Skip to main content

Berkeley Haas Fund

nfn-casestudy-haasfund-hero-l

Since 1978, the Haas Fund at UC Berkeley Haas has been going beyond what state funding, tuition, and other philanthropy can accomplish alone. The Haas Fund is a philanthropic fund that allows Berkeley Haas to provide valuable resources to their students, hire and keep outstanding faculty, and reinforce their impeccable reputation. Berkely Haas came to us to create a brand that could help them connect with students and alumni, communicate the impact and importance of the Haas Fund on the school, and build a movement of giving back.

Industry
  • Education
Services
  • Brand Identity
  • Strategy
  • Web Design
  • Digital
  • Creative Direction
  • Print Design
  • Writing

Brand Identity

In order to connect with student and young alumni, we created a lively and vibrant visual language to express the urgency and opportunity to give back and power future generations of students. Our brand references bold layouts and no-nonsense aesthetics often seen in ephemera from social movements, but with a refined application for our higher-education audience.

nfn-casestudy-haasfund-01
nfn-casestudy-haasfund-02
nfn-casestudy-haasfund-03
nfn-casestudy-haasfund-04
nfn-casestudy-haasfund-05

Social Media

Through rounds of interviews and focus groups with current Haas students and alumni, we heard that they connect the most with messages delivered where they already go to stay up to date with their alma mater—social media. We created a toolkit of branded elements and template posts featuring current students and recent graduates telling why they give back.

nfn-casestudy-haasfund-07

Student Toolkit

We heard from students that asks for monetary gifts feel more genuine when delivered by peers. To help Haas Fund student ambassadors deliver the Haas message accurately and push fundraising, we created a comprehensive student toolkit to support student ambassadors and educate them on how to talk about the Haas Fund, how to respond to frequently asked questions, how to write solicitation emails, and much more.

nfn-casestudy-haasfund-13
nfn-casestudy-haasfund-14
nfn-casestudy-haasfund-15

Results

Working with Nonfiction has been awesome. I felt heard throughout the creative process, and I think our donors did too. Their team is like a magical cauldron into which we can brain dump all the thoughts we've ever had about a project, then Nonfiction turns our idea stew into something magical and mesmerizing. Our marketing materials now better reflect who we are, and I'm grateful for their partnership in our brand evolution!

Molly Shepherd
Associate Director, Student and New Alumni Giving