Kudoz shared their story and received funding
***Please note: Case Studies may refer to See Together Media, Rheanna’s former business alias.***
It started with a need
Before Kudoz, people with cognitive disabilities had little to no new experiences as they grew older. The majority of social programs on offer end after age 18 or 19, resulting in a long lifetime of isolation and frustration for these adults. Kudoz is one of the many impact-driven companies that wants to break down social barriers like these, and we were so thrilled at the opportunity to help.
Funding Goal
Kudoz is brilliant! It’s an online platform and app that facilitates a community of volunteers to share meaningful experiences with any adult with a cognitive disability. The Kudoz team are the kind of changemakers we love because of their purposeful approach: not simply providing a platform but getting involved, fostering their values of a growth-mindset at every interaction. They had the idea mapped out and the right people to execute it, but they just needed funding to get it off the ground.
Fortunately, we had worked with the founders of Kudoz on previous projects, and they knew we could capture the intention of Kudoz, its story and subtleties, in an engaging video before it was even in full swing. We delivered a short documentary showcasing how Kudoz worked, its value, and the reason people with diverse abilities needed it. The video really excited people where ever it was presented.
Able to scale
With their new video to show funders, conversations changed from “How does this work” to “How long till it’s ready for our city?” Kudoz received funding for the next two years, giving Kudoz the runway needed to prototype, test the platform, and evaluate its impact. We asked the Kudoz team if the video helped reinforce existing attitudes towards Kudoz. “It’s creating new ones,” says Janey Roh, Team Lead, “people are seeing Kudoz experiences as much more than just activities now. Now they are seeing the effects that Kudoz experiences can have on building independence, confidence, and expanding networks.”
Recruiting More Users
In their second year, Kudoz was looking to grow. This meant recruiting more users as well as more volunteers as hosts. Like many businesses, Kudoz needed people to see how it would benefit them or how it was right for them. We again helped Kudoz create some tailored content in the form of videos, speaking directly to the specific audience they wanted to target. We featured active users of Kudoz and had them share their personal stories about how Kudoz has improved their lives.
Maximizing Results
For year three, Kudoz wanted to keep the momentum going. They needed something they could take anywhere and have people quickly see how exciting Kudoz is. In our third collaboration we created a unique concept video that gave people the point-of-view of a Kudoz user. When the video was published, Kudoz’s website experienced a 33% increase of website retention.
“It’s safe to say people spend more time watching our videos now then they spent on our website, before.”
Kudoz has been inventive when leveraging the power of video, using their videos within their operational systems when onboarding or presenting at conferences. “We’ve asked partner organizations to put it in their newsletter too.” Janey mentions.
“Wow, that’s exciting!’ are the words I hear most [about the video]. They [viewers] comment about the experiences they saw in the video. People watch and are excited to become part of the Kudoz community.”
“POV” video
Janey continues to speak on how Kudoz, a complex and purpose-driven business, leverages video, “The first video [short documentary] shared the emotion of Kudoz; it really tugs at your heart. But the [POV video] captures the excitement of Kudoz… [Kudoz] is really hard to describe. Giving examples and even showing pictures, it’s still hard for people to ‘get it’. The videos show the experience. People know what will happen and the kind of people they’ll meet.”
Kudoz continues to innovate in their sector with goals to spread across BC. They’re also exploring opportunities to operate in New Zealand.
Hear what Janey Roh, Kudoz Team Lead has to say about working with us