There’s something to be said for helping businesses move forward toward a larger audience, a more targeted message and great results. But there’s also something to be said for helping nonprofit organizations and causes to be better equipped to do what they do best.
November is a reflective month, and this week we pause to consider all the opportunities to connect with community members around a shared cause. At SJC Marketing, working alongside nonprofits, boards and groups in our community has always been a valued part of our success. Here are some of the lessons we’ve learned along the way:
1. Being part of a new branding initiative for a great cause is both energizing and rewarding – and the process surrounding this work can be just as important as the destination. For example, in our community, Hillcrest Transitional Housing became Pivotal Point. SJC Marketing helped develop the name concept, tagline, logo, branded resources and website. The process was a true privilege as our team shared ideas to help connect people even further to the awesome mission of this organization. We worked through various possibilities and opportunities as a group, combining marketing design, copywriting and strategy.
2. One way to be happy is to combine personal passion with the work of your business. Our SJC President/CEO, Susan Campbell, demonstrates this all the time. She has a long list of board and committee leadership positions and encourages the SJC team to do the same. A long-time passion for Susan has been helping youth succeed, reflected in her ongoing service to Youth Alliance in St. Joseph. This pours over into the SJC team, opening a door for collaboration on branding, printed materials, website resources and targeted social media campaigns that help the organization give youth the brightest future possible.
3. Sometimes, a project just hits the nail on the head and reminds us all how grateful we are to work with such talented team members. When the local Children’s Advocacy Center needed to more clearly capture their critical mission – safety, protection and healing for children who may have been abused — they worked with SJC Marketing for a concept that can help break down barriers for children and families who need their services. For the concept, our team created Voices of Courage, which artistically combines the face of a lion and a child to share the message that this is a safe and positive place to be heard and move toward healing. Across the Voices of Courage website, the message is encouraging and effective – highlighting that the children who share their truths are the true heroes.
4. Our work can be a small part of a bigger whole, and even behind the scenes, we are so good with that. For several years our team wrote the biographies for the YWCA Women of Excellence program booklet. This well-known event honors women across sectors like the workplace, volunteerism, leadership and more, and it was a privilege to put all those award nominees’ amazing accomplishments into booklet form. (And, tricky …. We are talking some seriously amazing ladies here with a space allotment of about 120 words per entry.) Helping organize the dozens of nominee forms into a keepsake program booklet, and even consult on the cover and theme, was a treasured part of our service track record.
There are several other nonprofits to thank for letting us come alongside their journey and share their mission. The list includes Second Harvest, Platte County Board of Services, Family Guidance Center, Habitat for Humanity, AFL-CIO, the Ag Expo Center and Northwest Health Services.
This Thanksgiving, our team at SJC Marketing continues to consider the awesome opportunities we have had to work with outstanding local organizations among our biggest blessings. Let’s all have another cup o’ joe this Monday morning in the name of gratitude.