New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter celebrates 15 years of supporting homeless families

Written By Alicia Vial

Situation

Founded in 2007 in the upper Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina when so many in New Orleans needed permanent shelter, the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter (NOWCS) was at first a temporary solution to protect and keep together women and children who needed a home. Now, it is the largest provider of services for homeless families in Greater New Orleans.  

More than a shelter, NOWCS is on a mission to enable parents and their children to transition from a life of homelessness and poverty to one of stability and self-sufficiency. Preventing homeless families from returning to the streets while helping families stay together is one of its main goals.

To celebrate 15 years of impact, the NOWCS partnered with Gambel Communications.

Strategy

Since funding is scarce in a nonprofit atmosphere, Gambel and the NOWCS envisioned a lost cost solution to increase awareness.

Leveraging robust media relationships and a partnership with a family-oriented local influencer group, New Orleans Moms, Gambel Communications conducted traditional media outreach supported by sponsored social media content to help NOWCS amplify its story. Media outreach focused on how the shelter had grown from a makeshift shelter to the largest provider of services for homeless families in Greater New Orleans in the last 15 years. It also highlighted the comprehensive services the organization provides other than shelter.

Gambel Communications guided the creative for a 15th Anniversary infographic to easily explain 15 years of impact, while highlighting 15 Forward ways people could help. The agency also brokered a low-cost partnership with a mom-based local influencer group to amplify the plight of homeless single mothers.

Results

The NOWCS received influential broadcast coverage and results, including back-to-back morning show appearances on the top New Orleans rated broadcast stations. The influencer content performed incredibly well and saw high rates of engagement. Comments were also overwhelmingly positive showcasing and reinforcing that the NOWCS was celebrating an anniversary and doing important and impactful work. The New Orleans Mom Facebook post generated 46,000 total impressions, a reach of 11,744 with 393 likes and 36 shares. Email open rates were between were between 30-37% with an industry average of 20-25 %. Call-to-action links in the post were clicked 100 times.  

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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