In 2020 I joined Purpose to design and build the Voices for Economic Opportunity Incubator, a two-year pilot program to support a diverse set of organizations, changemakers and storytellers to more effectively shift harmful narratives of poverty in the U.S. From the ground up, we created a narrative change curriculum, robust research and message testing program, production subgrant fund, and a cohesive impact measurement approach to capture lessons learned.
The incubator supported 28 grantee organizations from across the United States, providing a breadth of diverse viewpoints and campaign approaches. Incubator participants focused on a wide variety of issue areas related to poverty and economic mobility, including families and children, gender and race, and rural community development.
At the heart of the incubator was an emphasis on audience segmentation and creative production. Participants approached narrative change and storytelling through every possible medium, ranging from a full-length documentary on the foster care system to a Bible study curriculum in the rural South.
One of our most important remits was measuring the impact of both the participants’ campaigns and the incubator model itself. I was responsible for ensuring consistent reporting on our findings throughout the program, which were ultimately shared with our seven funding partners, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
We also tailored a selection of findings for the broader narrative change community, sharing learnings, how-to guides and case studies on a custom website.