Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga
Industry
Public foundation serving southeast Tennessee
The problem we wanted to solve
A senior communications executive had left the staff, and Coeo was called in to coordinate public relations and multi-media storytelling related to the Foundation’s strategic plan and growing portfolio of special projects.
The work we ended up doing
The engagement has included close collaborations with the Foundation’s philanthropy and in-house communications staff, as well as managing vendor relationships, strategy, thought partnership, and on-deadline speechwriting for the President and CEO.
Meaghan Jones, President and CEO, Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga:
“Kerry’s a brilliant communications and marketing consultant, but he’s also run a mayor’s office. You’re getting all of that: he's on time, knows operations, is political, savvy, has all of that experience. It really informs how he operates. I always say that's a part of what makes him so good. He’s done something really complex.”
What are some of the ways you worked with Kerry?
“He handles all of our PR and thinks ahead about where we need to be and how we need to be telling our story.
“And he’s flexible: He recently did a first draft of our newsletter, and I thought the tone was not quite right. So Kerry edited it and made it better. There was no conflict around it; he was great to work with.
“He also gives me feedback when he thinks I’m off on something, and as CEO, I really appreciate having a thought partner.
“We’re also great partners with speech writing. I can sit down with him, give him the main points, and get a draft back in days. Then I can say, ‘Well, what I really meant was this,’ and he’ll come back quickly with a whole new draft, which is extremely helpful to me. We just have a great process.”
What would you tell other potential clients is the best part of your work with Kerry?
“He’s really trusted by me and our whole team. That’s a Kerry characteristic. I would tell them he is a beautiful writer and a skilled communicator, but also really helpful on strategy and works well with all different members of our team. Those things feel really key to me.”
