The Community Service Public Relations Council (CSPRC) has supported marketers doing mission-driven work for more than 40 years. Today, as the Nonprofit Marketers Network the professional association serves St. Louis with renewed purpose.
Objective
CSPRC was ready to stake their claim as our region's best professional development organization for nonprofit marketers, a move that would bring higher membership, greater revenue, and fresh ideas. Ready to take the leap and double down on their goals, they worked with Almanac to develop a new brand that would get them there.
Strategy
We began with a new name: the Nonprofit Marketers Network. As a result, the organization cemented their target audience and brought clarity to their communications. The name also helped Almanac position the network as the very best that the region had to offer. To further support this new position, our key messages zeroed in on benefits to individual members, to their nonprofit organizations, and to the region as a whole.
Creating Connection
Operating as CSPRC had been a challenge for the organization for years. The name was too long to say in conversation, but the acronym wasn’t much better. After working with the Board, we also discovered that only a small percentage of membership identified as working in public relations, which was called out in the name. Our solution focused on the industry–nonprofit–more so than the specific role of members. We also encouraged them to look at the uniqueness of the organization and consider the opportunity to bring its benefits to other cities and regions where nonprofit marketers are searching for connection and support.
Innovative Professional Development Opportunities
We debuted the new name and brand at the annual Spectrum Conference, bringing new energy to the organization’s most visible and well-known professional development program. We were able to preview the brand weeks before the debut by using the concept and new language to create the event materials.
Helping Purpose-Driven Organizations Make Change
We believe that Nonprofit Marketers Network is driving change by giving members opportunities to hone their skills to achieve their organization’s missions through marketing and communications. The messaging framework we developed gives them strong, clear reasons why membership is a solid investment for organizations to make.
““Really, I can’t say enough how amazing Almanac has been throughout this rebranding process. We are so grateful to their organization for the work they've done for us!”
Kristine Gruver, MA, CFRE, President
