There is a growing expectation that workforce development nonprofits need to more comprehensively capture and communicate the impact of their work to sustain funding and grow. At the same time, scarce resources, understaffing, and a shortage of training opportunities have made it more difficult than ever for organizations to collect funder-required data, much less supplemental qualitative data to inform programmatic improvements. To better understand how nonprofit organizations are navigating this issue and capturing their data story, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) conducted interviews with practitioners across the country.
Reel Works is an organization which mentors, inspires, and empowers underserved New York City youth to share their stories through filmmaking, creating a springboard to successful careers in media and beyond. Reel Works participated in the 2024 Workforce Benchmarking Network New York City (WBN NYC) Cohort, facilitated in partnership with New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC). WBN cohorts bring together workforce service providers from a specific region to learn more deeply about their program data and how to use it to improve participant outcomes. Here, Mikel Butler, Reel Works’ Career Success Manager, details the evolution of the organization’s alumni engagement programming.
What inspired Reel Works to participate in the 2024 WBN NYC Cohort?
Reel Works joined the 2024 WBN NYC Cohort because we were seeking a structured space to work on the pain points we had with data. We have been running impactful programs, but we realized we needed to be more intentional about building systems to help us collect and track data, especially as our community continues to grow. At the time, there was no one owning our data systems, so WBN allowed us to come together and focus on various aspects of our programming.
What were some of your key takeaways from the cohort? Did anything shared during the cohort surprise you or challenge any of your preexisting assumptions?
I work with data and our alumni, so anything related to this is of value to me. Hearing from the other organizations was invaluable. It was also validating to hear that other people are experiencing similar problems, such as staying in touch with people and measuring impact. WBN gave us a space to workshop some ideas, which led to a lot of changes on my end. We found that we weren’t introducing the Career Success team (alumni) early enough. People didn’t know who I was until after the program was done, and by then it was too late. The work needs to be introduced in the beginning, so that the expectations are set, and I don’t just become an email address asking you to fill out a survey. I feel like I have stronger relationships with our community through this shift in engagement.
Can you provide a brief overview of how Reel Works has historically engaged program alumni?
Historically, alumni engagement at Reel Works was informal. When MediaMKRS was first starting out, the team was small and the cohorts were small, so individual support was easier to provide. As the program grew, it became more difficult to keep in touch with everyone and get a sense of impact. Efforts, while personal and well-intentioned, lacked structure and consistency. We realized that without a system in place, we were missing opportunities to keep up with our graduates in an intentional way.
What inspired Reel Works to create an alumni committee? What was the problem you were hoping to solve?
We started an alumni committee because we wanted our alumni engagement and programming to be representative of what our community members actually wanted. We can make assumptions, but there’s nothing better than creating programming for the community you are serving with their direct input. Additionally, there was a bandwidth issue. It was just me serving hundreds (we currently have 900 MediaMKRS alumni!) of people, and I couldn’t manage alumni programming without additional support. By bringing on 4 engaged leaders within our community, we were able to provide them with additional opportunities, access, and a stipend, all while picking their brains, utilizing their network, and skills.
Can you walk us through the process of activating an alumni committee? How did you approach this process?
We started off with a traditional recruitment process. We alerted our community of the opportunity and sent out an email blast. Secondly, we held short 15-minute interviews. From there, we selected the ones who we believed to be a great fit. We have a great recruitment team, and I stole some tips from them 🙂 Overall, we were looking for people who have historically been engaged in our community, looking to give back, and were committed to the cohort.
What have you learned through the committee?
People still want to do in-person activities! It’s not that this was surprising, it’s just that I didn’t know much that these young people were yearning for more live engagement. When MediaMKRS was first getting started, it was 2019, and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic was right around the corner. Many of our early cohorts finished college online, and didn’t get to build a community in the same way that I did when I was first in school. I kind of forgot about that. Additionally, the committee brought a lot of passion. They had so many ideas and were eager to get out there and serve their community. It’s been awesome to see! They challenged my assumptions and solidified that alumni engagement is a mutual relationship.
What role do you envision alumni playing in the future of Reel Works?
We see them as future mentors, teaching artists, board members, and leaders in the media industry who can pave the way for the next generation of filmmakers and media professionals. Our alumni work at Reel Works in many different capacities, and I look forward to the day that a Reel Works alumnus becomes a board member! The long-term vision is to create a community where graduates are not only receiving support but also giving support and actively working to shape our mission and impact within the film and entertainment industry.
To learn more about Reel Works, and their in-school, afterschool and workforce development programming please visit their website or read their 2024 annual report. To learn more about the WBN National Survey current and future WBN Cohort opportunities, please visit this link. To learn more about the New York City Employment and Training Coalition you can visit their website here.
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