Yuchi Language Project
About the Yuchi Language Project
For over 25 years, the Yuchi Language Project has worked at the forefront of Indigenous language revitalization. Like many Indigenous languages, Yuchi is critically endangered–a direct result of colonization, removal, and the forced assimilation that Yuchi people endured beginning with the so-called Trail of Tears. The Yuchi Language Project was founded not only to ensure the survival of the language through immersion education, but also to create a thriving community where Yuchi lifeways–including identity, culture, and spirituality–can be celebrated and nurtured by future generations. Led by a father-daughter team who have dedicated their lives to Yuchi cultural continuity, the Project is already supporting a new generation of Yuchi speakers while increasing national and global attention on the importance of language revitalization and Indigenous self-determination.
Challenges and Opportunities
When our team initially connected with the Yuchi Language Project through our ongoing partnership with the Kalliopeia Foundation, they were preparing to create a groundbreaking landback campaign. Several years before, the Project had been presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reclaim 560 acres of their Yuchi ancestral homelands in what is now Alabama. Rebuilding a Yuchi community on this sacred land–which holds the last known Yuchi traditional ceremonial ground–would provide a source of deep renewal, healing, and justice for generations to come. But to realize its vision, the Project would need to raise close to $5 million to reclaim the land and sustain operations. They needed to design and launch a strategic campaign that would not only engage existing funders but help them reach new audiences with the capacity to provide critical support.
Approach
Our team’s overarching goal was to amplify the voices of the Yuchi Language Project’s team through the power of their story. We knew we needed a multifaceted strategy to help the Project spark the attention of potential new funders while also developing tools and systems to support effective fundraising in the long term. To start, we began in-depth prospecting research to understand the landscape of funders invested in Indigenous land rights and language revitalization. We developed strong campaign messaging and communications materials to help supporters understand how reclaiming Yuchi ancestral land is a vital step in supporting Yuchi cultural renewal.
With the Project’s campaign strategy in development, our team also began creating the organizational infrastructure to support long term fundraising objectives. Our intention was to help the Project’s exceptionally busy team focus their time on engaging and inspiring potential supporters by automating some crucial behind-the-scenes fundraising work. For example, we helped the Project leverage new online platforms to expand the ways they can accept gifts, and we began creating their organizational database to help track donations from multiple sources and support staff in building stronger relationships with donors over time.
Impact
In partnership with the Kalliopeia Foundation, our team planned and facilitated a virtual campaign kickoff event–bringing together numerous prospective funders to hear directly from the Yuchi’s Language Project’s founders on their efforts to rematriate Yuchi ancestral homelands. The gathering provided a space for funders to connect more deeply with the Yuchi Language Project’s story, and many left inspired to engage further and get involved. As a result, diverse funders have collectively committed over $1 million to fuel the Yuchi Language Project’s work in the years to come.
To ensure the Yuchi Language Project’s sustainability, our team has established vital systems to support the Project’s current and future advancement work. Grounded in best fundraising practices, these systems are increasing efficiency and expanding opportunities for the Yuchi Language Project to share its powerful story with new audiences. Our team is helping the Project’s staff create compelling communications content to engage new supporters in the Project’s mission to rematriate Yuchi ancestral land. Finally, we are creating a long term advancement plan for the Project’s team that will empower them to carry their advancement work forward–and to realize their vision for a thriving Yuchi cultural community.