Rebranding effort to provide free makeover for local nonprofit

Thanks to a local rebranding effort, an area nonprofit will get a different take on spring cleaning.

Dubbed Brand[Aid], the initiative provides a free marketing makeover for the winner. [CP]2, a group of local advertising and public relations professionals, is behind the effort, which first launched in 2015.

“We absolutely love living and working in central Pennsylvania and wanted to give back,” said Brad Groznik, a [CP]2 board member and owner of Groznik PR. “​​And we thought the best way we could give back as a group of designers and marketers, was to do what we did best.”

The group worked with inaugural winner Housing Transitions, which provides a number of housing programs and services for those in need across Centre County, designing a new website, logo and marketing materials.

“We learned so much about our messaging and how to communicate with our donors,” said Morgan Wasikonis, Housing Transitions’ executive director. “It’s not just the work they did in the beginning; it’s an ongoing process in that they continued to help us beyond that.”

In 2015-16, Wasikonis said Housing Transitions had its best year to date in terms of fundraising. The rebrand, she added, contributed to that success.

“We’re looking for the applicant that will benefit most from a rebrand — where their marketing is holding them back from thriving in the community,” Groznik said.

Nonprofits can apply through [CP]2’s website until April 14. According to a release, the top candidates will be interviewed and the chosen nonprofit will be announced on May 13 during the Bracket Awards, [CP]2’s annual awards ceremony celebrating the best of regionally-produced advertising and design. [CP]2 will work with the winner during a monthslong process, leading up to a large, collaborative work session in June. According to Groznik, the group will unveil its work in September.

Groznik said the second Brand[Aid] will differ depending on the nonprofit’s needs. But, as with Housing Transitions, the revamp is more than a fleeting facelift.

“The challenge was to figure how we could do that,” he said. “Brand[Aid] gives us the opportunity to give back and work together as a group.”

This story was originally published March 17, 2017 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Rebranding effort to provide free makeover for local nonprofit."