Standing out with a strong brand and assets
First Ascent helped SummerCollab develop their own brand that would help them stand out as a non-profit that produces results. We also developed custom platforms that streamlined how they accept donations, recruit people, and share their curriculum database.
Spreading the good news
Since SummerCollab began in 2013, it has been successful in achieving its goal, with 86.5% of their campers reversing summer learning loss, and 40% of them showing a learning gain of three months or more.
Despite these impressive figures, they still needed to attract the attention of more community centers, volunteers, and donors. We helped SummerCollab tell their story better to show the impact of summer learning loss on the youth.
Creating an easy-to-use, highly functional website
We built SummerCollab's website to be as easy to update and maintain as possible, while still being highly functional. We also developed custom platforms that streamlined its critical areas of donations and recruitment to allow the organization to focus on its goals.
Building a partnership
First Ascent are not only experts at what they do but also great people to work with. They took the time to really learn about SummerCollab and the work we were doing before diving in and completing high quality work on time and on budget. I consider them partners that will help us continue to grow in the future.
A light bulb moment
Improving the logo was the first step in developing SummerCollab's brand. We added a light bulb symbol to match its mission, 'to light kids up about learning'. We also tweaked their color palette, adding more blues to make it more lively.
To help them maximize the impact of the brand, we developed their brand guidelines, showing them how to use their logo, colors, and typography while providing tips on photography and branding best practices.
SUMMERCOLLAB
“First Ascent Design rebranded SummerCollab, rebuilt our website and curriculum database, and managed much of our print and digital communications for us. Not only am I proud of our new brand and website, but more importantly, I see the impression it makes on donors, camp leaders, teachers, and other stakeholders we engage with.”
Fun and playful iconography
We focused on capturing the positivity and excitement that comes with learning at a young age in our icons.
Simplifying the recruitment process
The website plays a crucial role in recruiting people, from counselors and teachers, to program managers and curriculum writers. We developed a streamlined platform for their recruitment process to help with interviewing and approving candidates, as well as ensuring they're the right fit for the job. Partner camps can also log into the platform and shop for candidates, adding even more value to the platform. The recruitment platform has managed over 600 applicants since its launch, helping the organization handle its workload easily.
Transforming donation collection
We developed a custom donation platform for SummerCollab to provide a seamless brand experience and clarity around pricing tiers, something that would have been impossible with a third-party platform. We created the website in conjunction with the platform to show donors exactly what they're supporting.
In six months, SummerCollab has been able to raise over $20,000 with an average donation of $100. Our custom donation platform helped reverse the trend of low individual donations to help the non-profit achieve its goals.
Finding the right curriculum with a few clicks
The curriculum is one of SummerCollab's essential components. We developed a curriculum database to allow partners to easily search for one that's right for them using subject, difficulty, lesson type, grade level, and unit filters.
As the database grows, it will be transformed into a store where non-partners can access, preview, and buy curriculums.
If you’re a non-profit looking to tell your story in new and engaging ways, our team at First Ascent will be more than happy to help. Please contact us today and let’s get the conversation started.