VICKY FRANCHINO

FILENE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Ever wondered how to help low-income Americans get access to affordable (and game-changing) transportation? How to do a better job supporting minority small business owners? Or whether income share agreements could offer a way out of the student loan crisis? 

So has Filene Research Institute.

And they don’t just ponder. They innovate, experiment and dig deep to find the answers to some of our country's most critical financial equity questions.

My job: Work with the researchers to turn those findings into action-oriented reports.

SAMARITAN COUNSELING

​

For nearly 50 years, vulnerable people throughout the Fox Cities have relied on Samaritan Counseling in times of crisis. When escalating community needs and growing expenses meant the time was right to invest in their own facility, Samaritan Counseling turned to my client, McDonald Schaefer, for crucial fundraising assistance. I interviewed Samaritan’s leaders, key community partners and clients to craft the story that launched their capital campaign.

PINE GROVE FINANCIAL GROUP

​

SEO whiz Winbound enlisted my help to create retirement-centric blog posts for the financial experts at Pine Grove. My favorite? The new “retirementality” post, courtesy of retirement guru Mitch Anthony. If you’ve never considered never retiring, check the article out—you might change your mind!

SUMMIT CREDIT UNION

Like all credit unions, Summit is committed to providing affordable, member-first (that’s “customer-first” in credit union lingo) products and services. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the chance to help them craft videos, direct mail, emails and more, including my all-time-favorite assignment: their Red Shoes blog posts. This program, designed to help women own their best financial future, empowers women to take charge of their financial success and was a lot of fun to research and write.

CUNA AND TRUSTAGE

More than 120 million Americans have discovered the many benefits credit unions bring to the financial services space—including affordable products and services and a community-first approach.

And most of those 120 million + members have directly or indirectly benefited from the efforts of CUNA (the Credit Union National Association) or TruStage, which works with credit unions to provide insurance and investment solutions.

I’ve counted both of these organizations among my clients for many years and have shared their compelling stories in every medium.

BEAR REALTY

​

Selling a house. Buying a house. When you’re looking to do one (or both) you need a straight shooter who understands the market, knows how to pinpoint the selling price or offer that will get the job done and tells you what you need—not just want—to hear.

It was a lot of fun to help my client Savage Solution come up with a combo direct mail/sales tool that would capture the difference of working with market leader, Bear Realty.

MGE

It might seem counterintuitive for a utility to seek out ways to help their customers save energy, but Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) has made this a priority for years. I’ve helped share their story through collateral, case studies and more and gone along on many a photo shoot (though, unlike MGE staff photographer extraordinaire, Steve Salt, I’ve never been called on to scale an MGE wind turbine—thank goodness).

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

If you’ve ever made a last-minute dash to the library so one of your kids could pull together a paper on anything from genetically modified foods to motorcycles, you might have crossed paths with one of my non-fiction children’s books.

(Go ahead—look me up on Amazon!)

​

Although most of my readers are under age 10, or related to me (thanks, Dad!), these books are a great example of my ability to deliver content in a concise and easy-to-understand way.

SWEENEY

Every contractor wants to land the big remodeling projects, but the reality is that small projects have their place too—they can be a great way to fill schedule gaps and they give homeowners a way to “test drive” a contractor.

​

I worked in partnership with the design geniuses at Swink to create this postcard campaign and our client liked it so much,  they updated and used it for multiple years.

PIXELSPOKE

This digital marketing, worker-owned cooperative believes business can be a force for good and works with mission-driven companies that share their ethos.

Together, we’ve created online content to help readers navigate big challenges, including marketing during COVID-19, keeping things personal in a digital world and taking a stand on racism.