THE CHALLENGE: Despite being the ninth largest community fund in the United States, OCF’s brand awareness (if you asked around) was no brand awareness at all. And for several reasons, not the least of which is the impression that creating a fund is too expensive, OCF mistakenly exudes exclusivity. Say no more. This is one agency who believes OCF and its good deed doing has remained silent too long.

THE APPROACH: OCF isn’t trying to be the country club of charitable giving. Approachable, warm and generous is closer to the truth and the image they want. In fact, OCF can help donors establish a fund for a lot less than many Oregonians expect.

THE WORK: The task at hand was fourfold. 1) Get noticed. This was a job for beautiful photography, consistent design, and a media department that can convince seven different publications to donate space, turning a single-page buy into high-impact spreads. 2) Change perception. Headlines like, “You don’t have to be named Bill or Melinda to have a foundation,” did a great job of this. 3) Be approachable. Because OCF lets donors choose their cause, we were able to give the advertising a more approachable tone through personal stories. 4) Be opportunistic. Our media department sought editorial that focused on key issues and other philanthropic opportunities before placing ads.

THE RESULTS: Our print and interactive campaign established a uniform look, created new language our client could use, reinvigorated OCF’s current donor base, and was successful in soliciting donations from the next generation of Oregon philanthropists. In all, our efforts helped OCF reach over a billion dollars in manageable assets.