Making an Impact with Community Foundation Tampa Bay
Envisioning a Thriving Tampa Bay Community
Community Foundation Tampa Bay believes when people from all parts of our community – business, nonprofits, philanthropy, government – work together, great things happen…and they’re leading the charge. Connections spark collaboration. Ideas lead to innovation. Funding fuels future expansion. And combined, they catalyze opportunity community wide.
By bringing people together to develop solutions, Community Foundation Tampa Bay advances its vision: a thriving Tampa Bay community where every person has equitable access to opportunity and prosperity.
About Community Foundation Tampa Bay
Community Foundation Tampa Bay is the premier connector of philanthropists, nonprofits, businesses, and community leaders for fundamental change in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties. The Community Foundation invests in philanthropic funds throughout the Tampa Bay area, focused on creative problem solving to drive economic opportunity, environmental resiliency and sustainability, physical health and mental wellbeing, quality child and youth education, and the cultivation of vibrant and engaged communities.
A Plan for the Brand
We began to build upon the existing brand and developed a strategic marketing plan. Working in partnership with their existing public relations firm, B2 Communications, we developed a marketing strategy to attract new fundholders, engage professional advisors (wealth managers, CPAs, and estate attorneys), and keep in touch with the nonprofit community. Our process included reviewing a recent marketing audit, the existing brand materials, and interviewing key stakeholders within the organization. We developed a marketing tactical plan that included traditional tactics to support the internal team, a paid media plan, PR plan, and content marketing plan.
It was clear that the previously developed visual identity was vibrant and energetic but lacked the sophistication to stand up to the corporate competition, major financial investment firms competing for fundholders’ attention, nor was it reflective of Community Foundation Tampa Bay as a brand.
We worked with the Philanthropy Team, who serves fundholders, to understand their “sales” process and evaluate their marketing materials and needs. In addition to reinvigorating ongoing communications, an important part of the marketing plan was to update all tactics used throughout the sales cycle. From website to sales sheets to welcome kits for new fundholders, elevating the Community Foundation’s brand and messaging was critical to making the brand distinctive in the competitive landscape.
Envisioning a Thriving Tampa Bay Community
Community Foundation Tampa Bay believes when people from all parts of our community – business, nonprofits, philanthropy, government – work together, great things happen…and they’re leading the charge. Connections spark collaboration. Ideas lead to innovation. Funding fuels future expansion. And combined, they catalyze opportunity community wide.
By bringing people together to develop solutions, Community Foundation Tampa Bay advances its vision: a thriving Tampa Bay community where every person has equitable access to opportunity and prosperity.
About Community Foundation Tampa Bay
Community Foundation Tampa Bay is the premier connector of philanthropists, nonprofits, businesses, and community leaders for fundamental change in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties. The Community Foundation invests in philanthropic funds throughout the Tampa Bay area, focused on creative problem solving to drive economic opportunity, environmental resiliency and sustainability, physical health and mental wellbeing, quality child and youth education, and the cultivation of vibrant and engaged communities.
A Plan for the Brand
We began to build upon the existing brand and developed a strategic marketing plan. Working in partnership with their existing public relations firm, B2 Communications, we developed a marketing strategy to attract new fundholders, engage professional advisors (wealth managers, CPAs, and estate attorneys), and keep in touch with the nonprofit community. Our process included reviewing a recent marketing audit, the existing brand materials, and interviewing key stakeholders within the organization. We developed a marketing tactical plan that included traditional tactics to support the internal team, a paid media plan, PR plan, and content marketing plan.
It was clear that the previously developed visual identity was vibrant and energetic but lacked the sophistication to stand up to the corporate competition, major financial investment firms competing for fundholders’ attention, nor was it reflective of Community Foundation Tampa Bay as a brand.
We worked with the Philanthropy Team, who serves fundholders, to understand their “sales” process and evaluate their marketing materials and needs. In addition to reinvigorating ongoing communications, an important part of the marketing plan was to update all tactics used throughout the sales cycle. From website to sales sheets to welcome kits for new fundholders, elevating the Community Foundation’s brand and messaging was critical to making the brand distinctive in the competitive landscape.
Key Messages: Your Investment. Your Choice.
Evolving the messaging was equally as important as evolving the visual identity.
Many people aren’t clear on what a community foundation is and how it’s different from a traditional nonprofit or United Way. As a public grantmaking organization, Community Foundation Tampa Bay customizes charitable giving options for their fundholders to invest assets into nonprofits that address community issues. As an investment company, assets can grow over time, providing more funds to be reinvested back into the community.
Where corporate investment firms may see Community Foundation Tampa Bay as competition, we see an opportunity to educate them in how they can become strong partners. Fundholders can open accounts with the Community Foundation and choose to invest in one of their managed pools or keep their fund management with existing trusted advisors.
The “Your Investment. Your Choice.” campaign was developed with three versions in mind to target three main audiences: professional advisors, fundholders, and nonprofits. The campaign shows fundholders how they can make the impact they choose by partnering with Community Foundation Tampa Bay. As a way to emphasize the flexibility of the Community Foundation, our campaign messaging was designed to evolve depending on the audience and media outlet.
While still in the early stages of deployment, in the first few months the Philanthropy Team has seen a significant increase in inbound inquiries from professional advisors, either because they saw ads or media coverage or because their clients did and wanted to know more. Over the coming months the marketing plan will continue to expand through traditional marketing, content marketing, public relations, and paid media that we will continue to optimize.
Connections Build Community
The organization recaps the impressive impact that their fundholders have on the community through an annual report, highlighting many stories of philanthropic investment from the preceding year. For the 2023 book, Community Foundation Tampa Bay brought our team in, impressed with our experience in creating annual guides for St. Pete Downtown Partnership. The 2023 Impact Report: Connections Build Community highlights the many ways in which relationships between community philanthropists, businesses, nonprofits, and government come together, they can make meaningful, widespread change.
This 28-page report was the first big piece to be developed using their new visual identity. It brought the relatively new visual brand to life, featuring a collection of stories from across the region. We developed some new brand elements to highlight the Community Foundation’s impact as we illustrated their financial and relational impact with donors and nonprofit partners over the past year. The complete package includes a 12-page list of all the nonprofits who were impacted and was sent in a custom 9x9 envelope.
This past November, for the second year in a row, we designed and developed the 2024 Impact Report: Investing in Community Impact, highlighting the work and contributions in the 2024 Fiscal Year. We took the opportunity to expand on and refine the brand even more, making the look and feel more sophisticated. This package also included a list of all the nonprofits impacted, along with letters from the President and CEO and Board of Trustees Chair, and a custom envelope.
Reimagining the Community Foundation Tampa Bay’s Digital Presence
When we partnered with Community Foundation Tampa Bay to update their digital home, the goal was clear: to build a website that not only reflected the depth of their work, but also served as a clear, intuitive tool for the diverse audiences they serve. We began with a comprehensive audit of their existing site, diving into Google Analytics to uncover where users were clicking, what content held their attention, and where improvements were needed. These insights laid the groundwork for a smarter, more intentional user experience.
From there, we led a series of in-depth discovery sessions with teams across the organization to understand their needs, uncover pain points, and realign the messaging. The result: a complete overhaul of the site’s language to clearly articulate who they are, what they do, and the essential roles they play in the region.
Structurally, the site was redesigned from the ground up. We reimagined the architecture to guide users more naturally through the site, with streamlined navigation and user journeys tailored to both new visitors and returning stakeholders. Visually, we brought the site in line with the Community Foundation’s refreshed brand identity. One of our key challenges was moving beyond the “single hero image” standard to something more layered and reflective of the organization’s impact. Inspired by their “Invest In” campaign, we developed a unique header style using overlaid and masked imagery to convey the depth and diversity of their work.
The result is a site that not only looks appealing, but works hard for the organization and the community it serves. Check out their new website at cftampabay.org
About Pyper, Inc.
Pyper, Inc. is driven by achieving marketing results for our clients. From B2B to B2C, we help clients communicate with their target audiences across tactics. We’d love to hear about your current marketing efforts or new business, and see how we can help you reach your goals. Contact us today.
