CASE STUDY: Strategic Communications Build Brand Awareness for Skilled Trades Nonprofit

THE CHALLENGE

The Rising Stars Program, a nonprofit that aims to close the skilled labor gap by connecting young adults with meaningful careers in the construction industry, needed to build greater brand awareness and engagement among its diverse audiences—including students and their parents, educators, employers in the skilled trades, community partners and industry sponsors.

Operating in several cities across the United States, the program had grown steadily in both its scope and impact. As it expanded into new locations, added new partnerships and introduced offerings like a mentorship alliance, Rising Stars needed a more consistent and proactive communications strategy to tell its story, celebrate milestones and attract broader support for the program.

The challenge was to elevate awareness not only within participating communities but also across skilled trades—establishing Rising Stars as a credible, purpose-driven workforce development organization. To meet this need, it partnered with Roopco to lead a strategic communications program focused on social media, media relations, content development and a new website.

THE SOLUTION

Roopco launched a multi-faceted strategic communications program that incorporated a mix of both digital and traditional communication tactics. The goal was to unify the Rising Stars brand across all touchpoints and amplify its message through consistent, high-quality outreach.

The strategic communications program includes:

• Social Media: Roopco developed a detailed content calendar to guide weekly social posts and campaign themes such as My Life in the Field and It Takes a Village. Our team led content planning, writing and graphic design, while actively managing page engagement and monitoring audience interactions. Monthly reporting provided actionable insights to refine content and expand reach, resulting in a growing, engaged following on social media.
• Media Relations: Roopco executed ongoing trade media outreach focused on program milestones and newsworthy developments—including new community partnerships, the launch of its mentorship alliance and key program expansions. Our team led media outreach, built relationships with key reporters and editors, and continuously monitored media performance. This proactive approach helped secure placements in respected trade publications across the education, construction and manufacturing sectors.
• Marketing Collateral: Roopco created and updated a suite of branded marketing materials, including a refreshed tri-fold brochure, internal and external one-pagers, and a one-pager focused on the mentorship alliance. Our team also designed PowerPoint decks for use at conferences, events and partner meetings—ensuring that Rising Stars had the right tools to tell its story consistently and professionally across various forums.
• Website Development: As part of this broader communications effort, Roopco crafted core messaging and led the development of a new website. This included the design, content and functionality of a modern, mobile-optimized site that now serves as the central hub for the organization’s digital presence and stakeholder engagement.

This integrated program created a unified communications platform that has elevated the Rising Stars brand, increased its reach and enabled the nonprofit to grow its impact in the skilled trades space.

THE RESULTS

Our strategic communications program significantly elevated the Rising Stars Program’s visibility and engagement across key audiences. On social media, the launch of a dedicated LinkedIn page helped the organization quickly build a highly engaged following, with some posts achieving engagement rates of nearly 20%—a strong indicator of relevance and resonance among its growing audience. In addition, the organization’s social media follower count has increased by nearly 700% in just a year.

Media relations efforts also delivered meaningful results, with Roopco regularly securing media placements in respected trade publications such as Coatings World, Roofers Coffee Shop and Building Enclosure. These features positioned Rising Stars as a credible leader in skilled trades education and workforce development, while ongoing media outreach helped build relationships with key reporters in the education, construction, manufacturing and nonprofit sectors.

Rising Stars also benefited from a refreshed suite of marketing collateral that enhanced the program’s brand identity and messaging. Updated brochures, one-pagers and presentation decks were used at conferences, partner events and in meetings with educators—helping to generate awareness and spark conversations that led to deeper engagement with the program. These tools have supported student recruitment and strengthened the organization’s presence at industry events.

The new website, along with ongoing content and communications support, has given Rising Stars a centralized, scalable platform for stakeholder engagement. It serves as the central hub for everything from program overviews and leadership bios to news updates and contact forms, reinforcing Rising Stars’ role as a mission-driven nonprofit committed to closing the skilled labor gap. In fact, the new website saw a 92% increase in new visitors through organic search, referral links and direct visits.

To check out Rising Stars’s new website, visit www.risingstarsprogram.org.