Liberty and Leadership Podcast
kglobal – The Fund for American Studies (TFAS)
the charge
The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) had two goals. First, amplify the stories and careers of their many accomplished alumni, and second, connect with the donors who make their educational programs possible. TFAS is a close-knit organization with a wide-reaching alumni network, touching all facets of business, education, politics and government, non-profits, and everything in between. In a world where audiences are inundated with donation requests, they need to stand out and show their donors just how valuable their gifts are.
the approach
We refreshed and re-launched TFAS’s podcast, “Liberty + Leadership,” with a new mission in mind: celebrating the hundreds of TFAS alumni while directly promoting the podcast to TFAS’s donors. Each episode features an alumnus for a discussion about their career and how TFAS was the driving force behind their success. By making sure that we aligned the episodes with TFAS’s themes of liberty and courageous leadership, we painted a narrative that coincides with the rest of TFAS’s programs, initiatives, and messaging.
The Liberty + Leadership podcast was produced in our in-house podcast studio, where we have state-of-the-art recording systems. After producing and publishing an episode, TFAS distributed it to their extensive list of alumni and donors, as well as shared it on social media and their website. The podcast also had a built-in promotion plan: by specifically designing the podcast with an internal audience in mind, we were able to directly connect with TFAS alumni who were likely to tune in.
the results
The podcast has been a huge success – it has increased alumni engagement and drove donations, ensuring that future students are set up for the same experience as their predecessors. As the podcast gaines momentum, TFAS leadership has began to receive an influx of messages from alumni saying that they’d listened to an episode and were reminded of their own life-changing experiences as a TFAS student. Donors commented on how the discussed experiences showcased the lasting effect and power of their funding – with many donors being inspired to continue giving after listening to the podcast.
Podcast Production • Video + Animation • Social Strategy + Activation
