City Bureau is a nonprofit civic media organization based on the South Side of Chicago. It is dedicated to bringing Chicagoans together to learn civic skills, hold local government accountable, and create local information that reflects people’s priorities.
Their goal in joining the Accelerator was to develop a communications strategy so more people from historically underserved communities in Chicago will discover City Bureau as a connective hub for personal and community transformation.
To achieve this, City Bureau conducted a market research study involving at least 300 participants from 15 ZIP codes on the South and West Sides that they believed would most directly benefit from their mission.
Went from having fragmented internal data about existing program participants only to comprehensive data about potential audiences
People reached through audience survey, 300+ representing those unfamiliar with City Bureau
First, get clarity about the project scope and priorities early on... If you can invest the staff time and resources to ensure the project is successful, the result can be transformative.
Kristen Fallica, City Bureau Director of Communications
The audience study gave the City Bureau team a deeper understanding of their audience’s needs, which will help them deliver more relevant messaging and guide program evolution. City Bureau will continue refining its brand and messaging so its mission reaches many future generations.