Uniting the brand of a nonprofit and its social enterprise
A nonprofit committed to financial security wanted to reflect on its mission and reinforce its focus on systemic change while also planning the launch of their popular financial technology platform on the Salesforce AppExchange.
From direct service to technology and systemic change.
The Financial Clinic was founded in 2005 as a financial coaching provider focused on building the economic security of people with little to no income. Over time, The Financial Clinic focused on building the capacity of organizations to provide financial coaching and shaping public policies that advance an equitable economy. They created a powerful financial coaching platform for nonprofits and social service agencies called Change Machine. This social enterprise quickly became the main vehicle to scale their mission and make a nationwide impact.
A single name for the entire organization.
With plans to migrate Change Machine to the Salesforce AppExchange, The Financial Clinic began questioning the efficacy of their primary brand and sub-brand (Change Machine had its own name, logo, and visuals). The name, “The Financial Clinic,” no longer reflected their focus, so they called on Big Duck to examine their brand architecture and set their rebrand in motion. We developed a new brand strategy and assets to set them up for a seamless launch, including officially changing their name to Change Machine.
Technology for an equitable economy
Big Duck developed their visionary tagline, Technology for an equitable economy, as well as comprehensive messaging that clearly articulated their story and the systemic issues they’re working to solve. With this strong starting point, staff and board members found it easier to write and talk about what Change Machine does and why.
Two voices become one
After conducting and evaluating research and analyzing their strategic direction, we advised The Financial Clinic toward a simpler brand architecture strategy (i.e., one brand, no clear sub-brands). The key feature of this approach was using the “Change Machine” name organization-wide. Streamlining their brand architecture and building on the visibility and strength of “Change Machine” offered the organization a flexible system for communicating about future products and initiatives cohesively. It also meant they would also save time and resources maintaining their brand.
