Keylight Communications

World Vision: Expanding Reach Through Paid Digital Gift Guides

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:45:48 GMT

PROJECT BRIEF

Client Name:

World Vision

Services:

Paid Media Campaigns
Mission-Driven Storytelling

The Opportunity

For nearly a decade, Keylight Communications has partnered with World Vision to elevate awareness and engagement around its mission. From supporting media engagement around humanitarian emergencies to crafting thoughtful social media content for World Vision’s CEO to developing strategic paid and earned media campaigns that build awareness about World Vision’s key issues, we’ve been involved in nearly every facet of their public relations work for years. Around the holidays, we’ve also supported World Vision’s Holiday Gift Catalog campaign. It’s a project near and dear to our hearts!

These strategically placed, paid campaigns encourage donations to World Vision through handcrafted gifts like jewelry, embroidered bags, felt ornaments, and more, some of which are also promoted by celebrity influencer partnerships. Each of the gifts featured are crafted by artisans all over the world who benefit from the work of World Vision. At a time when consumers are faced with myriad choices about how to spend their holiday shopping dollars, the World Vision Gift Catalog encourages consumers to consider spending their money in a more impactful way.

In 2025, we worked with World Vision to establish our goals for the annual Holiday Gift Catalog campaign, working to reach new audiences during a season when generosity is top of mind and competition for attention is at its peak.

OUR APPROACH

Keylight developed and executed a targeted paid digital gift guide strategy designed to place World Vision within trusted, high-visibility lifestyle and culture publications. By aligning placements with outlets who connect with the campaign’s target audiences, these placements helped to position World Vision’s Gift Catalog as a meaningful alternative to traditional consumer gifting.

Content was thoughtfully integrated into editorial environments across nationally recognized print and digital publications including Elle, Food Network Magazine, Good Housekeeping, O Magazine, People, and TIME , ensuring the campaign met audiences where they were already seeking ideas and inspiration. This approach allowed World Vision to connect with readers in a natural, relevant way, bridging the gap between seasonal purchasing behavior and global impact.

THE RESULTS

The campaign delivered significant reach and exceeded expectations at every level:

Original goal: 45,000,000 impressions
254,763,000 total print and digital impressions
Exceeded goal by more than 5x
Placements secured across top-tier national publications during peak holiday months

By embedding World Vision within culturally relevant holiday shopping moments, the campaign not only expanded visibility but also introduced new audiences to opportunities for meaningful giving. The result was more than impressions - it was increased awareness of World Vision’s mission and a stronger connection between consumer behavior and global impact.

THE IMPACT

Through a strategic blend of paid media and mission-driven storytelling, Keylight helped World Vision cut through seasonal noise and stand out in a crowded marketplace. The campaign demonstrated the power of meeting audiences in the right context, at the right time, with a message that resonates, turning holiday inspiration into tangible impact around the world.

Work With Keylight

At Keylight Communications, we help mission-driven organizations grow their visibility and influence through integrated earned and paid media and marketing strategies. From national media placements and executive thought leadership to targeted paid campaigns that reach new audiences, we design communications approaches that align with your goals and deliver measurable results.

Let’s connect to explore how we can help your story reach the audiences who need to hear it most.

PIVI: Strengthening Vaccine Confidence Across Southeast Europe

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:22:49 GMT

PROJECT BRIEF

Client Name:

Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives (PIVI)

Services:

Strategic Communications Training
Workshop Design & Facilitation

The Opportunity

Since 2023, Keylight Communications has partnered with the Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives (PIVI). PIVI, a program of the Task Force for Global Health, works with countries and global partners to build strong, sustainable vaccination systems that prevent disease and help the world better prepare for pandemics. Keylight supports all facets of its communications work - from media and social media to strategic marketing, graphic design, and website strategy. As PIVI’s agency of record, we elevate the visibility of their global health initiatives.

In Summer 2025, PIVI strategically focused on strengthening influenza vaccine communication across Southeast Europe, where vaccination coverage remains among the lowest in Europe and far below the 75% target for at-risk populations. Partnering with the regional public health network known as SECID (the Southeast European Centre for Surveillance and Control of Infectious Diseases), PIVI convened a two-day workshop in June on Vaccination Communication: Balancing Benefits and Risks Effectively in Vienna, Austria, a central meeting point for its southeastern European partners.

PIVI engaged Keylight to help organize the workshop and facilitate two sessions, specifically focusing on media training for attendees and a panel discussion with regional health journalists on how public health partners and journalists can work together to address the challenges that persistent misinformation, inconsistent messaging, and low public trust pose in their countries. The workshop brought together public-health leaders, national vaccine communicators, and journalists from America, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia to build capacity in strategic messaging, media engagement, and cross-border collaboration.

OUR APPROACH

Grounded in both primary and secondary research, Keylight built the workshop sessions around a central theme: balancing vaccine benefits and risks with transparency and empathy . Keylight worked closely with regional partners to identify communication barriers, misinformation trends, and gaps in public trust - ensuring the program directly addressed real-world challenges.

Through a presentation and group discussion, the workshop integrated:

Behavioral science and audience insights
Strategic message development
Media relations and journalist engagement
Cross-country collaboration frameworks

A key component was a hands-on media simulation , where participants worked in country teams to craft messages and respond to mock press interviews in real time. This exercise emphasized clarity, credibility, and trust-building - transforming strategy into practical, applied skills.

THE RESULTS

60+ leaders trained across the region
Misinformation response skills strengthened
Real-time media interviews practiced
National campaigns informed by workshop tools
8 countries collaborating on vaccine messaging

Ministries of Health and regional partners committed to adapting workshop materials for ongoing use, extending the impact beyond the initial convening.

THE IMPACT

By combining research-driven strategy with hands-on training, Keylight helped shift how vaccine communication is approached by public health communicators in Southeast Europe.

The result was more than a single workshop - it established a replicable, scalable model for multi-country capacity-building grounded in behavioral science, media engagement, and collaboration.

As a result, PIVI and its partners are better equipped to build public trust, counter misinformation, and strengthen vaccination efforts across the region, laying the foundation for broader global application.

Work With Keylight

At Keylight Communications, we help mission-driven organizations turn meaningful work into measurable impact through strategic communications and storytelling.

Let’s connect to explore how we can bring your story to life!

Lily Pad: Elevating Awareness in a new County for Children Entering Foster Care

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:08:17 GMT

PROJECT BRIEF

Client Name:

Lily Pad: A Soft Place to Land

Services:

Media Strategy
Earned Media
Messaging
Story Development

The Opportunity

Keylight Communications began working with Lily Pad: A Soft Place to Land in 2023, supporting the organization’s growth through strategic communications, media relations, and storytelling. What began as a pro bono partnership quickly evolved into an ongoing collaboration, as Lily Pad expanded its reach and deepened its impact across South Carolina.

When children enter foster care in South Carolina, many wait in stark, functional spaces - conference rooms, cubicles, or offices designed for operations rather than comfort - during one of the most difficult moments of their lives. These environments can intensify an already traumatic experience, leaving children and families without a sense of safety or care at a critical first point of contact.

Lily Pad was founded to change that reality, transforming child welfare offices into safe, welcoming, trauma-informed environments that support children, victims of trauma, and others experiencing crisis. To date, the organization has created more than 40 of these spaces, bringing comfort and dignity to individuals navigating urgent and often overwhelming situations.

In 2025, as Lily Pad launched rooms in Horry County, the organization had a key opportunity: raise awareness, inspire community support, and position itself as a leader in trauma-informed care. At the same time, growing media attention on foster care challenges created a timely opening for solution-oriented storytelling that could both inform and mobilize the community.

OUR APPROACH

Keylight Communications implemented a proactive and responsive media strategy designed to meet the moment. Rather than relying on a single announcement, the team engaged directly with reporters covering foster care, public systems, and community issues - offering a narrative that paired a difficult reality with a tangible, human-centered solution.

Keylight developed tailored media materials, including photography, fact sheets, and spokesperson guidance, ensuring each story captured both the need and the impact of Lily Pad’s work. Visual storytelling played a key role in illustrating the transformation from stark, functional environments to calming, supportive spaces.

By aligning outreach with existing media momentum, Lily Pad was positioned as a credible, solutions-driven voice within a broader statewide conversation - one that emphasized dignity, empathy, and practical change.

THE RESULTS

The campaign secured coverage across key regional outlets, including:

MyHorryNews, SC Daily Gazette, Here Myrtle Beach, The Post and Courier, and WPDE-TV (ABC News 15) .

These placements reached local residents, policymakers, donors, and volunteers - while maintaining consistent messaging around dignity, comfort, and trauma-informed support.

Following coverage, Lily Pad experienced:

Increased donor engagement
New interest from volunteers, and community partners
Outreach from local leaders to support future expansion

THE IMPACT

The campaign elevated awareness of an often-overlooked experience and positioned Lily Pad as a leader in trauma-informed environments, child welfare, and victim support.

Beyond media coverage, the work helped shift the narrative, bringing visibility to a critical gap in care while demonstrating that thoughtful, community-driven solutions are already making a difference. Increased awareness translated into tangible momentum, strengthening partnerships and accelerating opportunities for growth.

By pairing empathy-driven storytelling with strategic media engagement, Keylight transformed a complex issue into a catalyst for awareness, advocacy, and meaningful action.

Work With Keylight

At Keylight Communications, we help mission-driven organizations turn meaningful work into measurable impact through strategic communications and storytelling.

Let’s connect to explore how we can bring your story to life!

Healing Transitions: Elevating Recovery Stories During National Recovery Month

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:41:25 GMT

PROJECT BRIEF

Client Name:

Healing Transitions

Services:

Media Strategy
Earned Media
Messaging
Story Development

The Opportunity

Healing Transitions provides peer-based recovery services for individuals experiencing substance use disorder, offering long-term support rooted in dignity, accountability, and community. Since 2018, our team has been a trusted strategic communications partner, working alongside Healing Transitions to build its brand awareness in North Carolina through media engagement, content creation, reputation risk management and more - ultimately working together to improve trust and engagement with Healing Transitions’ target audiences.

In advance of National Recovery Month (September 2025), we identified a key opportunity for growth: elevate participant and leadership voices, increase awareness of Healing Transitions’ innovative recovery model, and strengthen community engagement during a moment of heightened national attention around addiction and recovery.

At the same time, public conversations around substance use disorder often remain shaped by stigma rather than lived experience. Healing Transitions sought to shift that narrative – positioning recovery as possible, visible, and community-supported, while also supporting a major fundraising goal tied to the month’s outreach efforts.

Keylight Communications partnered with Healing Transitions to design and execute a strategic earned media campaign that centered personal recovery stories and positioned the organization as a trusted regional leader in peer-led recovery services.

OUR APPROACH

Keylight implemented a targeted earned media strategy designed to elevate authentic recovery voices while aligning outreach with Healing Transitions’ fundraising and awareness goals.

The campaign prioritized the Raleigh media market, where the organization’s strongest donor base is located, and focused on positioning Healing Transitions leadership and participants as credible advocates for recovery-centered solutions.

Keylight supported the campaign through:

Development of media-ready participant recovery stories
Strategic spokesperson preparation for CEO Chris Budnick and staff leader Emma Doss
Targeted outreach to regional broadcast, public radio, podcast, and health reporters
Coordination of interviews and message alignment across platforms
Submission of award nominations highlighting Healing Transitions’ leadership and innovation in recovery programming
Internal amplification support to extend the impact of earned placements across staff, board, and donor audiences

By centering lived experience alongside leadership expertise, the campaign helped reframe recovery conversations around hope, dignity, and practical solutions.

THE RESULTS

The campaign delivered strong regional visibility during a competitive awareness month:

Two major broadcast placements secured in the Raleigh market
Coverage on Spectrum News and WTVD
58,000+ regional impressions within the first 24 hours of airing
Fundraising stretch goal of $175,000 exceeded during National Recovery Month

Media coverage helped extend Healing Transitions’ reach among donors, families affected by substance use disorder, and community stakeholders across North Carolina.

THE IMPACT

By elevating participant voices alongside organizational leadership, the campaign helped shift how recovery is represented in regional media coverage – moving the conversation from stigma toward possibility.

Strategic storytelling during National Recovery Month strengthened Healing Transitions’ visibility at a critical moment for engagement and fundraising, while reinforcing the organization’s role as a trusted leader in peer-led recovery services.

The result was more than media placements; the campaign helped connect community awareness with tangible support for recovery programs changing lives across the Raleigh region.

Work With Keylight

At Keylight Communications, we help mission-driven organizations turn meaningful work into measurable impact through strategic communications and storytelling.