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Greetings from Kate |
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Happy Spring!
Here in the nation's capital, the cherry blossoms are almost at their glorious peak. And at Kate Tallent Design & Communications, we're celebrating our first quarter in the District of Columbia with new clients, new additions to the KTDC “virtual studio” of partners, and some compelling ideas to stimulate fresh ways to look at fundraising.
First off, I want to congratulate my former employer—the International Youth Foundation—on winning three 2005 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards for Excellence in Communications, presented annually by the Council on Foundations. They include the Gold Award for IYF's 2003 Annual Report; the Gold Award for IYF's Perspectives newsletter; and the Silver Award in the special reports category for IYF's YouthActionNet publication, Youth in Action. I served as art director and designer on these projects, and I'm delighted that IYF has been recognized by such a prestigious organization.
Next, I'd like to draw your attention to an innovative concept Jules Dunham describes below in the Spotlight on Fundraising tier of this e-newsletter. I recently had the opportunity to meet with Jules—president of consulting firm Jul Enterprise—and I'd like to share with you some of her practical tips on approaching grantors.
I'd also like to update you on the work KTDC is doing with Bridge—an organization working on the Adaklu Mountain of Ghana, a beautiful part of Africa I was privileged to visit in 2003—and introduce you to John Starling, CEO of Baltimore-based Smith Content, one of the partners in KTDC's virtual studio.
Read on for details of April's KTDC launch party and our participation in the InterAction 2005 conference slated for June. I look forward to seeing you at one or both of these events!
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New Business |
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"I seldom notice the design of event invitations I get in the mail, but your design for the Ashoka event was great, and made me want to know who had done it."
Ami Dar, founder of Action Without Borders
and Idealist.org, and an Ashoka Fellow.
I'm pleased to share with you news of several recent projects. KTDC's recent wins include the creation of:
• Print materials for Ashoka, a global organization that develops the profession of social entrepreneurship around the world
• A logo, brochure, identity system, and print advertisement for The Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, Rockville, Md.
• In partnership with The Worthemore Group, a Washington, D.C.-based design firm, a Web banner ad campaign for the Venezuela Information office, also in Washington
• A logo and identity system for consulting firm 10th Street Communications, Washington, D.C.
• Web site design and development for community-based real estate company n12development, Washington, D.C.
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Spotlight on Fundraising |
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Jules Dunham, president of Baltimore-based Jul Enterprise, uses a practical approach in her work with nonprofit clients who need guidance on how to approach potential funders. Through her firm, she provides fund development training and capacity building supports—including strategic planning and board development—to Nonprofits all across the U.S. Her communications methodology can work across many types of arenas, including business and government.
“Ask yourself what your organization's goal is, and whether a large-scale capital campaign, direct-mail marketing or a splashy fundraiser would best suit your purposes,” she advises. “Once you choose the best vehicle, you can select your target radius. Do you want to reach the whole country, or a given state, city, or county? Think about purchasing a list that is customized to your target audience. Remember to consider income, education level, interests, and other demographic factors in your target area. Then you will be in a good position to design a message geared toward that population, as well as track who has responded to your request.”
I didn't know Jules then, but I used some of these principles in work I did several years ago for Baltimore's Kids on the Hill. With minimal investment, this nonprofit (focused on strengthening relationships between urban youth and their families) mounted a direct-mail campaign using pocket-sized cards featuring artwork created by youngsters who benefited from Kids on the Hill's services. Quotes from these young people appeared on the back of each card, as did a letter from the executive director, all of it stuffed in brightly hued envelopes. It was the antithesis of a slick direct-mail campaign, and its low-key charm helped it stand out from the crowd of mailings landing in grant makers' in-boxes every day.
By the way, Jules and I are developing a seminar that will help Nonprofits learn more about communications' role in fundraising. I'll keep you apprised of this program in upcoming
e-newsletters. Contact Jules at: Jules@julenterprise.com
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Giving Back |
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KTDC is committed to giving back to the organizations that inspire us with their work. As part of the company's mission, I am working with Bridge—a Baltimore-based nonprofit—to design a brochure that will increase awareness of Ghana's Adaklu Mountain Eco-tourism Committee (AMEC); I also supervised a fundraising initiative to pay for the brochure. Many people contributed funds to cover the cost of printing the brochure in Ghana, and I'd like to thank them for their generosity.
I asked Bridge's director Jonathan Richter to describe the project:
“AMEC offers eco-cultural tours to international travelers who visit Ghana. This beautiful mountain is the main attraction; however, the cultural activities AMEC has organized are what draw people more deeply into the wonders of African life.
“Since 1997, AMEC has created income-generating opportunities for its residents, while offering incentives to conserve their natural resources and culture. The project has allowed 100 people to supplement their livelihoods, and has reduced timbering and unchecked burn-and-slash farming.
“Adaklu's villages are isolated from the outside world, so one of the greatest challenges is reaching out to tour operators and tourism officials who can help attract more tourists to the region. Connecting AMEC with Kate Tallent has allowed us to live out our mission. Kate's brochure is a valuable marketing tool that gives an authentic look into what the Adaklu can offer, and will undoubtedly bring more travelers to visit this lovely place.”
I was thrilled to receive a note recently from Bismark Agbeve, an Ewe villager who lives on Adaklu Mountain and coordinates travelers' visits. He wrote: “This brochure will help to advertise, which in turn will bring tourist money and development to the area, which will relieve the people from their big economic hardships.”
In future e-newsletters, I'll bring you additional updates about the progress of Bridge's work in this region and any publicity the brochure I created generates for AMEC. For more information about Bridge, go to: www.bridgingdevelopment.org.
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Virtual Studio - Partner Spotlight |
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At KTDC, we have a cadre of partners with whom we work on projects from copywriting and editing to web development, information architecture and more. Our “virtual studio” model allows us to choose the creative professionals best suited to your specific project. John Starling, CEO of Smith Content, is one of our newest partners.
Starling is a former Air Force official who puts the discipline of his military background to work helping nonprofit and corporate clients examine the messages they convey to the marketplace.
“We are a creative copywriting and marketing consulting company, but we are really hardcore process-driven,” explains Starling, whose seven-year-old firm, Smith Content, is based in Baltimore. “We help our clients remember what is special about them and why people need them.”
Smith Content's processes dovetail nicely with those of KTDC, said Starling.
“Our information-gathering and writing takes three to five weeks on average,” Starling noted. “We've found that it takes on average about three weeks for a designer to come up with design proofs. We can work very collaboratively with Kate along the way.”
Even more noteworthy, Smith Content shares with KTDC a commitment to working with Nonprofits to more effectively shape their messages. Both firms take on several pro bono projects each year.
From Baltimore City Head Start to the Parks & People Foundation to the B4 Students Foundation, Smith Content has teased out the components of these organizations' missions that underpin everything from their radio spots to the marketing copy on their Web sites.
For more information on Smith Content, click on www.smithcontent.com.
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Upcoming Events |
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LET'S CONNECT
From June 1-3, KTDC will be exhibiting at InterAction's Forum 2005 at Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, Washington D.C. The theme for the premiere conference in the nonprofit world is “Charting a Course for Relief & Development.” Please stop by to say hello!
PARTY TIME!
On April 18, I sincerely hope you will join me and several of KTDC's partners at Café Saint Ex, at 1847 14th Street NW in Washington's hip Logan Circle ‘hood. We'll toast KTDC's launch in the District of Columbia with a party featuring tasty appetizers, a cash bar, hot DJs spinning cool tunes, and a chance to mingle with some of the fine folks that make Washington such a thriving creative metropolis. Whether you're a client, vendor, colleague or pal—or you're simply curious to learn more about KTDC's approach to design and communications—please drop by from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on April 18.
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e-Newsletter Contributors |
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Just so you know, those who bring you this quarter's e-newsletter are some of the same trusted people I call on to handle pieces of the design and communications projects that come KTDC's way.
Speaking of our e-newsletter: Like what you see? Ask me about how KTDC can create one for you that will reflect your organization's mission while highlighting the personnel and projects you want your clients to know more about. Not only will we create your e-newsletter, we'll happily manage its distribution.
In the meantime, read more about our contributors on KTDC's virtual studio page at:
www. katetallentdesign.com/virtualstudio/index.html.
› David Andrews – copywriting
› Amy Rogers Nazarov – copywriting and editing
› Jesus Navarro Saracibar – web deverlopment
› Kate Tallent – design
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