The Minneapolis office of Weber Shandwick has selected Admission Possible, a Twin Cities-based nonprofit with a 98 percent success rate in helping low-income students earn college admission, as its pro bono client for 2011.
Weber Shandwick will work with Admission Possible in 2011 to build a social media strategy that engages student alumni and former program coaches and arms them with the tools and information they need to advocate for Admission Possible to potential new applicants and coaches. Admission Possible plans to expand to serve 20,000 students by 2015, and Weber Shandwick’s work will help grow the broad network of alumni and community connections needed to reach that goal.
“Advocacy is at the heart of what we do at Weber Shandwick, and we’re excited about working with Admission Possible to expand their network of advocates” said Julie Hurbanis, executive vice president in Weber Shandwick’s consumer marketing practice and head of the Minneapolis office’s pro bono program. “We chose Admission Possible because they take an innovative, metrics-driven approach to their work and have a clear campaign goal that meshes with our expertise: to build and engage their community as ambassadors for their mission.”
Founded in St. Paul in 2000, and now operating in both the Twin Cities and Milwaukee, Admission Possible has helped 98 percent of its students earn admission to a college, and nearly 80 percent of program participants either have completed college or are still working to get their degrees. Nationwide, only 11 percent of low-income students graduate from college. In 2009, Admission Possible’s accomplishments caught the attention of President Barack Obama, who, during a White House event highlighting innovative community programs, asked Americans to consider that although “Admission Possible operates in just two states now, [imagine] if it were 10 or 20 or 50.”
"Weber Shandwick’s expertise is going to have a powerful impact on Admission Possible's ability to serve an ever-growing number of low-income students," said Sara Dziuk, executive director of Admission Possible Twin Cities. "This is a partnership that enables positive change in the lives of our young people and our community, and we are grateful for the Weber Shandwick team’s dedication and talents."
In addition to working with pro bono clients, Weber Shandwick’s community outreach efforts include an annual communications workshop for non-profit agencies across the state and several day-long work projects.
Weber Shandwick will work with Admission Possible in 2011 to build a social media strategy that engages student alumni and former program coaches and arms them with the tools and information they need to advocate for Admission Possible to potential new applicants and coaches. Admission Possible plans to expand to serve 20,000 students by 2015, and Weber Shandwick’s work will help grow the broad network of alumni and community connections needed to reach that goal.
“Advocacy is at the heart of what we do at Weber Shandwick, and we’re excited about working with Admission Possible to expand their network of advocates” said Julie Hurbanis, executive vice president in Weber Shandwick’s consumer marketing practice and head of the Minneapolis office’s pro bono program. “We chose Admission Possible because they take an innovative, metrics-driven approach to their work and have a clear campaign goal that meshes with our expertise: to build and engage their community as ambassadors for their mission.”
Founded in St. Paul in 2000, and now operating in both the Twin Cities and Milwaukee, Admission Possible has helped 98 percent of its students earn admission to a college, and nearly 80 percent of program participants either have completed college or are still working to get their degrees. Nationwide, only 11 percent of low-income students graduate from college. In 2009, Admission Possible’s accomplishments caught the attention of President Barack Obama, who, during a White House event highlighting innovative community programs, asked Americans to consider that although “Admission Possible operates in just two states now, [imagine] if it were 10 or 20 or 50.”
"Weber Shandwick’s expertise is going to have a powerful impact on Admission Possible's ability to serve an ever-growing number of low-income students," said Sara Dziuk, executive director of Admission Possible Twin Cities. "This is a partnership that enables positive change in the lives of our young people and our community, and we are grateful for the Weber Shandwick team’s dedication and talents."
In addition to working with pro bono clients, Weber Shandwick’s community outreach efforts include an annual communications workshop for non-profit agencies across the state and several day-long work projects.