Community Action Marin
“Their style is fun, professional, and they have a genuine commitment to the sector - it is palpable at every step.”
Please describe your company and your position there.
I'm Chandra Alexandre, the CEO of Community Action Marin, the county's largest nonprofit provider of social services and work to alleviate the causes and consequences of poverty.
For what projects/services did your company hire Good Stuff Partners, and what were your goals?
The agency was disjointed/siloed in every possible way. People didn't know who we were but knew our programs. I brought on GSP to make visible the change efforts underway to strengthen our presence in community for all stakeholders and help us clarify our messaging and voice.
How did you select this vendor?
I'd worked with them before, knew they were based in our local footprint of Marin County, and valued their approach. They provided a competitive bid against an initial scope of work that my board could understand and find competitive.
Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.
The process was comprehensive and involved deep listening to our staff's needs as well as to their questions and concerns. They spent the time necessary to hear directly from me as CEO my vision and goals. I wanted to be and was involved in the project to reflect that ultimate vision.
They offered creative, out-of-the-box thinking aligned with what they heard from staff/community and ensured all voices, from staff to board, were well represented in creative briefs, plans, and visual identity work. It was a collaborative, fun, and engaging process to get to final deliverables, which were on time and according to the process we agreed upon upfront.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
I worked with the partners, Aimee and Adrian, as well as some of their design team; but Aimee and Adrian were engaged fully the whole way, which provided me with assurance and comfort at every step.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
The project was successful. Community recognizes and responds favorably to our visual identity, appreciates our voice, and find our messages compelling. People are with us because they understand who we are and what we do.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
We had regular check-ins and scheduled regular meetings in advance to align with the project timeline. They were responsive on email, used Asana to project manage with relevant folks on my team, and kept everything current and importantly, me fully informed/engaged in the work.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
They're true experts in how branding work is done. Having worked with them twice now at different nonprofits, I can say their style is fun, professional, and they have a genuine commitment to the sector - it is palpable at every step. They educate as needed, lift up ideas, and consider different perspectives, they learn, and they deepen to get to a presence that is powerful.