RVA Toolbank
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RVA Toolbank *
RVA Toolbank is a nonprofIt that lends tools and teaches skills to help individuals and communities build, repair, and thrive.
This project aimed to help RVA Toolbank scale from its first year by boosting visibility and driving engagement in workshops.
The Process
The Challenge
RVA Toolbank, a hands-on workshop initiative, was entering its second year with big growth goals. While the program had proven impactful in its first year, awareness was limited, the “pay what you can” model created hesitation for new participants, and the small internal team had limited bandwidth to expand marketing efforts. Our challenge was to create a strategy that would help the program scale, reach a broader audience, and drive workshop participation.
The Approach
My team and I collaborated closely with the Toolbank Program team to develop a strategy that increased awareness and participation. By analyzing audience insights and demographics, we crafted messaging that empowered potential participants to engage with hands-on workshops. Our approach included recommendations for social media campaigns, SEO strategies to improve search visibility, QR-coded instructional content, and clearer communication around the “pay what you can” model. We also designed processes that supported the small internal team and could be handed off to a future communications manager for continued success.
Insight
People want to be independent when they’ve only known dependence. RVA ToolBank empowers individuals rather than enabling them, equipping them with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to handle home maintenance and repair by demystifying how to use tools.
Deliverables
To bring our strategy to life, we developed a set of deliverables designed to increase public awareness and engagement. This included a refreshed social media strategy with clear content pillars, recommendations for hands-on engagement through workshops and QR-code tutorials, and video concept guidance to demystify tool use. We also created an SEO strategy to improve discoverability and documented insights and frameworks to support future communications staff. Lastly, we created a new logo that visually reflects their mission of empowering independence through accessible tools.
Personal Takeaways
This project showed me how to turn a community-focused mission into clear, actionable communications. I learned to create content that empowers people, not just informs them, and how to balance strategy with hands-on creativity. Working with RVA ToolBank strengthened my ability to translate program goals into campaigns that educate, inspire, and drive real-world impact.
Content Pillars
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Engage
Highlight events, volunteer opportunities, and ways for followers to get involved with RVA Toolbank.
- Announcements of upcoming volunteer events/workshops
- Behind-the-scenes of community projects
- Interactive polls or challenges: eg., “Which project should we tackle next?”
- UGC campaigns: eg., “Share your tool triumph to get featured!”
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Inspire
Share stories of community members and volunteers achieving independence through tool use and DIY projects.
- Volunteer/community member spotlight
- Home transformation/project reels
- Quotes/testimonials/mini interviews of success stories
- User-generated content encouraging followers to share their wins
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Empower
Show how achievable home projects can be, helping followers feel confident to take charge of their own spaces.
- Reels of projects in progress that push the “you could do this too” narrative
- Weekend project inspiration (“Look what you can knock out in just a Saturday…”)
- Before-and-after grid posts of follower/volunteer projects to spark motivation
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Educate
Provide tips, tutorials, and resources for safe and effective tool use.
- Quick tutorials: hammering, drilling, sanding, painting techniques etc.
- “What’s this tool?” explanatory reels
- Safety tips & answering safety FAQs
- Tool care: cleaning, storing, or sharpening, etc.
- Downloadable checklists/infographics
Our refreshed logo keeps the hammer from the original but reimagines it as a fist holding it - representing the empowerment of taking control into one’s own hands. The design draws inspiration from vintage logos, which were often handcrafted and used a limited color palette, evoking the feeling of creating something yourself with what’s around you.
