Transforming Numbers and Narratives into Impact at the Richmond Ed Fund

The Richmond Ed Fund (REF) has been a nonprofit partner to Richmond Public Schools (RPS) for over two decades. During this time, they provided valuable support through enrichment programs, scholarships, and teacher development to the RPS community. In 2019, the organization shifted its focus from direct program operation to major gifts fundraising to align with the RPS strategic plan’s five priorities. To better reflect its renewed mission and enhance its visibility within the community, in 2024 REF underwent a major rebranding focused on expanding impact, increasing collaboration, and fostering innovation. The Executive Director of REF submitted a Request for Partnership (RFP) to doctoral students completing their capstone at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to improve how they demonstrate impact and value-add to stakeholders. To assist REF, the team used a mixed-methods approach that consisted of surveys, interviews, and document data analysis. The survey was used to understand the perspectives of REF’s board members while interviews were conducted with various stakeholders to discover best practices of communicating impact. A document data analysis of peer foundations compared various aspects of the foundations’ school district demographics, reports, and marketing and communication strategies. Findings demonstrated the importance of effective and strategic use of data and stakeholder engagement to garner support and highlight the impact and value of the organization to the school system and community. The capstone team created targeted recommendations for REF to assist them with developing compelling digital content, a data collection and analysis plan, and a communications strategy.