How Speakap Helped a Washington D.C. Non-Profit Increase Employee Engagement by 52.91%

About Martha’s Table

Martha’s Table is a non-profit dedicated to supporting children, families, and communities in Washington, D.C., with essential services like education and access to food. Spread across three locations, they’re all about creating opportunities for growth and fostering a community of care.

The Challenge:

How to close the communication gap to ensure that essential information is shared across the organization despite the physical separation?

Martha’s Table was navigating the complexities of operating across three locations and managing a hybrid workforce. The transition to remote work during the pandemic exposed significant communication gaps, leaving employees feeling disconnected. Leadership identified several key challenges:

• Communication disconnects: Important updates weren’t consistently reaching all employees, especially frontline workers who were left out of critical information.
• Disarray and frustration: The lack of streamlined communication led to a sense of chaos, with employees struggling to stay informed and engaged.
• Siloed communication channels: Over-reliance on email (which only HQ and leadership had access to) and scattered communication tools made it difficult to maintain consistent, effective communication.

Leadership knew that if these issues weren’t addressed, it could undermine organizational cohesion, alignment on priorities, and their overall mission.

“The disconnect among team members created a sense of disarray and frustration. Without a streamlined communication channel, important updates were not consistently reaching team members, and there was a pervasive sense of chaos.”

Delal Salah, Internal Communications Manager at Martha’s Table

The Solution:

One app to bring everyone together

To tackle these challenges, Martha’s Table introduced MT Connect (developed by Speakap), to provide a centralized communication platform. The organization shifted its communication strategy to focus on building relationships and engagement, rather than just pushing out information.

Key reasons Speakap was the perfect fit:

• User-friendly platform: Speakap’s interface made it easy for everyone, regardless of tech skills, to stay connected.
• Real-time updates: Employees received timely updates on their devices, ensuring important information wasn’t missed.
• Engagement insights: Speakap’s analytics allowed leadership to track engagement and identify areas for improvement.
• Interactive content: Fun, engaging content like trivia and wellness campaigns was added to the app, helping to foster team interaction and build a sense of community.

“We reframed MT Connect as a culture-building tool, which helped us shift from just sharing information to creating a space for meaningful interactions.”

Delal Salah, Internal Communications Manager at Martha’s Table

To drive meaningful engagement within MT Connect, the team took several strategic steps:

• Training and support: Employees were provided with clear training on how to use the app and why it would improve communication across the organization.
• Engaging content: By incorporating trivia, wellness challenges, and team member recognition into the platform, Martha’s Table created a space that went beyond work updates, making it more appealing for employees to use.
• Leadership example: HQ set the tone by regularly posting updates, showing the team how to use MT Connect effectively.
• Integrated communications framework: Alongside Speakap, a comprehensive internal communications framework was introduced, positioning MT Connect as a core element of the strategy. Its purpose and expectations were clearly defined, and new features were integrated to enhance functionality. This was complemented by additional tools, like for example weekly wrap-ups.

The Results:

A 93% activation rate & 52.91% boost in engagement 

The results speak for themselves. MT Connect has an impressive 93% activation rate. Moreover, between 2023 and 2024, Martha’s Table saw a 52.91% increase in engagement on MT Connect, with daily active users growing from 15.23% to 20.50%, a 34.59% year-over-year growth.

Other key wins:

• 84.74% more posts: The number of posts rose from 852 in 2023 to 1,574 in 2024, reflecting increased team participation.
• 23.81% more unique users: The number of unique users grew from 21 to 26, highlighting greater adoption across the workforce.

MT Connect has also become a crucial tool for building a strong internal culture at Martha’s Table. The app is now a space where team members can connect, celebrate each other’s successes, and share important updates, creating a more collaborative work environment.

“MT Connect has transformed our internal communication. It’s allowed us to bridge the gap between our campuses and build a culture where every team member feels connected and valued.”

Delal Salah, Internal Communications Manager at Martha’s Table