your story:
driven by vision,
integrated by strategy.
I'm Teresa Koeppel.
Connect Comms + Engagement is my project-based un-agency.
My career has been incredibly rewarding, allowing me to hone skills in stakeholder engagement and strategic communications across diverse industries including philanthropy, higher education, health care, food and fitness. One thing I know for sure? Your story, when told exceptionally well, is a super power. Let’s unleash yours!
hello!
WORKING TOGETHER.
As a strategic partner, I become an extension of your team. I blend my skills and experiences into your culture and provide leadership to maximize the impact of your internal and contract resources, ensuring the efficient achievement of your desired outcomes.
The majority of my work is by referral and every project bespoke. Based on the scope of your goals and the skills of your internal team(s) and current agencies, I custom tailor my approach and the team I bring.
My team and I work across public and private higher education, nonprofit organizations, wellness companies, private corporations, food service companies, and health care and research entities.
COLLABORATORS.
Depending on the complexity, goals and scope of your project, I am able to bring additional expertise to the table. Working this way, versus with a traditional agency, saves you both time and money, while ensuring the best in the business are collaborating as needed to make your project a success.
PAST WORK.
Fundraising Campaign Messaging.
Working with the academic and advancement leaders from every college across a R1 university to identify their fundraising priorities and frame them within the context of compelling cases for support.
Fundraising Campaign Launches.
Creating and implementing the public messaging, marketing, media, donor/volunteer and internal strategies for launching comprehensive fundraising campaigns at four major institutions of higher education, totaling a combined fundraising goal value of $9.5 billion.
Repositioning.
Creating core messaging for an international research think tank that is expanding its organizational strategy to establish and guarantee long-term stability and impact.​
Executive messaging.
Advising newly appointed senior leaders at highly matrixed organizations on distilling their vision and messaging as they onboard and work to shift organizational culture.
Crisis comms protocol and training.
Partnering with a risk and resilience leader and crisis management agency to identify most-likely scenarios facing a food business global account, developing adaptable proactive strategies for each, and creating (and training) a globally relevant crisis comms playbook to guide communicators of all levels as members of incident response teams.
Capital development.
Guiding the development of vision and messaging for a complex capital project at a large public land grant university (30k enrollment) that will transform the physical campus and change the ways researchers and students interact and do their work.
Wellness engagement.
Up-leveling marketing activities for a regional health and wellness brand aiming to triple its clientele within two quarters.
Brand launch.
Developing branding for and launching a nonprofit roller derby league focused on supporting women's and children's rights.
Interim leadership.
Expanding internal bandwidth and maintaining momentum for a small company during a period of constricted resourcing.
Change Management.
Developing a globally informed, regionally sensitive choice architecture-driven communications and engagement campaign to educate and nudge users through behavior modification as services and supplies changed dramatically.
Culture.
Developing and rapidly deploying a comprehensive global internal comms and employee engagement strategy at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure connectivity, sharing of information, crisis mitigation and culture.
Capacity building.
Refreshing planned giving marketing and communications for a public university’s (15k enrollment) in-house team to implement aimed at expanding the donor pipeline and providing consistent messaging tools for frontline fundraisers.