Nonprofit marketing often lags creatively, but there is no reason nonprofit brands can’t market like for-profit brands. It just requires thinking differently about your creative to demonstrate the impact your brand has on the community.
UCAN, a youth-focused Chicago non-profit with roots dating back to the Civil War and a modern-day identity that was often at odds with itself. UCAN needed to bring clarity to their brand, build a consensus across the organization, and improve their positioning for future fundraising.
AE Marketing Group’s approach to nonprofit marketing utilized documentary storytelling as a way to showcase youth trauma and drive fundraising and awareness.
In 2019, AE produced all video assets for UCAN’s largest fundraising event of the year – the Youth Leadership Awards.
The nonprofit marketing creative included seven documentary videos along with photography, featuring inspiring young men and women from Chicago who received college scholarships. Over 350 UCAN board members, staff, supporters, local youth and civic leaders gathered at the Four Seasons Chicago for the celebration.
At the event, AE Marketing Group debuted creative work that broke its single-event fundraising record.
“AE Marketing put their all into creating a beautiful product that showcased our impressive, deserving scholarship winners and the important work of UCAN throughout Chicago’s most disadvantaged communities,” said Ann Kniola, Director of Development at UCAN. “We were grateful for their support in making our 20th Annual Youth Leadership Awards a great success.”