CENTER FOR NONPROFIT EXCELLENCE

Building a communications infrastructure to strengthen Virginia’s champion for the nonprofit sector. 

Challenge

CNE is a long-time trusted resource for nonprofits, serving as an educator, champion and partner for more than 800 nonprofit organizations across Virginia. After completing a strategic plan for the organization, CNE identified a critical need to build a communications infrastructure that would streamline processes, increase member engagement, raise brand awareness and refine its messaging to appeal to a state audience. With limited staffing capacity for communications activities, the organization needed support to increase its bandwidth to focus on educational programming and development.  

Our Approach

To position CNE as a leading statewide organization for Virginia’s nonprofit sector, we conducted a needs assessment and developed an action plan with clear measurable objectives to measure progress. Our work included a comprehensive overhaul of the organization’s communications systems for messaging, branded assets, social media, email marketing, website management, media relations and consistent reporting.

Messaging Framework

Our team created inclusionary messaging to ensure CNE’s communications were welcoming and reflective of the diverse nonprofit community it serves. This framework helped the organization define its role in the social impact sector, amplify its services and program offerings for nonprofits to thrive, and shift CNE’s positioning to a statewide organization (beyond its base in Charlottesville) across all communication channels.

 Our goals were to:

  1. Engage CNE membership and grow the community of practice across Virginia.

  2. Clearly define CNE’s brand: who, what, why and how.

  3. Increase fundraising asks across communications channels.

  4. Position CNE as the go-to resource for Virginia’s nonprofits through impact storytelling

Results

Our strategic messaging efforts strengthened CNE’s presence and engagement:

  • Developed a clear and inclusive messaging framework to guide all communications.

  • Positioned CNE as a statewide leader in nonprofit support through refined language and targeted outreach.

  • Elevated membership engagement by making it a focal point of social media and email campaigns.

By refining CNE’s messaging, we strengthened its ability to communicate its impact, reach new audiences, and solidify its role as a nonprofit leader across Virginia.

Social Media

Our Approach

To strengthen CNE’s social media presence, we implemented a strategic content approach designed to boost engagement, increase program participation, and expand audience reach. By leveraging storytelling and thought leadership, we highlighted upcoming programs, shared insights on the nonprofit sector, and showcased members making a real impact.

Our team conducted a comprehensive social media audit across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to establish baseline metrics and inform a content strategy. This was complemented by an assessment of all communication channels including email performance, website traffic, earned media, and marketing materials—to gauge brand awareness, audience engagement, and CNE’s overall digital footprint.

Results

Leverage social media engagement to boost participation in events and programs while also promoting resource sharing. Focus on sharing more photos instead of graphics to enhance connection and visibility. By implementing a consistent editorial calendar and strong graphic design for CNE, social media performance has significantly improved:

  • Post Engagement: Increased from 1,670 in 2022 to 2,749 in 2024.

  • New Followers: Grew from 54 on Instagram, 288 on LinkedIn, and 14 on Twitter in 2022 to 70 in 2024.

  • Reach: Expanded from 7,981 in 2022 to 20,620 in 2024.

Email Marketing

Our Approach

To optimize CNE’s email marketing efforts, we focused on list segmentation to ensure the right messages reached the right audiences. This entailed a thorough audit and recomposition of email lists. We also transitioned to one statewide monthly newsletter that provided broader organizational updates and program highlights to all audiences, while also developing regional newsletters with partner programs – each with distinct email banners and branding. 


Additionally, our team streamlined the format of newsletters with consistent content sections and introduced CNE staff to the newsletter so members could build a relationship. Lastly, we introduced monthly and quarterly analytics reports to monitor performance and track engagement trends, allowing us to adjust strategies as needed. By refining the newsletter process, we created a more structured and engaging format that aligned with CNE’s goals.

Results

By segmenting lists and tailoring content to specific audience groups, we ensured that recipients received the most relevant and impactful information. These efforts led to:

  • Click rates saw a significant boost, reaching 47.1% in 2024, reflecting stronger engagement with call-to-actions."

  • Open rates peaked reaching 77.5% in 2024 for the "Confirm Attendance Philanthropy Day Email.

Graphic Design

Our Approach

With their logo and brand guidelines already established, we sought to design digital and print marketing materials to give their brand a fresh and timeless look.  As social media is a major marketing tool for CNE, we designed new templates for them to use on Instagram for a more inviting and vibrant tone. We also provided new logos for their leadership programs - Board Academy, Leaders of Color, and Emerging Leaders - remaining consistent with their brand identity and creating a cohesive look amongst all three programs.

Results

As a result, we were able to provide CNE with a large portfolio of new collateral including year-end data reports, sponsorship packages, and program branding. We also established an updated social media style creating a balance of images and graphics. 

SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE

SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER