Campus To Community

Where mentorship and community in Central Alberta are cinched together.

If you’ve ever been a student at any level, you know the drill: you learn theory, nail the fundamentals, maybe even crush a few group projects… and then you graduate and think, “Okay cool. Now what?”

So often, education is packed with learning about real-world marketing, but not always doing it in real time, with real stakes, and real people counting on your work.

That’s what made this idea stick in my brain.

The Spark

Back in 2019–2020, I served as the co-chair of the Alberta Not-for-Profit Association (ANPA) at the University of Alberta. ANPA partnered with local not-for-profits in Edmonton, and our delegates built case work around real scenarios and real challenges. The best part? It didn’t end as “just a project.” There was energy, momentum, and tangible support behind it.

And I remember thinking: why don’t we have something like this in Central Alberta?

Something that connects students, community, and practical marketing experience in a way that actually matters.

Bringing It Home to Central Alberta

Fast forward through many meetings, phone calls, and board presentations - I’m proud to say we officially launched our first-ever partnership with Red Deer Polytechnic for this initiative: Campus to Community.

This isn’t just a one-off class assignment. It’s a full-on collaboration built to give students the best experience by ALSO supporting Central Alberta's not-for-profit sector.

Enter Dr. Robert Opoku (And the "Yes" That Started It All)

When we brought the idea to Dr. Robert Opoku at Red Deer Polytechnic’s Donald School of Business last summer, he was immediately open and enthusiastic. That early excitement mattered because this kind of initiative needs buy-in from people who actually care about meaningful student experience.

Now, here we are: the MKT 3234 Digital Marketing class for Winter 2026 has the project in hand, and the students are ready to dig in and deliver.

The Question Everyone Asked: Who’s the Chosen Not-for-Profit?

Once we got the green light from Red Deer Polytechnic in early December, we opened applications for not-for-profits to participate. The application wasn’t a “name and number” situation. We asked thoughtful questions, and applicants shared detailed answers.

Honestly, reading through the submissions was one of those moments where you pause and go, “Okay… this is why we’re doing this.”

From there, we evaluated applications using five core criteria:

1. Broad Community Outreach

2. Diverse Channels

3. Necessity for Digital Marketing

4. Programs

5. Goals

After scoring and reviewing, we ended up with a tie between two strong applicants, so we did what any decisive marketing team would do: we voted internally.

Cinch is proud to announce that the Winter 2026 selected not-for-profit for Campus to Community is The Red Deer Christmas Bureau.

“It is a privilege to be selected as the recipient of the Campus to Community initiative. We are energized, excited and motivated to work with the emerging marketers at RDP. This partnership will provide fresh perspectives, new ideas and tangible deliverables. We look forward to implementing the results of this initiative,” says Teresa Kutynec, President of the Red Deer Christmas Bureau.

And Now… The Students Work

At this point, the students are officially off to the races. And the best part? They’re not doing it alone.

Cinch will be there alongside them as a support team, sharing guidance, answering questions, and helping them translate big ideas into practical, thoughtful marketing work. Think of it like: real-world mentorship meets classroom strategy, with a whole lot of collaboration in between.

Campus To Community

This is exactly what I hoped Campus to Community could be: a bridge between learning and doing built right here in Central Alberta.

~ Shyan