JobTrain Case Study

Where potential gets to work

JobTrain

Where potential gets to work

A Job Training Organization Increases Its Revenue

Ongoing fundraising and communications strategies are helping this organization elevate its brand, leverage AI, and raise more money.

  • Organizational & Brand Strategy
  • Fundraising Messaging
  • Capital Campaign Messaging Strategy
  • Annual Fund & Spring Appeal Campaigns
  • Fundraising Event Promotion
  • Annual Impact Reports
  • Internal & External Newsletters
  • Videos
  • Custom AI Solutions
  • AI Technology Adoption
  • Strategic Consulting

Fundraising Results

61% increase

in total amount raised v. prior year

2024 YEAR-END CAMPAIGN

400% return on investment

and reclaimed 3 long-lapsed donors

2025 SPRING APPEAL

JobTrain Planned Giving
Achieving results for JobTrain

Fundraising Results

61% increase

in total amount raised v. prior year

2024 YEAR-END CAMPAIGN

400% return on investment

and reclaimed 3 long-lapsed donors

2025 SPRING APPEAL

Helping a Homeless Organization Reach New Heights

LifeMoves

Helping a Homelessness Organization Reach New Heights

We helped one of the largest providers of services for the homeless in the country reach unprecedented levels of growth to meet increased needs in Silicon Valley.

  • Organizational & Brand Strategy
  • Brand Positioning, Design & Management
  • Fundraising Campaigns 
  • Fundraising Event Promotion
  • Corporate Sponsorship Materials
  • Strategic Messaging & Presentations
  • CEO Letters & Communications
  • Annual Reports & Newsletters
  • Thought Leadership & Client Success Videos
  • Website Pages & Enhancements
  • Google Ad Grant Management

A growing homelessness crisis demands effective approaches and funding. LifeMoves tapped into our strategic branding, marketing, and fundraising services to propel the organization to take on this challenge. With a new CEO at the helm, we helped position LifeMoves for success. Over the four years we have worked with this nonprofit, its annual revenue grew from $38 million to $118 million due largely to new government contracts.

Select Results

19% increase

in total amount raised v. prior year

2020 YEAR-END CAMPAIGN

42% increase

in total amount raised v. prior year

2021 YEAR-END CAMPAIGN

43% increase

in average gift amount for lower-level donors

2021 YEAR-END CAMPAIGN

65% increase

in average gift amount for higher-level donors

2021 YEAR-END CAMPAIGN

100% increase

in number of donations by lapsed donors v. prior year

2020 SPRING APPEAL

100% increase

in amount donated by lapsed donors v. prior year

2020 SPRING APPEAL

43% increase

in monthly givers over 2 years

2021 – 2023

475% increase

increase in the amount raised v. prior year

2021 RIDE TO END HOMELESSNESS

73% increase

increase in the amount raised v. prior year

2022 RIDE TO END HOMELESSNESS

The Challenge

LifeMoves first brought on Red Rooster Group to improve its fundraising in March 2020, just as COVID started. The organization needed to keep its 7,000 clients safe and re-trench for the new realities of lockdowns. Since then, the closing of businesses exacerbated the already unprecedented homeless situation due to rising home prices in Silicon Valley. LifeMoves needed to raise money for the short term and develop its brand and fundraising outreach to address growing needs.

Transforming an Organization

Over four years, Red Rooster Group has worked to enhance the organization’s strategic perspective, brand story, fundraising outreach, and marketing communications.

Our brand repositioning work helped reshape perceptions of the organization from a provider of services locally, to a leader that has been recognized by the state with solutions that can be adopted elsewhere. LifeMoves built one of the first modular, interim housing facilities in Northern California (whose opening was attended by the Governor) and won contracts for six more sites, including one of the largest in Northern California.

We have managed fundraising campaigns that have brought back lapsed donors and increased the amounts raised, including their largest campaign ever, and promoted fundraising events that attracted key audiences such as high-level donors and elected officials.

Our strategic advice, research, and communications have elevated the organization as it introduced its strategic plan, attracted new corporate and community partners, and set a strong foundation for success.

By introducing new fundraising ideas and best practices, we have increased the organization’s level of sophistication so that it can continue to improve results.

How We Helped

Strategy

Organizational, Fundraising, Marketing, Branding, & Thought Leadership

  • Leveraged the CEO as an authoritative voice on the issue to position the organization as a national leader on homelessness.
  • Developed strategy presentations to convey the needs of homelessness in Silicon Valley and attract funding from corporations.
  • Supported the organization’s strategic plan by creating a presentation, summary document, webpage, and promoting a series of online events to introduce the strategic plan to high-end donors, government officials, and community partners.

Individual Fundraising

  • Produce two campaigns per year (spring and year-end), including developing concepts, narrative, and theme, writing and designing direct mail packages and email series, producing videos, creating landing pages and donation pages, social media posts, and handling campaign management. Introduced personalization, custom gift arrays, and efficient mailing techniques.

Major Donor Fundraising

  • Promote two Principal Giving events annually including all digital strategy, outreach, presentation, journals, and sponsorship packages. Created customized materials and managed customized emailing for 7 Principal Gift Officers.

Fundraising Events

  • Promote the annual Ride to End Homelessness peer-to-peer fundraising event. Created brand strategy, designed new event logo, developed segmented email strategy and managed all emails, and design other promotion (advertising, banners, etc.). The ride has grown from $40K before us, to $400k in revenue.

Corporate Giving

  • Support the corporate sponsorship department with a range of strategic and marketing initiatives to shore up corporate support including researching and developing a presentation on homelessness in Silicon Valley and materials to promote sponsorship opportunities for the new interim housing sites and other opportunities.
  • Created materials to solicit sponsorship naming rights on LifeMoves facilities.

Brand Management

  • Evolved the organization’s brand to be more authentic — from merely showing happy outcomes to conveying the vulnerabilities of people experiencing homelessness and the complexities of their circumstances.
  • Balanced their story of interim housing sites with their services, crafting the narrative around their customized, and comprehensive approaches to helping people achieve stability.
  • Stewarded their brand and updated their colors and overall look to be more dynamic.

Organizational Collateral

  • Crafted their organizational story and corporate collateral materials.
  • Designed banners and pop-up displays for community events.
  • Produce their annual Impact Report.
  • Write and design their quarterly print and email newsletters.
  • Write and design the monthly Keygivers email newsletter for monthly supporters.

Website

  • Set up landing pages in WordPress and donation pages in Classy to support fundraising campaigns.
  • Create new website sections and pages and update website content as needed.

Videos

  • Produce videos to tell the organization’s story and elevate its profile. Includes scripting, on-site shooting, and all post-production work.

Communications Planning

  • Conducted an analysis of all emails sent by the organization over a 2-year period by audience and results, open rate, click rate, etc.
  • Handle dozens of emails for the organization over the course of the year (developing schedules. writing, designing, testing and approvals, coordination of URLs and lists, documenting, and reporting).

Fundraising & Marketing Continuity

  • Maintained all outreach, fundraising, website updates, etc. through 2 Executive Directors, a complete turnover of the Marketing Team, and new Chief Philanthropy Officer, and several new VPs of Development, providing stability and continuity throughout the organization’s growth.

What the Client Says

“I had the opportunity to work with Howard and the Red Rooster Group team during organizational change and growth initiatives at LifeMoves, one of the largest providers of homeless services in Silicon Valley. Howard’s talent for blending analytical thinking and creative problem-solving became critical for our transformation. He was a true partner and collaborator in our success.

He and his team are strong in revitalizing brands, launching groundbreaking initiatives, and tackling complex social issues. What truly sets Howard apart is his ability to look beyond immediate challenges. He envisions comprehensive solutions that drive long-term success, blending his expertise in behavioral psychology and fundraising with a genuine passion for creating positive change.

When you work with Howard, you’re not just gaining expertise; you’re partnering with a thought leader who expands your horizons and helps you achieve audacious goals.”

Marie Amoruso Jackson, Chief Marketing Officer

“I’m finally wrapping up my day and wanted to tell you all how great you were today. You totally hit it out of the park (just like my Dodgers last night!). We heard nothing but totally positive comments afterward. Your suggestions on how to engage the team right from the start were spot on. Many, many thanks.” 

Katherine Finnigan, Development

“AMAZING….thank you Amit & Erin for making all this happen so quickly after our conversations…

Best“

Marie Jackson, Chief Marketing Officer

“This is such an understatement of what you did, Amit, what with the testing for ALL of these plus sorting out exclusions. Thank you for your amazing work!” 

Erin Hayes, Database Specialist

“This is what you’ll call a well-oiled and amazing machine!!! Thank you!”

Camille Gonzalez Kennedy | Vice President of Philanthropy

[re: our customized sending of emails for spring events]

“Brian, not sure who is doing your videos and online appeals, but I want to give a heartfelt congratulations to the folks responsible for this one. The subject heading is what I always tell nonprofits who want coverage or for people to actually read what you’ve done. As a professional in the business for more than 40 years, I don’t give kudos often. This one works.”

Rita

“You all rocked the webinar this morning…  huge thanks to all that you did as we went through all the learnings and even our ‘interesting’ glitches on the back end. Your calm and expertise really did shine…

We so appreciate you…”

Marie Jackson, Chief Marketing Officer

Helping an Environmental Organization Take Flight

American Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel

Helping an Environmental Organization Take Flight

We helped Israel’s largest environmental organization build its fundraising capacity and reach donors in the U.S. with a new brand, website, and digital campaigns.

Services

  • Brand & Website Analysis
  • Brand Positioning & Messaging
  • Membership Benefits
  • Website Copywriting
  • Website Design
  • Website Development
  • Digital Donor Acquisition Campaigns
  • Advocacy Petitions
  • Webinars
  • Fundraising Emails
  • Fundraising Direct Mail
  • Promoting Travel to Israel

3.3 Million

IMPRESSIONS

1.6 Million

PEOPLE REACHED

8,500

NEW PROSPECT EMAILS COLLECTED

“Howard’s thought partnership helped Nature Israel take a great leap forward. Our new website has brought us new major donors, including several major corporate entities. I highly recommend Red Rooster Group.”

– Rachel Canar, Executive Director

The Challenge

Established at the country’s founding, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel is the oldest and largest environmental organization in Israel. But it is not well known in the United States, making fundraising a challenge. Red Rooster Group was brought in the elevate its American fundraising arm, known as Nature Israel, and build a base of supporters in the United States.

What We Accomplished

  • Developed the brand positioning and created a donor presentation.
  • Built a new donor-focused website to improve awareness in the United States.
  • Established the Nature Israel Travel Brand, webpages, and brochures, and generated leads of people interested in their trips.
  • Significantly increased the awareness of Nature Israel reaching 1.6 million people with 3.3 million impressions.
  • Built a prospect database of 8,500 emails of people who have taken an action for the organization. (such as signing a petition).

Defining the Brand

Our first step was to leverage unique insights to establish a clear brand value. The organization had presented itself as protecting wildlife, advocating for nature, educating the public, and providing recreational opportunities in nature.

But to get the brand noticed in the United States, something more was needed.

Leveraging Israel’s reputation as a start-up nation for innovation —with its technology improving lives globally — we positioned Nature Israel as the green beacon for the world. As one of the most dense, diverse, and developed countries on Earth, Israel’s environmental solutions could have far-ranging impact for other countries.

Telling the Story

In order to engage donors in the organization’s work and impact, we created a presentation that describes its success in conservation, education, activism, and eco-tourism.

Webinar to Introduce this Nonprofit’s Brand

We created a webinar as a way to introduce Nature Israel to American audiences and generate leads, promoting it on Facebook with various audience targeting strategies. The webinar highlighted environmental technology that came out of Israel, featured the membership benefits chart we developed to engage people in membership, and invited webinar participants to visit the organization’s sites in Israel.

Creating a Fundraising Website 

We created a new website for this nonprofit to appeal to donors in the United States. This website serves as their prime vehicle for fundraising. We started from scratch, reimagining the user experience, writing all the copy, creating the design, and developing the interactive features.

The website features the organization’s current initiatives, a timeline showcasing 70 years of impact, multiple pages describing reasons to support Nature Israel, customized news feeds and other features.

NATURE ISRAEL WEBSITE

Digital Campaign to Attract Prospective Donors

To engage audiences, the website features webinars, a travel section, petitions, and other features to generate leads and cultivate prospective donors. The lead generation features are integrated into MailChimp and Salesforce to create a robust database for the organization.

Using Petitions to Generate Leads

Our fundraising goals include generating new leads for Nature Israel and cultivating them as potential donors. To accomplish this, we implemented a 2-stage process. We attracted new leads by promoting petitions, a webinar, and blog posts on Facebook.

The campaigns led people to a Facebook form or landing page where we collected emails. We used five different audience targeting strategies, and A/B split testing on all ads. This has enabled us to collect more than 7,000 leads in a short period of time. The next phase involves cultivating these prospects into donors through a series of email campaigns.

Promoting Eco-Tourism

To cultivate larger donors, Nature Israel is running trips to experience “the wild side of Israel” — its amazing wildlife and nature sites. We created a Nature Israel Travel section on the website with extensive pages about each trip, brochures, email campaigns, and social posts.

TRAVEL WEB PAGE
DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

Travel Emails

Building a Fundraising Infrastructure

As Nature Israel’s strategic fundraising partner, we are setting a foundation for their growth by:

  • Creating an Operations Manual that documents all fundraising and marketing processes and is continually updated as needed.
  • Providing critical technological support in setting up and maintaining their back-end systems, including the WordPress website, MailChimp, Classy, and integrations between systems.
  • Cleaning up lists in MailChimp by consolidating tags.
  • Creating an Editorial Style Guide to ensure consistent communications throughout the organization.
  • Developing a master Marketing Calendar including emails, fundraising, event promotion, and other activities.
  • Coordinating marketing and fundraising activities with the Israel team.
  • Creating direct mail packages, handling printing and mailing management.
  • Introducing personalization and custom gift arrays in their direct mail.
  • Producing special fundraising projects, including Tribute Books.
  • Promoting organizational events in the United States.

Achieving Results

Foundation

Nature Israel now has a clearly defined brand, an engaging website, and a solid foundation to support its fundraising.

Prospects

Our digital outreach campaigns have generated more than 8,000 emails of people who have taken action on behalf of the organization.

Travel

Our travel promotion has resulted a list of several hundred people interested in their trips as well as groups visiting Israel to see the organization’s work first-hand.

4.1 Million
Impressions

43,654
Link Clicks

8,439
Emails Collected

“Howard and his team managed a rebrand and new website launch for Nature Israel. They really helped bring our organization into the 21st century. The website that they created is just beautiful and we are constantly getting this feedback. The SEO optimization they implemented is truly awesome, bringing us many new people from organic searches. Most importantly, this has brought it new major donors, including several major corporate entities looking for water offsets and environmental organizations in the region. Howard’s thought partnership helped Nature Israel take a great leap forward and he remains a true friend of our organization. He remains responsive to this day. I highly recommend him.”

– Rachel Canar, Executive Director

Launching a New Financial Certification

National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts

Launching a New Financial Certification Company

A new financial service needed to assess its market, establish itself as a trusted brand, and attract both financial analysts and consumers. We analyzed their business challenges and developed their strategy, brand, marketing materials, and website for a national launch.

Services

  • Market Viability
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Brand Strategy
  • Messaging
  • Visual Identity & Brand Guidelines
  • Printed Materials for Analysts
  • Consumer Brochures
  • Customizable Print-On-Demand Materials
  • Sales Presentations
  • Consumer Video Series
  • “Did You Know“ Video Series
  • Integrated Website Strategy
  • Website Copy, Design & Development for Consumer & Analyst Sites

A New Service for Seniors

Many people do not realize that they have options when collecting social security. Factors such as age, marital status, disability, and self-employment, among others, can affect the amount of money received. Registered Social Security Analyst (RSSA) created a certification program to train professionals to guide people in optimizing their benefits.

An Untapped Market for Financial Professionals

With 10,000 Baby Boomers retiring every day, the market for advice about social security benefits is huge. RSSA provides a new professional certification to tap into that market. Financial professionals can enhance their practice, and someone seeking an encore career could start a business. 

From Concept to a Thriving Business

Who would become an RSSA? How much would people pay for this service? Would people welcome entering this new profession? We conducted focus groups and research to ascertain the viability of this new financial service and how to attract professionals and clients. We helped RSSA define and launch the business model.

Developing the Value Propositions

Potential analysts need to know about the training and the value of adding this certification to their services. We developed the value proposition that guided the marketing to recruit analysts and attract soon-to-be-retirees to the service.

Crafting the Brand

RSSA needed a recognizable logo that would have the same respect as “CPA” or other financial certifications. Branded as a personalized service to optimize your Social Security benefits, we designed a logomark that could be used on everything, from business cards to marketing materials to stationery by professionals across the country.

Developing a Unified Web Strategy for Analysts & Consumers

Professionals need a website for training, customizing and printing their marketing materials, finding leads, and keeping up to date on changes. Their website is a one-stop shop, with links to training modules and the certification exam. 

When they become analysts, they have access to marketing materials, from business cards to social media posts as well as continuing education. They can add their name to the list of qualified analysts so potential customers will find them easily.

Consumers need a website that explains the value of RSSA and helps them find an analyst near them.  Although the material presented here is different from that on the analysts’ site, the two are seamlessly integrated at the back end so clients and analysts can find each other and communicate seamlessly.

Recruiting RSSAs

We identified the types of people who make good RSSAs and developed marketing outreach materials, including a sales kit, to attract them.

Creating a Turnkey Business Operation

Reaching the market of soon-to-be-retired people required both print and online materials as well as a marketing strategy that includes emails, postcards, social media, and a consumer-facing website. With just one login, an analyst can set up a profile, create marketing materials, invoice clients, do bookkeeping, and get support.

Attracting Consumers

To attract consumers, we crafted the value proposition, marketing materials, including print, digital, and videos, and the lead-generation system to drive leads to RSSAs.

Creating Customizable Marketing Materials

The new analyst can open a business immediately because the NRSSA website has everything that they need to promote their practice:

  • A customizable web page that helps consumers find them
  • Marketing brochures
  • Pring-on-demand, customizable stationery, and business cards
  • PowerPoint presentations
  • Videos that can be posted on social media
  • Monthly newsletter
  • Coaching and continuing education

Success

The National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts is now a respected source of financial information, frequently quoted in publications such as Financial Advisor Magazine, MarketWatch, Accounting Today, and TheStreet. It has a partnership with the National Association of Enrolled Agents so tax planning can include social security benefits. The organization has attracted RSSAs who are providing valuable expertise to help people maximize their Social Security benefits.

Promoting Patient-Centered Healthcare

Synovation Medical Group

Promoting Patient-Centered Healthcare

We built a brand for this pain-management practice with a unique business model.

Services

  • Discovery Interviews
  • Materials Review
  • Brand Strategy & Positioning
  • Messaging
  • Welcome Kit
  • Patient Information Sheets
  • Provider Sheets
  • Consumer Advertising
  • Banner Displays

Synovation Medical Group focuses on patient-centered care that helps people get back to doing the things that pain has prevented them from doing. They needed their brand to tell their story. Strategist Nicole Minore led the process for revitalizing Synovation’s brand.

Pain Management

Synovation goes beyond pharmaceuticals to treat pain. It offers a range of options, from PT to acupuncture, from meditation to laser therapy. Patients partner with their doctors to achieve control over their pain and their health.

Business Model

Its business model has revolutionized medical practices. Doctors get paid for treating a patient for a whole year. The sooner the patient is pain-free, the better it is for all. And their pain reduction outcomes bear this out.

Defining Their Brand Essence

OLD BRAND

Synovation’s old brand featured medical-oriented imagery that was very clinical, and perhaps even scary. Images were generic, and there was no consistent visual look.

NEW BRAND

We refocused the brand on the patients’ personal experiences — addressing them as people with concerns, not just bodies to be fixed. We created an authentic human voice, a pleasant personality, and a distinctive, recoginizable look.

Synovation Ad - Pain is Personal. So are we.

Featuring Real Patients

We feature real patients with different pain issues and different treatment plans to help prospective patients understand their options, see the outcomes, and feel a connection with the practice.

Visualizing Outcomes

We reimagined the way that data was represented, changing multi-color pie charts into blue and green bar charts for an easier comparison of treatment effectiveness.

Welcoming Patients to a New Medical Model

The Welcome Kit we created dispels misperceptions about treating pain solely with drugs. The kit presents a personal approach to pain management, putting the patient in control, and features an array of treatment options. Die-cut holes allow three of the treatment options to show through to entice people to open the brochure to discover Synovation’s multi-disciplinary approach to pain management.

Educating Patients

Because Synovation believes pain is experienced by each patient differently and can be managed by the patient, educating patients is a high priority. We developed this brochure to help people understand the difference between chronic and acute pain, how pain affects people, and their multi-disciplinary approach to pain management.

What is Pain?
Acute Pain
Multidisciplinary Approach

Physician Sheets

To create a personal connection between doctor and patient, we developed Physician Sheets to inform the patient about each of the professionals who are caring for them. Information about Synovation is on the back. These can be used as part of the Welcome Kit or handed out by the doctor when meeting a new patient.

Promoting the Business Model

We helped Synovation promote the effectiveness of its business model by creating a sheet for insurance companies and managed care groups. The sheet showed how effective Synovation is at reducing both pain and long-term expenses. We revisualized pie charts as colored bars for a quick visual comparison of the positive treatment outcomes.

Promoting at Conferences 

To help Synovation get the word out through conferences, we created banners designed to be used for both consumer and trade use.

Facilitating Growth

Synovation has grown from 20 locations to one of the largest private medical groups in the Southwestern region of the U.S. with more than 40 offices. In addition to the main locations that service daily patient needs, Synovation has five surgical centers, two labs, and multiple locations within other medical practices, helping more and more people live without pain.

GROWTH

40 Offices

From 20 Offices

Telling the Story of Poverty’s Impact

The Shared Humanity Project

Telling the Story of Poverty’s Impact

Real poverty is almost twice what most people think it is. We helped this organization define its brand and communicate its solution to donors.

Services

  • Discovery
  • Brand Positioning & Messaging
  • Visual Identity
  • Donor Presentation

Exploring Poverty

We took a deep dive into the various definitions of poverty, measurement indices, history of poverty, and other aspects of economic need.

Developing Their Message

Donors need to understand why this organization’s perspective on poverty matters. We guided their team in crafting a clear description of their work and its impact.

Who We Are

We are passionate experts bringing decades of experience in programs that address poverty. This includes on-the-ground experience delivering programs in the most underserved and at-risk communities as well as decades of research on safety net and family support programs in public and private think tanks.

What We Do

We are building a national movement to end poverty in the United States by redefining what “poverty” means, measuring it locally and accurately, and educating and engaging individuals and entities from all sectors to work together to eradicate it.

Why We Do It

If it were your child or your parent who lived each day in poverty, with the constant stress that comes with never ending scarcity or the constant danger that comes with living in economically distressed communities, you would feel the urgency to solve it. We started The Shared Humanity Project because poverty is solvable when we bring the commitment, creativity, and appropriate priority. Our plan has specific actions that every person and every organization can take to help solve a crisis that affects every one of us, not just the more than 75 million Americans who do not have the financial stability to get by on their own.

Why It Is Important

To allow for millions of Americans to live in the scarcity of poverty when we have the knowledge and the resources to solve it is inhumane. To allow this to be the case, decade after decade is worse. Alternatively, when we ensure that every American has sufficient economic stability, we can transform humanity from what is to what can be, unlocking the potential of all Americans.

What Impact We Have

We aim to transform the way that society views and measures poverty and engage everyone in creating positive change. This effort changes all of us in qualitative and quantitative ways, uniting us and arriving at solutions, together. The long-term impact is a shared experience of life where our potential is realized rather than imagined.

Why Donors Should Support Us

For decades, poverty has been seen as an intractable problem, a “normal” part of American life. Yet it is solvable. We have done the research and built an organization to engage all sectors of society equally to tackle this issue. Our National Plan highlights the extent and depth of poverty in this country. It reveals the number of people living at 50% of median income in each county as a springboard to actions that people can take through our website. It provides an effective answer to the question “What can I do?”

Articulating Their Distinction

And we helped them articulate the core values that make this organization’s approach unique.

Comprehensive
We take a comprehensive approach that cuts across various silos (such as food, wages, housing, etc.).
Interconnected
We bring all sectors together to address this issue.
Practical
We provide a broad array of ways to make a difference and make it easy to take action.
Non-ideological
We offer a range of solutions independent of government support that do not take sides or favor particular ideologies.
Grounded in Research
Our solutions are based on decades of on-the-ground work and research.
Individual Action
We emphasize the shared responsibility of each of us to take action to address this collective societal problem.

Developing the Visual Identity

Visualizing the National Plan

Core to communicating the essence of The National Plan to End Poverty was creating a graphic that shows the audiences, issues, and actions to be taken.

Crafting the Story for Donors

The Case for Support takes donors on a journey. It describes the problem and challenges the norms of measuring poverty, yet it is hopeful. There is a solution.

SELECTED SLIDES SHOWN

We open with an emotional hook and introduce the problem.

Compelling comparisons and graphics help tell the story.

The solution is introduced.

We build the case for supporting a larger vision of societal change.

“Awesome work. Your thoughts and insights are fantastic – and I feel that way every time we speak.”

Mark Bergel, Ph.D, Co-Founder, The Shared Humanity Project

New Name That Appeals to Donors

ImpactIsrael

Reinventing a Brand to Appeal to Donors

Red Rooster Group transformed an unrecognizable organization into a powerful brand for fundraising.

Services

  • Brand Analysis
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Stakeholder Interviews
  • Brand Positioning & Messaging
  • Organizational Name
  • Visual Identity
  • Brand Style Guide

BEFORE

The Challenge

Friends of Yemin Orde had a problem: How do you raise money to scale an educational model in a foreign country when your name means nothing to the U.S. donors you are looking to attract?

Defining Their Essence

We conducted research to establish what made this organization unique. We then defined their essence to help them connect with donors.

Telling Their Story of Impact

Donors had differing reasons for supporting the organization, but all agreed that an important part of its appeal was that its services were “transformative” and that the Village residents became a family.

We seized the opportunity to communicate a larger vision of the organization’s impact. The organization’s model, which was used by schools and the military, could transform individuals, institutions, and Israeli society. This transformative effect gave us a path to appeal to donors who wanted their donations to have a major social impact.

Creating a Name That Inspires

We created a name and tagline that conveyed the organization’s bold vision to donors. After defining the essence of the organization, we generated hundreds of names that conveyed different aspects of the program and its personality. We refined the names based on client feedback, and working with the organization’s executive team and board, we whittled the list down to a few that most vibrantly conveyed their vision. We helped them navigate the difficulties of choosing a name that would reflect their values and resonate with donors.

The Naming Process

  1. We wrote a Creative Brief with direction and criteria for the name.
  2. We compiled and sorted 200 names of Jewish organizations for context.
  3. We generated about 580 names, exploring a range of options
  4. We presented 120 names in 8 categories.
  5. We received feedback on these names.
  6. We generated a second round of names.
  7. We received feedback on these names.
  8. We generated a third round of names with URLs
  9. We vetted all names for potential trademark and other conflicts.
  10. We presented to the Board.
  11. The name ImpactIsrael was unanimously approved by the Board.

The New Identity

The new name and tagline reinforce the idea that if donors want their money to create a wider impact throughout the country, this is the organization to support.

Name

The name ImpactIsrael says it all: We will impact Israeli society, not just a part of it. It’s short, powerful, memorable, easy to pronounce, and relates to their philosophical vision.

Tagline

The tagline — Elevating education and lifting lives the Village Way — opens the door to tell their story and leverages the brand equity of their Village Way model.

Logo

The unique and memorable logo combines an upward arrow with people to show the ripples of impact on children from scaling the model across the country.

Ensuring Brand Recognition

We created a Brand Style Guide to ensure that all staff use the brand elements correctly and consistently.

Launching the Brand

With our guidance, the new brand was unanimously adopted by the board. They launched the name at their gala, where it was well received. ImpactIsrael now has the confidence to move forward to attract donors to support Village communities throughout Israel.

Results

The year the brand was introduced, the organization increased the amount it received in contributions from $7.2 million to $8.2 million.

REVENUE INCREASE

$8.2 million

From $7.2 million

International Certification Label for Responsible Farming

Responsibly Grown. Farmworker Assured.

Equitable Food Initiative

International Certification Label for Responsible Farming

How do you communicate a new farm certification covering improved working conditions, pesticide management, and food safety? We developed a seal to do just that.

Services

  • Market Research
  • Consumer Interviews
  • Messaging
  • Design
  • Consumer Testing
  • Brand Style Guide

EQUITABLE FOOD INITIATIVE

We bring together growers, farmworkers, retailers, and consumers to transform agriculture and improve the lives of farmworkers.

Researching the Marketplace

Do consumers care about farmworkers? Our process started with in-depth research to assess the marketplace and learn how consumers responded to food-certification seals. We also assessed the competition and studied the language and symbols that would best convey the values behind this seal.

In a crowded landscape of certifications, the seal had to be easily recognizable by consumers and clearly indicate the high standards for safety and working conditions that it represents.

Food Safety Labels
Farmworker Labels
Ecosystem Labels

Developing the Language

We worked with consortium members to determine the language we should use on the seal. We explored different ways to frame the message — around the farmworker, the EFI brand, and the key values of the certification. The goal was a seal that consumers could trust—a trustmark.

PROPOSED LANGUAGE

An EFI Certified Farm
Ethical Farm Certified
Meets Ethical Farm Standards
Meets EFI Responsible Farming Standards
A Responsible Stewardship Farm
Meets Responsible Farming Standards
Seal of Responsible Farming
Responsibly Grown. Farmworker Assured.

MESSAGE FRAMING 1: Farmworker Focus
  • Brings out the key point of difference of EFI — that the workers are involved in the monitoring process and that they are more concerned because of their better treatment and working conditions.
  • May not be as meaningful as a benefit to consumers.

SUGGESTED LANGUAGE

Farmworker Assured Produce
Empowered Worker Farm Culture

MESSAGE FRAMING 2: EFI as a Brand
  • Includes EFI on the label.
  • EFI will have to be given meaning in the marketplace, it does not yet convey status.

PROPOSED LANGUAGE

Meets EFI Standards
Meets EFI Responsible Farming Standards
An EFI Certified Farm EFI Certified Produce

MESSAGE FRAMING 3: Responsible
  • Indicates the attitude of EFI farms in terms of caring and active sense of accountability.

PROPOSED LANGUAGE

A Responsible Stewardship Farm
Meets Responsible Farming Standards
Seal of Responsible Farming
Certified Responsible Farm
Responsible to Workers, Environment, and Food Safety
Responsibly Grown. Farmworker Assured.

MESSAGE FRAMING 4: Ethical
  • A wider way of framing the issue.
  • Appeals to people’s sense of fairness and justice without being too specific.
  • Avoids the quality and safety issue.

PROPOSED LANGUAGE

Ethical Farm Certified
Meets Ethical Farm Standards

MESSAGE FRAMING 5: Standards
  • Highlights that the produce meets specific standards, measurable criteria that not all food sources attain.

PROPOSED LANGUAGE

Elevated Farm Standards

Designing the Seal

The selected message was: Responsibly Grown. Farmworker Assured. We designed different visual approaches to quickly communicate the concept. The designs had to be:

  • distinguished from other certification seals
  • clear when reproduced in small sizes
  • stand out on busy packaging
  • understood in different countries

Testing the Concepts

Several designs were chosen for consumer testing via surveys to the consortium’s members and the general public. People were asked to rate the designs based on various criteria. We also asked open-ended questions to elicit specific language, tone, and issues with various labels.

With insights from the survey, a final label design was selected and then refined, communicating a message about food safety and farm practices.

Market Research Chart 1
Market Research Chart 2
Market Research Chart 3

The Winning Seal

The seal that resonated most with consumers was the simplest one, with no image. The design was simplified and colored in a bright green to stand out on produce packages.

EFI Brand Standards

Ensuring Consistency in the Use of the Seal

We created a guide that specified how to use the seal on packaging, the language to describe the certification, the official terms to use, and talking points, so members around the world could easily talk about and use the certification.

The Seal in Use

48

certified farms in the U.S. Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru

60,000

farmworkers working on farms with EFI-trained leadership teams

$12 million

generated in worker bonuses

Research Institute Gets Independent Brand

Agriculture and Food Systems Institute

Agriculture & Food Systems Institute

Research Institute Gets Independent Brand

Helping a research institute establish independence and engage researchers with a new brand and website.

VISIT WEBSITE

Services

  • Brand & Website Analysis
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Stakeholder Interviews
  • Audience Needs Mapping
  • Brand Positioning & Messaging
  • Visual Identity Iconography
  • Brand Style Guide
  • Website User Experience
  • Website Copywriting
  • Website Design
  • Website Development
  • Registration System
  • E-learning Integration
  • Content Migration & Customization

Results

Increased Pages Per Session

6.56 v. 3.9

Increased Session Duration

6:43 mins. v. 3:10

Decreased Bounced Rate

24% v. 62%

Evolving the Organization

The Agriculture & Food Systems Institute separated from an international trade association. After adopting a new name, they approached us to craft the strategy that would help them stand on their own and set a foundation for growth.

Our extensive research uncovered valuable opportunities to:

  • Distinguish the organization with a new unified message.
  • Engage their audiences in new ways with a redesigned website.
  • Increase their funding potential by emphasizing their impact.
Advancing the Field for Good

Defining Their Message

Previously, AFSI’s message had focused on their work. Using the insight we uncovered from our discovery process, we crafted new messaging that focused on the positive impact they are having on the world.

AFSI Messaging

Creating a Unique Visual Identity

We designed a comprehensive visual identity system for AFSI including icons and custom graphics for their main program areas, databases, e-learning courses, and program maps. Combined with a palette of colors, angled rules, textures from nature, and ragged edges, AFSI now has a unique look that helps them stand out in the sector.

Developing an Engaging User Experience

We completely reinvented the homepage with a new navigation system to invite more users to discover content. The homepage introduces the new brand, making it easy to engage with the primary research areas, publications, and tools. It also promotes the e-learning courses and invites collaboration and participation.

Describing AFSI’s Areas of Research

To expand AFSI’s audience, we provided context for each program — a description of the issue, what AFSI is doing about it, and why that research is important.  Site visitors can learn about the relevant staff for that issue, see maps of the locations, a list of collaborators, and explore past successes and related publications.

Inviting Participation

​​We identified ways for stakeholders to engage with AFSI and created new sections to invite stakeholders to do so. A Looking Ahead section suggests future funding opportunities.

Creating Seamless Online Learning

Users now have a seamless online educational experience. We created an e-learning section that’s integrated with the third-party LearnDash system and completely customized for AFSI. A single login now allows users to access online courses and AFSI’s tools while providing AFSI with user tracking. A new sortable database of testimonials promotes e-learning.

Results

Increased Pages Per Session

6.56 v. 3.9

Increased Session Duration

6:43 mins. v. 3:10

Decreased Bounced Rate

24% v. 62%

“Congratulations to you Howard, and many thanks to you and the team! The site looks great and it was a real pleasure to work with you to bring this to fruition.”

Morven McLean
Executive Director, Agriculture & Food Systems Institute

Revitalizing a National Disability Network

Disability:IN

DisabilityIN

Revitalizing a National Disability Network

A new name, message, and visual identity eliminate confusion and provide a rallying cry for disability inclusion.

Services

  • Brand Analysis
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Stakeholder Interviews
  • Brand Positioning
  • Organizational Messaging
  • Organizational Name
  • Program Names
  • Affiliate Naming & URL Structure
  • Visual Identity
  • Brand Style Guide
  • Brand Launch Strategy
  • Affiliate Brand Strategy
Disabiltity In Logo Annimation

Creating a New Organizational Name

The United States Business Leadership Network had difficulty conveying its mission of disability inclusion in workplaces and supply chains. This coalition of 160 corporations needed a name that anchored them around disability, but they were unsure whether to use that word. We conducted extensive research and led the organization through a thorough naming process. The resulting name, Disability:IN, represents Inclusion, Insight, Innovation, International to communicate all aspects of their mission.

OLD NAME & LOGO

USBLN

NEW NAME & LOGO

DisabilityIN Logo

Affiliate Naming System

The comprehensive branding effort included a naming structure with a URL system that would work for all 31 Affiliates. We developed a coordinated look that works for the various entities and a fresh new look to inform their online presence.

Affiliate Naming System

Developing New Program Names

The original program names were inconsistent and confusing. We developed new program names that were aligned with the parent name and each other.

DisabilityIN Program Names

Launching the Brand

A coordinated effort was used to launch the brand at their national conference. We created an inspiring video to galvanize people around the cause. The Affiliates attended a special session to introduce them to the brand and received a guide and templates to help them transition to the new brand. The new name was very well received by the conference attendees, corporate partners, and affiliates. 

Are You In?

The ”Are You In?” theme helps galvanize people around their mission of disability inclusion.

Brand Banner

The new Disability:IN brand lives nicely alongside corporate partner brands, not just in the nonprofit world.

Results

The revitalized brand represents Disability:IN’s mission and positions the organization to achieve its goal of global growth. The organization has improved its ability to engage its audiences including corporate partners, supply chain enterprises, and others. It has grown substantially in the two years since launching its new brand.

REVENUE

$4.8 million

From $3.3 million

CORPORATE PARTNERS

220

From 127

DISABILITY HIRES BY CORPORATE PARTNERS

80,000

From 20,000

Updating an Aging Organization

Advancing States

Advancing States

Updating an Aging Organization

What do you do with a cumbersome name? The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities needed a new name and visual identity. We delivered.

This membership organization of state aging and disability agencies was referred to as NASUAD, which was hindering their ability to communicate what they do. They approached Red Rooster Group with the challenge of developing a better name.

Services

  • Brand Analysis
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Stakeholder Interviews
  • Organizational Name
  • Program Names
  • Brand Style Guide
  • Brand Video

Crafting an Appropriate Name

We led the organization through a comprehensive exploration of names that met their criteria — a forward-thinking name that positioned them as the convenor and voice for state agencies, and short enough that it would be conducive to use without abbreviating.

We generated dozens of names — from full descriptive names to shorter, more evocative ones. We vetted the names for potential conflicts and helped their Brand Committee evaluate the choices. The resulting name, Advancing States, distinguishes them from the competition and positions them as leading the state aging and disability agencies.

The name needed to distinguish the organization from similar organizations.

Similar Organizations

Designing a Unified Visual Identity System

We designed a new logo for the organization with an emerging star and large AD for aging and disabilities. We unified the conference and program brands with a consistent visual look made from components of the star in the Advancing States logo.

Old-Logos
Advancing States Logo
HCBS Conference
HCBS Clearinghouse
MLTSS Institute Logo
IQ Online Learning Center
HCBS Business Acumen Center
Information & Referral Support Center

Brand Style Guide

Their Brand Style Guide helps this national nonprofit organization maintain consistency with its brand across marketing activities.