Project overview:

Team Long Run merges active play with literacy to support kids in rural Maine. Since the organization’s launch in 2017, I have been their communications and design partner, helping to shape brand identity, fundraising communications, and donor engagement strategies that have fueled their growth.

Opportunity:

As a new nonprofit, TLR needed to establish credibility, secure sustainable funding, and communicate its mission effectively to a wide range of audiences including donors, families, schools, and community partners. The opportunity was to build a cohesive and adaptable communications system, starting with the brand itself, that could support both immediate campaigns and long-term growth.

Solutions:

• Brand Identity: Created the organization’s logo, color palette, typography, and visual system. Developed brand guidelines to ensure consistency across print, digital, and campaigns.
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• Donor Development: Designed messaging frameworks and development communications. Produced donor packets, foundation outreach materials, and other targeted collateral. Assisted in both grant seeking and grant writing efforts. Guided the organization’s transition to Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack, establishing donor pipelines, dashboards, and stewardship workflows to support development efforts.

• Digital Growth: Managed a $120K per year Google Ad Grant, conducted SEO audits, rebuilt the website for speed and usability, and developed campaign landing pages.
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• Campaign Collateral: Designed newsletters, annual reports, stationery, posters, and grassroots materials like EDDM mailers.
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• Content Creation: Produced multimedia including author read-alouds, documentary-style videos, and a YouTube channel to engage families during COVID.
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• Community Engagement: Supported engagement programs by developing prospective donor and participant pipelines and marketing collateral.
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Results:

• Helped raise over $200K in online donations through their website, up from $0, over the past 3 fiscal years through improved web design, campaigns, and communications.
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• Built and sustained a recurring individual donor program so far generating approximately $15K annually.
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• Delivered a 6x return on our most recent EDDM campaign within its first week.
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• Secured and leveraged support from major funders.
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• Helped produce over 250 videos for their socials and YouTube channel.
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• Established a scalable CRM foundation in Salesforce that improved donor tracking, streamlined communications, and positioned TLR for long-term fundraising success.
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• Established donor pipelines, communications systems, and fundraising collateral that continue to support growth.

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Role:
Lead communications and design partner (brand identity, strategy, messaging, creative execution, fundraising support)