Designing the organization's annual Impact Statement /  by Ashley Villanueva

Over the past couple of years, I've been tasked with designing the organization's annual Impact Statement.

Its purpose is to serve as a high-level communications snapshot showcasing our annual impact and influence to the campus, designed to reach administrators, campus partners and stakeholders. The 4 page, folded tabloid highlights key metrics, accomplishments, areas of growth, satisfaction trends and goals for next year. 

To elevate the graphic design components, I worked more closely with data analyst and unit leads. Each year, over 300 were distributed and I became a consultant on designing annual reports for other organizations on campus. 

2014

2016

Branding for an ethnic staff organization /  by Ashley Villanueva

For two years, I served as the Communications Chair for UC Berkeley’s Asian Pacific American Systemwide Alliance (APASA). APASA’s mission and goals are to:

  • Promote the general welfare of Asian Pacific Islander (API) staff, faculty, and students at the University of California, Berkeley
  • Strengthen the professional and social networking between API staff and faculty, the Berkeley campus community, the University of California systemwide, and the general public
  • Encourage the recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of API faculty, staff, and students
  • Review and assess campus issues and their impact on the API campus community
  • Act as an informative and proactive organization to address, develop, and influence policy recommendations that affect the Asian Pacific Islander community on the Berkeley campus
  • Connect to the (API) community beyond the Berkeley campus

My role, at a volunteer staff capacity, included:
• Sending weekly e-newsletters about campus events, jobs and news; maintains the 700+ membership listserv
• Managing the website and social media presence on Facebook and LinkedIn
• Leading a communications subcommittee made of two volunteer staff members
• Designing and producing handouts, signage, and presentations. Oversee branding.

 

The biggest undertaking in my role was branding the newsletter. Staff are considered part of APASA if they are on our list serv, which had about 800 members when I began. The challenge was that staff already get so many emails, so I had to make it something worth their time. I implemented a few simple, but effective changes:

  • Using MailChimp, I branded the content and organized the information for better content flow and brand association. One main topic or event to feature, followed by two columns!
  • I sent one email every two weeks to keep the messaging consistent and expected. I timed this email to reach their inbox mid-week, mid-day (Wednesdays at 11am).
  • Add in relevant content like:
    • APASA events, announcements, scholarships, surveys, volunteer opportunities, etc.
    • Job openings on campus with specific Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity goals
    • Featured article about APIs in the news
    • Relevant workshops and conferences
    • Faculty/staff events and workshops on campus

The results were extremely successful. The membership began emailing back with events, resources, and job openings to add and other ethnic staff organizations sought out MailChimp training so they could do the same. Members anecdotally shared they felt more connected to campus because of the newsletter, pride in being an APASA member, and affirmation that they were more likely to attend events.

Surrounding this main source of advertisement/communication were:

  • Post discussions about the featured article on LinkedIn
  • Post events, birthdays, and other announcements on Facebook
  • Create Google calendar events for APASA programming, so members could add it to their calendars
  • Encouraged users to use the #APASABerkeley hashtag to curate photos and comments from the membership
  • Brand related documents: sign in sheet, directional signage, etc.
  • Create APASA-branded thank you cards

After my first year in the role, I created communications guidelines to share with the steering committee so that everyone had a foundational understanding about what content works well where and where the gaps were. In my second year, I was able to create and lead a sub-committee of volunteer staff members, who eventually assumed my position in the following year.

Community x Communications = Awesome

Ashley

Redesign: University Health Services, Tang Center website /  by Ashley Villanueva

This year, UHS redesigned its website from Dreamweaver to Drupal, using Open Berkeley (campus web turnkey platform). I led the 6 month undertaking, which prioritized aesthetics, simplifying content, and increasing the visibility of our programs. The new design allows for streamlined menus, clear navigation, and a responsive layout for all platforms.

In addition to the changed design and layout of the pages, new functions have been implemented in this version:

My role in the project included:

  • Facilitating student and staff focus groups
  • Transferring content from Dreamweaver to Open Berkeley
  • Serving as the primary liaison with the Open Berkeley team
  • Developing new web documentation and guidelines, including tools for UHS to implement bi-annual audits of content and imagery for accuracy and relevance
  • Refreshing the imagery for all 25+ units represented
  • Working with each individual unit to refresh and simplify content
  • Training over 20 unit web leads
  • Simultaneously redesigning the Be Well at Work Faculty/Staff Health Programs brand.

We’re already seeing positive results from the redesign.We’re seeing an increase in the average time on page and pages per visit, which is likely attributed to our improved information architecture:

Fun facts:

  • The last web redesign was launched in August 2010.
  • We’ve downsized our content 67% – from over 1,200 pages to a little under 400.
  • From site spin-up to launch, only cost roughly $1200 dollars – a significant cost saving for the organization.

I am probably most proud because I view this accomplishment as a prime example of all of Berkeley’s five operating principles:

We include and excel, together
We cultivate trust, treat one another with respect and assume good intentions. We actively include different perspectives and work cooperatively within and across departments. We thrive when we celebrate the diversity in our community and our common commitment to equity, inclusion and equal access to all.

We imagine and innovate
We develop sustainable solutions that help us meet campus goals. We are willing to take intelligent risks, make mistakes, and learn from our experiences.

We simplify
We reduce unnecessary steps and make it easier to get things done. Our solutions are common where they can be, custom where it counts.

We are accountable to each other
We measure supervisor, individual and team performance, make transparent decisions, and follow through on our commitments. We recognize excellence, and give and receive constructive feedback at all levels to help us improve.

We focus on service
We provide timely, excellent service to students, staff, faculty, alumni and other stakeholders. We emphasize service over bureaucracy whenever possible.