I designed YAFH's annual campaign materials for several years, while the organization was still fundraising for program implementation. The package was sent out to donors each fall, containing a letter, a donor response card, and a complimentary bookmark. Those who donated to the organization received an acknowledgment on a coordinating thank you card. Below are examples of all of these print pieces.

An online advertising banner for the YAFH website and social media, showcasing student artwork.

During COVID-19, I had the interesting assignment of coming up with a budget-friendly way of producing a virtual art show for YAFH. The organization had traditionally held an in-person art show each spring and wanted to create a way of showcasing the artwork that their student artists were still producing each year during the pandemic. Once we began producing the videos, the YAFH community loved them so much that the organization decided to continue producing virtual art shows even after they returned to hosting in-person events.

Youth Art For Healing 2020-21 Virtual Art Show Preview (3:24) – For viewers who wanted a shorter viewing experience, we created a preview video in 2021 as well, with a sampling of the students' artwork.

Youth Art For Healing Retrospective Art Show (27:35) – Youth Art For Healing first launched in 2012. In 2023, the organization's Retrospective Art Show showcased hundreds of beautiful artworks created by YAFH student artists over 11 years.

Youth Art For Healing 2020-21 Virtual Art Show (16:44) – During the 2020-21 school year, student artists created 95 artworks. Some were for permanent installation, while others were given to individual healthcare workers to thank them for their hard work during the pandemic. These paintings are all presented in this video.

When I began working for YAFH, we decided to develop a stronger focus for social media content to tell the organization’s story. Students, teachers, doctors, nurses, other healthcare staff, community partners, and the students’ artwork are all important to telling the YAFH story. In particular, we brought the student artists and healthcare professionals to the forefront of our social media storytelling.

When I began working for YAFH, there was already a consensus at the organization that their website needed to feature more student artwork. A LOT more. They had all 2,000+ student artworks dating back to 2012 displayed on well-organized gallery pages, but that was like having the students' beautiful art hidden away in little side rooms where no one but the most dedicated explorers would find it. The homepage, About page, Program page, etc. were fairly empty and dull. But doesn't it make sense for the website of an arts organization to be a visual feast?

We started placing more and more student artworks and photos of the student artists on the main page and other explanatory pages. Our goal was that no matter what parts of the site someone visited, they would be treated to quite a bit of eye candy. We not only added new artworks as the students created them each year, we also combed through the old files and shined a spotlight on student art from 5+ years ago. We featured more multimedia on the homepage and other parts of the site. Additionally, we reorganized a lot of content so that it was more accessible and created a page explaning the organization's Mission & Vision.

The result is a website that clearly explains YAFH's purpose and spotlights a truly wide range of student art, going back more than a decade. Hopefully, the site inspires other student artists to work hard at their creations-in-progress and donors to support the organization's work.

As I started working on the YAFH email newsletters, I discovered that the organization's donor communications had a similar problem to their website — not enough artwork. I had the same thought — shouldn't the emails and other communications of an arts organization include lots of eye candy? And what better way to inspire donors to give than by showing them that their donations were going to support the creation of some truly incredible works of art! Our goal was to transform the YAFH emails into more personal communications filled with a wide variety of colorful artwork, drawing the email audience further into the YAFH community and keep their interest in following the activities of the student artists throughout the year.