Client Profile: Nashville Community Connections
An identity to match the mission.
When Jami Oakley met with Catherine Knowles in 2015 to figure out how they could better support the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) HERO program serving students in unstable housing, their first focus was a collaborative effort to recycle school uniforms, getting clothing into the hands of students who needed it most. UniCycle was born, and continued to grow into many MNPS schools. The straightforward and efficient collection and distribution model worked, and by 2024, UniCycle was distributing shoes, hygiene products, emergency food supplies, coats, and even houseware to families who had made it into stable housing. Much like the outgrown clothing they were collecting and distributing, UniCycle had outgrown its name. We facilitated brand identity and naming sessions that more accurately reflected their role in the community, developed a new logo, visual identity, and updated messaging, and worked collaboratively with their web team to develop a website that clearly told their story.
SUITE OF SERVICES
With almost 10 years of experience as an organization under their belt, the team had a wealth of input when it came to documenting their current identity, what is unique about their work, and what they wanted to be known for in the future. We facilitated a full-day session with the entire team as well as other key stakeholders to hold this meaningful conversation. Following this, we facilitated the scoping and defining of their services to eight separate programs, giving special attention to how donors and volunteers could engage with each program. This clarity was crucial for efficient internal operations, as each program had unique supply collection methods, and clear communication to donors on how they could contribute was essential.
Brand identity session and program structure
Using the identity and program structure sessions as a foundation, we facilitated two naming sessions with a larger group that included the team, key stakeholders, and key volunteers. We started by introducing the new program structure, reinforcing that the UniCycle name wasn’t going away but instead becoming a program. We developed handouts and tools that communicated the future vision to help guide the conversations. We performed asset checks and other research that guided leadership to their final decision.
Naming facilitation
Using the identity and program structure sessions as a foundation, we facilitated two naming sessions with a larger group that included the team, key stakeholders, and key volunteers. We started by introducing the new program structure, reinforcing that the UniCycle name wasn’t going away but instead becoming a program. We developed handouts and tools that communicated the future vision to help guide the conversations. We performed asset checks and other research that guided leadership to their final decision.
Visual branding and logo design
Website content development
To support the new website build, we started by auditing the existing UniCycle website, which had a large volume of content. We then facilitated a session to develop basic wireframes, guiding the structure of our new website copy document. We worked collaboratively with Nashville Community Connections leadership as well as the website vendor, providing extensive copyediting as well as writing new content for identity, programming, and donor engagement.
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