Category: Community

Why Nonprofits Should Embrace Human-Centered Design

Let’s face it – when it comes to serving others, “optimization” and “automation” will only take you so far.

There are a thousand tools for increasing donations, sending pithy emails, and microtargeting followers and potential converts across social media and the web. But good tools will only take you so far – and to truly scale your organizational impact, you’ve got to go beyond big data and get off-screen (you can wait till you read the rest of this post…).

Think of human-centered design as a platform-agnostic toolkit that can help you scale your organizational impact. Whether you’re in the backyard or the board room, intentionally including the audiences you serve when developing program updates, service offerings, project roadmaps, or strategic plans, you’ll gain…

Three Reasons Why Your Neighborhood Needs a Brand

When’s the last time you thought about the story of your neighborhood? Who are your neighbors? What serves as the cornerstone of your block? How do people celebrate? Why do people choose to live here in the first place?

All of these questions (and more) can be used to inform a neighborhood’s message. And while a visual identity is important, a neighborhood brand is more than just a logo on a light post banner. Here are three reasons why a neighborhood brand matters.

1. To build a sense of place for your current residents.

Your current residents have invested in your neighborhood, and they have many stories to tell. What if their stories—the things they love and admire about their neighborhood—were woven into the brand you create? By listening to your residents and incorporating their voices in the branding process, you can create a unified neighborhood story that sparks pride. In doing so, you create a sense of place for your current residents, providing both an identity and message that they can relate to.

2. To convey professionalism when seeking resources.

How many times have you sought out funding, only to find yourself wishing you had a brand to make your request seem more official? Creating a neighborhood brand conveys a sense of professionalism when seeking resources, especially when you’re applying for grants of buying land. Simply having a visual identity at the bottom of your page (or perhaps even a website to send someone to) can strengthen your application.

3. To attract new residents who connect with your neighborhood’s story.

While brands can strengthen the social fabric of our neighborhoods as they exist now, they can also serve to attract new residents. Creating a brand can (and should) be a strategic, market-driven decision. Your brand should position your neighborhood as unique, highlighting what makes it different than those around it. That being said, creating an authentic brand will bring in new residents who truly connect with your neighborhood’s story. At the end of the day, isn’t that what we all want? Committed individuals who are willing to invest in their homes and their neighbors.

The next time you spot a neighborhood logo, take a moment to think about what the story of its residents might be. To them, it’s so much more than just the brand—it’s an extension of their own identity.

How to Design an Inspiring Annual Report

Designing an annual report is no small feat. Every year, foundations and nonprofits go through the same process of identifying stories, writing content, designing, and printing. This process can often feel laborious and repetitive, however, it doesn’t have to. Consider these six tips to design an engaging annual report — one that celebrates the work done and inspires action for the work ahead:

1. Choose a format that your audiences actually use.

Always strive to meet your audiences where they are. Do they read print? Are they online? Do they gather in-person? Understanding how your audiences choose to share and consume information will inform the format or platform you choose, making your report more accessible.

Photo credit Sharon Matthew.

2. Craft a compelling narrative.

This requires you to take a step back and ask ‘what is the purpose of the modern annual report?’ For some organizations, your report might serve as an artifact—something you create for historical documentation. For others, it might be about sharing the the origin story of your work, illustrating the connection between where you’ve been the past year and where your focus is moving forward. Honing in on its purpose will allow you to keep the message clear and the readers engaged.

Photo Credit Gian Jurado.

3. Visualize the story through photos and numbers.

People consume information in many different ways. Some prefer long-form content, while others prefer visual forms of storytelling. Using compelling photos and highlighting impressive numbers adds diversity to your annual report, creating interest and providing an easier entry point for your audiences.

Photo credit Hung Ngo.

4. Create interest through hierarchy and whitespace.

Similar to photos and numbers, typographic hierarchy and whitespace can also add interest to your annual report. By using bold type, you can quickly communicate powerful messages, emphasize important passages, and draw your readers’ eyes down the page. By using ample white space, you can affect the pacing of your annual report (and therefore, the speed at which your readers move through the content).

Photo credit Belu.

5. Serve “bite-size” stories.

People are inundated with information. By reformatting your annual report into smaller, more bite-sized stories, the chances of the information “sticking” is much higher. People are more likely to remember elements of your annual report if they’re presented in a digestible way.

Photo credit KRISHNAPRIYA (KP) DUTTA GUPTA.

6. Draw audiences in with suspense.

Not surprisingly, the first thing your readers see will set the tone for your entire annual report. When choosing a photograph, headline or graphic to use on your cover (or digital hub, depending on your format), consider what will draw your readers in. Thought-provoking visuals and statements will create a sense of suspense, encouraging readers to dive in.

With a little pre-planning and some imagination, every organization can design an inspiring annual report.

Are you struggling to infuse creativity in your annual report process? Drop us a line.