Supporting and advancing leadership to build a Culture of Health
Imagine what could be accomplished if people from diverse backgrounds, expertise and sectors came together to solve our nation’s most entrenched health challenges and provide everyone a just opportunity for health and well-being.
What was the challenge?
For decades, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has supported leadership development in health and health care. In 2015, RWJF expanded its leadership programs to reach a broader spectrum of people, recognizing the need for unprecedented collaboration across sectors and fields to transform the unjust systems that put health out of reach for too many.
What did we do?
RWJF engaged MG to help develop the brand and communication strategy for its new leadership programs. The goal: successfully and equitably recruit people in professions that are not always thought of but are critical to improving health—such as transportation, economics, the arts—as well as people who might not regularly be made aware of leadership development opportunities.
To do so, we conducted in-depth interviews with these audiences to align messaging with their core motivators, then translated findings into collateral and websites.
Using paid social media, we reached new and more diverse stakeholders, then deployed an email campaign to build recipients’ understanding of the programs and boost their motivation to apply or recommend others.
Currently—by supporting a narrative change effort around how leadership is defined and developed—we are helping RWJF create supportive environments where people of all backgrounds and cultures can exercise leadership and thrive.
What happened?
Every year, we find that the bulk of applicants have never applied to RWJF before. Over time, applicants have increased in both quality and diversity, demonstrating success in reaching eligible people who bring new perspectives to the programs.
We are proud to be thought partners of the dedicated people who run and support these programs, continually learning with them and helping advance leadership in more equitable ways.
From our client:
“What I appreciate most about working with MG is the intentionality and commitment they bring to every interaction. They ask the right questions (why are we doing this? whom are we trying to reach?), and they always bring an equity and social justice lens to the work they do. Their work is incredibly high quality, and their accountability is 100 percent. The work we do together makes me better at what *I* do.”
—Beth Toner, RWJF’s Senior Communications Officer
