Impact relations Practitioner
Summary
In 2013, the National NeighborWorks® Association started a new campaign, Home Matters®, which focuses on big picture messaging for the housing and community development industry. The top priority of the campaign was to communicate to the public and members of Congress that federal housing programs need more federal funding. The campaign was backed by research, including the finding that access to quality, affordable housing can strengthen families and revitalize communities.
Campaign overview
By differentiating itself from its competitors by approaching Home holistically and defining Home as more than just shelter, Home Matters has encouraged conversation among not only public officials and policy makers, but consumers as well.
Home Matters invested in establishing infrastructure and strategic planning in its early years, which has assisted in its success and growth. Today, Home Matters is serving as a movement that is focused on raising awareness and funds to make Home a reality for everyone. Home Matters has defined the New American Dream. A dream where every American lives in a safe, nurturing environment with access to quality education, healthcare, public spaces, and community services.
At the end of 2016, Home Matters hired Prosper for Purpose to assess the impact of its efforts and make recommendations. Prosper created an impact report to help Home Matters review progress towards outcomes and the effectiveness of activities.
Results & Impact
Prosper for Purpose found that Home Matters achieved much success in its outreach efforts. Most notable was the ability of Home Matters to create specific campaigns and programs and then obtain the ad hoc funding to carry these projects forward with success.
It was also determined that focusing on raising awareness and encouraging conversation was a wise choice. In three years, Home Matters:
- Raised over $1.6 million
- Grew its sponsorships by 500%
- Gained over 375 organizational supporters and more than 4,000 individual supporters
- Partnered with AARP, which ultimately led to being showcased in AARP Bulletin which has a reach of 23 million households
Prosper presented these findings to the board of the National NeighborWorks Association, along with recommendations for building a sustainable program.