social media director | brand awareness for grassroots nonprofit
Maia Anderson
Scaling Hope Booth’s Brand Awareness on Social Media Over Three Years
Building Hope Through Strategic Storytelling: Hope Booth's Digital Evolution
Social Media Director | February 2022 - January 2025
At a Glance
From 2022 to 2025, I led Hope Booth's transformation from a grassroots initiative into a recognized voice in mental health advocacy. Our mission: making hope and mental health care free and accessible through reimagined telephone booths. Here's what we achieved:
Organic Growth: 2,379 → 4,836 engaged followers
Peak Reach: 180K+ accounts (Q4 2024)
Major Campaign: $97K raised in 44 days
Video Success: 2,040 shares, 2,683 saves on single post
Team Leadership: Led evolving team from 2-5 members
The Challenge
When I joined Hope Booth in early 2022, we faced multiple foundational challenges:
1. Starting from Zero: No established social media operations, strategy, or team structure
2. Complex Storytelling: Needed to explain an entirely new concept without overwhelming audiences
3. Resource Constraints: All-volunteer team with varying availability
4. Brand Building: Had to embody hope itself, not just talk about it
Strategic Evolution
Phase 1: Foundation Building & First Win (2022)
Starting with just three volunteers, we needed to make every post count:
Hope A Thon Campaign (November-December 2022)
Led small team (myself handling strategy/community, plus copywriter and CEO)
Created educational content that sparked sharing
Results:
Raised $97,530 (target: $50,000)
79% organic reach increase
83% engagement growth
14% community growth
Building Core Operations
- Developed first-ever social media workflow
- Created standard operating procedures
- Established brand voice guidelines
- Built sustainable content calendar system
Phase 2: Deepening Engagement (2023)
A pivotal moment in Hope Booth's evolution came with our March 2023 filming weekend. This crucial operational milestone gave us our first real look at how people interacted with the booths, providing authentic content that would shape our storytelling for months to come.
Filming Weekend Impact
Created 19 final concept Hope Booth experiences for permanent installation
Brought together presenters from across the country
Evolved from prototype to final concept, ready for global impact
Set the foundation for future campaigns for the launch of permanent installations
Unified the community's vision of ensuring "no one goes unseen"
Your Story Matters Campaign Building on the momentum and content from filming weekend, we launched our most ambitious initiative yet:
Venice Beach installation debut
Art gallery campaign series showcasing real stories
Mental Health Awareness Month activations
Keith Powers Instagram Live (220+ shares)
New booth design unveiling
Team Evolution
Adapted to mid-year transitions (July/August)
Shifted from three-person to two-person team
Integrated founder's creative direction
Later expanded with dedicated social media manager
Phase 3: Scaling Impact (2024-2025)
Focused on high-impact video content and strategic storytelling:
Content Innovation
Developed hope-centered celebrity series
Sourced and edited inspiring moments from:
Jay Shetty podcast
Award shows
The Diary of a CEO
Created efficient video production workflow
Peak Performance
December 2024 Highlights:
180K+ organic reach
Viral Cynthia Erivo video:
2,040 shares
2,683 saves
410 new followers
Significant brand awareness boost
January 2025 Final Impact:
Total reach: 18,773
Posts: 12,672
Reels: 6,101
Standout content:
MLK tribute (17 shares)
Tom Holland feature (13 saves)
Final community: 4,836 engaged followers
Strategic Pillars
1. Evergreen + Cultural Relevance
Balanced timeless hope messaging with trending topics
Created shareable, original mission-aligned content
Leveraged public figure stories strategically
2. Video-First Storytelling
Developed low-lift, high-impact video formats
Built systematic approach to content curation
Established clear video optimization guidelines
3. Community-Driven Growth
Focused on organic engagement
Prioritized shares and saves over vanity metrics
Built sustainable relationship with audience
the content calendar i primarily ideated the content ideas for on a monthly bases then our team would project manage from there.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
What Worked
Adaptive Leadership: Turning team transitions into opportunities for innovation
Strategic Focus: Maintaining mission alignment while exploring new formats
Resource Optimization: Creating high-impact content with limited resources
Clear Vision: Keeping hope at the center of every decision
Key Learnings
Building Hope Booth's social presence taught me that impactful social media leadership isn't about having the largest team or budget - it's about clarity of vision and strategic execution. When you combine strong processes with authentic storytelling, you create something bigger than yourself.
In three years, we didn't just build a social media presence - we created a digital space where hope lives and grows. Every share, save, and new follower represented someone finding hope when they needed it most. That's the true measure of social media impact.
Like this project
Posted Feb 21, 2025
Led social strategy for mental health nonprofit from concept to movement: 180K+ reach, $97K raised in 44 days, and a community of 4.8K+ advocates for hope.
Likes
3
Views
127
Timeline
Feb 1, 2022 - Jan 15, 2025
Clients
Hope Booth
