Comcast Volunteers Built a Digital Strategy to Grow Lehman Sanctuary’s Online Presence

A Common Impact Success Story 

Senior Consultant Maggie Schneider sits down with Chris Miller, founder of Lehman Sanctuary, and Comcast volunteers Sam Osmer and Jesse Deal to reflect on their two-month skills-based volunteering project. Together, they share insights, surprises, and takeaways from the collaboration—highlighting how storytelling, digital strategy, and cross-sector partnership helped strengthen the sanctuary’s mission.

When it comes to protecting Pennsylvania’s natural beauty, Lehman Sanctuary is a quiet powerhouse. Nestled in Luzerne County, the Sanctuary safeguards 200-year-old trees, wetlands teeming with rare wildlife, and a thriving prairie grass meadow wildlife habitat while providing environmental education to local schools and communities. But for Lehman Sanctuary’s founder, Chris Miller, expanding the Sanctuary’s online presence and fundraising strategy required support.

Before engaging in skills-based volunteering, Chris didn’t have an Instagram account for the Lehman Sanctuary and was not active on other social platforms. Chris had powerful stories and visuals to share, but no strategy to reach new supporters or donors.

Enter Common Impact, Comcast, and Comcast volunteers

Chris’s journey began with a one-day skills-based volunteering event known as a “Think Tank,” facilitated by Common Impact, where he got recommendations on the best ways to engage and grow Lehman’s online presence. After the one-day event, Lehman Sanctuary moved forward with a two-month, high-impact engagement through Comcast and Common Impact’s longer-term SBV program.

As part of Comcast’s Project Up initiative, Sam Osmer and Jesse Deal joined the project, bringing their digital marketing expertise. Common Impact’s senior consultant, Maggie Schneider, matched the volunteer team with the Sanctuary based on their unique skills and the nonprofit’s needs, and managed the engagement from start to finish—facilitating meetings, setting milestones, and ensuring both sides stayed aligned.

The goal? To craft a more in-depth plan to increase Lehman Sanctuary’s digital presence and streamline its messaging to drive deeper community connection and support.

The Challenge

Chris had an incredible archive of photos and videos documenting the Sanctuary’s work, but with limited bandwidth, he had trouble keeping his social media presence consistent. Chris was looking for a sustainable, low-lift process for managing digital content, growing visibility, and driving donations.

The SBV Solution

That’s where Sam and Jesse came in. They worked closely with Chris to:

Together, they co-created a custom social media guide packed with tips on post timing, community interaction, hashtag use, and strategic tagging—all designed to empower Chris to maintain momentum long after the project ended.

The Outcome

Chris walked away with more than just a plan. He gained confidence, clarity, and renewed energy to incorporate digital storytelling to amplify Lehman Sanctuary’s mission and reach.

Since the project concluded in April 2024, Lehman Sanctuary has grown its online following to 1,262 engaged supporters, a major leap for a previously offline organization. He now actively posts weekly and uses Meta Business Suite to schedule content, helping him connect with new supporters, engage more deeply with the community, and lay the groundwork for future donors.

Throughout the project, Common Impact worked behind the scenes to keep everything on track, meeting regularly with the volunteers and Lehman Sanctuary to ensure steady progress. This project was a reminder that when corporate skills meet grassroots missions, growth happens naturally.