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#TheOG50: The one with Rebecca Long
"Storytelling is how we make education matter; whether you're applying for a scholarship or donating one."
—Rebecca Long, Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications, Lane Community College
If you’ve ever seen a Lane Community College campaign that made you stop, think, or feel something; that was probably Rebecca Long’s handiwork.
As Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications, Rebecca leads a small-but-mighty five-person team responsible for everything from advertising and media relations to capital campaign strategy and student outreach. But behind every post, pitch, and print piece lies Rebecca’s secret weapon: powerful storytelling.
From "spray and pray" to precision messaging
When Rebecca first stepped into her role at Lane, marketing felt like shouting into a void—mass emails with little personalization, ads with no targeting, and campaigns designed for everyone and no one at once.
“We were a ‘spray and pray’ operation. We’d hope something would land, but we weren’t measuring what worked or why.”
Under Rebecca’s leadership, the team now creates persona-based marketing strategies with clearly defined audiences, tailored messages, and measurable outcomes. Whether it’s a scholarship campaign for first-gen students or a targeted ad series promoting Lane’s aviation program, everything starts with data and ends with impact. She’s also built intentional bridges with the alumni and development offices to ensure that every story and appeal is relevant—not just another touchpoint, but a meaningful one.
An award-winning leap of faith
It was a snowy day in Eugene, Oregon, and the power was flickering. Rebecca was unsure about submitting an expensive entry to the prestigious PRSA Silver Anvil Awards. She made a deal with herself: if the power stayed on, she’d go for it.
It stayed on.
Months later, Lane became the first community college to ever win in the “Integrated Communications” category.
“I always said I’d win one someday. I just never dreamed I actually would.”
Bringing alumni back with meaning
Lane is a community college, but for many alumni, it’s also a turning point. Rebecca taps into that emotional connection to re-engage former students—not with gimmicks, but with genuine storytelling and clear invitations to be part of Lane’s ongoing mission.
When the college launched a new RN-to-BSN completion program, her team used alumni filters on Almabase to identify and reach out to former nursing students—bringing them back not just for nostalgia, but for a new opportunity. She also partnered with the alumni team to collect and showcase stories for Lane’s 60th anniversary—transforming the celebration into a moment of collective pride and visibility for graduates who may have felt overlooked.
“We’re not asking alumni to remember us. We’re showing them how we’ve remembered them—and how they still fit into the story.”
Rebecca sees alumni not as a list to be mined, but as people with chapters still unfolding—and she’s building the bridge for them to return, contribute, and belong.
What’s next for Rebecca and Lane Community College?
Rebecca’s goal is to build on Lane’s new era of data-driven communications using audience insights, story mining, and refined KPIs to craft messaging that actually lands.
Her north star? Making sure every message counts. No more shouting into the void.
And while AI plays a supporting role in helping her brainstorm interview questions or understand technical concepts, Rebecca is firm on one thing:
“AI enhances what we do, but it doesn’t replace it.”
Inspired by Rebecca’s story?
Connect with her on LinkedIn and don’t forget to nominate the next communications changemaker for the #TheOG50!
"Storytelling is how we make education matter; whether you're applying for a scholarship or donating one."
—Rebecca Long, Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications, Lane Community College
If you’ve ever seen a Lane Community College campaign that made you stop, think, or feel something; that was probably Rebecca Long’s handiwork.
As Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications, Rebecca leads a small-but-mighty five-person team responsible for everything from advertising and media relations to capital campaign strategy and student outreach. But behind every post, pitch, and print piece lies Rebecca’s secret weapon: powerful storytelling.
From "spray and pray" to precision messaging
When Rebecca first stepped into her role at Lane, marketing felt like shouting into a void—mass emails with little personalization, ads with no targeting, and campaigns designed for everyone and no one at once.
“We were a ‘spray and pray’ operation. We’d hope something would land, but we weren’t measuring what worked or why.”
Under Rebecca’s leadership, the team now creates persona-based marketing strategies with clearly defined audiences, tailored messages, and measurable outcomes. Whether it’s a scholarship campaign for first-gen students or a targeted ad series promoting Lane’s aviation program, everything starts with data and ends with impact. She’s also built intentional bridges with the alumni and development offices to ensure that every story and appeal is relevant—not just another touchpoint, but a meaningful one.
An award-winning leap of faith
It was a snowy day in Eugene, Oregon, and the power was flickering. Rebecca was unsure about submitting an expensive entry to the prestigious PRSA Silver Anvil Awards. She made a deal with herself: if the power stayed on, she’d go for it.
It stayed on.
Months later, Lane became the first community college to ever win in the “Integrated Communications” category.
“I always said I’d win one someday. I just never dreamed I actually would.”
Bringing alumni back with meaning
Lane is a community college, but for many alumni, it’s also a turning point. Rebecca taps into that emotional connection to re-engage former students—not with gimmicks, but with genuine storytelling and clear invitations to be part of Lane’s ongoing mission.
When the college launched a new RN-to-BSN completion program, her team used alumni filters on Almabase to identify and reach out to former nursing students—bringing them back not just for nostalgia, but for a new opportunity. She also partnered with the alumni team to collect and showcase stories for Lane’s 60th anniversary—transforming the celebration into a moment of collective pride and visibility for graduates who may have felt overlooked.
“We’re not asking alumni to remember us. We’re showing them how we’ve remembered them—and how they still fit into the story.”
Rebecca sees alumni not as a list to be mined, but as people with chapters still unfolding—and she’s building the bridge for them to return, contribute, and belong.
What’s next for Rebecca and Lane Community College?
Rebecca’s goal is to build on Lane’s new era of data-driven communications using audience insights, story mining, and refined KPIs to craft messaging that actually lands.
Her north star? Making sure every message counts. No more shouting into the void.
And while AI plays a supporting role in helping her brainstorm interview questions or understand technical concepts, Rebecca is firm on one thing:
“AI enhances what we do, but it doesn’t replace it.”
Inspired by Rebecca’s story?
Connect with her on LinkedIn and don’t forget to nominate the next communications changemaker for the #TheOG50!
Blackbaud, the leading provider of software for powering social impact, and Almabase, the digital-first alumni engagement solution, have announced the expansion of their partnership to the education sectors of Canada and the United Kingdom. The partnership will provide institutions with a modern, digital-first solution to improve constituent data, drive self-serve engagement, and boost event participation.
A Unified Vision
The partnership aligns with Blackbaud’s commitment to customer-centric innovation across digital engagement, Advancement CRM, and financials.
“Partners bring integrated capabilities that extend capabilities and outcomes for Blackbaud customers. We are thrilled that Almabase’s offering, integrated with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® and leveraging Blackbaud’s best-in-class payment solution, Blackbaud Merchant Services™, is now available to even more of our customers around the world.”
- Liz Price, Sr. Director of Global Partners at Blackbaud
