Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Bennett
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always had a heart for service and community and believe in leaving things better than you found them. In high school, I was involved in every service-oriented activity I could find and was president of my school’s National Honor Society chapter during my senior year. In college, I continued to prioritize service and intended to pursue a career in child advocacy law. As is often the case, life happened, and plans changed. My career kicked off with several paid editorial internships and a three-year stint as a member of a magazine’s small editorial team, before transitioning to more traditional communications work. My fate felt sealed in the marketing and communications world. After this, I was fortunate to have an amazing opportunity with a consulting firm where I was exposed to diverse business models and projects, including tech hardware, software, and rural healthcare. I learned a lot very quickly. Since then, I’ve worked within a mid-size, not-for-profit health system’s communications team and as a development director at a school. My career has been squiggly, with unexpected twists and turns, but ultimately, all of these experiences and the skills I’ve developed encouraged me to start Sprig. As a solopreneur, I get to combine my content and communications expertise with my passion for service and call it work. Every day, I partner with and elevate the mission of nonprofit organizations across the U.S. I know for certain my younger self would be proud. It truly feels like coming home.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a winding road for sure. As far as starting a business goes, many of the bumps I’ve experienced are familiar to entrepreneurs. Prioritizing business growth while taking good care of the organizations I work with is a never-ending juggle. I also realize that targeting nonprofits is risky business since they’re notorious for having limited budgets and resources, but I’ve been able to make it work while being fair to those I work with. I’m fortunate to have great relationships with past employers and co-workers who have provided referrals and who have even become clients!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I bring big-brand marketing and communications support to small nonprofit organizations. Small and start-up organizations are my favorite. They’re typically led by super-passionate leaders (often the initial founders) who are overwhelmed balancing and prioritizing their work and figuring out how to achieve their growth goals. While I specialize in translating difficult concepts and jargon into digestible content, typically through storytelling, my passion and dogged diligence to moving plans forward is my true superpower. I’m proud of many of my recent projects for different reasons. A project that stands out is one with a healthcare client. They were struggling to explain how their department supports hospital interventions and the importance of community health in the organization’s strategy. We were able to demonstrate their hidden work and touchpoints by following an imaginary patient – one who typically falls through the cracks – through their care experience. They used the story during roadshow presentations with leaders and departments across the health system to help them understand 1) How to partner, 2) The value and evidence of the impact of community health work, and 3) How to support the work from a leadership perspective. While not sexy like a video or glossy printed piece, the approach simplified their approach and allowed them to make important headway toward their goals. With leadership backing and support, the department unlocked dollars to distribute to community partners nearing $1.5M.
What matters most to you?
Doing good. That takes many forms in this work. By supporting clients, I alleviate stress by becoming an “I got this person” within their team. Through the work my clients do, I get to have a larger impact in my community than I would as an individual. For example, in 2024, I played a role in raising more than $300,000 between all of the projects I supported, and all of those dollars go back to the community in some way. This doesn’t even factor in the benefit of the educational and storytelling content produced for other organizations without a fundraising goal. If I worked for a small nonprofit as a marketing or development manager, for example, I may not be able to do this much good.
Pricing:
- Retainer marketing and communications support
- One-time event or campaign support
- Nonprofit Event-in-a-Box Kit ($297)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sprigco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sprigcommunications/
Image Credits
Photo at the presentation (woman speaking at the podium), photo courtesy of Michael Hobson, St. Luke’s Health System
