More than a logo: Building everlasting brands for local nonprofit organizations

Supporting nonprofits is a desire many kind-hearted citizens possess, however, most people’s minds immediately resort to volunteer work. It is rare for these operations to have the foundational assistance they require, especially online guidance, ranging from a post on social media to building an entire website.

Every semester, the Pearce Center for Professional Communication partners with a new cycle of local initiatives to aid them in matters of community outreach and online branding.

A designated team of Pearce interns helps each service group expand their public engagement, leaving a lasting digital footprint they can utilize to reach their full potential. 

One of the new programs introduced during the Fall semester, Healing Bridges, has the mission of providing accessible and quality mental health care to the Clemson area. 

While insisting on allowing participants to pay certain rates based on what they can afford, Healing Bridges aims to work with mental health professionals and volunteers, including students who are in school for psychological counseling. 

Since the business is just starting out, the duty of the Pearce interns lies heavily in compiling a steady identity so their mission is known by the public. The interns frequently meet with the executives to discuss a plan of action for expanding the branding, creating and maintaining social media accounts and building a website.

“It has been a really rewarding experience to meet with this client. They offer insightful feedback and have incorporated us into their organization as true partners,” Kylie Deweese, co-leader of the Pearce Intern team for Healing Bridges, said. “Meeting with the Healing Bridges team means discussing next steps on building a long-term brand that will benefit our community for years to come.”

Another nonprofit the Pearce Center is assisting this year, Collin’s Children’s Home, provides shelter to at-risk youth who are experiencing hardship without the involvement of the court. Providing a form of pre-DSS intervention allows the parent or guardian to continue to be the primary spokesperson for the child. 

CCH also has the SHINE program, in which they assign life coaches to each young adult to guide them to a stable future as they are aging out of foster care.

The team of Pearce Interns working with this association has been putting their efforts towards recording interviews with participants, life coaches and administrators of this program to gain insight regarding CCH’s mission. These videos will provide polished content for CCH to post on any digital platform they choose, including blog posts and newsletters.

“The meetings are very inspiring, as the individuals who make up this nonprofit are extremely passionate about giving back to the community. It has been rewarding to have the opportunity to have a partnership with such an impactful organization,” Anna Muma, Pearce Intern leader of the CCH team, said.

An additional nonprofit the Pearce Center partnered with in the Fall, Predestined Outreach, has the faith-based intent of guiding teenagers to reach their optimal capability in all aspects of life, such as engaging them in community service opportunities, providing after-school care, preparing the teens for college entry exams, pairing the kids with mentors who make a positive difference in their lives and more. 

“Since Predestined Outreach will only be with us for this semester, the Pearce Center is helping them gather the resources and tools needed for them to learn how to build out a successful social media,” Mary O’Dwyer, lead of the Predestined Outreach Pearce Intern team, said.

The final new client the Pearce Center introduced this year  is a nonprofit whose main goal is actually to benefit other nonprofits.

Community Foundation of Greater Clemson accumulates a “long-term source of stable funds” for other establishments while also “offering leadership and direction” for the executive boards of these foundations.

CFGC advocates for places such as nearby food pantries, Women for Women, Bryson Children’s Nature Walk Fund, Carolina K-9 Search and Rescue, Foothills Conservatory for the Performing Arts and more.

“Working with trusted financial institutions, we invest individual contributions to create general and endowed funds that build equity for local projects and organizations,” according to the mission of CFGC.

The Pearce Intern team interviewed the administrators of CFGC in order to further solidify the premise of the social media content. 

Adding charitable endeavors to the Pearce Center’s client base every semester allows for the interns to engage in communication techniques and interpersonal skills necessary to the overall success of a company. 

The interns are able to experience professional meetings with clients, make and publish their own samples of digital marketing materials and curate the mission branding these organizations were looking for all along.

 By: Alyssa Dolina