P-EBT Outreach

ROLE Designer

TEAM Sara McKitterick, Ali Pinoli

TAKEAWAY State-level service design for equitable family food access begins with choice, dignity, and clear communication.

p-ebt outreach

Online communication resources made in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance that helped increase Massachusetts’ Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer card usage up to 87% in late 2020.


context

Federal funds on Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer cards help families replace the meals children would have gotten at school. In partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, I worked in a team of 3 to improve public communications to increase P-EBT card usage. My team worked full-time for the Shah Family Foundation. To learn more, check out the foundation’s Case Study.

"How can we improve public communications to increase P-EBT card usage?"

 

my role

  • Design graphic, video, and strategy solutions to simplify multi-step information such as how to activate the card

  • Lead outreach communications to relevant local organizations such as immigrant coalitions facing barriers to activation with fear of public charge

  • Write social media copy for the toolkit and producing FAQ visuals to meet each different platform's specific constraints

 

objective

Our team sought to partner with the DTA and strengthen messages through a central resource website MA-pEBT.org (available in 8 languages), Facebook Webinars with Local Mayors and Community Leaders, and social media visuals.

challenges

  • Mistrust of government amongst COVID-19 pandemic for many recipients, especially those at high-risk who fear public charge

  • Limited bureaucratic reach and access to data as a contracted, private team

  • Varying stakeholder needs and privacy constraints to consider from entire school districts, to parents groups, and young students

  • Delays from the federal level led to minimal turnaround time to publish updated information to the public

  • A lack of formal branding guidelines from the state led to inconsistent MA-PEBT brand language and identity

 

outcome

87% of Cards Activated

From our improved communications strategy, website, we saw a 30% increase in site traffic and community organization materials engagement. 87% of P-EBT cards had been activated, and our work helped influence other state’s outreach models. Watch the work shine at the Food Research & Action Center Webinar.

To the left you can see the previous design, to the right my first attempt at simplifying. MA-pebt.org