Creating a New Non-Profit that Reconsiders an Entire Sector
Challenge: Rethinking mentoring. Of the more than 1,500 organizations in this field, why create this one? What is different? Why is it better because Liz Murray founded it? Liz’s early life is chronicled in a TV film and in her memoir, “Breaking Night: My Journey from Homeless to Harvard” and featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
To improve the lives of children with her background, she asked “What does it take to really change a person’s life?” Liz credits the unfathomable change in her life’s trajectory to a mentor who had a profound effect on her at a vulnerable time. Liz and her co-founder created the framework for a mentoring organization to leverage her experience… but how do you capture the seminal learnings that enabled her to shift from a “visitor” in society to “belonging”?
Insights: We leveraged Liz Murray’s experience, graduate research and national thought leadership, and captured the social/emotional/academic growth in a meaningful, multi-level hierarchy to create a story equally compelling to investors, mentees, potential mentors and school partners.
Solution: We culled down years of Liz’ youth experience to a simple, three step process for success with its irrefutable relevance, and created a positioning, and messaging set amidst its huge context. The message spoke directly to the partners from whom The Arthur Project needed to raise funding and interest for the pilot project in the Bronx.
Results: The pilot was successful with metrics to prove it and enabled expansion in the Bronx in year two and consideration of other cities which have voiced an interest for its third year. It is envisioned to have a national impact on youth mentoring programs in shifting them toward structured programs and to make strides in breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty.