International charity needs to rebrand
The Case
REACH International, a charitable organization that provides education, housing and other services to disadvantaged children in 24 countries, needed to increase its donor base and extend its appeal. The charity had not refreshed its materials in a long time, and the existing look and messaging did not communicate well to a new donor target.
The Work
REACH International was using an outdated brochure and wanted to recreate both the design and the content. Dan Kohan of Sensical Design designed a new logo and the new brochure. DBMC was tasked with writing the content.
As with any new project, my first step was to have an in-depth conversation with the client. I suggested that our first step would be to create key messages and an organizational description that could be used in the brochure and all other marketing pieces (website, press releases, etc.). I provided the client with a detailed branding and identity questionnaire. From her answers and our interview, I developed the key messages (with supporting points) and a “boilerplate” organizational description. Once those were approved, I went on to write the brochure.
The Result
Today, REACH International has a beautiful, updated brochure that communicates the impact of the humanitarian work it does around the world.
View the PDF of the new brochure: REACH-brochure-03.
Nonprofit needs a website and a tagline to start up
The Case
Pebbles of Hope is a nonprofit dedicated to helping premature babies to survive and thrive. When its founder and executive director, Cheryl Chotrani, approached DBMC, the organization was just starting out and needed marketing help. Specifically, Ms. Chotrani asked me to write the website content and to create a tagline for the organization. Ms. Chotrani, who has a marketing and media background, had already created a very comprehensive creative brief outlining the key messages, the target audience, and what the desired look and feel was for the website and had already hired a designer to create the website and a logo.
The Work
As with any project, the first step is getting to know the client and the issue at hand. In this case I had several in-depth interviews with Ms. Chotrani. I read through the information she provided, gathered research on preterm births and also researched other organizations doing similar work.
The second step was to clarify the goal of the website and what type of information would have to be included. Then, I created a robust website outline/navigation guide that would serve to guide the content.
With the approved outline in hand, and the information gathered from the client and other sources, I started writing the content. Client comments and changes were incorporated and a final draft was sent to the designer.
Concurrently to writing the website content, I developed around fifteen tagline suggestions. Having the tagline would help set the tone and direction for the website and the organization. These suggested taglines were submitted to the client, and with her input, the final tagline was selected.
The last step was to check and proofread the finished website.
The Result
Today, Pebbles of Hope has a beautiful and functional website. On it you can see the tagline “Giving the world’s smallest babies a fighting chance.” Thanks to volunteers, the organization also has a frequently updated blog, and a social media presence. Some of the website content and the tagline are used in other marketing materials, including a brochure.