Organization: Water Lily Montessori School
Website: https://www.waterlilymontessori.org/
Established: 2019 Number of Employees: 3
Mission Statement: Water Lily Montessori School’s mission is to provide equitable and accessible high-quality Montessori education within an inclusive and culturally diverse community. We partner with families to nurture each child’s independence, confidence, curiosity, and lifelong love of learning.
Organization’s Challenge:
Water Lily Montessori School is seeking support with a marketing strategy project. Their school is a member of the Wildflower Network, an ecosystem of teacher-led, community-embedded Montessori microschools. They rent space within a church in Lowertown St. Paul and are committed to making Montessori education accessible to families in both their immediate neighborhood and across the city. Water Lily’s staff consists of a director/founding teacher leader and two classroom assistants. They face challenges with enrollment, with 16 students enrolled both this year and last year. To remain a thriving school, Water Lily needs to increase enrollment by way of visibility within the current community as well as neighboring St. Paul communities such as Como Park, Cathedral Hill, West 7th, St. Anthony Park, and the Selby-Dale areas. The current location could be impacting their enrollment efforts, and outreach in these surrounding communities could prove beneficial. Water Lily serves over 90% of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch and is looking to find a balance across their student and family demographic by reevaluating their outreach efforts that stretch beyond their current location. These efforts could include exploring community partnerships through nearby organizations such as hospitals (Regions, Children’s, United) or large businesses (Ecolab, Wells Fargo).
Another consistent challenge is online visibility: in searches for “Montessori St. Paul” or “preschool St. Paul,” Water Lily does not appear until the 2nd page or later. This limited digital footprint makes it difficult for families to discover the school and for potential supporters to understand the value of their work. Water Lily previously hired a marketing company to help with website branding, email communications, and some SEO, but these efforts did not lead to the increased engagement they had hoped for. Marketing expertise to boost visibility could include recommendations on strengthening their digital presence (website, social media) or communicating their story more effectively to potential volunteers and donors. Water Lily would benefit from expertise on a clearer marketing strategy and practical ideas for expanding their reach.
Potential Deliverable(s):
1. Marketing strategy for reaching new audiences & increasing enrollment
Requested Volunteer Skill
Sets:
Marketing Strategist, Communications, Digital Marketing, Project Management
This spot is for the Project Lead Role - Project Leads help facilitate the meetings, guiding the team through the agendas, keeping folks on task and conversation flowing, inclusive of all voices. Project leads do not need to have expertise in all aspects of the challenge but rather have strong leadership and facilitation skills. They will also help schedule the scoping call.
