Organization: STRIVE DC Inc.

Situation
Summary background of the organization
STRIVE DC Inc. serves DC’s hardest-to-employ residents, area employers and the whole community through high-quality job training and placement services. They work with the clients from broken or single parent families, with limited education, having had problems with crime, substance abuse or domestic violence. They are known for their unique two year program that has graduated over 760 participants, placed 81% of them in jobs and kept 80% of them working for at least two years. Working directly with individual clients, STRIVE DC addresses the personal obstacles of being employed—attitude, appearance, responsibility, accountability and growth, then matches employer needs with competent, responsible applicants.

Obstacles
The communication challenges faced
This group has materials that they have found to be out of date; both in style and text. The national group overseeing their efforts had published a checklist of items to which the group was asked to adhere.

Design and Planning Response
The steps and solution taken by the CreateAThon design team
A brochure was designed, featuring key inspirational messages to appeal to business owners who would potentially hire their clients, as well as donors. Colors that are commonly found in corporate and entrepreneurial color schemes were selected to attract these audiences. In addition, a brief communication plan was developed to help the group spread their message effectively.