Messaging Archives - Red Rooster Group

JobTrain Case Study

Howard Levy — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:13:55 +0000

JobTrain

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

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

The post JobTrain Case Study appeared first on Red Rooster Group.

School Capital Campaign Brochure

Howard Levy — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 13:56:04 +0000

Yeshivah of Flatbush

School Capital Campaign

We developed the name, logo, messaging, and brochure for this school’s $50 million capital campaign for new buildings and renovations.

Services

Discovery & Stakeholder Insights
Campaign Theme, Name & Logo
Fundraising Messaging
Case for Support Brochure

Transforming Space to Empower the Future

To address pressing infrastructure needs and prepare the next generation of Jewish leaders, Yeshivah of Flatbush launched a bold campaign to reimagine its elementary and middle school facilities.

Challenge

Yeshivah of Flatbush faced several hurdles: aging buildings, overcrowded facilities, and the need for learning environments that match 21st-century education. The school had recently completed a high school campaign and was asking donors for another major investment during a time when giving was also being directed toward Israel and other urgent causes.

Solution

We framed the case in a positive way: the school is so successful that our enrollment exceeds our capacity. We developed a campaign that emphasized both urgency and aspiration. Rooted in the message “our kids deserve more,” the campaign positioned this capital project as an investment not just in facilities, but in children’s education, community pride, and the future of Jewish leadership.

Building a Case That Resonates

Drawing on the themes of joy, pride, and legacy, the case for support framed the investment in these key dimensions:

Educational Excellence: Environments designed for modern pedagogy, enhanced enrichment programs, and improved student-teacher interaction.
Student Transformation: Emphasizing how the new physical space would be transformational for students in their academic learning, social development, and community pride.
Community Investment: A call to invest in the next generation of leaders and sustain the cohesiveness of Brooklyn’s Jewish community.
Fiscal Responsibility: Highlighting a phased, financially prudent approach to construction and the school’s commitment to tight fiscal management.

Telling the Story, Creating a Tactile Experience

The upscale production of the brochure suggests the quality of the new buildings. An extra-thick cover, gold foil stamping, clear foil, vellum overleaf, and satin-finish paper provide a tactile experience to engage affluent donors.

Other Case for Support Projects

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Helping a Homeless Organization Reach New Heights

Howard Levy — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 05:41:27 +0000

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.
- Thought Leadership Videos (click and scroll down)
- Client stories
- Services videos
- New Sites
- Other Videos

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

The post Helping a Homeless Organization Reach New Heights appeared first on Red Rooster Group.

Telling the Story of Poverty’s Impact

Howard Levy — Mon, 23 May 2022 05:24:10 +0000

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

The post Telling the Story of Poverty’s Impact appeared first on Red Rooster Group.

Rebranding Positions Human Services Agency as a Leader in the Sector

Howard Levy — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 16:11:55 +0000

How does a $100 million social service agency remain relevant in a competitive environment?

Founded in New York City in 1831, Leake & Watts had evolved from an orphanage to a multi-faceted agency with more than 40 different programs. But their name and brand were hampering their ability to get referrals and attract donors.

We created a new name, message, and visual identity that positions it as a leader in the sector. Here’s how we did it.

Challenges

The organization needed to address the problems with its name and retain a sense of history while moving forward to appeal to donors and funders.

Discovery

We conducted a thorough Discovery process that was designed to help us uncover brand perceptions and communication issues:

A Brand Audit that assessed all touchpoints with the public.
A Competitive Review of other human services agencies to identify key differentiators.
25 Interviews with leadership, Board members, and donors.
An Interactive Workshop with two dozen senior leaders to explore brand strengths.
Five Focus Groups with different departments to understand their brand challenges.

Naming

The leadership, Brand Committee, and Board were engaged in a thorough process to develop and test a new name that would meet their needs around the theme of “Rise.”

After exploring more than 1,400 naming ideas, field testing for perceptions, and conducting legal vetting, the Brand Committee selected the name Rising Ground. This conveys how the organization helps people rise above adversity regardless of what they are facing. The tagline, ”Paths to positive change since 1831” amplifies the message and connects to their history.

Messaging

As part of the branding process, we updated the Mission and Vision Statements, Values, and other brand messaging.

Mission

Driven by the belief that each of us can thrive when life has hope and opportunity, Rising Ground provides caring support and proven paths to positive change, helping the most vulnerable children, adults and families rise above adversity.

Vision

Rising Ground envisions a future for New York where every child has an equal opportunity to succeed; where vulnerable individuals and families have the resources and support they need; where people with disabilities can access opportunity and fully participate in their communities; and where all are supported as they navigate life’s challenges and positively direct their lives.

Boilerplate

Rising Ground is a leading nonprofit social service organization, providing the most vulnerable children, adults and families in the Greater New York City area, with the resources and skills needed to rise above adversity and positively direct their lives.

Visual Identity

We created a new visual identity that is expressive, contemporary, and evokes the agency’s personality. The visual identity system consists of:

Website

We planned, wrote, designed, and developed a completely new website for the organization. We created a positive experience that showcases the agency’s mission of helping people rise above adversity.

Visit Website

Brand Launch

Announcing the new name was an opportunity to renew enthusiasm for the organization. To facilitate the transition, we drafted a Why We Changed Our Name document, letters to each stakeholder group, FAQs, a video, and other materials. The launch events generated lots of excitement and the name was well received by staff and donors, and garnered some media coverage (handled by a PR firm).

Outcomes

Rising Ground’s new brand eliminates the confusion with their old name, inspires donors with an uplifting message, and gives staff a clear purpose to rally around.

Most importantly, Rising Ground is positioned as a leader in the social services sector — one not known for bold changes. Leake & Watts’ transformation to Rising Ground has sent a signal to the sector that it is leading the way with bold decisions. They are seen as an attractive potential partner for acquiring other agencies, and their new brand is serving them well as in vying for attention and funding in these uncertain political times.

“Howard and the entire team at Red Rooster Group truly went above and beyond with our project – the rebranding and renaming of a venerable 185+ year organization. It wasn’t easy! Red Rooster Group took the time to really listen to what we believe in and what we wanted to achieve. Their process was strategic, creative, and inventive from start to finish. All throughout, Red Rooster Group made sure we stayed true to the core themes of our work that we collectively identified. No detail was too small and no request unsatisfied. You couldn’t ask for a team more dedicated. Today, we have a new name, visual identity, website, messaging, and mission and vision statements that are truly reflective of our impact in the community. Our new brand positions us with confidence as we look to the future and ways to further increase our impact. Red Rooster Group was a tremendous partner. We are delighted with the results of our work together!”

— Meredith Barber
Senior Director of Institutional Advancement
Rising Ground

Download the 1-page Case Study PDF.

Download the full 10-page Case Study PDF.

The post Rebranding Positions Human Services Agency as a Leader in the Sector appeared first on Red Rooster Group.

Integrated Campaign Promotes Early Childhood Mental Health

Howard Levy — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 08:28:02 +0000

How do you help low-income parents pay attention to their young child’s mental health?

You need a message that doesn’t stigmatize, patronize, or scare them off.

A positive message helps parents see the good inside their child despite the frustrations that they might be feeling at the moment.

We also created brochures to reach doctors and other professionals who could refer their patients to the clinic.

A coordinated media approach included billboards and transit advertising to create awareness.

We used a combination of print and digital ads in local newspapers and websites to reach parents.

AdWords and social media campaigns with the YourChildsSmile.org URL drove traffic to a mobile-friendly landing page.

The landing page was integrated as a part of The Jewish Board’s website so that visitors could learn about their full range of services.

Participation in local events such as BayFest was an opportunity to engage people directly.

The 2-month campaign fulfilled the client’s goal of reaching a large number of people in a short period of time.

735,954

total people reached

Doubled

the average intake calls to the counseling center in the first 2 weeks of the campaign

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Introducing a Complex Concept

Howard Levy — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 03:14:16 +0000

Credible Messenger Justice Center

Introducing a Criminal Justice Mentoring Model

When an alliance of three parties came together to promote the Credible Messenger approach used for mentoring at-risk youth, they needed a way to explain the concept, present their affiliation, and build support for the movement. Red Rooster Group developed a brand to tell their story in a powerful way.

Services

Market Research
Brand Strategy
Naming
Messaging
Visual Identity & Brand Guidelines
Marketing Collateral
Website Copy, Design & Development/span>

Creating a Brand to Transform Lives

The Center for Credible Messengering is a consortium of the New York City Department of Probation, a nonprofit organization called Community Connections for Youth, and the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. They came together to develop programs to harness the power of people who had been through the justice system and had transformed their lives, and to train them to become mentors for youth who might otherwise end up in jail. Our task was to create a brand for the consortium that was using this credible messenger approach.

Framing the Approach

We visited the programs and conducted interviews to learn about the valuable role that Credible Messengers play and perceptions about the justice system. We explored the issues around how to present this unique and sensitive approach to transforming individual lives, communities.

Crafting Brand Language

We developed a brand platform to define their brand — creating Mission and Vision Statements, Brand Pillars, Brand Personality, and other messaging components. We galvanized the brand around the concept of “Relationships that Transform,” and crafted messaging to support it.

A New Name

We wanted to address the awkwardness of ”Credible Messengering” in the original name — The Center for Credible Messengering — and give a clear focus on the words ”Credible Messenger.” After generating many options, we recommended the name Credible Messenger Justice Center to put ”Credible Messenger” first, and add ”Justice” to give context to the name.

Visual Identity

We then developed options for a visual identity that would give credibility to the alliance and help tell its story of Credible Messengers in dialogue with youth.

Website

We wrote, designed, and developed a website to showcase the Center, including pages that appealed to potential Credible Messengers, and a searchable Research Library for those looking for information on the effectiveness of the approach. Testimonials from Credible Messengers were used throughout the website.

Visit website

Print Collateral

We created overview sheets to promote the Center to professionals, and flyers to attract potential Credible Messengers.

Results

The brand, which was introduced a conference showcasing the Credible Messenger approach, was very well received, conferring credibility to the new venture.

The post Introducing a Complex Concept appeared first on Red Rooster Group.

Updated Messaging & Materials Breathe New Life Into Social Service Agency

Howard Levy — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 20:26:36 +0000

How does a 112-year-old social service agency increase its visibility to engage participants and donors?

A clear, purposeful message, unified voice, and visual look with consistency across all marketing galvanized staff and inspired donors.

UMFS had a cliché mission statement: Touching lives. Creating futures.

We gave them a new one around the theme of unwavering champions for high-risk children and families.

We created a cohesive and recognizable visual look with inspiring headlines around their theme that helps UMFS stand out from other social service agencies.

We unified their visual identity so that all divisions have appropriate symbols that connect to the parent organization.

To reflect UMFS’ new messaging we changed the name of their newsletter from Guardian to The Champion and showcased people who are living the organization’s mission.

To communicate the organization’s successes in a compelling way in their Impact Report, we created infographics visualizing accomplishments in five areas corresponding to their values.

We developed a responsive website that appealed to clinicians, parents, and donors. We wrote and designed the website to make it easy for users to understand UMFS’ services and take action, as well as for staff to update.

A benefit-oriented headline, short copy, and unique graphics greet site visitors.

A rollover invites site visitors to explore donation levels.

Information is presented in small increments and reflows when viewed on tablets and phones.

Throughout the site, stylized illustrations contribute to a design that’s both inviting and informative. Pages for each division of the agency thoughtfully address the concerns and challenges faced by each demographic.

A rollover invites site visitors to explore services.

Modular block system makes pages interesting, and can be easily updated by the client.

The History page features a vertical timeline with vintage photos.

The Careers page was designed to attract high-quality staff.

To help UMFS communicate its message to its 300 employees statewide, we created a brand book that illustrates key points in an easy-to-understand way.

We held brand workshops for key staff and the board to help them understand and embrace the brand messages. The sessions included hands-on activities to create enthusiasm for their brand.

Red Rooster Group staff introduce UMFS’ new messaging.

About 80 key staff attended the workshop. We held a separate session for the board.

To emphasize the message of ”Unwavering Champions,” we created cutouts so people could photograph themselves as champions.

For one activity, participants wrote and performed a song using UMFS’ new messages.

We asked participants to decorate and post a sheet depicting the wall surrounding their campus to demonstrate what’s behind the wall.

A balloon drop helped generate excitement and underscore the importance of the brand initiative.

“You guys really nailed what we are all about. I really feel I understand our messages, and embrace them.”

BRAND WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT”

The UMFS staff is now living their brand!

“Red Rooster Group captured the social impact and organizational DNA that was a part of our culture. Due to our new mission, we proudly refer to ourselves as unwavering champions for high-risk children and families. Our board and staff have rallied around this bold new message and our donors, customers, and competitors have taken notice.”

GREG PETERS
UMFS, President & Chief Executive Officer

The post Updated Messaging & Materials Breathe New Life Into Social Service Agency appeared first on Red Rooster Group.

Brand Update Promotes Largest Educational Organization In India

Howard Levy — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 20:02:20 +0000

Pratham USA

Promoting the Largest Educational Organization in India

Pratham USA wanted to strengthen its image and give its 15 chapters the communication tools they needed to be more effective in raising money for the organization. Red Rooster Group was brought in to develop a comprehensive brand, marketing strategy, and fundraising materials.

Services

Discovery
Workshops
Communications Assessment
Communications Plan
Marketing Plan
Brand Strategy
Brand Architecture
Core Fundraising Messaging
Case for Support
Donor Brochure
Donor Presentation
Annual Report
Website
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Building Marketing Foundations for Success

Pratham has taken on one of the worst problems in the world — literacy — with innovative yet proven tactics. It is one of the few nonprofits in the world that invests in Randomized Control Trials, an expensive but accurate way to assess effectiveness.

Pratham’s methods are used in 14 countries on three continents. The results guide government policy as well as help ascertain the best methods to teach reading to children.

Pratham USA raises money to support these efforts. Because the challenges are so great — 300,000 children in India cannot read — Pratham needed a marketing and fundraising strategy to get the word out about Pratham’s impact and expand its base of supporters.

We developed a marketing strategy as well as fundraising and communications plans and marketing materials to drive their outreach efforts.

Conducting Research

To find out why fundraising had plateaued and laid the foundation for their marketing and fundraising strategy, we conducted the following research to identify the challenges and opportunities.

Researched similar organizations in the sector.
Conducted a survey of donors.
Conducted workshops for national and chapter leaders.
Reviewed the past year of email and other communications with donors.
Determined marketing priorities.

Communications Plan

During our research, we found that communications with donors were sporadic and visually inconsistent. We developed a 24-month communication plan that coordinated the outreach of the national office with that of all the chapters. The communications schedule ensured that donors were not hit with multiple asks and that all events and campaigns were well-publicized. In addition, we provided templates for each chapter so their outreach would be visually consistent as well as timely.

We strengthened their brand, updated their messaging, and gave each chapter the tools needed to fundraise effectively.

Unifying the Visual Identity

Pratham lacked guidelines for their logo, which resulted in different typefaces, colors and layouts being used, as well as inconsistent treatments for the names of chapters and affiliates.

While Pratham has a clear mission, a logo, and brochures, the organization conveys a very fractured image. This can confuse donors and represent a lost opportunity to build equity in the brand. Another factor is that Pratham in other countries convey their brand slightly differently as well, with different typefaces for the logo and different designs for the website.

BEFORE

AFTER

During the brand review, we assessed that the logo was used in a wide variety of ways in the marketing materials, creating a fractured image for the organization. And chapters were setting their names in different typefaces and colors, undermining the professionalism of the organization.

To address this problem, we developed a comprehensive brand architecture for the organization that defined the relationship of the logo and tagline, created consistency for the chapter names and their treatment in the logo, and determined how international affiliates should be styled. We then developed versions of all the logos (15 chapters plus international partners) with and without the tagline in formats for print and web use.

Message Development

A core part of the strategy for Pratham USA was articulating Pratham’s global impact in developing and validating new tactics to increase literacy. To help Pratham and all the chapter heads tell their story in a compelling way to appeal to donors, we developed the following messaging tools:

A Case for Giving that describes the problem that Pratham addresses, how Pratham helps, Pratham’s impact, and ways donors can get involved and make a difference.
Brand Story that summarizes the case for giving.
Boilerplate that can be used to remind donors of Pratham’s mission and impact and urge them to donate.

Brand Story

At a time when half of the children in India cannot read, Pratham provides a low cost method to address the problem effectively on a large scale. Pratham is the only organization that empowers individuals through education as well as driving systemic change through a bottom-up approach. By training 60,000 volunteer teachers in 21 states, we are able to provide support for educating the entire population.

Pratham’s successes break the cycle of poverty for families in villages and cities and contributes to the economic and political vitality of India. Pratham has successfully reached more than 34 million children across India. Millions of children who could not even recognize the alphabet when they began now read fluently and with passion. Pratham’s methods have been recognized by leading foundations, including Skoll, Gates, and Hewlett, as a model worth emulating. Pratham’s methods are now being employed to help other countries facing similar educational challenges. Pratham USA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a four-star rating (the highest possible) from Charity Navigator, accepts tax deductible contributions from U.S. donors. We depend upon generous donors like you to create educational reform throughout India and the world.

Boilerplate

Pratham is one of he world’s leading non-governmental organizations working to provide quality education to underprivileged youth. With a budget of less than $15 million, we use very low cost and scalable methods and work in collaboration with the government, local communities, parents, teachers and volunteers across the country to educate hundreds of thousands of children every year. Pratham USA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a four-star rating (the highest possible) from Charity Navigator, accepts tax deductible contributions from U.S. donors. We depend upon generous donors like you to create educational reform throughout India.

Case for Support

We developed their Case for Support around what the donors need to know:

The Problem: What is the problem that the organization is addressing? We humanized the problem of widespread illiteracy in India by telling a story about one girl’s plight. We also provided a visually demonstrated the problem by creating a graphic showing the cycle of poverty that plagues many in India.
The Solution: What is Pratham doing about the problem? We describe Pratham’s programs to build literacy and create systemic change for education in the country
The Impact: How effective is the organization in addressing the problem? To demonstrate Pratham’s success, we presented a chart showing the results of Pratham’s signature program, Read India II, in 21 states across India.
The Appeal: How can donors support Pratham? We describe the different ways that people can support and get involved with the organization.

We designed the document to be easy to read and support Pratham’s brand, with photos that help to help people understand what Pratham does — overall a clear and compelling case for supporting Pratham.

Brochure

We created a brochure that could be handed out widely at galas and other events for fundraising purposes. The brochure makes a bold statement about the the vast scope of illiteracy in India, and describes how Pratham is addressing it.

Annual Report

We redesigned the organization’s annual report as part of an overall brand refresh for the organization. The theme of Raising the Bar on Hope was aimed at reinvigorating interest in the organization’s donor base which was experiencing some fatigue with Pratham’s message.

Marketing Templates

We created a consistent brand look for all materials so that donors can recognize them as Pratham’s. This reinforced the brand in people’s minds and made it easier for staff to create collateral materials, such as:

Email Newsletters
Email Blasts
Print Newsletters
Gala Invitations

Clarifying Roles & Responsibilities

Plans are only as good as their implementation. We helped Pratham USA put the structure in place that would facilitate implementation.

Identify the required roles and clear assignment of marketing tasks.
Determine what can be handled in-house and what needs to be outsourced.
Establish accountability for delivery.
Develop procedures for creating, reviewing, and approving fundraising materials.

Board Development

Pratham had not fully utilized the board as brand and fundraising ambassadors. We suggested ways in which board members could improve their fundraising effectiveness by giving them succinct messaging and collateral materials to guide them as they talked with potential donors. During our time, Pratham USA attracted Fareed Kazaria to its board.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

We promoted their readathon by creating materials for recruiting local hosts, as well as promoting the readathon locally in the community through digital and print materials. We increased the average donation from $76 to $102 over the prior year’s event.

RESULTS

36% Increase

Over Prior Year

The post Brand Update Promotes Largest Educational Organization In India appeared first on Red Rooster Group.

National Nonprofit Refreshes Its Focus, Name, Visual Identity, and Outreach

Howard Levy — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 15:41:05 +0000

Tourette Association of America

National Nonprofit Refreshes Its Focus, Name, Visual Identity & Website

Like many disease and disorder organizations, the Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) wanted to increase public awareness in order to foster a greater acceptance of this condition. Red Rooster Group was called in to refresh the organization’s brand by refining its focus, evolving its name, updating its visual identity, and developing a new website.

Services

Brand Analysis
Website Assessment
Competitive Review
Stakeholder Interviews & Surveys
Focus Groups & Brand Workshops
Audience Needs Mapping
Brand Positioning & Messaging
Renaming
Visual Identity System
Brand Style Guide
Website User Experience
Website Copywriting
Website Design
Website Development & Integrations

Assessing the Needs

Founded in 1972, the Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) is the only national nonprofit organization that helps individuals and their families deal with the many issues associated with Tourette Syndrome and tic disorders. With more than 30 chapters nationwide, its main mission is to increase awareness and knowledge about Tourette Syndrome while advocating for public policy issues, and investing in medical research to better understand this little-known but widespread condition.

Refreshed Brand

TSA wanted to refresh its brand with a new logo and tagline in order to bring uniformity and consistency to the organization’s image and messaging, and do it in a way that thoughtfully transitions the organization from its historical look and feel toward a more hopeful, energetic, and professional identity.

Updated Website

Part of the project was also to simplify and reorganize the current website to help showcase the array of services that TSA offers, help users more easily find the information they need, and engage people in taking action and joining the community.

Discovery

To begin the project, we conducted research to provide us with key information for developing TSA’s brand. This included:

Reviewing TSA’s internal and external documents and materials to learn more about the organization and the issues it addresses.
Facilitating workshops with TSA staff and chapter heads to understand chapter needs and perspectives.
Hosting a feedback table at TSA’s annual conference for in-person engagement.
Conducting individual interviews with a range of constituents.
Holding one-on-one discussions with TSA staff about each department’s needs.
Conducting surveys with the TSA community, general public, and other groups.

Key Takeaways

Defining the Message

Mission

Red Rooster Group worked with TSA to develop internal and external messages for the organization. A core part of the branding initiative was to update the organization’s Mission Statement to reflect its current focus. This included a shift in the outcomes of the medical research, being more positive and inclusive, and increasing the focus on awareness of Tourette Syndrome. We worked with organizational leadership to refine the language and get feedback from various constituents.

Mission Before

To identify the cause of, to control the effects of, and find a cure for Tourette Syndrome through education, research, and service.

Mission After

The Tourette Association is dedicated to making life better for all people affected by Tourette and Tic Disorders.

Refining the Name

Organizational Name

The branding process was the perfect opportunity to examine whether the organization’s name — Tourette Syndrome Association — should be changed in any way because the name was long, it was often shortened to TSA, and consequently confused with the Transportation Security Administration. The organization was exploring ways to improve the current name, rather than develop an entirely new name.

The main name considerations included:

Whether the word ”Syndrome” should be dropped from the name. The word had medical significance, people with Tourette Syndrome identified themselves that way and, yet, to the general public and newly diagnosed, that word can make the disorder seem more scary. Since Tourette Syndrome is referred to as TS, how would dropping ”Syndrome” work using ”TS?”
Whether there would be any designation of a national presence in the name. The organization is both national and international in scope and wants to be recognized as distinct from the chapters. Yet, adding another word would lengthen the name and increase the likelihood of abbreviation.
If the name is shortened to Tourette Association, whether or not to use an apostrophe on Tourette’s. Formally, an apostrophe is used, but how would that complicate the name and URL?

Iterations of the name were presented and discussed with leadership. We then tested the reaction of the Tourette community to the naming options in focus groups, eliciting feedback that helped shape the decision to use Tourette Association.

Before

After

Revitalizing the Visual Identity

Recognizing Brand Equity

A major component of this branding initiative was to update TSA’s logo, which had been in use for decades. While people had an affinity for the symbol due to familiarity, feedback from surveys told us that while people liked the sense of movement, they thought the logo looked dated and that the figure looked isolated and trapped.

Original Logo

Exploring Concepts

Our goals with the redesign were to update the symbol to be more dynamic, with a sense of energy and a suggestion of the positive aspect of living with TS successfully, rather than feeling inhibited by it. We explored a wide range of graphic expressions that could showcase the organization, while being sensitive to not misrepresenting Tourette Syndrome. These concepts included abstract symbols, representation of motion, community, figurative icons, and other concepts.

Visual Identity Exploration

After rounds of refinement, two logos emerged as final contenders. To provide a sense of how the logos would work in real-world applications, we applied them directly to both new and existing media.

Logo Testing in Focus Groups

The two final logos, as well as the shortened organizational name and the tagline, were tested in focus groups with TSA’s community in various cities. The feedback helped us gauge how people with Tourette Syndrome would feel about changes to the organizational brand as well as giving us specific feedback on each brand element. As a result of this feedback, we further refined one of the logos.

Logo Testing in Internal and External Surveys

To understand how people who were not familiar with Tourette Syndrome would perceive the logo and tagline, we conducted a survey of the general public. The following logos were tested, using the existing logo as a baseline. Option B was the winner.

A

B

C

Presentations for Internal Buy-In

During the course of the engagement, TSA leadership solicited input from various internal stakeholders, such as a leadership advisory team, the board, and a chapter council. Red Rooster Group created presentations showing the evolution of the brand elements so that the President could successfully pave the way for organizational changes by allowing input while addressing resistance to change and concerns about any of the brand elements.

Creating a New Website

Creating a Content Strategy

The site contained a massive amount of information but was very difficult to navigate. We cataloged the content from more than 1,000 pages and reorganized huge amounts of information so various audiences have a clear path to what they need. In addition to pages written for specific audiences, the site contains a searchable Resource Center to access a variety of media resources.

Developing a Modular Content System

The site is designed to be completely responsive for mobile, tablet, and desktop users, and has a robust administration area in the WordPress CMS to make it easy for staff to update. The unique modular block system we developed provides the ability to create interesting pages easily. Red Rooster Group handled the entire website development process including site architecture, copywriting, wireframing, design, development, and final testing.

Before

Rotator provides a quick overview of the organization.

Quick access to relevant content for key audiences.

The Did You Know feature appears on different pages with different facts.

Get Involved and Take Action modules encourage user engagement.

After

The website is fully responsive for viewing on tablets and other mobile devices.

What is TS?

This subpage is used to provide information for those new to Tourette Syndrome.

Learn About

Main section pages were designed to engage users and allow easy navigation to audience-specific resources.

Color-coded header modules for each section welcome users and help them acclimate to the section.

Three-column format provides choices for users without overwhelming them.

This module allows an image and multiple buttons.

Certain modules allow set content to appear on different pages throughout the site.

Action modules are present throughout the site to encourage interaction and provide help to site visitors.

Blocks of volunteer opportunities showcase the many ways users can donate
their time.

This page offers quick links to other ways users can support the organization.

Event modules allow users to sign up and get involved with events in their area.

Get Involved

Tourette Association offers a variety of ways in which users can get involved with the organization.

Teens with TS

Teenagers with TS face particular challenges so we created a page with information written specifically for them.

TS Awareness Main Page

Easy access is provided to publications, ads, audio lectures, and other resources.

Advocacy Main Page

The site presents quick and easy ways to support and advocate for the Tourette Association’s issues.

Integration with advocacy software allows users to engage with and take action on current issues.

Action items to engage users are embedded throughout the site.

A specialized search functions allows users to filter and sort thousands of resources.

Quick link sections provide easy access to content.

Resource Center

By aggregating years of past publications, articles, videos and slide shows, the Resource Center allows users to quickly and easily search for reference materials that meet their needs and answer their questions.

Connect with TA Main Page

With contact information, newsletters, and feedback forms built right into the site, the Tourette Association welcomes all who come to it for information, assistance, or even some friendly advice.

The post National Nonprofit Refreshes Its Focus, Name, Visual Identity, and Outreach appeared first on Red Rooster Group.