October 20, 2022
During the week of September 19th, the city of Pittsburgh was home to almost 250 agency professionals from various departments from across the country as we came together in our first-ever TrueSense Marketing Homecoming event. It was a unique opportunity to improve the insights, service, and execution we deliver for The Salvation Army.
TrueSense has always excelled in promoting a strong workplace culture, but after the last couple of years — with most employees working from home and an explosive growth of new team members — we felt like we needed something that would bring us all together. The idea for homecoming started in January and required months of planning and hundreds of hours coordinating every detail.
The goal of Homecoming 2022 was to bring a balance of education and relationship-building during this three-day event. The first day started with an inspirational message from our President, Steven Bushee.
Since so many new employees were in attendance, Steven’s address was followed by an educational session led by each department, sharing the details of their unique roles in the development of our fundraising campaigns. After lunch, we enjoyed speakers who focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and Emotional Intelligence. The night ended with a celebration dinner overlooking the city skyline.
The next day included team-specific events that focused on the needs and development of each client vertical. To wrap up our week, the entire agency met again for additional training and special recognitions.
One of the most valuable takeaways for our Salvation Army team was learning from — and strengthening — our collaboration with other departments such as data and analytics, creative, and digital media. We were eager to share ideas and connect in ways that only an event like this can allow.
The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. Morale is high and our hearts are full as we are ready more than ever to move ahead with a new sense of purpose and gratitude toward our agency and the work we love.
We are thankful to work for a company that is willing to invest in its people. For that, we are a stronger team and better able to serve you, having had this experience.
The time we spent together as a team and as an agency was significant — and we encourage you to host your own homecoming week as the value and rewards gained were extraordinary.