"Transparency Tuesday" series ideation | brand awareness
Maia Anderson
Transparency Tuesday: Amplifying Trust Through Community Q&A
December 2023 - September 2024
The Story Behind Transparency Tuesday
For nearly 20 years, charity: water has been known for their innovative 100% model - a commitment that ensures 100% of public donations go directly to bringing clean water to communities in need. This dedication to transparency extends across everything we do, from publishing tax returns on our website to maintaining separate accounts for operations (funded by private donors and partners) and water projects (funded by public donations).
Building on this foundation of trust and transparency, I created Transparency Tuesday as a strategic initiative to deepen our connection with supporters. What began as an Instagram Stories feature during our End of Year Giving campaign evolved into one of our most engaging cross-platform content series, reinforcing our commitment to openness while answering our community's most pressing questions about our work.
A comment a follower left on one of transparency videos, shared on LinkedIn
Challenge
We needed to:
Leverage our established reputation for transparency to build deeper connections
Create an engaging way to explain our 100% model and other aspects of our work
Strengthen trust through direct, honest answers to community questions
Develop a sustainable format that could work across platforms
Balance quality content with limited team resources
Maintain consistent engagement while scaling production
Created dedicated Story highlights to archive Q&As
Evolution & Process
Phase 1: Instagram Stories Launch (December 2023)
Launched during End of Year Giving campaign in 2023
Posted weekly during the campaign period
Collaborated with design team to create branded story templates.
Used Instagram's question sticker to collect community questions & then answer them.
Phase 2: Format Refinement (Early 2024)
Paused the series altogether to reassess then shifted to bi-weekly cadence to ensure quality
Evaluated story responses to identify most engaging topics
Worked with copy team to optimize answer formats
Built notion database that was updated each time there was a question with answers to systematize collaboration & streamline processes outside of having to go to Instagram
Maintained story highlights for easy reference
Phase 3: Video Series Development (August-September 2024)
Transformed format into full video content
Adapted graphic elements made for graphic templates (within Figma) into video overlays
Created standardized video production workflow:
Question selection from community submissions
Collaborative briefing with copy team
Script development with water programs team input
On-camera talent preparation and filming
Video editing (mix of in-house and team production)
Multi-platform optimization and distribution
Behind the Scenes: Content Creation
Collaborative Workflow
Led content direction and video concept development
Partnered with copy team for script development
Ensured big & complex ideas could be shared in a simple way to ensure content would be engaging vs feel like a lecture
Copy then coordinated with the water programs team, those who world the closest to "how" we work, for technical accuracy
Worked with design team on branded visual elements
Served as on-screen talent for video content
Handled video editing for key episodes
Managed multi-platform distribution strategy
Production Process
Each episode involved:
Reviewing community questions from Instagram Stories
Creating detailed briefing requests in Jira for project management across departments
Developing bulleted scripts with copy team
Coordinating with water programs for accurate information
Recording as on-screen talent
Either editing videos personally or preparing footage for editing team
Finalizing captions with copy team in Notion
Managing multi-platform distribution through Notion with the occasional scheduling of content using Sprout Social
Results
The Impact
By the Numbers
Our week-by-week and month-over-month analytics told a powerful story of consistent engagement:
July Launch
Became an immediate top performer for organic reach
Achieved 50+ shares and 49+ saves per post
Increased week over week engagement by 8-10%
August Performance
Maintained position as top reach driver throughout the month
Consistently saw 41-55 shares and 50-54 saves per post
Helped the overall reach for that week to increase 6% above average reach
September Growth
Continued reign as top Instagram reach driver
Generated 14 shares and 14 saves in it's first week
Achieved 26% week-over-week Instagram engagement increase
Maintained status as monthly top performer
Community Response
Beyond the numbers, we saw real impact in how our community engaged with the content:
Questions became increasingly detailed and thoughtful
Community members began referencing previous episodes
Saw increased sharing within supporter networks
Created accessible explanations of complex topics
Established reliable touchpoint for community dialogue
A comment a follower left on one of transparency videos, shared on Instagram.
A comment a follower left on one of transparency videos, shared on LinkedIn.
Cross-Platform Success
The series performed strongly across all platforms:
Instagram (Feed + Stories)
LinkedIn
TikTok
Facebook
Most importantly, the series proved that our community values transparency not just in our financial model, but in all aspects of our work.
What We Learned Along the Way
The Power of Community-Driven Content
Questions from our community led to our most engaging content
Direct answers built trust and deepened connections
Format flexibility allowed for natural evolution
Cross-team collaboration enhanced content quality
Making It Work
Bi-weekly cadence provided better balance for quality
Strategic use of design templates improved efficiency
Multi-team input created more comprehensive answers, though it required a lot of planning & resourcing
Platform-specific optimization drove better results
Looking Forward
Transparency Tuesday showed us that authentic community engagement doesn't need complex strategies - sometimes it's as simple as asking "What do you want to know?" and taking the time to answer thoughtfully. This approach not only built trust but created a framework for:
Ongoing community dialogue
Cross-platform content adaptation
Team collaboration
Sustainable content production
Most importantly, being transparent about your work creates genuine connections that strengthen any mission, especially one like bringing clean water to every person on the planet.
Like this project
Posted Feb 18, 2025
Led transformation of Instagram Stories Q&A into top-performing video series, leveraging charity: water's 100% model to build trust and drive 26% week-over-week
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charity: water
