In non-profits, competition isn’t true competition, they’re all working towards a greater good. But it’s still important to achieve their marketing/targeting goals. Habitat for Humanity didn’t seem to be achieving much, failing to have a unique, attractive image. Even Habitat for Humanity’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Chris Clarke, has claimed “while we are very, very well known… we are not well understood.”

An attractive image starts with an appealing logo; so we refreshed it. Updating the colors / typeface and giving Habitat a new logo-mark that is bold, but still subtle.

To make the local volunteer experience more tantalizing, we incorporated what we’re calling prep packages. Local volunteers would receive their box a week or so before their build they signed up for, to ensure that they feel both prepared and excited.

Also applicable for international volunteers. It has to be intimidating to pack up and fly across the world, even if it is for a great cause. Their boxes would, in addition, include a information on cultural and language barriers to make the transition more comfortable.

The Website Revamp

Quite simply, Habitat’s website is in need of a makeover.

How do you make a site that targets different audiences (college age volunteers, older volunteers, local volunteers, donators, homeowners etc.) while still fitting under the umbrella of a larger brand?

You make information easy to access and visually interesting.

In addition, the application process should be fun! Volunteering for a build is a great experience, just as applying to be a housing participant is a wonderful opportunity. So we developed a quiz process for applying, which personalizes your results.

There was also an opportunity to create an app for local volunteers to use on and off build sites. The app would be a place that volunteers can explore upcoming builds, sign up, and invite friends, see who will be on the site, a chat feature, reminders to drink water and re-apply sunscreen.

The goal of this app is to facilitate a feeling of connectedness, and in conjunction with prep-packages, to excite the volunteer.

For a final component, we wanted to bring more attention to what Habitat does.

In our research, we found a large problem in their brand perception is that people don’t actually know what they do, they just know it’s a helpful non-profit.

Our campaign to change this would act as a sort of publicity stunt. In major cities across America, Habitat will set up tiny house builds. Those who pass by can stop in to learn and participate; speaking with volunteers and homeowners about their experiences with Habitat.