Challenge

Ignite, a Chicago based non-profit, has been dedicated to supporting homeless youth for 45 years. But they continue to run up against a significant problem that inhibits their ability to deliver services: specifically, how the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines homelessness.

HUD currently defines homelessness by assessing the number of people on the streets and shelters within one night. But homeless youth generally fly under the radar, often by staying on people’s couches: of the 1 in 10 young adults between 18 to 25 who encounter homelessness in a year, half only do so through couch surfing. As such, HUD doesn’t count these youth as homeless, making it much harder for community organizations like Ignite (who rely on the department’s funds) to help them. This problem is only getting worse, especially with COVID-19 having exacerbated housing instability across the US. 

Legislation exists to change HUD’s definition, but it had stalled in Congress. That’s why, in the fall of 2021, Greentarget jumped on board to help Ignite draw attention to this legislation and the growing problem of youth homelessness.

Solution

The Greentarget team began by engaging Ignite’s Executive and Program & Leadership team members to understand precisely where the HUD issue stood, why it was more important than ever we address it now, and how the Ignite team’s experiences could establish them as authorities on this topic.

From there, we conducted extensive research into the issues at hand and the current media landscape, and interviewed two homeless youth who were using Ignite’s services – knowing that to really illuminate this story, we had to back up our claims with data and place firsthand experiences front and center.

This gave us the foundation to shape media pitches and develop an op-ed geared towards target audiences on Capitol Hill and in Chicago.

Results

• Developed and secured placement of op-ed in The Hill by Stephanie Piccirilli, Ignite’s President & CEO, “Youth homelessness is at record levels – changing how we define it can help”
  • The Hill reaches over 15 million visitors each month and is read primarily by opinion leaders, including 100% of Congressional offices, the White House, political pundits, association executives, lobbyists, and corporate leaders—exactly the audience needed to effect real policy change.
• Landed feature story for Ignite with CBS Chicago, “Nonprofit Ignite Chicago Helping Homeless Youth One Comeback Story At A Time”

“Your time and energy make these life-changing programs possible and mean that we can help more young people achieve personal and economic independence and reach their full potential.” – Stephanie Piccirilli, President & CEO, Ignite.

Challenge

In July 2020, just 7 percent of educators said they were prepared to address the social and emotional needs of students during COVID-19.

The Nora Project, a nonprofit devoted to providing high-quality social and emotional learning (SEL) and disability inclusion programming to schools, was there to help. But by the time they became a pro bono client of Greentarget in early 2021, the organization was struggling to get overwhelmed and overworked teachers to sign up for their vital programs.

Solution

Through discovery calls with TNP staff/partners and research of the current media landscape, the GT team developed a series of media angles that spotlighted why TNP’s programs were unique and hooked them to relevant news stories, including:

• the imminent return to classrooms in fall 2021, and the SEL needs of students and teachers upon return;
• the heightened importance of quality SEL programs (vs. standardized ones) in this moment of high anxiety and disruption;
• how SEL and disability inclusion programs can lead to broader social justice awareness and education;
• how easy TNP makes it for teachers to deliver this programming; and
• the unique resources and capabilities TNP provides (free summer training camp, on-demand coaching, intraweb, etc.)

Greentarget also leveraged existing TNP materials and partnerships and identified key publication targets spanning local, education, and national top-tier media.

These tactics ultimately manifested in a number of different content and media relations efforts, such as promotion of a series of webinars; thought leadership opportunities for Lauren Schrero Levy, TNP’s Co-Founder and Executive Director; and a byline in connection with an educator who uses TNP in his classroom.

Results

• Pitched and helped develop op-ed in USA Today by Lauren Schrero Levy, “As schools reopen, are teachers prepared to meet the emotional needs of all their students?”
• Landed feature story in the Daily Herald highlighting TNP’s programs in Chicago
• Pitched and helped develop op-ed in Edutopia by Alex Parker, a TNP educator-partner, “How to introduce lessons on disability”
• Got TNP educator quoted in TEACH Magazine
• Promoted a series of TNP webinars
• Developed new one-pager for use in marketing efforts

As a result of Greentarget’s efforts, TNP had an “unprecedented number of program inquiries” with schools from across the country reaching out. In addition, following the article in Edutopia, TNP was invited to present at a large industry conference, where they hosted a session on integrating disability studies in the classroom. That presentation generated vast interest and led to numerous resource downloads from TNP’s website and several school sign-ups.

Establishing true authority in a crowded landscape requires an effective PR strategy. One proven way to cut through the noise is research-driven thought leadership – a strategy that Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law firm representing management, has effectively leveraged in partnership with Greentarget for a decade.

Since 2012, Littler and Greentarget have conducted an annual survey of in-house lawyers, C-suite executives, and HR professionals to understand the top regulatory, social, and technological issues impacting the workplace. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 created a need for Littler to provide quicker and more frequent data. Companies of all sizes were facing unprecedented challenges and the firm’s clients expressed a strong desire for benchmarking data to help respond to a rapidly changing pandemic environment.

Solution

To stay ahead of the curve, Littler and Greentarget reconfigured their strategy by introducing shorter “pulse” surveys focused on time-sensitive issues. In the early months of COVID-19, team members across Greentarget’s Media Relations, Research & Market Intelligence, and Content & Editorial teams – led by Littler’s account team – developed a more efficient approach that cut down lead time before publication.

From March 2020 through the end of 2021, eight survey reports (six in the U.S. and two in Europe) were published, providing valuable insights for employers on such issues as vaccination policies, return-to-office expectations, hybrid working models, and safety protocols.

Results

The surveys have generated substantial media visibility, with more than 1,100 media placements stemming from the 2021 research in top-tier publications – including the Associated Press, Axios, Bloomberg News, CNBC, Financial Times, Forbes, New York Times, PBS Newshour, Politico, Reuters, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post – as well as in a range of industry trade and regional media.

The reports also led to a considerable increase in website traffic for Littler, including a five-fold increase in page visits to press releases related to the reports and almost double the traffic to report landing pages from 2020 to 2021. Additionally, the survey on the Delta variant’s impact was cited multiple times in OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard as part of the agency’s factfinding with respect to employer vaccine mandates.

Perhaps most significantly, Littler has received a plethora of direct feedback from clients who are relying on the data to help guide and support workplace strategies, as well as understand how their peer group is approaching emerging issues. More than 4,500 executives completed the surveys in 2021 – the highest response rate in the history of Littler’s surveys and another clear indicator that issuing brief surveys on timely and relevant issues is resonating with clients.

Taken as a whole, the research reports have further bolstered Littler’s standing as the go-to employment and labor law adviser and authority across a broad range of industries – all while providing critical insight to employers in uncertain times.