SCHOOL FUEL
Human-Centered Design, Branding, Art DirectionOverview
Within the San Marcos CISD, over 75% of children qualify for the federal free lunch program. These same students go home to little or no food. School Fuel is a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve these students, providing them the “fuel” for a better learning environment by removing the pangs of hunger outside of regular school hours.
Within the San Marcos CISD, over 75% of children qualify for the federal free lunch program. These same students go home to little or no food. School Fuel is a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve these students, providing them the “fuel” for a better learning environment by removing the pangs of hunger outside of regular school hours.
Challenge
School Fuel’s current strategies to grow their mission do not have the necessary to pull in a greater audience and therefore maximize the amount of students they feed. This is most evident in a lack of desired conversions with two of their major audiences: volunteers and donors.
School Fuel’s current strategies to grow their mission do not have the necessary to pull in a greater audience and therefore maximize the amount of students they feed. This is most evident in a lack of desired conversions with two of their major audiences: volunteers and donors.
Approach
Create a consistent brand voice and identity that gives School Fuel a stronger presence. Apply this voice and identity into a campaign that meets the audience on their turf. Consolidate the website user experience in order to encourage users to go through with the desired conversion.
Create a consistent brand voice and identity that gives School Fuel a stronger presence. Apply this voice and identity into a campaign that meets the audience on their turf. Consolidate the website user experience in order to encourage users to go through with the desired conversion.
Initial Problem
School Fuel is a non-profit organization with a great mission: to remove the pangs of hunger that inhibit students in San Marcos CISD from reaching their full potential. However, this mission does not receive the visibility worthy of its cause. Without a strong reach or messaging, the mission cannot continue to grow and therefore maximize the amount of students they feed.
ZAG Questionnaire
One quick search is enough to answer some of the most essential questions about School Fuel:
However, as strong as School Fuel’s mission and focus is, the organization begins to struggle when it comes to answering the following questions:
These were the questions that drove my research and future solutions!
Stakeholder Map and Analysis
Summary of stakeholder map and analysis based on 2022 findings.
Most stakeholders I considered fell within the secondary category in one of two major groups: volunteer or donor. This makes sense for a non-profit organization.
Originally, I was most concerned with university students in San Marcos, TX. This was the group I understood the most—they compose a great part of the city’s population and School Fuel’s volunteers—but I realized that I had become too fixated on this group when brainstorming solutions.
Quantities representing population statistics of San Marcos, Texas in 2022.
Fixating on this group left out half of an entire population, an entire group of people that could be engaged, and limited potential solutions. The reality is not everyone has the time to volunteer, like university students do, and at the same time not everyone has the means to financially support the mission, but both groups are necessary for the mission to be possible.
Both groups, in this case volunteers and donors, merited a different approach in order to have a greater reach.
Fixating on this group left out half of an entire population, an entire group of people that could be engaged, and limited potential solutions. The reality is not everyone has the time to volunteer, like university students do, and at the same time not everyone has the means to financially support the mission, but both groups are necessary for the mission to be possible.
Both groups, in this case volunteers and donors, merited a different approach in order to have a greater reach.
Volunteer Interviews & Takeaways
All volunteers interviewed were university students and have volunteered for School Fuel multiple times.
The interviews helped understand why university students volunteer and what keeps them coming back. Though this is the largest group in the city feeding the School Fuel pool of volunteers, it would have been helpful to conduct more interviews and interview different types of volunteers to gather greater insights. The few insights I did collect are helpful for considering how to streamline School Fuel’s website experience.
Takeaways
Ease of Volunteering
Volunteers are more likely to go through with participating when there’s less obstacles in the registration process independent of the service they’re performing.
Shared Experiences
People are fond of the memories and bonds created with their friends during their service. Oftentimes, this is what brings them back to volunteer.
How Might We’s
Donors
Possible Solutions:
- Launch a local fundraising campaign or donation drive.
- Meet locals at locations they frequent the most: public amenities or stores.
- Launch a “match” campaign utilizing existing partners.
Volunteers
Possible Solutions:
- Take additional volunteers for delivery of the sacks.
- Partner up with university groups to have greater social media presence.
- Streamline the volunteer sign-up experience and use it as an opportunity to promote group sign-ups.
- Share the stories of students whose lives have been impacted.
Proposed Solutions
School Fuel will streamline their website experience, both for volunteers and donors. This will begin to alleviate some of the obstacles both parties face in going through with taking part in the mission of School Fuel.
An additional campaign proposal will help School Fuel reach a greater number of non-university locals. School Fuel will launch a donation campaign within local grocery stores that market the items that are placed in their “sacks” as “buy one, give one.” This will facilitate greater participation in the mission in a simple fashion.
An additional campaign proposal will help School Fuel reach a greater number of non-university locals. School Fuel will launch a donation campaign within local grocery stores that market the items that are placed in their “sacks” as “buy one, give one.” This will facilitate greater participation in the mission in a simple fashion.
Join the Mission
Original Trademark
Proposed Trademark
Combat Hunger With Your Cart
The campaign removes obstacles for the second largest group in the city—non-university locals—by reaching them in a place that’s already part of their schedule, the grocery store. It allows for them to combat hunger through their ordinary routine, giving them a sense of purpose and action.
This one-for-one campaign markets items that School Fuel is in need of and while it it is directed at locals it utilizes the help of a teritiary stakeholder.
H-E-B is proposed as the partner for this solution due to shared values and strong identity within the state of Texas. In addition, the solution takes advantage of H-E-B’s existing coupon system that can vary from offers to specials, and in this case, donations.
This one-for-one campaign markets items that School Fuel is in need of and while it it is directed at locals it utilizes the help of a teritiary stakeholder.
H-E-B is proposed as the partner for this solution due to shared values and strong identity within the state of Texas. In addition, the solution takes advantage of H-E-B’s existing coupon system that can vary from offers to specials, and in this case, donations.
Digital Experience
H-E-B’s coupon system is big in-person but also in digital shopping. Customers who buy groceries online, have them delivered, or through curbside pickup should be given the opportunity to join the fight through the H-E-B app.
Volunteer and Donor Experience
Lessons Learned
It’s important to take into account the human perspective at every step of the process, even if those perspectives require adjusting what you believed was the original solution. In this case, it was managing two audiences and not fixating on a single one, since both are necessary to fulfill School Fuel’s mission.
It’s important to take into account the human perspective at every step of the process, even if those perspectives require adjusting what you believed was the original solution. In this case, it was managing two audiences and not fixating on a single one, since both are necessary to fulfill School Fuel’s mission.
Further Developement
Though I propose a more streamlined experience for volunteer sign-ups, there is more that can be done to engage volunteers! A partnered socical media campaign with university groups that takes into consideration interview takeways can draw-in more volunteers and greatly help School Fuel’s mission.
Though I propose a more streamlined experience for volunteer sign-ups, there is more that can be done to engage volunteers! A partnered socical media campaign with university groups that takes into consideration interview takeways can draw-in more volunteers and greatly help School Fuel’s mission.
