Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
INFORMATION
Position Title: Marketing & Communications Assistant
Manager: Lara Caldie
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2023 - 2024
ROLE OVERVIEW
The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement is a non-profit, non-partisan institute that creates pathways for WashU students to become lifelong engaged citizens and civic leaders. Connecting WashU students to local communities and opportunities within Saint Louis—as well as nationally—the Institute strives to prepare college students to be active members of their communities. At Gephardt, the MarComms team is primarily responsible for handling publicity, campaign development, and and marketing organizational events and opportunities.
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In my role as a Marketing & Communications Assistant at the Gephardt Institute, I was responsible for executing a weekly newsletter, supporting the Marketing and Communications team in developing a year-round campaign, and maintaining the back-end functionality of our organization’s website.
RESPONSIBILITIES
01| MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
The Gephardt Institute emphasizes engaging the WashU student body with civic opportunities in Saint Louis. I spearheaded the research, creation, and execution of a weekly Civic Opportunities Newsletter, which informed our subscriber base—comprising students, alumni, faculty, and parents—about the Institute's recent successes, upcoming programs, and various opportunities locally and nationally. This involved ensuring content accuracy, coordinating logistics, and collaborating with various stakeholders.
Additionally, I contributed to marketing content generation, from brainstorming initiatives like “Register to Vote” poster campaigns to grassroots publicity efforts, including flyering and representing the organization at campus events.
02 | OUTREACH
03 | SEO & WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
As a non-profit, we relied heavily on university funding and generous donor contributions. I supported outreach efforts by maintaining CRM databases, drafting thank-you letters for donors, and managing email communications.
During the relaunch of our official website, I played a key role in its weekly maintenance. My responsibilities included updating the opportunities page, refreshing biographies, and monitoring online submissions.
04 | OVERALLS
As a result of these initiatives, the Gephardt Institute experienced significant growth in its Marketing and Communications division. Newsletter subscriptions rose from 5,000 to over 7,000 during my tenure, alongside increased event attendance and engagement.
