Communications and content strategy for change leaders
Whether you’re changing the world, a system, or how your team of five works, people are at the heart of it. Build trust and bring people along with a communications strategy that puts people first.
When trust is the strategy
Organizations working on complex change need to do more than to raise awareness or creates engagement. What they need is to build deep trust with their supporters.
Trust comes from more than just reading the occasional great story. People typically need to hear about an idea seven times before they’re ready to take the next step. To bring people along with you on your journey, your communications strategy needs to also become a strong system for storytelling. And not just for the stories that celebrate impact, but those of lessons learned and course-corrects.
I help mission-driven organizations create communications and content strategies that are focused on building trust in our ever-shifting world.
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Services
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Give your team the gift of strategic support when the stakes are high.
Communications strategy and systems: I’ve built a communications team from the ground up. I can help build the strategy and systems you need for communications your mission, and train your team so they have what they need to deliver on the plan.
Integrated communications manager: For lean teams who need an extra set of hands who can hit the ground running. Give me a week to understand your goals, audiences, and messages. Then, set me to work turning messages into content for your website, social media, donor newsletter, and wherever else you reach your audience.
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Your web developer’s project manager won’t look after your stakeholders or internal timelines. Your team can, but are already squeezing this in project in on top of their existing priorities.
A Creative Project Manager (sometimes called an Integrated Producer) represents your best interests and keeps your team on track, in a collaborative way. I’ve managed online, physical and in-person projects, including:
Website redesigns, like for Vancouver Foundation and Neighbourhood Small Grants
Print publications, like the 2025 Vancouver Foundation Magazine
Donor engagement campaigns and events
PR campaigns and activations
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Make your website refresh count.
Writing one webpage is straightforward. But managing content for 100 pages that all need to work in tandem, both on the website and behind the scenes, can be a real hair-on-fire moment for lean teams.
Content strategy refers to way we manage your website’s content, and includes:
An ownership and management workflow for your team
A suite of brand photos for the website
An easy-to-use system for managing all your assets.
Web copywriting at this scale means being more than a standout writer.
Careful planning ensures that there’s a part of your website for each audience segment.
Understanding your internal priorities means we can offer collaborative solutions when other teams challenge the new website structure.
Documentation and workflows ensures your team knows when content next need to be updated, which pages that content lives, and where to get the information from.
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Give me a long grantee report and an hour with the project lead, and I’ll find the big story your readers will care about.
I’ll find vivid details in data points, cultural significance from how activities were conducted, and ask the questions that get artists to analyze their work and scientists to feel their impact.
Check out my writing style in Writing.
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Your staff care about your mission, and what you have to say. But how you say it can have a big impact on culture. If you’re trying to move your organization towards a warmer, and more approachable voice that still means business, let’s work together to strike your new balance. You may be looking to:
Develop your capacity for internal communications writing
Revise your employee handbook and onboarding materials to build trust with new employees from day one
Rollout a sensitive announcement
Create new internal policies for busy staff with a wide range of literacy levels
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Get a second set of experienced eyes on your long-form writing. I am familiar with Canadian Press and AP style, and am trained to edit for plain language and current web content accessibility guidelines.
Client Testimonials
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Esther's dedication, attention to detail, and proficiency make them an invaluable asset to any team. Their consistent delivery of high-quality work showcases their expertise in writing, structuring, and editing. It's been a pleasure partnering with Esther, and I am confident in their ability to excel in any project they take on.
Danielle Etienne
Founder, Le Code Switch -
Along with being very responsive and receptive to feedback, the suggestions Esther provides to improve a piece of writing always show a great deal of empathy for our target audience, an understanding of our brand voice, and a commitment to our overarching goals for the future of our marketing content.
Sarah McKelvey
Senior Copywriter, Vancity Credit Union -
Great writing isn’t just about being a great writer. It’s about immersing yourself in a subject, collaborating with clients and thoughtfully distilling information into succinct messages that resonate with audiences. Writing for the web is very nuanced, and Esther gets it. They understand how to approach even sensitive topics with skill and care.
Lisa Eaton
Director of Operations, Affinity Bridge -
Esther was instrumental in ensuring our magazine was produced and delivered on time. Their exceptional project management kept every detail on track, including liaising with writers and managing deadlines. They also understand the importance of our donor relationships, reflected in their approach and in the stories they helped develop. That level of insight is rare. We are so glad we chose Esther to support us with our projects!
Peggy Lam
Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, Vancouver Foundation