Case Study

Grand Erie: From Untracked Emails to Data-Driven Communications

Key Highlights

  • Organization: Grand Erie District School Board, a public school district serving approximately 3,000 employees across 72 schools

  • Sector: K-12 Education, Public Sector

  • Adoption: Onboarded Envoke in January 2024; deployed weekly and monthly all-staff communications

  • Impact: Moved from untracked email sends and static staff portal posts to professional, analytics-backed employee communications

  • Contact: Ryan Strang, Senior Manager of Communications and Community Relations, Grand Erie District School Board

The Challenge

The Grand Erie District School Board faced a challenge common to large public-sector organizations: communicating effectively with staff across dozens of schools using tools not designed for broadcast communications. The team relied on Outlook and a staff portal with no notification or subscription functionality, so content often sat unread.

Over time, outgoing email volume became unsustainable, creating a cascading set of problems:

  1. Email Overload
    The volume of staff communications grew to a point where it had to be actively reined in, inadvertently impacting how consistently and timely key messages reached employees.

  2. No Visibility
    Without purpose-built email tools, there was no way to know whether communications were actually being read or why certain initiatives weren’t gaining traction.

  3. Formatting Limitations
    Newsletters and updates were shared as Word documents or PDF attachments instead of accessible, polished, branded communications, limiting visual impact and employee engagement.

  4. Static Content
    Posts on the staff portal had no way to notify employees, so content often went unnoticed without a supplementary email push.

The Solution

Grand Erie District School Board adopted Envoke in early 2024 to bring structure, consistency, and accountability to its internal communications program. Ryan Strang, joined the district in August 2024, stepped into a team already building momentum with the platform and quickly expanded its use.

Envoke now powers the district’s core internal staff communications:

  • All-Employee Weekly Newsletter
    A regularly scheduled, need-to-know roundup for all 3,000 staff members, replacing ad hoc email sends

  • Director’s Monthly Message
    A professional, visually branded CEO-level communication delivered to all employees each month

  • Reusable Templates
    Pre-built content blocks let the team adapt messaging quickly each week while maintaining a consistent visual identity

  • Audience Segmentation
    The ability to target specific groups ensures the right messages reach the right staff members

The Results

A professional brand presence across internal communications. Moving away from PDF attachments and plain-text emails elevated Grand Erie’s communication with staff. Templates ensure consistent visual identity across every send, reinforcing brand recognition at every touchpoint.

"A tool like Envoke helps you elevate your brand identity and brand equity amongst your employees."

Ryan Strang
Senior Manager of Communications and Community Relations
Grand Erie District School Board

Data that drives communication strategy. For the first time, the Grand Erie team has visibility into exactly how messages are performing and can use that data to explain results to senior leadership with confidence.

Weekly cadence maintained with minimal lift. Pre-built templates reduce the time and effort required to produce consistent, on-brand communications every week, a meaningful efficiency gain for a communications team managing a broad portfolio across 72 schools.

A cost-effective, Canadian solution built for communicators, not marketers. As a Canadian platform at a reasonable price point, Envoke fits the school board’s budget and procurement requirements. Weighing cost against return on investment was straightforward.

“It's a Canadian tool and reasonably priced to allow us to do our job effectively and efficiently.”

Ryan Strang
Senior Manager of Communications and Community Relations
Grand Erie District School Board

Bottom Line

“We adopted Envoke to gain the engagement data needed to make smarter communication decisions across 72 schools. Envoke has created a dynamic, visual, and professional-looking communication to our employees.”

Ryan Strang
Senior Manager of Communications and Community Relations
Grand Erie District School Board

For K-12 school boards navigating email overload and seeking accountability in internal communications, Grand Erie’s experience shows that the right platform can transform staff engagement without adding complexity or extensive cost.

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