Refining the Message: Standing Partnership and Helping Hand-Me-Downs

Each year, Standing Partnership gathers for in-person retreats—a time to connect with colleagues, share ideas and recharge as a team. This fall, we offered a pro-bono messaging session to Helping Hand-Me-Downs (HHMD), a local nonprofit that provides gently used clothing and other essentials to children in St. Louis. Since its founding in 2011, HHMD has served over 40,000 children in the St. Louis area. The organization provides vital resources to families in need, offering essentials, like jackets and shoes, to children who might otherwise go without. In October 2024, HHMD served 792 children—a statistic that highlights both the urgent need in the community and the growing demand for the services. Sadly, the need for services has skyrocketed, funding has not kept pace, and HHMD board members decided that the organization needed more impactful messaging to engage donors and volunteers.

This is where Standing Partnership saw an opportunity to help HHMD as messaging sessions are one of the services we offer to many of our clients.

The Headstand Approach: Refining HHMD’s Messaging

Our team applied the same methodology we use with our clients to enhance HHMD’s messaging in several key areas:

• General public awareness of HHMD
• Board of Directors’ engagement
• Programs and services that HHMD offers
• Outreach to financial donors
• Outreach to in-kind donors

To gather information and understand HHMD’s needs and services, we kicked off the messaging session by interviewing Executive Director Stephanie Suljak. Through insightful questions, we uncovered key pain points and strengths of the organization. Armed with this information, we split into teams focused on each area and brainstormed ideas to better communicate HHMD’s mission.

Proposed Solutions and Ideas

When Standing Partnership conducts a messaging session, we focus on what sets apart an organization, product or service from competitors. This includes tackling misconceptions that need to be corrected, challenges that need to be solved and the value for each target audience.

Our retreat’s Headstand session generated many interesting ideas for HHMD leadership to consider. For example:

For in-kind donors’ outreach, the team proposed the slogan, “Give second, third and fourth life to your clothing,” which emphasizes the ongoing impact of donations. This messaging highlights that once moms receive clothing from HHMD, they are encouraged to bring items back to help other families in need. This cycle of giving not only supports the organization but empowers families to become part of the solution. This is a unique message for HHMD, and it’s one to broadcast to help donors understand why donating to the organization is worthwhile.

For Board of Directors’ engagement, Standing Partnership team members created messaging guidelines that focus on HHMD recruiting dedicated board members while also leaning more on existing board members. This evolution starts with the president and executive director setting the tone by emphasizing both the significant impact and the immense potential the board possesses. The key message is:  Volunteers, especially board members, are the true champions of HHMD, especially with no paid staff. The success and growth of the mission rests in the hands of the dedicated volunteer board members.

With a refreshed messaging platform and many other recommendations in hand, Helping Hand-Me-Downs is now well-equipped to foster stronger connections with key audiences, attract more support and donations, and ultimately help more children in need.

Giving back to the community is very important to the Standing Partnership team, and we were excited to contribute to the success of such a crucial nonprofit organization in the St. Louis region.

Strategic messaging is a service that Standing Partnership offers to businesses. Contact us at inquiries@standingpartnership.com for more information.