Nonprofit brand strategy and positioning: rebrand for the future while preserving the past
CauseEngine repositioned the Foundation's external face by rebranding the organization (logo, name, look and feel) to closer match competing nonprofits.
A self-described “mom and pop shop”, the Marine Raider Foundation was trying to solidify its place as the most trusted nonprofit for its community. Though small, the Foundation had an incredible track record of service and was growing quickly as demand for their services continued to rise. They needed guidance to systematically build sustainable infrastructure, better define scalable programs and create a brand to match their elite clientele.
CauseEngine outlined and spearheaded a drastic repositioning of the brand so it would more effectively deliver services and market those services to those in need. This plan updated the Foundation’s communications, marketing and cultivation / stewardship strategies to better tell the story of the organization and its work.
Our team of designers then built an entirely new brand aesthetic from the ground up including a new name, logo, brand story and brand guidelines, marketing collateral, communications and video assets. We also developed an optimized website and donation platform.
We also proposed a merger with a similar nonprofit and advised the Foundation’s Board of Directors in the early stages of the merger, by providing insight into the process, and recommendations about the opportunity at large.
Ultimately the merger and rebranding was a success, further strengthening the Marine Raider Foundation’s foothold as the elite nonprofit serving their community.
The Marine Raider Foundation is a charity partner of the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, DC which allows the organization to fundraise around the event each year. With less than a month until the registration deadline, the Foundation needed to fill over half of their remaining slots or they'd lose the ability to fundraise the following year. This would result in a 6-figure loss and would require the organization to reapply for charity partner status in 2018. For a small nonprofit, this would be devastating.
CauseEngine marketing Pros built and created a social media campaign called #Run4Raiders to activate the Foundation’s audience and ask for their help in saving a cornerstone fundraising event. We sourced stories of Raiders and families who have benefited from the Foundation’s servicesand coupled our storytelling with powerful imagery and a strong call to action to galvanized their audience. We optimized posting times across social media platforms, provided rules for engagement and even helped craft and schedule posts for maximum effectiveness. The rhythmic, sustained cadence built momentum amongst the organization’s social channels, ultimately securing the much needed 17 marathon registrations in under 30 days!
