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Adrienne Caruso's picture

Adrienne Caruso

Account Supervisor
Adrienne implements media relations campaigns for many of Social Impact's clients, and some of her favorite projects have taken her in directions she never expected. Growing up spending almost every weekend away at horse shows, rooting for the Nittany Lions and studying art history, she never thought she'd find herself attending a mommyblogger conference' directing more than ten news cameras to celebrate Abraham Lincoln or exchanging family stories with Placido Domingo. Thankfully, her work has allowed her to turn her hobby as a "media junkie" and lifelong interest in the arts, history and culture into a career by implementing creative on- and offline campaigns, including media relations, partnership development and social media strategies for a broad range of organizations, including the Grameen Foundation, Washington National Opera, and Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Adrienne graduated from Penn State University, and studied public relations and advertising during the football off-season.

History

Member for
46 weeks 3 days
Mar 24

The Power of the Connected Community

Adrienne Caruso

People at South by Southwest find themselves surrounded by “digital celebrities” – the bloggers we all know and read, journalists with Twitter followings in the thousands, authors of books that aim to change the way we use the Internet. These leaders in social media and the digital world, and more importantly, their vast networks and following, can be the key to a successful awareness-building, engagement or media campaign.

It’s all about tapping into a connected community or – as we often tell our clients – meeting people where they are online. By leveraging the power of digital thought leaders and their networks, your organization’s message or call to action can spread like wildfire. Consider the following factors when you engage the online community:

  • Engaging a connected audience. Meet people in their online spaces; don’t ask them to come to you. Understand where your audience works, plays and goes online – and meet them there with information or an “ask,” whether it’s through a leading blog, Twitter conversation or engaging a digital leader as a champion.
  • Leveraging a timely hook. SxSW is an ideal example, but consider other convenings of like-minded individuals (digital or industry-based – TED and NTEN come to mind), where your audience is already connected to online conversations about the issue. This ensures that your user engagement remains timely and action-oriented.
  • Creating an easy “ask.” By tapping into a digitally connected audience, you open up to some very easy initial “asks” (i.e. just open your iPhone and tweet about us!). You don’t need to require your audience to do any heavy lifting (digital or literal) to begin to build a relationship and promote your cause.

The key to these strategies is driving conversation to spark action. Whether your goal is raising money, attracting Twitter followers or seeking media coverage, it all starts with engaging your audience – and influencers in your space – to generate conversation about the issue. For an example of our work with the Pepsi Refresh Project, check out our Pepsi Refresh South by Southwest Challenge, an online activation to fund digital ideas that were supported by influencers(@GaryVee, @adamostrow, @ConsumerQueen) at the conference this year.

 

Mar 5

Half the Sky Live: Insights and Lessons for Making Your Voice Heard

Adrienne Caruso

Last night, Jennifer Kushlis and I attended Half the Sky Live, a multi-city simulcast event featuring stories, music, discussion and film to bring to light the struggles women face around the world.  Many of us on the Social Impact team picked up a copy of Half the Sky, by Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, when it came out, so Jennie and I were eager to hear insights on the subject from some fantastic women, including Dr. Helene Gayle, Rachel Mayanja, actress Maria Bello and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.

I particularly identified with Kristof’s commentary on how the media can help raise awareness of an issue that affects millions of women around the world.

It’s a daunting task, and as Kristof pointed out, when a woman dies in childbirth every minute, how do the media convey that one of those minutes is more “newsworthy” than the next?  Part of our job as communicators is to help organizations frame information that resonates with media – whether it’s reaching a well-known columnist like Kristof, a women’s magazine or a human rights blog. Below are some guidelines that we use with clients trying to earn media attention in this often-cluttered space:

  • Focus on stories, not numbers. Dr. Gayle and Kristof agreed that people often get lost in numbers – when talking with media, focus on one compelling story that resonates with your target audience.
  • Know your “ask” for readers. What do you want the news story to focus on? Whether it’s driving donations, spreading a viral video or facilitating conversation (on Twitter or in the comments section), keep this top of mind when crafting your story and your talking points.
  • What makes you unique? The human rights and women’s issues media space is crowded. Find one fact that sets you apart from your competitors – whether it’s a popular annual event, your inspiring leadership or a vast on-the-ground presence around the world –  and make sure the media know this. Capitalize on your assets and tell a story that highlights these differentiators.

Last night was an inspiring evening (thanks to CARE for organizing!) that left me thinking about new ways to help tell the stories of brave women around the world who are working every day to improve the lives of their sisters, daughters and friends.
 

Dec 12

‘Tis The Season… For Year-End Online Fundraising Tips

Adrienne Caruso

It’s the holiday season, whether we’re ready or not. Along with jam-packed shopping centers, the return of my favorite seasonal coffee flavors and the inevitable panicky drivers during the first D.C. snow, it’s also the peak giving season.  I’m not talking gifts for family and friends, but charitable giving – doing some good in the world for those in need.

A study released last week by Convio tells us that online giving will exceed $4 billion this year. The study also showed that more and more people are giving to charities online – 63 percent of U.S. consumers surveyed plan to do so this year, compared to last year’s 51 percent.  As I read these findings (online, of course) I thought about the best ways to offer strategy to nonprofit clients who are going through this critical time of year.

To gain further insight into the year-end fundraising frenzy faced by nonprofits, I joined a webinar hosted by Network for Good entitled “The 2009 Procrastinator’s Guide to Year-End Fundraising.” Yes, I suppose that by December this is something that most organizations have probably already planned in detail, but I was surprised to learn that there are a number of things organizations can do in this critical period to impact their year-end fundraising. (Check out the webinar’s speakers and download the presentation here).

We’ve discussed online fundraising here before, but I want to share the following insights that will make a difference in the next few critical weeks. Things that may seem obvious, but can filter to the bottom of priority lists as the busy season ramps up.

•    Inspire your donors. In addition to multiple fundraising asks this month , share inspirational stories, build passion and connect your donors to the great work you do. (Check out our former client AmeriCares take on inspiring donors for the holiday season – “Send Your Mother-In-Law To Darfur!”)

•    Optimize your donation forms. Make the online donation process as easy as possible – keep forms short, only gather necessary information from donors, and have a good error handling system.

•    “Why Donate?”  On your Web site, make a case to your donors about why they should give. Give credentials here (Charity Navigator ratings come to mind), share success stories, and clearly link to the donation form.

•    Thank your donors. Seems simple, right? But thanking your donors – more than once – can go a long way. Tell them how much money they’re helping you raise, ask them for feedback, and send new donors a welcome email. Creating a two-way relationship with your donor base will make them feel invested in the work you do.

These are all things that can be put into place easily within the next few weeks. I know I’ll be paying closer attention to the email solicitation I get from organizations I’ve given to, but also feel armed and ready to answer questions and offer insight to a number of nonprofits that we work with as they power through the next few critical weeks of fundraising.
 

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