“Fay has a been a lifesaver for us. She’s helped on several important projects both at the front end – developing strategy, creating clear plans, setting goals – and at the back end – cleaning up messes, fixing problems and evaluating activities.

In every case, she’s delivered high quality service, thoughtful, creative (without being chaotic), and reliable.”

– Gawain Kripke, Director of Policy, Oxfam America

Behavior Change Training

"Fay Johnson and Red Balloon Idea’s commitment to social change is unyielding. Throughout the duration of working with Fay, she has gone above and beyond to utilize her skills, experience and creativity to guide us through the development and branding of a campaign to promote latrine adoption, the "NuChoo" Campaign.

We know that the training she provided our staff on product design, user experience and behavior change and her strategic guidance as we launched Nuru’s Social Marketing program will be instrumental in driving us toward the long-term impact in the communities Nuru currently works with in Kenya, and soon beyond."

–  Lindsay Cope, Sr Program Mngr, Healthcare; Nuru International

"Fay is an extremely knowledgeable and skilled educator in the field of entrepreneurship. She led a week-long workshop for an all-girls classroom of Kenyan students (from Kisaruni School) and Bay Area students (from Castilleja School) in Kenya. Her knowledge of the design thinking process and experience facilitating groups allowed her to leverage the cultural differences between the students to enhance their understanding of entrepreneurship on a global scale. She quickly became seen as a leader in our group and a mentor for the students. She was a joy to work with as a trip co-lead; I would highly recommend her!"

 – Emily Entress, Leadership & Partnerships, Castilleja School

"I not only developed an entrepreneurial mindset and enhanced my business capabilities, but I also acquired critical life skills — identifying real-world problems, developing empathy, risk-taking in the face of uncertainty, and iterating potential solutions. Ms. Johnson’s passion, leadership, and first-hand entrepreneurial experience create an engaging environment that fosters collaboration, confidence, and active learning. She inspires and empowers me to tackle the complex challenges of today and tomorrow."

– Jordan Jackson, Student, Castilleja High School; Participant in 2-Week Course taught in Kenya at Castilleja's Sister School, Kisaruni.

Red Balloon Ideas is exceptional. Fay and her team have been a go-to resource for me and my former organization for a number of consulting needs. We’ve engaged her services for campaign strategizing, global events with cultural complexity, and brand events with big creative demands. She has a truly unique set of experiences and knowledge that enables her to create products and events for a range of audiences – from government negotiators at international summits, to company executives, to families in Central Park. And it is always a pleasure to work with Red Balloon Ideas."

- Vicky Rateau, Former Climate Change Campaign Director, Oxfam

Product Design & Roll-Out

"Red Balloon Ideas was instrumental in setting up Nuru International’s Social Marketing department here in Kenya. Fay Johnson guided the US and Kenyan teams throughout the first social marketing campaign and brought a level of commitment, professionalism and experience that has proven to be invaluable. During a field visit to Kenya, Fay worked directly with the local staff to come up with a campaign and messages that were both tailored and effective. It has been a joy to put several of Fay’s innovative ideas into practice and see the transformative results. Thanks to Red Balloon Ideas, we feel confident to move forward and used the social marketing process to promote other good behaviors as part of Nuru’s mission to end extreme poverty."

  – Claire Rumpsa, Program Manager; Nuru International