Constructive

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a small research program located within the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at a large private University in the Northeast. The research program revolves around studying attitudes and risk perceptions, behavior, policy preferences, and so forth, of mainly the American public on issues involving climate change. 

What is your role and responsibilities, please?

I'm the director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Constructive?

We really operate at that nexus of conducting original research that’s contributing to knowledge to scholarly conversation, but also wanting that research to be useful and intelligible to regular people, especially those people who are interested in mitigating the effects of climate change. 

We needed a website that was cutting edge in terms of how we’re communicating what we know and what we discover, and what’s relevant. So we felt that it was very important for us to have a very easy to navigate and compelling website. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We had not originally intended for them to do a whole lot of branding. We thought we had that nailed down, and that they were pretty much going to be working solely on website development. It turns out that in the course of our early conversations, we realized our logo is not as good as we thought. Our website has been significantly delayed because we’ve engaged in this branding exercise, and now this logo design work, which has to come first.

What was your process for selecting Constructive to work with?

It was made significantly easier by the fact that some other of our colleagues in other units here were already engaged with them to do new websites. So we were able to have very informal conversations with our colleagues about how that process was going. We put out some RFPs, and they were very responsive in the beginning with doing a little more due diligence than the other folks who bid, on who exactly we were, our particular mission, and what we’re doing. We got some good bids, and Constructive wasn’t the lowest or the highest, but they were seemingly the most committed, the most interested, and had the biggest appetite for working with us.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We’ve added on extra work over the course of the project, so the amount has changed. In total, it's probably been in the $100,000 range.

What was the timeline for the project?

We started working with them last July, and the original timeline was maybe into the first quarter of this year. It’s been considerably extended because of the design and branding work. In total it’s going to longer than a one year engagement by the time we’re all done.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any stats, or metrics, or general feedback to show the success of the project?

These guys are professionals. We have found them to be very responsive, very dedicated to the work they’re doing with us, and they generally have very good ideas. There’s been a little bit of disorganization now and then, and some efforts made that, in hindsight, were a bit of a waste of time, but I think that’s par for the course.

We don’t have any stats or metrics yet. Informally, we have gotten feedback that people are very pleased with the beta version of the site.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They’re very personable. We felt like we got to know the individuals at the company, and they’re kind of a family, they support each other, and they’re supporting their clients to the best of their ability. We felt like it was nicely scaled for us, because we’re a relatively small outfit too.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

They’re a relatively small outfit, and I guess it seemed like they were stretched a little thin. They occasionally seemed a little over-committed, and had trouble organizing their time. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a global organization that works in the philanthropic sector. Our mission is to help philanthropist invest in climate change mitigation.

What is your role and responsibilities, please?

I oversee all institutional communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Constructive?

We had just gone through a two-year planning exercise, and we updated our business model and strategic plan. We partnered with Constructive to work on a message platform that reflected the new strategy, and also on a website redesign.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They worked on a little bit of branding and then some web design.

What was your process for selecting Constructive to work with?

We sent an RFP to six or seven firms that are some go-to firms in our sector and have worked with partners who really know our space well. We chose Constructive because of their focus on being able to translate data and pre-assigned concepts to the lay person, and their ability to make that data clear and compelling to wider audiences.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The branding piece of it was somewhere in the $35,000 - $50,000 range, and then the web design was in the $70,000 to $80,000 range I believe.

What was the timeline of this engagement?

The project started around May or June of 2014, and lasted until February of 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any stats, or metrics, or general feedback to show the success of the project?

On the branding side, they created a brand handbook, which has everything from a new mission statement, institutional core values, differentiators; all the things that are core to an organization’s brand. It’s a really solid foundation for us to build on as we implement a strategy around institutional communication. So they did a great job for us there.

We’re also thrilled with the website. It’s fresh and current in terms of the technology and design. People who have spent some time with it understand, at a much higher level, what the organization does, which was one of our goals. So everything turned out wonderfully.

We have a pretty narrow audience, so things like Google Analytics and other online tools don’t necessarily reveal if we’re meeting our objectives. Anecdotally, I think we’ve received lots of really solid feedback. People understand what the organization is. We also seeing more of an uptick in terms of organizations and people wanting to know more and wanting to work with us.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They’re really great to work with. They’re a relatively small team, so you get a lot of attention, which is a good thing. They have a passion for the clients they take on and the work they choose to do. They’re really committed to it.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

It’s hard to differentiate between areas where my organization can improve and areas where they can improve. There may have been little things here and there, but nothing really worth mentioning.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Communications Director of a nonprofit organization

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a family defender organization defending the rights of ACS-involved parents in New York City with the goal of reuniting them with their children. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Constructive to accomplish?

• New visual identity
• Content rewrites/redevelopment
• Website redesign

SOLUTION

How did you find Constructive?

Online Search

Why did you select Constructive over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Constructive were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Constructive partnered with us on a transformative rebranding, which involved extensive interviews with staff and supporters, the development of a new brand guide, logo, colors, and content, and a newly-redesigned website. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Development of a new brand identity and website 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Constructive was always open and honest about timelines and how delays could impact the timeline. They did deliver items on time and were very responsive throughout the process. 

What was your primary form of communication with Constructive?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was impressed by both the project management aspect and Constructive's culture. 

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

One area for improvement was communication toward the end of the project due to our developer not being in-house. Constructive acknowledged these challenges and did their best to rectify it and be responsive. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief finance and administrative officer of Overbrook Foundation, a New York-based philanthropic organization that supports environmental and human rights initiatives in the US and Latin America.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Constructive?

We needed help with branding, a style guide, and ongoing website support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Constructive redesigned our very outdated website from top to bottom. They also provided a helpful branding and style guide.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–5 teammates from Constructive.

How did you come to work with Constructive?

Someone referred Constructive to me. We chose them over other options because they had high ratings, their pricing fit our budget, they were a great culture fit, and we liked the quality of their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $50,000–$99,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–November 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were pleased with the redesigned website. We tracked traffic and people who signed up for our mailing list through the website, which went up dramatically. Our board was also very pleased with the new site.

How did Constructive perform from a project management standpoint?

Constructive delivered on time. We communicated via virtual meetings, emails, and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Constructive’s hands-on and customized approach was impressive. I also liked the willingness of their leadership to jump in and get involved when needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Constructive lost track of the design partway through the project, but they redoubled their efforts and delivered an excellent site in the end.