Communicating our mission

When I first started working at AppleTree, I had a difficult time describing my job. Extremely difficult. None of my friends could describe what I was doing in Washington, DC, nor could my parents. “Some charter school job in DC” was the typical phrase. But anyone who has spent time with AppleTree knows it is so much more than that.

AppleTree has amazing academic programs and tools thoughtfully developed by our hard-working staff. Furthermore, we are looking to share these resources with others, so that we can fulfill our mission to close the achievement gap before children enter kindergarten.

However, as I settled in, I realized this was a common problem of the organization. People recognized that we were doing great things for children, but they did not understand our scope of work. They certainly could not explain it well to others. We realized our organization needed to hone our messaging and develop compelling language that we could share with our supporters and the community.

We have had numerous accomplishments on the communications front this year. But I think I am most excited about a new video developed for us by Jennifer Burton of Envision Communications. We shared it with select audiences this past month, and we have received wonderful feedback thus far.

In the video, we offer a cohesive narrative about our organization and programs. Viewers can finally understand our work and help us move forward to eliminate America’s achievement gap.

The video is now available on YouTube and our website. I hope you enjoy it!