Written Content & Training VISTA at The Sanneh Foundation Inc – Saint Paul, Minnesota

GOAL STATEMENT: The Sanneh Foundation (TSF) is a 501(c)(3) serving the various needs of Minnesota's low-income youth and their families. The Communication Specialist VISTA will increase the awareness and visibility of Sanneh programs that aim to improve educational outcomes for low-income youth and families. By establishing lasting processes for media management, story capturing, and written content creation, the VISTA will improve outreach and engagement to support economic stability and self-sufficiency within the community.

Objective 1: Develop an in-depth understanding of TSF’s mission, core programs (such as Dreamline, Nutritional Services, and Workforce Development), and current storytelling and communication practices.

Step 1: Participate in the TSF on-site orientation, including history, mission, core values, and department introductions

Step 2: Meet with the Marketing Coordinator and the Advancement team to review current workflows for newsletters, social media, and donor communications.

Step 3: Review existing sustainability materials from previous VISTAs to understand past processes for narrative messaging and community outreach.

Step 4: Identify professional development resources related to journalistic storytelling, interviewing techniques, and brand messaging.

Objective 2: Build and improve efficient systems to facilitate the creation of compelling written content that highlights the organization's work and impact

Step 1: Research best practices for developing different communications amongst different audiences, i.e., volunteers, program participants & donors.

Step 2: Create standardized workflows and templates for monthly electronic newsletters, ensuring consistent and informative updates for stakeholders

Step 3: Develop a system for capturing stories, including a schedule for interviewing program participants, volunteers, and staff to highlight program success

Step 4: Develop a system for capturing stories, including a schedule for interviewing program participants, volunteers, and staff to highlight program success

Step 5: Collaborate with the Multimedia VISTA to ensure written content effectively complements visual assets (photo and video) in storytelling campaigns.

Create and maintain standardized copy across all projects to ensure consistency in messaging, tone, and brand voice.

Objective 3: Develop and implement training materials to equip TSF staff with the skills needed to perform independent storytelling and narrative advocacy and ensure the long-term sustainability of storytelling processes by finalizing documentation and handbooks for future use.

Step 1: Draft a pilot technical assistance workshop curriculum focused on storytelling fundamentals, including interviewing techniques, ethical storytelling, and brand voice.

Step 2: Facilitate professional development sessions or "technical assistance" workshops on best practices for written communication and interviewing

Step 3: Finish thorough documentation of all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) regarding newsletter production, caption writing, and storytelling archiving.

Step 4: Analyze the impact of new written content strategies (e.g., audience reach or engagement metrics) and provide a final report with recommendations for future growth

Step 5: Create quick-reference training tools (e.g., one-pagers, checklists, and templates) that staff can use independently when developing written content.