Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for Jews in Atlanta and throughout the world since 1906. Their mission has never wavered: To transform Jewish values into tangible deeds. To care for the vulnerable, rescue the imperiled, and lead and strengthen the Jewish community in Atlanta, in Israel, and around the world.
Recently Federation’s professional and lay leadership determined that a new marketing approach could help grow the organization’s donor base and impact even more lives.
Lenz began by examining Federation’s existing strategy, marketing assets, and a recently conducted community survey. Through this process, Lenz determined that there was great opportunity to strengthen Federation’s wide array of programs and services by organizing them under a series of well-defined, uniform brands.
The Lenz solution was to become an integrated partner with the organization, providing marketing strategy and seamless execution throughout every communications touch point, from direct mail and print collateral to email signatures, and everything in between.
Lenz helped develop a defined marketing strategy, brand standards and messaging guide, and collateral templates. New standards were also applied to Federation divisions such as Young Leadership Council (YLC), ALEF Fund, Women’s Philanthropy, and Planned Giving & Endowment (PG&E). Throughout this process, Lenz was privileged to partner with marketing lay leaders Laurie Ann Goldman, CEO of Spanx, and Michael Kogon, CEO of Defintion 6.
“It’s You,” a branding campaign centered on the emotional appeal of giving to an organization you treasure, became the foundation for advertising, online, and public relations initiatives. The “It’s You” concept illustrates the varied reasons donors support Federation and its mission. Lenz created a series of ads following the theme, including “It’s You giving a family back their home” and “It’s You carrying on a tradition and knowing why it became one.”
Another Lenz initiative involved the revamping of Federation’s web site and e-newsletter, “The Federation Weekly,” to reflect the new brand identity and create a clear user path for online donations.
During the first fundraising campaign cycle following these efforts, Federation’s web site visitation and online donations increased drastically over the previous year. In addition, Federation’s presence in the news media doubled and continues to generate increased attention for the organization.
Opportunity: Create a unified brand identity to strengthen Federation’s wide array of programs and services.
Lenz plan: Standardize Federation’s messaging and graphic identity, and extend it through integrated advertising and online campaigns to educate and engage Atlanta’s Jewish population.
Results: Dramatic increase in web site visitors, online donations, and media visibility.