Good Stuff Partners

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO at a nonprofit serving foster youth in education and employment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Good Stuff Partners?

We needed help in rebranding our organization. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Good Stuff Partners has initially interviewed our stakeholders to understand what Pivotal means to our community. They’ve then set the values and tone of voice for our organization. 

From there, Good Stuff Partners has rebranded our organization, verified if we were using the correct name, and set up design templates for our collaterals and website. All our marketing assets have been impacted by the branding work they’ve created. 

They’ve helped us with our brand positioning and strategy. They’ve also worked with us to refine the voice of our name, taglines, and elevator pitches. All our fonts, color palettes, photography styles, and digital assets have been crafted with their help. They’ve also trained our organization regarding the tone of voice that represents our new brand. 

After completing our branding project, Good Stuff Partners has supported our marketing efforts. They work very closely with our development and institutional advancement teams to help support any of our ongoing projects. That includes blog posts, annual reports, presentation templates, and more. 

Good Stuff Partners has also revamped our website and placed it on a new platform. They’ve provided wireframe sketches before proceeding with the development. Their team is also helping us create site content.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with 6–7 people, including SEO specialists, graphic designers, and content developers.

How did you come to work with Good Stuff Partners?

We conducted an extensive upfront interview and evaluation of various agencies. We chose Good Stuff Partners because they were far ahead of the other organizations we interviewed. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $500,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working since January 2018, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Good Stuff Partners’ rebranding efforts have increased the percentage of our donations significantly, and our SEO work also drove a lot of traffic to our website. We’ve received funding from people living outside of our community because of our website. Our audience got a real sense of what we do in a tone of voice that’s very easy to understand. 

In addition, Good Stuff Partners taught us how to avoid jargon. With their help, we’ve created foundational messaging — our audience can easily read, understand, and relate to our cause.

How did Good Stuff Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Good Stuff Partners’ project management has been solid. They’re exceptionally good at scoping out tasks and managing themselves, their client, their timelines, and their objectives. We use Trello to collaborate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Good Stuff Partners has a comprehensive and creative understanding of the market. Their creativity, professionalism, and timely execution are impressive. 

Additionally, we appreciate that Good Stuff Partners creates a relationship with their clients — they’ve become a part of our organization’s family. They’ve learned about our mission at such a deep level that they can articulate and speak of what we do as eloquently as anybody within our organization. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. I’ve been very happy with Good Stuff Partners’ output and quality of work. They’re a great resource, and nothing stands out that they should’ve done differently. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your homework ahead of time in articulating what differentiates you as an organization and what’s most meaningful to your values.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Executive Director of a political non-profit. We're building a grassroots movement to fight for laws and win elections.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Good Stuff Partners, and what were your goals?

We were a $1 million+ org whose branding was from when we were a $0 org. Our branding was completely amateur, disjointed, and misleading. We needed Good Stuff helped to help us effectively build an entirely new brand in content and design from the ground up.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found several companies online and interviewed and received proposals from all of them. We felt Good Stuff was the clearest on what we needed, how they could work with us to do it, and we thought their previous jobs as shown on their website showed the strongest abilities in content and design.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

They interviewed our team, several of our members, and reviewed many of our written materials. Once they felt like they had a good grasp of what our brand was, they worked with us to build an entirely new brand from the ground up. That included our core essence, purpose statement, values, value propositions, name, logo, tagline, colors, fonts, an entirely new website, and marketing materials. And probably more I'm forgetting. We needed a lot.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with 5 of their team members - the founders managed the project and worked closely with us in addition to talented designers and digital strategists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

All of our different audiences overwhelmingly think our new brand is amazing and a vast improvement on what we had before

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We had weekly meetings, we used a joint asana to track progress in the project, and we communicated frequently via email.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They deliver high quality work from the biggest picture strategy to the most minute details of design and content.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

They could have stopped COVID from happening so we could have met in person. But actually even though everything was fully remote it couldn't have gone better if we were able to be in person.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of the company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Good Stuff Partners, and what were your goals?

We hired Good Stuff to do a complete Brand refresh for us with the goal of lifting up our locality, telling an impact story about the generational impact of our work, and developing beautiful and multi-use pieces for a major campaign on the value of homeownership.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Good Stuff was referred by a Non-Profit CEO colleague of mine. WE interviewed several firms but they were a great match.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

They started with a complete audit of all of our collateral, style guides, website, and anything else we were using to communicate to the world about our work. They conducted indepth key stakeholder interviews and worked closely with a committee made up of the Board and staff. From here they began some concept designs and through an iterative process narrowed down the design, applications to collateral, and all creative treatments. Initially, we worked on a beautiful Case for support document that we could build around and develop a stronger, more creative voice, look and feel for all HGSF's work and our website. They built templates and features we could use across the organization's brand expression materials.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with both of the Principal's Aimee and Adrian and their talented team of designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We now have new localized Brand collateral and materials that we can use across the organization. As an affiliate of a national and international brand, it was important to us to hold on to key elements, while also creating our own very Bay Area look at Feel. Good Stuff partnered with us to accomplish this outcome.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We met regularly and at important key steps along the way. They were hands-on and took feedback and integrated it in as we progressed. They are very thoughtful and warm creatives and they leave their egos at the door. They care about their clients and build relationships that last over time. They were always on time and delivered consistently.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I love their commitment to the community and to helping us be the best in class with our materials and brand. They are really fun to work with and always bring a can-do spirit. As a B Corp, they are such a great partner to anyone who wants to make a difference in the world. They care about our mission and our people.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Created a deliverable-based budget with more detail so we could track success and make sure our team understood each step more clearly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Community Action Marin, the county's largest nonprofit provider of social services and work to alleviate the causes and consequences of poverty.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Good Stuff Partners, and what were your goals?

The agency was disjointed/siloed in every possible way. People didn't know who we were but knew our programs. I brought on GSP to make visible the change efforts underway to strengthen our presence in community for all stakeholders and help us clarify our messaging and voice.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I'd worked with them before, knew they were based in our local footprint of Marin County, and valued their approach. They provided a competitive bid against an initial scope of work that my board could understand and find competitive.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

The process was comprehensive and involved deep listening to our staff's needs as well as to their questions and concerns. They spent the time necessary to hear directly from me as CEO my vision and goals. I wanted to be and was involved in the project to reflect that ultimate vision.

They offered creative, out-of-the-box thinking aligned with what they heard from staff/community and ensured all voices, from staff to board, were well represented in creative briefs, plans, and visual identity work. It was a collaborative, fun, and engaging process to get to final deliverables, which were on time and according to the process we agreed upon upfront.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I worked with the partners, Aimee and Adrian, as well as some of their design team; but Aimee and Adrian were engaged fully the whole way, which provided me with assurance and comfort at every step.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project was successful. Community recognizes and responds favorably to our visual identity, appreciates our voice, and find our messages compelling. People are with us because they understand who we are and what we do.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We had regular check-ins and scheduled regular meetings in advance to align with the project timeline. They were responsive on email, used Asana to project manage with relevant folks on my team, and kept everything current and importantly, me fully informed/engaged in the work.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They're true experts in how branding work is done. Having worked with them twice now at different nonprofits, I can say their style is fun, professional, and they have a genuine commitment to the sector - it is palpable at every step. They educate as needed, lift up ideas, and consider different perspectives, they learn, and they deepen to get to a presence that is powerful.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of creative services for Grand Rounds Health, a B2B2C company that helps employees of our clients navigate the healthcare system for free. We’re a free benefit provided by our clients to all their employees to help them find the right doctors, receive second opinions, fight bad bills, and offer telemedicine. We also do behavioral health.

We’re looking to be an end-to-end, front door to all things healthcare-oriented as the company continues to grow. We’re a private, for-profit company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Good Stuff Partners?

We brought them in because we had a very outdated and inconsistent brand that we had been working with for years leading up to it. We started with four to six people in a room to build an idea and flush out any components.

The brand didn’t evolve much over that time, so we brought in Good Stuff Partners to help with what our brand should and could be. They also helped visualize our brand into assets like a website, email templates, and other internal and external communication.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Good Stuff Partners across most components of the rebrand. We did a lot of the research component, which is usually the heavy-lift upfront and something that we handled internally because we have staff that does that and insights already built out. We did a lot of internal interviews and surveys from our members and buyers.

Good Stuff Partners helped us with the name update component, which seemed small but was big in our industry. It was really important to add the word health into our name to distinguish our industry. Their team helped us with a portion of that work, and from there, they helped us develop our personality, which is how we are viewed from our visual expression. They also helped us develop our tone of voice, which is how we communicate.

For example, from the tone of voice perspective, the way we speak to our members and buyers is also down-to-earth and confident. We needed to build out what those meant, why they meant what they meant, how they were effective, and we really had to effectively message our members in a relatable way.

Their team helped us a lot with value proposition work. They took the time to dive deep into not just our brand, but our product. They really took the time to invest and dive deep into understanding the product, having other interviews and conversations throughout. That manifested into the identity design, logo, colors, fonts, brand standards, and more. They helped us establish almost all of those items to them more effectively communicate with both our members and buyers.

The next deliverable was the website, which had a massive scope creep on our end. It was nothing that they did wrong. As we rethought what our site needed to be, we realized that the site needed to be much bigger and more in-depth through their expertise and guidance.

We worked with them to develop the site architecture and strategy behind it. One of their team members helped us with our SEO strategy, user experience, and the interface and flow of pages. In our world, we are trying to get our members, even though we are a free service, to help them navigate the healthcare system in one way or another.

Our teams worked together on site strategy about how to get things above the fold, get the most out of the little time that we have with our members when they engage, and maximize those opportunities every step of the way. They helped us redesign our website and completely rethink it head to toe.

What is the team composition?

There were at least five people from their team that was assigned to our project. There were two principals, Adrian (Founder) and Amy (Founder), and two designers.

Adrian hits hard on the strategic side of the house, the project management side, and the brand theory work. Amy’s role is much more of the visionary and the designer, helping things come together, interpreting the work we did with Adrian in the beginning. She also laid down the groundwork for the new brand; all those components of a new brand come together visually and verbally, and that is where Amy comes in.

The two designers were running support on the project. After we got through the bigger strategic side of the house, the big picture look, and then the two designers also would assist Amy in executing a lot of the designs once the decision had been made.

The fifth person was an SEO and web development expert. She was great, leading the charge and coming up with an appropriate strategy for our unique business model.

How did you come to work with Good Stuff Partners?

Another employee at Grand Rounds recommended them to us. We decided that we needed some help in the branding and design world.

We started having some of those conversations, and internally, there was a recommendation from our VP of marketing which I believe worked with them in the past on a completely different project at a separate company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere around $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started helping us in June 2020, and the new brand launched in April 2021. We had some follow-up work that concluded in June 2021. We’re looking forward to working with them on new opportunities in the near future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

It’s a little early because we just launched. From a website perspective, we saw even up to double-digit increases in activations and engagement in our website. It was a big boom in increase for us.

I think the time on our pages increased by a little over 6%, and I think our activations increased over 9%. We saw some pretty stout metrics. It’s still early, but the initial impact was almost immediate and substantial.

How did Good Stuff Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

I thought they were great. They were very buttoned up and communicative. It was a minimum of once a week that we met formally where we had a standing meeting on Thursdays. It was scheduled for an hour, but many times, it went over. Between Slack, email, impromptu meetings, and phone calls, we were in communication other times throughout the week.

A large portion of the project management included moving things around, getting answers to questions, and making sure that all stakeholders were updated and current on all development. The main platform that we both used was Asana, and then other communication was done through Google Docs.

We met with them in person for the first time, and we had celebratory dinners when we finished the project. All of this was during COVID-19.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Because they’re a smaller agency, you truly feel like your project is the biggest thing in their world. They give the type of care and communication that customers need. Our project means everything to us. With other agencies, it felt that they wanted the work for the check. But with Good Stuff Partners, I felt that they were truly invested, even to the level that they were invested in our mission and to us as a company in healthcare.

Raising the standard of healthcare for everyone everywhere is such a huge task. We need our vendors and partners to be invested in that. They need to fundamentally understand what people go through when they try and navigate the healthcare system on their own. Good Stuff Partners took the time to understand that, to know that, and to be part of that. They wanted insight whenever possible, which was invaluable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think the only thing that can hold them back is their size. It is a bit of a double-edged sword. They’re a small and boutique agency that gives the right attention. I would love it if they found a way to both scale and grow but keep that boutique feel.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Rely on them because you will get what you’re looking for. If you follow their lead and invest in them just as much as they’re investing in you, I think you will get everything that you’re looking for. They want to be a partner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Marin Humane, a nonprofit organization serving Marin County, which is located north of San Francisco. Our organization provides both typical humane society services as well as various animal services. This includes enforcement of animal ordinances, rescue, and return to owner efforts for lost and stray animals. We’re a private, nonprofit organization that’s been in existence since 1907.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Good Stuff Partners?

Our organization has a good reputation in the community, but we felt we needed to solidify a more unified message about who we were, what we did, and what our impact was. Marin Humane is the only shelter for our community. We do a lot and we have information to share on many programs and services. It felt as if we didn’t have a consistent message about who we were and what we did, and we wanted some outside help to get down to the core essence of our organization and translate that vision into our brand.

The other reason that we wanted to rebrand was that we knew we were competing for a lot of the community’s attention through social media messaging in regards to fundraising for our nonprofit animal welfare services. We wanted to distinguish ourselves among all the competition in the nonprofit world so that people would understand who we were and why they should support us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Good Stuff analyzed our preexisting strategy and needs. They met with different members of our staff to gain an understanding of our challenges and wishes. They also did some research on what existed in the “brand space”, as in what we were competing with as far as logos and taglines. They provided some market research and a new style guide/icons. They also ran a writing workshop with the staff that would be responsible for carrying out our new look and feel. The workshop was on how we could impart our new brand through our writing, including web pages, appeal letters, and business cards.

They also provided us with guidance and good information on how to rebrand ourselves and use that brand in the implementation phase: business cards, door signs, vehicles, doors, t-shirts, uniforms, etc.. Lastly, they trained our staff and board of directors on the ins and outs of the new brand.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with Aimee (Partner and Creative Director, Good Stuff Partners) and Adrian (Partner and Brand Strategist, Good Stuff Partners). They had some staff behind the scenes and a third-party vendor for market research.

How did you come to work with Good Stuff Partners?

Our director of marketing and communications found out about their company through some research or networking. We asked them to come in and give a bid. There were three companies in the bidding, but their unique approach to their previous clients and to working with us seemed like a good fit. On top of it, their own mission and the way they chose their clients were good matches for us.

How much have you invested with them?

Because we’re a private nonprofit organization, it wasn’t cheap, but it was one of the best investments we’ve done. In total, we spent $60,000–$110,000 on the project. Some of it wasn’t directly with Good Stuff; it was market research and some graphic design work.

What is the status of this engagement?

Officially, we started the branding project with Good Stuff in July 2016 and wrapped up the project in early 2017. We went live in February or March 2017. We haven’t really wrapped up, in the sense that we’re always utilizing their services and advice on the things we do.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The brand is still going strong for us in 2020, and we still receive great feedback and are very happy with it. We’ve been applying and utilizing the style guide they wrote for us, and we use it to train new staff today. Aimee and Adrian were wonderful partners and very patient, but also pushed us to think in new ways about how to present Marin Humane to our world.

We’ve continued to get positive feedback and compliments for our brand and the way we’re applying it to our items, even today. We were able to roll out the new website and also make it more mobile-friendly. That wasn’t directly related to the marketing process, but their web design and content writing assisted in this initiative.  

Our website and Facebook presence remain strong. I can say that we're in a much better spot financially and regarding response to our look. We get requests from our colleagues to buy our t-shirts because they like the design.

Previously, we lacked brand consistency. We postponed the new branding for a while because we knew we needed to do it right. It was a big upfront expense for us, as a nonprofit. We were weighing the cost-benefit analysis of marketing versus supporting the animals, but it was worth the effort. It’s lasted for a long time and been spot on in identifying who we were and what we did. In a sense, we’ve amortized that upfront cost since the release.

How did Good Stuff Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Aimee and Adrian are a great team. From Adrian’s ability to go into the details about implementation to Aimee’s creativity, they were a joy to work with. We had regular meetings to check in with our timeframe and commitment. They were responsive to the changes we made and worked really well with board members, volunteers, and staff that may not have completely understood why we were doing the rebranding and what it meant. Some people thought it was just a logo change, but it was much more than that. Good Stuff was very good at adapting to the various audiences that were involved in the meetings, workshops, and trainings.

We worked with them for a long time, but they always provided check-ins about the process and fees. We did negotiate and sometimes change what they were working on, or we added to it. They were really flexible in the services they could offer us. For example, there was some writing that we didn’t necessarily need from them, so they trained us and let us roll with it after early-2017.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Some of their elements were familiar, but the way Good Stuff did their research and their creativity were impressive. I’d add their ability to adapt and be flexible. They were very creative, but their ideas and information were also based on statistics and research. They weren’t just shooting from the hip. That packaging of everything was unique.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the beginning, it was the price tag. I have no regrets about what they didn’t do for us. We probably would’ve added more projects for them to work on.

We had some unique vehicle designs for our official vehicles, and there were a few hiccups with some of our designs. Good Stuff Partners worked it out, but that kind of vehicle design might not have been their forte. We probably took longer working with them on that, but I also don’t know if it was just because of the unique set of vehicles we happen to have.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important for clients to do their homework and check references. Looking online at some of the products they’ve created, meeting them in person, and seeing them as true partners is also important. Clients should accept that they know what they’re talking about and might push them out of their comfort zone. In the end, they do great work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a nonprofit organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Good Stuff Partners?

We brought on Good Stuff Partners to create a name and launch our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They first sat down and listened to us attentively. Their team asked questions to distill the essence of who we are and to help us think strategically around our brand's definition. We’re a new organization, so we didn’t have a record for them to enhance and improve. They helped us to shape and create the brand, which included the name, the logo, and the website. They also lightly worked on our social media and our communications plan.

What is the team composition?

Initially, we worked with Adrian (Partner and Brand Strategist, Good Stuff Partners), Aimee (Founder and Creative Director, Good Stuff Partners), and a person who worked on an administrative level. As the project progressed, we started to work mostly with Aimee and an outsourced developer. We also met with a communications contractor. For a few components of the project, we worked with design staff.

How did you come to work with Good Stuff Partners?

A colleague organization referred us to Good Stuff Partners. We liked their work with previous clients and their vibe. We liked the fact that they spent time working with social purpose organizations as well as with corporations. 

How much have you invested with them?

The original contract was for $100,000 but we added to the scope. All in, we spent between $100,000–$150,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Good Stuff Partners in the fall of 2018 and we’re just about to wrap up. If we need touch-ups, we’ll work with them again.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

People like the name. We’ve also gotten nice feedback on the website.

How did Good Stuff Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

We had regular phone calls to check in because 90% of their work was done remotely. We used Asana, which had both strong and weak points. It was good because everything was archived. They’re straightforward and honest folk, which led to good communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're good people with tremendous positivity and goodwill. Their team cared about our mission and invested in our success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is tiny but Adrian’s a tremendous asset. After the initial communications, he wasn’t as involved in the project. Their use of Asana makes sense to them but not as much sense to the client. I was an Asana user before this engagement but found it difficult to locate items based on Good Stuff Partners’ organizational style.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be extremely clear about what you want and when you need it. Be willing to give detailed feedback because Good Stuff Partners will act on it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My employer is a county government, and my position is the communications officer for the office of sustainability.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Good Stuff Partners?

We have historically had creative services expertise in our office but needed to do more targeted messaging and more effective outreach to our target audiences. We decide that expert third-party branding and marketing was needed to round out our creative skill set.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have evaluated several of our websites for more effective organization of our information and to identify gaps in our information. Their team has helped us determine how we can better connect our residents, businesses, and other users of the county’s services to the resources that are available to them.

Additionally, they’ve helped strategize on branding in terms of slogans, program names, and other ways that we can use language to convey the value of our services to their intended audience.

What is the team composition?

Their team consisted of about 6 people, including an account manager.

How did you come to work with Good Stuff Partners?

We put out a competitive request for proposals, and they were the most responsive to the needs of our agency and what we asked to be addressed in the proposal. What really stood out to us was their social marketing and cause marketing in the way they approach their clients. We wanted to go outside the way governments typically speak to their audience, and they seemed like a company that could provide that.

How much have you invested with them?

Our contract with them is about $300,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around January 2019 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re an office of about 40 individuals, and anyone has been able to access them as needed for projects big and small, which has been hugely beneficial to our operations. They are a delight to work with from the customer experience side of things, including the expertise and professionalism that they bring to the table.

How did Good Stuff Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team has been totally transparent in their process so far, and they do a great job of keeping us informed about where in the process they’re at and what they are looking to complete next, so you never feel out of the loop on anything. That can become a big deal in managing a contract of this size and has proven not to be an issue at all for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

For a private company that takes on a range of clients, they are incredibly good at homing in on what values would speak to the audience that you’re targeting in each campaign and figuring out how to work the messaging around that. They bring a very creative spin to the traditional, more rote way of approaching outreach and marketing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing I think could be improved are the turnaround times, but that is a trade-off in balance with the really thoughtful and measured approach that they take to their jobs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would absolutely recommend that anyone choose to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company, Tides, is a philanthropic partner and non-profit accelerator dedicated to a world of shared prosperity and social justice. I am the director of communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Good Stuff Partners?

Tides, which has been around for more than 40 years, launched a new vision, mission, and approach (VMA) in 2015. At that point, we felt that it was time for Tides to highlight our new VMA and talk about ourselves as the more agile and strategic partner we have become to those who wish to accelerate the pace of social change in the world.

We needed a values-aligned branding partner and chose Good Stuff Partners to help us update our logo and website and develop cohesion and consistency in the way our mission was communicated to our partners across the globe.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

From start to finish, they helped us crystallize the essence of what, why, and how our organization operates. Good Stuff Partners helped us translate that into a brand, logo, and tagline, as well as broade messaging around who we are.  We continue to tap their expertise whenever we need that branding incorporated into our office facilities or to promote and advance new philanthropic campaigns to advance critical social justice issues, and much more.

Their team also supported our web developer to create a completely new website to go along with our revamp.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked primarily with the firm’s talented two founding partners, but we’ve had some interaction with several other members of their capable team as well.

How did you come to work with Good Stuff Partners?

Tides was seeking a mission- and values-aligned partner who would help us surface and articulate our DNA and translate that into a powerful, accessible, and inspirational brand to champion and mobilize support for a more just and equitable world.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent in the $50,000–$200,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2016, and the partnership has continued over the two years since we launched the brand.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We have a dashboard that we use to track brand affinity, awareness, engagement, and conversion. We’ve been able to track an increase in the number of people who know about and are engaging with Tides because of how we’ve been able to leverage the new brand.

We are also seeing positive trends from newsletter signups, registration numbers at our events, and, most importantly, our growing pipeline of leads seeking our tools and expertise to drive social change.

How did Good Stuff Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent project managers. Almost nothing falls through the cracks. They take initiative and are able to anticipate our needs, more often than not. They keep in touch with us regularly, and we often brainstorm ways we can promote Tides’ approach to helping our partners solve some of society’s toughest problems. They go well beyond what one would normally expect from a branding firm.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their innovative mindsets and hands-on work styles have been key assets in our partnership. They have a purpose-driven approach and share our desire to make the world a better place. The fact that we have those things in common has helped our work and our business come together in really powerful and productive ways.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly can’t think of any significant areas in which they could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them, and really open your mind and heart to their ideas. The Good Stuff Partners team may challenge the more traditional ways you might be thinking about your brand, but you’ll be in the very capable, talented hands of people who will always deliver first-rate results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner of NMA Architects. We’re an architecture firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Good Stuff Partners?

One of our partners retired, so we thought it was an opportunity to reevaluate our branding and bring in specialists to modernize our marketing efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Good Stuff didn’t come to us with preconceived ideas of who we are or what we should do. Instead, they sat down with us and asked questions to understand our strengths and what sets us apart from other architecture firms. They took us to a remote coastal area where our team spent the day engaging in branding exercises. Their approach made everyone comfortable and able to get into a creative mindset. By getting out of the office and thinking critically about our company, we were able to define our brand identity.

Good Stuff took the information they gathered and created a tagline that encapsulates our core values. We use the tagline when speaking to clients and onboarding employees to help them understand our company culture. The initial branding effort culminated with a website redesign. They tied all the work we did into designing the UI/UX and deciding what projects we should put on display.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with Adrian (Partner & Brand Strategist) and Aimee (Partner & Creative Director).

How did you come to work with Good Stuff Partners?

One of our team members knew Aimee and recommended her. She’s helped us with graphics in the past. Once we decided to take our branding to the next level, we reached out to Good Stuff because we felt they’d be a good fit. Their culture is similar to ours in that they’re service-oriented when engaging with clients.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2004 and the relationship is ongoing. We’re scheduled to meet with them this year and discuss building onto what we’ve established to take things to the next level.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve been super successful since working with Good Stuff. They delivered a great website that performs exceptionally well on Houzz. That platform is extremely important within our industry and Adrian and Aimee often advise us on how to engage with clients and make sure they leave reviews. Furthermore, we get more compliments on our website than just about anything else. When people go to our website, they really get a sense of who we are and that sets us apart from other firms.

How did Good Stuff Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re always busy with our day-to-day operations, but Good Stuff keeps us on track and helps manage what they’ve provided for us. They schedule work in stages so we can handle new integrations without negatively affecting our clients. They remind us to follow up, while also quickly responding to any questions we might have. This is a particularly valuable attribute when promotional opportunities present themselves. They’ve also encouraged us to start a blog, so we’ll often run social media ideas by them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I value the most is their creativity and personal approach. They work with us directly to find unique solutions instead of providing generic templates or answers. They were able to understand who we are and channel their ingenuity to create accessible messaging that’s also captivating to our audience. That’s not an easy task, but they were successful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, nothing comes to mind. We’ve been very pleased with what they’ve done for us.