A Marin County for all.

COMMUNITY ACTION MARIN

With income inequality at an all-time high and only getting worse, Community Action Marin, the county’s biggest nonprofit, needed a new brand to increase its visibility and support. They were born out of the Civil Rights Movement in 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the ‘War on Poverty’ with the goal of eliminating poverty and racial injustice.

Today, they get support to more people than any other organization in the county. They believe equal access to opportunities is not only a human right but also a shared social responsibility. A third of households don’t earn a sustainable income, and that rises to over half for people of color. Shockingly, a family of four now needs $130,000 a year to cover their basic needs, a 50% increase from 2014. With 20% of people earning $20,000 or less, Community Action Marin needed their communications to work harder than ever.

Woman with happy expression. "Making ends meet" animates across.

Rebranding Marin County’s largest nonprofit.

We started by rebuilding their brand communications from the ground up. Working side by side with their board, leadership team, and stakeholders, we developed a rock-solid positioning strategy that put their stake in the ground. This included their personality, tone of voice, and an elevator pitch that described what they do, who they do it for, how they’re different, and why people should sit up and take notice.

Once the brand was ready to launch, we held brand training and elevator pitch writing workshops with both the executive team and the board of directors, arming them with the communication tools they needed to be effective brand advocates. As almost every nonprofit donor base ages, it’s critical to stay relevant and be able to reach the next generation of supporters.

Most importantly, the people they serve now see the full breadth of services available to them so they can get the help they need to not only support themselves but the friends and family around them.

Community Action Marin impact statistics

Dad with 2 children. Community Action Marin arrows moving outward to focus on image with "Picturing brighter futures"

Community Action Marin infographic "48% the rise in the cost of living in Marin since 2014"

Creating a memorable, impactful mark that anyone can recognize.

Their new tagline, In Your Corner™, unites their vast services together under one umbrella statement, making sense of why they do what they do. It also helps unify their staff with a clear purpose, giving more meaning to how their work has a greater impact.

Creating a simple corner icon in their identity, reinforces their tagline and provides a campaignable and ever flexible mark to strengthen their headlines across their print and digital communications. Without a big marketing and advertising budget, this was a critical component in making their brand and messaging memorable.

Animated service icons: children's services, safety net, mental health, economic opportunity

4 Branded Instagram posts for Community Action Marin

Community Action Marin office branding wall decal of family holding hands in front of arrow icon — Developing a space built for the community.

Soon after we launched the rebrand for Community Action Marin, we had the opportunity to brand their headquarters in San Rafael. This centralized office in Marin County serves as an access point where people can seek out services, and staff comes in every day to work. It's an essential space with lots of walking traffic and at the moment didn't feel very welcoming.
The drab, cookie-cutter offices didn't reflect the new bold and exciting brand we had created, and it certainly wasn't inspiring. We needed to create an environment that would excite staff and invite people looking for help and guidance.

See the office branding

What we delivered.

Brand Strategy

Research & analysis
Core essence
Vision
Mission
Personality
Tone of voice
Brand architecture
Brand Voice

Elevator pitch
Brand promise
Tagline
Key messages
Brand Identity

Logo
Program logo
Family of fonts
Color palette
Copy style
Photography style
Brand book
Brand Experience

Brand launch campaign
Social media profiles
Keynote
Brochure
Office branding
Workshops & training