About the Client

Inkululeko is a nonprofit organization that provides academic support and skills training to South African students who live in severely disadvantaged areas affected by apartheid.

Project Overview

Inkululeko partners with communities worldwide to help South African students access higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the digital divide, preventing students from meeting in person and limiting access to digital resources.

To address this, I directed UConn’s first international digital campaign, which reached nonprofit stakeholders in both America and South Africa. This multifaceted initiative raised awareness and donations for remote learning programming and skills training, helping to bridge the digital divide and keep students connected to education.

Website Development & Design

• Stakeholder Research: Conducted interviews and analyzed key statistics to identify pain points and guide content development.
• Landing Page Creation: Designed the Interact & Learn landing page, an interactive educational experience that showcased the pandemic’s impact on access to education and the digital divide.
• Leadership: Delegated tasks and led a cross-functional team to produce culturally tailored video animations, increasing views and shares by 20%.
• Design & Localization: Created a campaign style guide, iconography, and localized messaging in collaboration with Inkululeko team members to ensure cultural relevance.
• UI/UX Improvements: Partnered with the web developer to enhance mobile responsiveness and user-friendly navigation.

Email & Social Media Marketing

• Campaign Oversight: Managed production of website and email marketing campaigns, achieving a 65% open rate and click-through rates above industry benchmarks.
• Content Creation: Developed infographics and directed video animations in collaboration with animators.
• Cross-Promotion: Implemented the first email blasts via MailChimp and integrated content across social media platforms.
• Brand Development: Designed brand assets and developed localized messaging, boosting audience engagement and brand recognition.
• Sustainability: Delivered reusable email and social media templates for the client’s future campaigns.

Outcomes & Impact

I was honored to work with Inkululeko as UConn Digital Agency’s first international project. The awareness campaign increased donations and social media following. The email newsletter consistently received an above average open rate and improved communication between the client and 3,000+ recipients. Our project helped provide South African students with the technology they needed in order to continue their learning throughout the pandemic.

• Increased donations and expanded social media following.
• Strengthened stakeholder engagement with consistent above-average email open rates.
• Boosted brand recognition and visibility through localized messaging.
• Provided South African students with critical technology to continue learning during the pandemic.

Created as part of my role as Digital Marketing Strategist at UConn Digital Media & Design (PT, 2021).