MNPL students just completed their Practicum experience, a six-month project focusing on strategic planning, fundraising, marketing, DEI, or advocacy. One student, Zana Crites, was matched with Companis-- whose mission is “to make our community healthier, safer, and more just by fostering skilled volunteer service and building relationships that bridge the gap so that nonprofits can succeed in delivering vital services with the help of a Companis Worker.”

Zana’s project had one of the biggest transitions from start to finish. She started out with a plan to create a webpage audit and strategy for how to share the stories and good works of Companis through their blog page. Companis wanted to create a story pipeline that would be used as a resource for their staff members in the recruitment of agencies, volunteers, and donors. But, as Zana explored and analyzed, she realized that simply changing the webpage blog page would not necessarily increase their audience reach or engagement. She turned her attention to seeking out information and techniques that would. Her project morphed into creating a social and owned media report to help Companis increase user engagement. 

Zana completed in-depth research. She explored and reported on social media shifts and trends. She analyzed metrics on Companis’ various social media platforms and provided tips for improvement. Zana made thorough recommendations in the areas of audience, stories, distribution, and style to help Companis expand its reach and impact.