Kerk Communications | Communications that inspire action

Communications that inspire action

Whether it’s persuasive prose, a heartfelt testimonial or a powerful statistic, effective communication will inspire your audience to take action.

SERVICES

Kerk Communications provides a number of services, including:

WRITING AND EDITING

Compelling content is at the core of any successful communication effort, whether it’s social, digital, hardcopy or earned media.

MESSAGING

Using consistent messaging across all communication channels improves the effectiveness of fundraising campaigns, advocacy efforts and other targeted activities.

MEDIA RELATIONS

Newspaper, radio and TV coverage can raise the profile of your organization and help to position it as a thought leader in your market space.

STRATEGIC PLANS

A strategic plan helps you focus your resources on reaching your target audiences and inspiring them to act.

ABOUT

Caitlin Kerk is first and foremost a writer who believes successful communications start with a compelling message. The tool used to convey it – social, digital, hardcopy or earned media – is just a tool, albeit with its own writing standards and styles.

She has been writing about health and social issues for more than 20 years to inspire action on behalf of important causes. That could mean donating money, volunteering, signing up for a program, advocating for a policy, or whatever other action is needed.

Caitlin launched Kerk Communications in 1997 to provide nonprofit agencies and other public benefit organizations with quality marketing communication services at competitive prices. Before that, she headed communications for the statewide American Lung Association, handled nonprofit and government accounts at Coakley Heagerty Public Relations firm, and worked as a daily newspaper reporter.

She graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a minor in Political Science.

WORK

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RAISING THE PROFILE OF HUNGER

Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

Caitlin helps Second Harvest inspire people to take action against hunger in Silicon Valley. She develops messaging that provides the foundation for consistent content across all channels – solicitations, website, blogs, social media, newsletters, etc. She also writes content, including the most recent annual report, and provides input on communication and marketing strategies.

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HIGHLIGHTING LEADING-EDGE CARE

Washington Hospital

Caitlin works with Washington Hospital to help position it as a state-of-the-art medical center that provides the most comprehensive, leading-edge health care possible today. She writes articles that regularly appear in the Tri-City Voice highlighting the services, physicians, health and wellness programs, and facilities that set it apart from other community hospitals.

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USING DATA TO TELL A STORY

Santa Clara County Public Health Department

Caitlin helped the Santa Clara County Public Health Department produce three reports (Community Health Assessment, Health and Social Inequity, Status of Vietnamese Health), which took complex data and ideas and translated them into easy-to-digest narrative that conveyed an important story about the health and wellness of the local community. The three reports were a collaborative effort between the Public Health Department and other stakeholders, which required a number of meetings, focus groups and iterations to ensure that everyone’s voice was heard and incorporated.

CLIENTS

Here’s what clients say:

“Caitlin has been a consistent and high-quality writer for Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for years. She knows and understands our mission and voice, and her knowledge of the local and national nonprofit sector shows in her external and internal communications. Caitlin’s messaging is compelling, and her contacts with the community open doors to much-needed coverage for our cause. She manages up very well, understanding the workloads of directors and executives. Trustworthy, ethical, and a fact-checker to the extreme, I couldn’t recommend Caitlin enough.”
Cat Cvengros, Vice President Development and Marketing
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
“Caitlin Kerk understands how strategic communications can strengthen your brand. She knows how to create an effective multi-channel approach that can accomplish your marketing goals. She is an excellent writer who is spot on when it comes to messaging that resonates with key target audiences. She is also incredibly flexible, which makes her very easy to work with.”
Jane Le Fevre, Former Vice President of Marketing and Communications
United Way Silicon Valley
“I’ve worked with Caitlin Kerk for more than a decade in many capacities. She has been an invaluable member of several teams I’ve formed and has the highest levels of competence, responsiveness, and accountability of any of my consultants. With her excellent contacts and reputation, I believe she is the best resource for nonprofit media relations in Silicon Valley, especially given today’s constantly changing news landscape. She is also an outstanding copywriter and editor who is skilled in all areas of nonprofit communications.”
Claire Wagner, Communications Director
Fresh Lifelines for Youth

CLIENT LIST

Partial list of past and present clients:

American Lung Association of California

Applied Materials Foundation

Breathe California

Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County

Community Health Partnership

Daughters of Charity Health System

Destination: Home

HomeFirst

Inspiration Quest

MeDIC Collaborative

O’Connor Hospital

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles

San Jose Tobacco-Free Collaborative

San Juan Bautista Child Development Center

Santa Clara County Blue Ribbon Commission on Ending Homelessness and Solving the Affordable Housing Crisis

Santa Clara County Office of Public Communication

Santa Clara County Public Library

Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Independent Living Center

Sonoma County Asthma Coalition

United Way Silicon Valley

Washington Hospital