Understanding Audience, Designing for Impact, and Driving Inclusive Entrepreneurship with The Sphere
Arts Equity Group produced a comprehensive research study and substequent communications plan to support targeted outreach for The Sphere, enhancing support for women and nonbinary entrepreneurs in Northampton, MA and beyond.
Project Overview
Client Background
The Sphere is a pioneering initiative dedicated to empowering women and nonbinary entrepreneurs in the greater Northampton area. As a hub for entrepreneurs, the organization aims to eliminate barriers and promote equitable access to resources, skills, and networks for business success. The Sphere fosters a supportive community through free programming, skill-building, and resource-sharing.
Objectives
The Sphere sought to conduct a survey of women and non-binary business owners and entrepreneurs in Northampton, MA to better understand the ecosystem they were striving to serve. Their objectives were to build their brand presence, reach their target audience, and support existing and aspiring entrepreneurs in the region.
Challenges
The Sphere grappled with breaking down barriers that women and nonbinary entrepreneurs often encounter while starting and running businesses. Their aspiration was to promote a more equitable business environment in Northampton by providing easier access to resources, promoting entrepreneurship, and bolstering economic development. This included:
Acknowledging potential response biases and limitations in identity-specific data, especially concerning non-binary, genderqueer, and transgender populations.
Ensuring anonymity in response handling and using descriptive statistics for analysis, benchmarking against state and national data where available.
Crafting compelling press releases to spotlight achievements and their impactful cause.
Our Offerings
Impact and Outcomes
With AEG’s interventions, The Sphere and its community faced profound impacts. AEG’s comprehensive communications plan successfully built The Sphere's brand and reached their target audience, leading to increased engagement and community participation. Through post-program evaluation and research, AEG obtained valuable data on demographics, diversity, and interests among over 250 respondents and aided in the creation of targeted support strategies. The demographic breakdown revealed a more diverse representation among Sphere entrepreneurs compared to the city at large, indicating progress in fostering inclusivity. Explore the Gamma report to learn more about our approach.
The research ultimately helped inform the development of The Sphere’s interactive trail map, translating audience insights into a practical, public-facing resource. Visit the interactive trail map.
Furthermore, AEG secured press coverage across 10 articles and TV reports, including WWLP, The Daily Reminder, and Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Client Feedback
“We got our new nonprofit off the ground! Nothing but great recs here, forever thankful.”
“Danielle was incredibly knowledgeable and gave great perspective to think about. I highly recommend Arts Equity Group! They were easy to work with and provided a lot of value.”
Conclusion
The collaboration between The Sphere and Arts Equity Group exemplifies the power of tailored initiatives to drive transformative change within arts and culture organizations. Through AEG's expertise, The Sphere has successfully fostered an empowering network for women and nonbinary entrepreneurs, breaking barriers and promoting equity in the entrepreneurial landscape.