Tvon-Lourie Keels, Communications Manager, Interfaith Ministries For Greater Houston
Tvon-Lourie Keels is a one-woman show. As the communications manager of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, Keels - or Lou to her co-workers - represents a department of
one, having taken on the responsibilities of media relations, community advocacy, internal communications, Web site maintenance, event support, advertising and publication
scheduling.
It's a mouthful for sure, and her additional role as the Ministries' spokeswoman keeps her in constant contact with key stakeholders, bringing communications to the forefront
of the organization.
A Quick Get-Away
It's not always smooth sailing for Keels, who is central to the nonprofit's Meals on Wheels campaign promotion. The goodwill initiative quickly switched gears into crisis mode
when one of the Meals on Wheels trucks was stolen at the beginning of a delivery route.
With a budding crisis on her hands, Keels leveraged her relationships with local media outlets, bringing the crime front-and-center in news coverage. The truck was found in
less than 24 hours thanks to her quick thinking and a tip from a news viewer.
Sharing a Story
Keel advances the Ministries' mission through diverse integrated communications strategy, from a newly launched Web site to volunteer recruitment via social networking sites.
She also manages the blogs of program directors, which ultimately spread the good word to the community via a modern platform.
When faced with the issue of limited server space, Keels created Web accounts for photos and videos that not only allowed more users to view the images, but that alleviated the
strain on server space. All of these innovative approaches to nonprofit communications have allowed Keels to operate a streamlined department on an annual budget of $70,000.