The Walton Family Foundation
LETTING STUDENTS LEAD
Challenge
In education policy, everyone has an opinion—but those most impacted are too often left out of the conversation. While funders, researchers, and policymakers debate solutions to improve schools, students themselves are rarely asked what they need or how they experience the education system.
The Walton Family Foundation partnered with RALLY to flip the script, elevating Gen Z voices as trusted messengers and positioning the foundation as the go-to source on the next generation.
Approach
We started with a paradox: most parents believe the education system is struggling, yet think their own child’s school is doing fine. That disconnect makes it difficult to build urgency for change. Our strategy? Let students do the talking.
The centerpiece of our strategy was the Next Gen Insights Hub—a one-stop resource for Gen Z perspectives and research. Audiences were driven to the Hub through LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube ads featuring first-person student stories. The Hub became a living platform, regularly updated with new content: original opinion research conducted with Gallup, short videos from roundtable conversations between Gen Z students and education leaders, and an annual “report card” featuring student assessments of their own schools and experiences.
To drive real-world impact beyond digital channels, we shared content with parent networks, community organizers, and education decision-makers nationwide—bridging student perspectives and the policies that shape them.
What began as a campaign has grown into a movement, powered by student voices and positioning Gen Z as essential leaders in education.
Related Work
We are especially proud of partnerships that have stood the test of time. The Walton Family Foundation, Casey Family Programs, Resources Legacy Fund, and a half dozen others have been RALLY clients for more than a decade.