Generation Branding and Communications Workshop

In an effort to bring more opportunities that meet the needs of Partner Network organizations, Youth INC organized a workshop for our nonprofit partners on strategic communications.  Led by Generation Branding & Communications for Nonprofits, Youth INC gathered representatives from 17 organizations for a morning of learning at St. Francis College in Brooklyn.

Mark Griffin, President and Founder of Partner Network member Play Rugby, began the program speaking about his organization’s work with Generation and how it has propelled their marketing and communications strategy forward.

Staff from Generation proceeded to share their expertise on a number of relevant topics. Tom Sternal, President of Generation, shared several anecdotes to illustrate the importance of crafting a perfect pitch as part of overall brand development. By asking questions about their identity and position in the overall landscape, organizations can refine their message and better relay their unique advantage externally, to funders, stakeholders, and supporters, as well as internally to staff and the youth they serve.

The following sessions revolved around visual branding strategies. Creative Director Jenn Galvin explained the process of mood-boarding to conceptualize your brand and allow your presence to promote your message. Bringing in examples of previous work, she demonstrated how other clients went from an initial visual inspiration to a final branding concept. As visual storytelling is imperative in today’s media landscape, Project Director Mary Donnelly and Editorial Director Rob Bywater discussed effective video storytelling strategies. In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, videos are a dynamic way to craft the voice and style of an organization.

To close the workshop, special guest Tim Prusha, President of Little Foxes Marketing, gave an insightful look into social media practices and digital marketing strategies. By pulling examples of successful social media use from throughout the Partner Network, he provided very useful tips to increase engagement from donors, supporters, and peers.

Representatives from the Partner Network organizations were able to bring key takeaways from the workshop to their respective sites and have expressed their interest in more opportunities to learn more about strategic communications in the future. Youth INC hopes to continue their relationship with Generation to continue building the capacity of our nonprofit partners.

For more information or workshop materials, please contact Paul Vergara.

Nonprofit Partners in Attendance:

• Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York
• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
• Brooklyn Music School
• Change for Kids
• Christodora: Nature, Learning, Leadership
• Concrete Safaris
• Dancewave
• Drama Club
• Fiver Children’s Foundation
• Futures & Options
• Girl Be Heard
• INCLUDEnyc
• PowerPlay NYC
• Read Ahead
• Roads to Success
• St. Barnabas High School
• viBe Theater Experience

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