MIDNIGHT GRAPHICS JOINS DO GOOD; GRAPHIC & E-SERVICES EXPAND

Communication has never been more important to non-profit organizations and businesses. A top-shelf web presence, a well-designed e-newsletter, a great logo and office papers, a compelling brochure—they make competing in today’s challenging environment a whole lot easier and more successful.

do good Consulting is pleased to announce that the Champaign, Illinois firm of Midnight Graphics has joined the do good team as a creative partner. The team at Midnight Graphics—Paul and Jenny Edwards—brings focus, a ton of enthusiasm, and a world of talent to the work do good does for our non-profit and business clients.

Through do good, Midnight Graphics offers competitively-priced services to clients in the following areas:

• Web Development
• E-communications
• E-Commerce & On-line Giving
• Logo Development/Organizational & Business Branding
• Office Forms (brochures, business cards, newsletters, and more)
• Signage & Banners
• Point of Purchase Displays & Special Projects/Needs

As more and more non-profits and businesses look to communicate more effectively (and less expensively) with their clients, customers, and donors, needs have expanded. Midnight Graphics provides cutting-edge design, assistance in developing technologies, and ideas that promote enterprise the way you need to be successful in good times and in bad.

Whether you need brainstorming for a whole new website, a more focused brand, or a half-day training session in defining your marketing efforts, Midnight Graphics and do good Consulting can help you. Your organization has a one-stop solution when do good and Midnight Graphics are on your side.

Read more about the new services Midnight Graphics and do good are offering here.

To kickstart your marketing, advertising, web, and internet projects with Midnight Graphics, email dogood@dogoodconsulting.org or call 217- 778-1687. Read more about Midnight Graphics here.

ANNOUNCING THE GREAT LOGO MAKEOVER!

When you look at your organization’s logo, do you groan? Are you tired of having clip art depict the serious work your group does?

If your logo is out-of-date, not in sync with your mission, or you just need a new look, do good Consulting and Midnight Graphics has just the thing for you: The 1st ANNUAL GREAT LOGO MAKEOVER!

Like it or not, your logo speaks volumes about your organization. A well-designed, sleek aesthetic communicates to your audience that you are well-managed, fiscally responsible, and effective.

Too often, though, groups struggle with outdated logos or logos designed in incompatible formats ages ago by volunteers. But today more than ever before, it is critical that your logo accurately and clearly communicates your message to your donors. After all, you only have one chance to make a first impression.

do good Consulting and Midnight Graphics have teamed up to give one qualifying non-profit organization a free logo makeover through our 1st ANNUAL GREAT LOGO MAKEOVER. Our team of experts will turn your values, mission, programs, and current aesthetic into a whole new look that will excite and inspire your audience.

So, how does the GREAT LOGO MAKEOVER work?

First, head to www.dogoodconsulting.org/logocontest where you’ll find an official contest application and the requirements your group will need to meet to qualify. The application process is easy. Any organization in Illinois that either has its 501(c)(3) status or has applied is eligible. You’ll need to provide us with a brief summary of your organization’s principal activities, a description of your primary audience(s), and a cover letter.

From applications received, do good and Midnight Graphics will select a few applicants for brief, in-person interviews in June. We’ll announce our winner by the end of June.

The estimated value of this opportunity is at least $2,500. This is opportunity knocking: open the door! Hurry: the deadline for the GREAT LOGO MAKEOVER is May 8! Apply now!

Q&A: Websites vs. Brochures: Who Wins?

Dear do good Consulting:

Our organization just renovated our website but spent our marketing budget for the year doing it. I’d like to update our brochure, but the board is wary of spending more money. They suggest using the new website as our primary outreach tool. I know it’s important to reach people in different ways to ensure our message is heard, but I’m not sure how to convince the board. Any thoughts?
- Needing to reach out on outreach, Evanston, Illinois

Dear Reaching Out:
First, congratulations on your website overhaul. In this day and age, keeping your website’s look and content fresh is non-negotiable. Kudos to you and the board for recognizing that.

I also commend you for your insight on your organization’s outreach needs. While your group’s website is a critical tool for educating your donors, community members, clients, and volunteers, it is more of a re-active outreach tool than a pro-active one. This means that while you have some options for driving traffic to the site from emails and web links, you must rely on your audience to find you online. No promotional piece, online or hard copy, is a one-size-fits-all outreach tool.

Brochures on the other hand, are a more pro-active tool. You can carry these around to in-person events (speaking engagements, one-on-one encounters, conferences, etc.) and directly provide one to each intended target.

Imagine speaking at the local Rotary Club and asking attendees to check out your website instead of handing out brochures. How many do you think will 1) write down and remember your URL, and 2) remember to actually do this next time they’re online? It’s easy to imagine, however, some attendees taking a brochure to peruse, then looking you up on the web afterwards.

So you’re right: a brochure is a must-have in your organization’s outreach activities. We have two ideas for you. Since cost is an issue for the board, think about approaching a local printer for an in-kind printing donation. This would get you the brochures you need at no cost. If you’re willing to provide the printer with free advertising in publications or on your website, they might well consider this. You might also find someone in your donor ranks who is familiar with the advertising industry and can appreciate the importance of such a piece to your group. They may be willing to underwrite printing costs.

Second, think about different design options. An effective brochure doesn't have to be a pricey tri-fold piece. Consider a rack card or other smaller format to help reduce costs but keep the impact of a leave-behind piece.

The bottom line is that while the web is good for some types of outreach, it cannot be the only option the board provides for promoting your organization. Even in today’s electronic age, the old fashioned 'leave-behind' is still a must.

- Laura Huth, do good Consulting, President & CEO

Want to know more about how the right publications can help your organization's outreach efforts? Contact the graphic design experts at do good Consulting. Have a question for do good Consulting's experts? Submit your inquiry to dogood@dogoodconsulting.org or call us at 217-778-1687.

Group Profile: INSPIRATION CORPORATION

by Laura Huth, President & CEO, do good Consulting

At 1PM, the restaurant was still bustling. A waitress eased by with an “excuse me, love” to the table behind us. The aroma was intoxicating. Behind the counter, a tiny woman coordinated activity in the kitchen. They were busy, but all worked as a team to create the salads, wraps, and burgers for customers.

While we waited for our table at Café Too in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, Margaret Haywood, Director of Training & Social Enterprise at Inspiration Corporation, told me about the people in the kitchen – and others like them at Inspiration Corporation’s other locations.

All come from backgrounds of homelessness, trouble with the law, or both. Through employment, housing, and supportive services, Inspiration Corporation helps homeless and low-income individuals gain the skills to succeed in the workforce and increase self-sufficiency. The terms dignity and respect infuse every aspect of their work.

Café Too is an Inspiration Corporation operation. It’s part of a 13-week job-training program for homeless persons, ex-offenders, and other low-income individuals. From the classroom right into the kitchen, participants obtain real-life experience as well as career-track employment in the food industry. Everyone working in the kitchen that day was a culinary trainee or graduate.

Some participants loomed over the tiny woman in the kitchen, but Kim James clearly knew her stuff. The food was great and the presentation outstanding.

I had a chance to talk to Kim after lunch. She’s Café Too’s Lunch Cook. Well on her way to a college degree at SIU, Kim was raising three kids, working, and going to school. She found herself one day in the wrong place at the wrong time. It changed her life forever.

After the trouble, she found it hard to find a job. “Being on probation makes entering the workforce very difficult”, says Kim. “Until someone told me about Inspiration Corporation.”

Her 13-week training experience with Inspiration went so well, she was hired as head chef two weeks before graduation. She’s been at the café for a year and loves it.

“It’s made a big difference in my life,” says Kim with a smile. “I’m able to take care of my kids again, and I’m happy. I even have a new car.”

I ask her about the future. “Things are looking up,” she says excitedly. “I’m thinking about opening my own business – a soul food catering company and restaurant.”

Tears well in her eyes, and she says, “I’m back to the person I used to be. Things are finally coming into place for me.”

For more information on Inspiration Corporation’s programs, services, and eating establishments, go to www.InspirationCorp.org or call 773-878-0981.

Have a group you want to see highlighted? Let do good Consulting know at dogood@dogoodconsulting.org.