This is Part I of a series of solutions to pro-bono design by the Washington, D.C. design community.
There is an old saying that I kept sticking in my mind as I was preparing for this article: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
One of the biggest hurdles in doing pro-bono design is how to manage all of the requests for free design services with the work we do for paying clients. In trying to meet some of these requests, we as designers are strained for time, so we offer our pro-bono clients a fish. Not an actual trout or salmon, but maybe a blue gill. In design, that might be a brochure or a poster — that tangible solution to their communication problem. We are, first and foremost, businesses that have to make decisions as such.
So, how do we find the time to teach our pro-bono clients to fish, or, rather, to give them the plan and strategy that will make that brochure really impact their cause?
One local design firm has found a unique way to balance both its business and its desire to really make an impact for local non-profits.
For the past five years, Basis: A Brand Consultancy has participated in the nationwide Create-A-Thon®, an annual 24-hour marathon of design that offers a soup-to-nuts approach to design and marketing. Plus, it benefits some of the local regions smallest non-profits in dire need of marketing and communication assistance. Create-A-Thon happens each year on the same day.
Basis’ President Catherine Shaw is the driving force behind the DC-area’s chapter of Create-A-Thon. She spoke with FullBleed about her firm’s pro-bono work.
“Create-A-Thon is a great way for us to answer those non-profit requests in an organized fashion,” Shaw said. “Lots of clients that benefit from Create-A-Thon are those with very small budgets, struggling to come up with answers to questions like,‘What comes next?,’ and are the most involved at the grass-roots level.”
Create-A-Thon is more than just 24 hours of producing communication solutions. Basis first recruits volunteer designers, producers, and writers to participate, then determines who will receive these creative services — a process that begins months in advance of the actual event. And Basis isn’t alone in making these determinations; members of local non-profit communities review applications from non-profits (more than 60 in 2008) to match resources with needs and attempt to find those that can “go to a whole new level with communication assistance.”
“We look at who we have volunteering and how what we donate can make the most impact,” Shaw said. “This is not just once a year for us; it’s an underlying aspect within our company values.”
This process, while time consuming, is well-worth the effort to Basis, and the time up-front is crucial to allowing them to hit the ground running on the day of the event. With clients’ needs already assessed and paired with the creative talent, the work that then comes from the event can be focused on a holistic approach to addressing those needs.
“We take a very thoughtful and intricate approach to each client’s needs, and we make every effort to determine what is appropriate for the client,” Shaw said.
Each client meets with its team to develop an articulated communication plan that includes strategy and the creative to implement it — in other words, how to fish.
“It’s one thing to hand a client a brochure. It’s more valuable to help them understand how it fits into their whole communication strategy.”
Create-A-Thon has proven to be a win-win solution for Basis, allowing them an organized way to give back to their community while maintaining a successful business. Mentoring Today CEO Penelope Spain offers great accolades for this process after her non-profit participated in the 2008 Create-A-Thon.
“A few weeks ago we sent out our ‘annual appeal’ to individual donors,” Spain said. “The response we have received so far has been tremendous! We have already raised more money than from any prior annual appeal! We have also received countless emails and phone calls from donors saying how impressed they are with the brochure and with how far we have come as an organization… Also, since we mentioned in the appeal letter that the design of the brochure was donated through Create-A-Thon, folks are impressed with our ability to be frugal with our funds and still deliver quality outputs.”
This is just one of the countless ways that local design firms and designers are giving back to our community. We hope that this unique approach to pro-bono design will offer you some inspiration and insight into designing for the greater good. If you have a unique solution to pro-bono design that you would like to share with the community send your ideas to publications[at]adcmw.org.
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