The Smart Communications Podcast

Episode 207: How can you center community voices in messaging?

Host: Farrah Trim Peter (Co-director and worker-owner, Big Duck)
Guest: Logan Herring (CEO, The WRK Group)
Date: March 18, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives into practical and transformative ways for nonprofit leaders to truly center community voices in their organizational messaging. Host Farrah Trim Peter interviews Logan Herring, CEO of The WRK Group—a collective of organizations revitalizing Wilmington, Delaware’s Riverside neighborhood. Logan shares insights on running resident-driven programs, compensating community ambassadors, and leveraging authentic community narratives in all aspects of communication.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Introduction to The WRK Group: Structure and Storytelling

• The WRK Group is composed of three organizations:
  • Kingswood Community Center: Historic (since 1946), first integrated community center in Delaware, serving Wilmington's most underserved neighborhoods.
  • The Warehouse: A 43,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art teen center, run for and by teens.
  • Reach Riverside: Implements the Purpose Built Communities model—mixed income housing, cradle-to-career education, wellness, economic vitality, and provides back-office support to the other entities.
• Collaborative Branding:
  • Though the three entities are separate 501(c)(3)s with distinct boards, “we operate as one.”
  • “When you really talk about this term collective impact, I think we’re the epitome of that.” (Logan Herring, 03:47)

Rethinking “Nonprofit”: From Charity to Tax-Exempt Business

• Logan prefers “tax-exempt business” over “nonprofit,” emphasizing a business mindset for social impact.
• “Nonprofit is not a business strategy, right? It’s just a tax status...Our North Star is to put ourselves out of business. Like, that’s why we exist. We’re here to end intergenerational poverty.” (Logan Herring, 04:53)
• Focused on meeting in the middle between passion and professionalism.

Village Impact Promoters (VIPs): Compensating and Respecting Community Ambassadors

• VIP Program:
  • Eight residents are hired and paid $1,000 per quarter to serve as community ambassadors.
  • Acknowledges time and expertise; $4,000/year is a significant share of the $12,000 average household income in Riverside.
  • VIPs act as “focus groups” and liaisons, providing feedback and honest perspectives.
• “It’s disrespectful to the community [to ask for unpaid labor]...what it signals to them is that we respect you, we respect your time, we respect your expertise and your experience.” (Logan Herring, 07:25)

Selecting and Training VIPs

• All VIPs go through the Empower Program (Economic Mobility Places Ownership within Everyone’s Reach).
• Empower navigational coaches help families and identify neighbors who show leadership and follow-through.
• “Not only are they VIPs and their leaders. They're also getting the support that they need for their overall well being and the well being of their household.” (Logan Herring, 09:15)

Community Feedback and Built-in Authenticity in Messaging

• Content Creation:
  • Stories and testimonials from residents are central, such as videos highlighting families who moved from boarded-up homes to new builds.
  • Example: A local project engineer whose story went viral and led to career advancement within the community.
• "We don’t have to manufacture content. All you gotta do is take a camera and walk around and you see it every single day. It’s just authentic." (Logan Herring, 12:08)
• Community voices featured on social media, tours, and in all messaging.

Focus Grouping and Real Feedback Mechanisms

• Teen engagement: Eight “teen execs” at The Warehouse are paid to help run the center and manage relevant social media.
• Example: Teen-led marketing outperformed adult-driven efforts, bringing 400 teens to an event with only three days’ notice.
• “We should not be the ones that are conveying the message to the customers if we are not proximate to it or we don’t understand it.” (Logan Herring, 14:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Compensation and Respect:
  “You want people to be involved...but you're asking the community with the least amount of disposable income and time...to give us that for free. No, that's disrespectful.” (Logan Herring, 07:22)

• On the “Nonprofit” Label:
  “Nonprofit is not a business strategy, right? It's just a tax status...Businesses are created to solve for problems, and in this sector, you're typically solving for some of the world's hardest problems, but yet you don't want to put...resources in to actually solve for the problem.” (Logan Herring, 04:52)

• On Authenticity:
  “You can't do anything purposeful without making it personal.” (Logan Herring, 18:25)

• On Centering Community in Messaging:
  “There are more qualified people that can do that, and they might not necessarily have a communications degree. Right. But they're the ones that can get the communication across to the people that really need to have it.” (Logan Herring, 14:30)

Timestamp Highlights

• [01:40] - Introduction to the WRK Group and its structure
• [04:50] - “Soapbox” on nonprofit vs. tax-exempt business
• [07:04] - VIPs: Purpose, compensation, and role as community ambassadors
• [09:10] - Selecting and Empowering VIPs
• [10:18] - Communicating through and about the community; real-life narratives
• [12:45] - Teen execs: The power of peer-to-peer communication
• [15:19] - How growing up in Wilmington shapes leadership and community connection
• [17:39] - Authenticity in daily communications and leadership
• [21:21] - Final advice: Show appreciation in tangible ways (compensation, food, childcare)

Practical Takeaways & Final Advice

• Compensate community members for their time and expertise—even small amounts make a difference.
• Embed residents and youth in all aspects of program design, messaging, and content creation. The people closest to the issue are often closest to the best solutions.
• Let authenticity shine: Use real voices and stories, eschew “manufactured” narratives.
• Make inclusion tangible: If financial compensation isn’t possible, offer food, childcare, or other forms of respect for their contributions.
• Personal investment fuels purpose: Connect your organizational mission to personal, authentic motivations.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about The WRK Group: wrkgroup.org
• Connect with Logan Herring on LinkedIn
• Book Mentioned: Jump: My Secret Journey from the Streets to the Boardroom by Larry Miller ([20:48])

This episode offers a masterclass in centering community voices—not just as beneficiaries, but as co-authors and narrators of an organization’s story.