is made possible by the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund and equips nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles with communications and marketing tools to advance their missions. Neil shares his experience and what his organization gained from the training in this guest blog.

When PowerMyLearning started the Communicating for Results! training, we were known as CFY. And of course the first thing that everyone asked us was, “What does CFY stand for?” We couldn’t even begin to discuss our mission without stumbling over our name.

It was time for some serious communications work, so we signed on for Communicating for Results! and the results have, quite frankly, transformed the way we describe ourselves and inspire others to join our cause.

PowerMyLearning helps all of the key people involved in education—students, their teachers, and their families—use technology to help them do better in school and prepare them for success in life. Our work focuses on low-income communities where access to technology in classrooms and at home lags behind higher-income communities. But we don’t just stop after solving the issue of access. We provide training and skills to students, teachers, and families so that they can use technology effectively for learning.

Prior to Communicating for Results!, that message was jumbled, complicated, and hidden behind a bad name and an incomplete website. During the training, we refined our core messages, learned how to differentiate that message for different audiences, and we even took two huge steps: we changed our name to PowerMyLearning, and we launched a new website.

The cohort model of Communicating for Results! was a major benefit. From the first training, we received feedback and ideas from our nonprofit peers. We also built connections among groups that we never would have interacted with on such a deep level. These connections continue to contribute to our success.

The coaching from Beth Babyak of Cause Communications was also incredibly valuable. Her personalized and direct feedback as someone who is both a communications expert and also an outsider to our work made her advice particularly essential as we re-branded. We are grateful to the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund for giving us the opportunity to be part of this training program.

If your organization needs a new name, like ours did, or if you are just looking to refine the way that you speak to funders, volunteers, and supporters, Communicating for Results! is an excellent resource that is well worth the time. It has certainly helped us as we continue to power a new generation of learning.

For more information about Communicating for Results! and to learn how to get involved, please contact HCC Chief of Staff, Beth Babyak at bbabyak@causecommunications.com.