Megan Oliver ← Back to Work

Case Study · Community / Nonprofit

Rebuilding Engagement Through
Decision-Focused Communication

Industry
Community / Nonprofit
Focus
Behavioral Marketing Strategy
Core Problem
Engagement breakdown at the decision level
Approach
Decision-focused communication system redesign
Timeframe
3 months

Engagement Was Consistent.
Participation Wasn’t.

The organization had consistent activity — but inconsistent participation. The issue wasn't effort. It was structure.

Communication, programming, and execution weren't designed to guide people toward action in the moment they encountered the message. My role was to diagnose where behavior was breaking down and rebuild the system around how people actually decide to participate — not how leadership assumed they did.


People Weren’t Disengaged.
They Were Unclear.

Engagement wasn't low because people weren't interested. It was low because the path to action was unclear. Communications were inconsistent across platforms. Messaging between services, events, and outreach wasn't aligned. Members didn't know what was happening, when, or why it mattered now.

People weren't disengaged from the organization. They were disengaged from what to do, when to do it, and why it mattered now.


Four Behavioral Levers
Applied Systematically.

1 — Unified Weekly Narrative. Each week operated as a coordinated system. Messaging aligned across services, events, and outreach — every channel reinforced the same "why now."

2 — Reinforced Decision Cycles Across Channels. Social → awareness. Email → clarity. Livestream → reinforcement. In-person → action.

Behavioral Lever: Trigger Timing vs. Intent

We shifted the primary email trigger to 35 minutes before the live engagement — aligning with the transition window when users move from passive routines into Sunday intentions. This drove a +23% increase in livestream viewership without increasing send volume.

3 — Friction Reduction in Participation. Every message was redesigned around a singular, clear next step.

4 — System-Based Execution. Repeatable workflows replaced one-offs. Volunteers worked inside defined roles.


Each Lift Mapped to
a Specific Behavioral Lever.

+125%
Organic Social Engagement
Driven by unified narrative and clear channel roles
+20%
First-Time Participation
Tied to friction reduction and behavior-specific CTAs
+23%
Livestream Viewership
Directly linked to the 35-minute trigger timing shift

Key Insight

“Engagement doesn’t increase because you communicate more. It increases when people understand why acting now makes sense — and how to act immediately.”