Community Foundation Brand Building and Core Messaging with StoryBrand
In His Steps Foundation's biggest and most immediate problem was messaging: how to identify the challenges facing their audience, and how this Christian Community Foundation helps generous people overcome their challenge.
Small and midsized Community Foundations around the world struggle to explain who they are, what they do, and why it matters. What makes it more challenging is that people don't even know they exist, and those that do are considered a community’s “best kept secret.”
Why did In His Steps Foundation need Aespire?
“We are a faith-based community foundation that is ready to grow up by organizing our messaging and public-facing imaging around a new brand identity and messaging.”
The Business Case
A community foundation is a bridge between generous people and charitable organizations. IHS Foundation's new Executive Director recognized that the 21-year-old Christian community foundation needed help if their organization was to move past the obstacles that prevented their brand from growing.
IHS Foundation asked Aespire to guide them in developing a new brand identity and gain the confidence to:
- Identify and move past the issues that impede IHS Foundation from growing
- Ensure long-term viability and sustainability
- Help generous Christian families make a confident choice based on the perception of permanence that stronger messaging will convey
- Be the guide for families and organizations who want to create a legacy of stewardship
Brand Strategy:
Clear Brand Messaging and One Voice
With clear messaging to specific audiences (donors, organizations, and advisors), IHS Foundation gained the confidence to speak to supporter's values.
- Capture the brand story elements that will help guide messaging, content, and communications and position IHS Foundation as a resource for generous Chrisitan individuals, families, and organizations
- Create a cohesive brand story so everybody in the organization and on the board speaks with one voice about the brand, the mission, and its impact
- Lead the conversation to focus the organization’s mission, vision, values, and voice
- Plan and develop a new website, integrating the donor management portal and new visual brand identity
- Design an IHS Foundation Storybook to share IHSF value and relevance for two distinct yet interrelated audiences
Outcomes:
Aespire guided IHS Foundation’s staff and Trustees through a rigorous process that included:
- Alignment and refinement of the community foundation’s purpose, mission, vision, and values
- Designing a modern logo and visual identity
- Creating clear messaging that communicates with clarity to supporters, donors, nonprofit organizations and ministries, and financial advisors
- Developing memorable elevator pitches and brand narratives that give staff, trustees, supporters, and donor champions a common language and the freedom to share their stories of impact and transformation
- A beautiful brand storybook to share the IHS Foundation story and highlight examples of how IHS foundation helped generous people find opportunities and guidance to make a difference and create eternal impact
- A stunning and modern website, supported by an email marketing and automation platform
- Coaching and equipping to make the most of this suite of tools
Northeast Ohio's In His Steps Foundation unveils a new website supported by brand strategy, a brand refresh, StoryBrand messaging, and new donor- and nonprofit-focused marketing touchpoints.
In His Steps Foundation's biggest and most immediate problem was messaging: how to identify the problem facing their audience, and how this Christian Community Foundation narrates its specific solution to the problem.
“As our messaging and marketing was ramping up, we knew we would need a host of help: logo and identity creation, mission clarification, practical things like letterhead, website development, and more.
We could get all of that with Aespire, and since it was under one agency, we knew it would simplify and keep branding, messaging, and our identity consistent across all media and platforms.”
Communicating with Clarity
“Aespire started by helping us create a memorable summary of our unique value in response to the relatable stresses felt by our two distinctly different audiences: donors and fundraising organizations.”
Do you feel powerless because you’re competing against deep-pocketed competitors? Call today to design a strategy to capture demand, create new customers, and grow your business.
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