2022 Year In Review
Background
Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation (CMFB), established in 2014, is a nonprofit 501c3 family foundation based in Sarasota, Florida, with a mission to make a meaningful difference in various areas including education, humanitarian causes, arts and culture, environment, and medical research in their local community. Despite having only seven employees and a lean operating budget, the CMFB grants over $15 million annually and supports more than 200 local nonprofits and hundreds of student scholarship recipients.
Rising to the Occasion
In 2022, the Southwest region of Florida was impacted by Hurricane Ian, an unprecedented event. Its widespread damage was the third-costliest weather disaster on record, and the deadliest hurricane to strike the state of Florida since 1935. CMFB was integral in the community’s response to address the needs that arose from the hurricane, like hunger, childcare for first responders/healthcare, aid to nonprofits impacted by the hurricane, and financial stability for families. Juxtaposed with Hurricane Ian, the CMFB made a significant contribution to environmental causes that year. With all the formidable ways CMFB’s contributions aided these areas of need, there was also the need to share their impact.
After the Storm
Competing with more than 4,000 other nonprofits in the three-county region who release their reports at the same time of the year, CMBF’s annual report needed to take a fresh, upbeat approach in a year of immense community challenges. CMBF’s leadership team engaged Next-Mark to produce and promote an innovative online annual report highlighting the organization's accomplishments and partnerships in 2022 to share the results.
Through both formal primary and secondary research by professional evaluators and grant reports on CMBF’s programs, their team knew the outcomes of their grantmaking were significant yet highly detailed. So, these outcomes needed to be presented in a creative and engaging way to attract readers and keep their attention, while also promoting the work done in partnership with other nonprofits and still honoring the philanthropic legacy of Chuck and Margery Barancik.
Informing Approach
Through informal, primary, and qualitative research and a comprehensive messaging session with the CMFB team, Next-Mark identified key messages to gain insight into the kinds of content target audiences wanted to see in the report, such as the voices and faces of those being served by CMBF’s philanthropy. Informal primary research was also conducted by examining web and email analytics from previous digital annual reports to see which channels, platforms, and eblasts were more successful in acquiring visitors. Secondary primary research, like case studies and articles informed them that video, illustrated and organic content along with interactive design created more audience engagement and retention. With this information, the strategy and tactics took shape.
Content Conveying Community
Keeping the objective, communications goals, and research all in mind, Next-Mark’s team designed a webpage for the digital report that showcased how the CMBF rode the resilient tide of the “new normal,” 2022 held the promise of strong roots and new growth. Like the marine life that swims, jumps, and buzzes with life in a mangrove forest, the partners in our region’s nonprofit ecosystem stood ready to spring into action and weather new challenges.
To achieve this, content was carefully curated. Creative tactics such as mosaic videos and environmental snapshots were employed to engage the audience, along with complementary emails and social media posts for promotions that would drive views. Key messages emphasized CMBF’s leadership in community impact, its response to Hurricane Ian, and its commitment to the environment.
Interactive Digital Immersion
After identifying a web platform and developing an innovative wireframe to accommodate content in an engaging format, Next-Mark began theme design for the page that captured the community’s ‘strong roots’ and ‘new growth’. From there, Next-Mark populated the digital web-based annual report and began proofing, testing, and web optimization. Finally, eblasts and social media templates were crafted, and the contact list was finalized. The digital report was put out into the world.
The Results
The project achieved its objectives within the first 30 days of launch. The report received over 2,500 views, surpassing industry average email open and click rates, and recorded significantly higher viewer engagement times. The feedback from stakeholders was overwhelmingly positive, applauding the report's creativity and effectiveness in conveying CMBF’s message. At this year’s Angel Awards, competing in the category of Organization or Cause Promotion, Next-Mark received a Statewide and Caribbean Gold Angel Award, the highest accolade awarded in a category, for their community-based work with Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation.
Celebrating Achievements, Inspiring Futures
The Barancik Foundation's 2022 Year in Review Digital Annual Report successfully highlighted its impactful philanthropic efforts throughout the challenges Hurricane Ian posed to the community. Through innovative design, engaging content, and strategic communication, the report effectively conveyed the CMBF’s mission and achievements to its diverse stakeholders, garnering praise and recognition for its commitment to making a meaningful difference in the community.
