Food Bank Branding, Marketing, and Strategic Communications 

After 30 years, what started as a food pantry is now a major Ohio food bank and a leader in the nonprofit community. With the need for food assistance increasing, awareness is critical.


Second Harvest Food Bank’s ongoing branding initiative improved media relations, increased donations, and created greater awareness in the minds of the community and supporters.

Read an Annual Report

Food Bank Branding, Marketing, and Strategic Communications

Beyond Branding to a Complete Donor Experience

Aespire had helped us create a recognizable logo and presence, and we worked with the Aespire team to create a total experience through wall color, signage, and donor recognition. While large corporations may be able to achieve this is, it is rare for non-profits. Aespire helped us open a new chapter for Second Harvest with a crisp, vibrant façade that expresses who we want to be now and in the future. —Julie Chase-Morefield, Executive Director

The Business Case

Branding That Grows with the Food Bank

Second Harvest is a widely-respected nonprofit that practices and makes believers in its brand: stakeholder perceptions of Second Harvest have never been higher.

Led by a dynamic Executive Director and a very active board of directors, Second Harvest determined that in order to raise awareness of the food bank and its mission, it would need to realign itself with its brand.

Second Harvest's story is all about creating pathways to food security. While this mission is focused, the stakeholders are many: foundation, corporate and individual donors; food pantries and human services agencies; state and local government entities. Projecting competence, professionalism, and integrity is key.

Brand Strategy:

Ongoing Branding and Communication Strategies

  • A comprehensive rebranding and redesign of its visual identity (including typography, photography, and color palette), in all print and electronic communications
  • A strong presence of its tagline and extensions: More Food; Less Hunger. Growing Hope
  • Messaging and writing that consistently explain what impact the food bank makes in the communities it serves
  • A strategic plan that revealed new opportunities and needs for donor recognition, donor relations, and awareness
  • New opportunities for awareness building, such as social networking, business partnerships, and corporate support
  • A comprehensive web presence focused on the resources and informational needs of member agencies, foundations, volunteers, and donors.
  • Custom-wrapped trucks, trailers, and branded vehicles
  • Significant contributions to a $5 million capital fundraising campaign

Click here to read a Second Harvest Annual Report

Outcomes:

Raising $5 Million for a New Food Distribution Center

From messaging clarity and donor relations to maintaining its visual brand framework, Second Harvest continues to be an example of one of the most successful brand implementations in the northeast Ohio nonprofit community.


Second Harvest moved into the $5M Nordson Food Distribution Center in June 2015. With its growth fueled by the growing need for emergency food assistance, its identity has been design-driven to serve its purpose and is completely integrated across media and experience.

Improved Donor Engagement

Raising Millions in New Donations

Thousands of People Served

Creating Greater Impact for Hunger Relief

Creating greater impact and advancing the cause

“Through the branding process, Aespire helped us communicate not only the mission of the organization but some of our culture as well.  Starting with our new logo through our materials, website and the design of our trucks it tells our story.  During a recent study a number of donors recognized our trucks with our logo as being the most identifiable thing about our organization.


Aespire has helped us be able to communicate our message in such a way the volunteers and donors understand our purpose and want to be involved.  With the staff it created a cohesive image that bolsters our internal culture.”

Creating more stakeholder and community engagement

The website design has been key to community engagement and we receive many compliments on its design and functionality.  But it goes further because Aespire has helped us look at everything as an extension of our brand: messaging, letters, signage, materials, website, social media, and even the shirts our staff and volunteer wear.


In particular with our fundraising event, Generous Helpings, Aespire created the logo, materials, and ads.  A recent donor commented about the invitation for Generous Helpings that it was unique and well-designed and looked like us.  Everything sets the tone for how we want to be perceived and the event is something that sells out every year.

Achieving strategic communications goals

By understanding what we do as an organization and the complexity of the issue of hunger,  Aespire is not just using a cookie-cutter methodology of “communications for non-profits” but looking at who we are as a unique organization and helping us hone the messages to the community. — Julie Chase Morefield, CEO

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