Growing Up Africa

I met Deborah Terhune, Founder and CEO of Growing Up Africa, back in 2011. I was asked to design the invitation for the inaugural event—a silent auction at Freds Restaurant in Barneys New York. In addition to the invite, I created tabletop posters encouraging guests to bid on a chance to win a stay at luxury safari lodges in South Africa. After the event, I continued to create digital assets for Deborah’s personal emails sent to donors and partners.

Deborah left NYC and moved to South Africa. With the help of architects like William Reue, engineers, construction workers, and countless volunteers they have set up the largest collaboration in the construction industry in South Africa. Their mission: build and equip schools, thereby empowering communities and creating a higher standard for early-childhood education in rural areas of South Africa.

GUA's main form of communication is through email marketing. Deborah provides the copy while I edit, produce assets, and design the layout using MailChimp. Through storytelling and a clear call to action, we aim to draw in potential donors and show existing donors and partners the impact they've made on individuals and their communities. The next step was a takeover of the GUA Facebook and Twitter. I developed a strategy for growing our Twitter following by targeting specific profiles. In the first week, engagement on Facebook increased. Total weekly reach shot up from 25 to 892.