October 21, 2025 • 37 mins
Rebranding a nonprofit isn’t about swapping logos or picking trendier colors— it’s about removing friction between people and the help they need. We sit down with three dynamic marketing leaders who have guided large behavioral health and human services organizations through bold transformations, unifying dozens of legacy brands, clarifying their promise, and building trust where it counts: at the front door to care. Your team can learn so much from this team of experts: Renee Stein, VP of Marketing and Communications at Boundless, Jana Greig, EVP of Administration at Brightli, and Whitney McChane, Chief Marketing Officer at Clarvida.
These vastly accomplished executives explore the practical “fourth leg” of brand beyond positioning, identity, and message: consistency. You’ll hear how disciplined, research‑driven choices led one team to retire 27 names in favor of a single, bilingual brand designed to feel warm, human, and memorable in a sea of clinical lookalikes. Another guest shares the path to becoming the nation’s largest nonprofit behavioral health provider under one name, and why internal alignment—across leaders, clinicians, and support staff—made the difference between a clever concept and a living, breathing brand.
Storytelling sits at the center of the work. We dig into employee‑generated content that outperforms polished videos, including the tools and prompts that make it scalable. We highlight a traveling portrait exhibit that invites people to tell their own mental health stories, reducing stigma and sparking action. Along the way, we connect data to human impact, reframing marketing as part of the continuum of care: informed campaigns raise awareness, lower barriers, and turn curiosity into contact.
Plus, don’t miss our 'Mission Moment' on inclusive outreach roles that unlock new revenue and representation in the community. If this conversation gave you a useful idea or two, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review to help more nonprofit leaders find it.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:02):
Welcome everyone to the Nonprofit Leader's Guide
Podcast brought to you byBoundless.
I'm your host, Scott Light.
We are so excited to bring youthis episode to highlight the
work of three impactfulmarketing and storytelling
professionals.
These creative and brilliantleaders do the hard work of
transforming organizations bymaking the work that they do
visible and telling the storiesof their mission, the outcomes
(00:26):
of people served, and alsointroducing the community to the
hardworking staff that deliverthese results every single day.
Their work promotes access toservices and a vital link to the
community.
We think that bringing you thethoughts of these and many other
leaders in our podcast series inhealth and human services might
just be that extra dose ofmotivation and common sense that
(00:49):
you need to be a North Starduring these turbulent times.
We consider hosting and leadingthese conversations another way
that we are building a worldthat realizes the boundless
potential of all people.
Let me introduce you to thosegreat guests that I just
mentioned.
Renee Stein is Vice President ofMarketing and Communications
here at Boundless.
In fact, we're right here on theBoundless campus together in our
(01:12):
studio.
She leads strategic initiativesthat elevate brand visibility,
drive stakeholder engagement,and support organizational
growth.
Renee brings both professionalexpertise and personal advocacy
to her roles.
She is a passionate voice forcontinued investment in
developmental disabilityservices across Ohio.
Hi, Renee.
It's good to see you.
SPEAKER_04 (01:33):
Hello, great to see you as well.
SPEAKER_01 (01:34):
Janna Gregg is here as well, executive vice
president of administration atBrightley, a journalist, turn
marketer, and strategist with 18years experience.
Her endless curiosity fuels hercreative problem-solving skills,
making her a go-to resource forreally any challenge that comes
her way.
She holds a bachelor's degree injournalism from Missouri State
(01:56):
University and a master's degreein communications and marketing
from Drury University.
She is also currently working onher Master of Science in Health
Administration at the Universityof Alabama.
Janna, you're not going to haveenough room on your walls for
all of these degrees here.
I should say uh UAB, Universityof Alabama at Birmingham.
And she also completed theExecutive Strategy Program at
(02:17):
Oxford University's BusinessSchool.
Janna, welcome to you.
SPEAKER_03 (02:20):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
Great to be with you all.
SPEAKER_01 (02:23):
Whitney McChain is here as well, Chief Marketing
Officer of Clare Vita.
She leads brand strategy,marketing operations, and
enterprise communications forone of the nation's largest
behavioral health and humanservices organizations.
Whitney is guiding a boldtransition and transformation
right now.
So, of course, her expertise andher perspective is going to
(02:44):
really be pertinent to thisconversation.
She's modernizing her company'sidentity and crafting a
narrative that reflects itscommitment to helping every
client and every employee breakthrough.
She's known for hercollaborative leadership style,
strategic clarity, and deeprespect for the people doing
this life-changing work on thefront lines every single day.
(03:04):
Whitney, hello to you.
It's good to have you.
SPEAKER_02 (03:06):
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (03:08):
Well, I'd like to go around the horn with a little
bit of a rapid fire out of thegate.
And Renee, let me start withyou.
When you think, this is for allof you, but Renee's going to
start us off.
When you think of yourorganization's brand today, what
single word or maybe a phrase inyour mind best describes it?
SPEAKER_04 (03:27):
I would have to say today, it's reimagining
possibilities.
SPEAKER_01 (03:31):
Okay.
Janet, how about to you?
SPEAKER_04 (03:33):
I'm going to say tenacious.
SPEAKER_01 (03:36):
Love that.
We're two for two.
Okay, Whitney, no pressure.
Two for two.
SPEAKER_02 (03:40):
If I had to choose one word to describe Claire Vita
today, it would bebreakthroughs.
SPEAKER_01 (03:45):
Love it.
Here's what we're going to do.
We're going to come back to yourwords and phrases here in just a
little bit because we're wereally want to flesh those out.
I also want to start and tellour listeners about a couple of
themes today.
We're going to explore howrebranding helps nonprofits, how
it helps nonprofits stayrelevant to the communities that
they serve.
And, you know, we'll alsohighlight, you know, sometimes
(04:06):
there's tension.
Let's be honest here.
When we're talking aboutmodernizing, let's say, a look
or a feel, but also preservingtrust that has been built over
the decade.
So I did a little homework here.
So I looked at a list and astory about the best nonprofit
brands of 2024.
And they were rated on thesethree things.
(04:28):
So again, we'll go around thehorn.
I'd love to get your thoughtshere.
They were rated on these threemetrics positioning, so
determining how yourorganization stands out, brand
identity, uh, you know, thevisuals, the emotional impact of
your organization.
And the third one was message,crafting that narrative that
resonates with your supporters.
Um, Whitney, why don't we startwith you?
(04:50):
How do you think those threemarkers, pillars, if you will,
um, what do you like about abrand being put up against
against those three markers?
SPEAKER_02 (05:00):
You know, it's that three-legged stool.
You really can't fall shortshort on any one of them because
all three are incrediblyimportant.
In order for your brand toresonate and break through, you
have to have strong positioning.
You need to understand who youare positioning yourself toward
and the market in which you arebeing positioned.
So the competition.
(05:20):
And when you have strongpositioning, then you can craft
a personality that is unique andhelps you really stand apart
from the competition.
But just standing apart is notalone.
You have to be able to resonateemotionally, intellectually with
the people who you're marketingyourself to.
So I absolutely agree that threeare equally important and
powerful.
SPEAKER_03 (05:40):
I like what you said, Whitney, calling it that
three-legged stool that allthree need to be present.
Um, I might even make it afourth-legg stool if that's a
thing, because positioning,brand identity, the message, so
critical, but I might addconsistency.
You know, what's the consistencythat you're showing up with that
(06:01):
same message, that sameidentity, that same positioning?
I think um, marketers, we areprobably the only ones that can
easily get bored with our brandand start maybe going outside
those brand guidelines, tryingto bring in some different
pieces with messagingpositioning, but that
consistency is really critical.
SPEAKER_01 (06:21):
Renee, let me come to you.
What do you think about thosethree?
I'll mention them again: positioning, brand identity, and (06:23):
undefined
messaging.
SPEAKER_04 (06:27):
I think they're critical.
And I think an agency, um,especially one that does
probably as much as all of ouragency does, you know, we do a
lot, but we always have to staytrue to our brand and keep our
position in the marketplace,even when we're trying something
new and we're sending out thatmessage.
I want people to know thatboundless is behind it.
(06:48):
So having that consistency, thethe big B we like to call it,
even if we're doing a newprogram, a new service, having
that trusted bee and thatconsistency, I think, is very
key.
So I'd have to agree with thatas well.
So if we can make it afour-legged stool, I would vote
for that.
Because I love the three-leggedand the fourth there just made
the whole picture whole.
SPEAKER_01 (07:08):
Renee, you mentioned you you talked about knowing
your market.
Boy, did you tee up really mynext um thought and question
here?
Because that same story that Iwas reading, they they said that
the great branders out there inthe nonprofit world um have some
common threads uh between them.
Know your market was one ofthem.
Uh being bold, having boldpersonalities.
(07:31):
And Whitney, I think you eventouched on that one just a
couple of minutes ago.
Emotional residence was anotherone.
Invest in a creative advisor,and that is maybe going outside.
If you don't have those folksinside your organization, go
outside to get those skilleddesigners, those skilled
experts.
And then a community-centeredapproach.
(07:53):
So I'd love for the group andand Renee, if you want to expand
a little bit on knowing yourmarket and maybe a couple of
these other pillars, whatresonates with you out of that
list?
SPEAKER_04 (08:02):
I I would have to say knowing your market, you
have to understand who you'retalking to, what their um
capacity is to receive yourmessage and and how best to
connect with them.
So, you know, we say about thepeople that we serve, we meet
them where they're at.
And I think as marketers, that'skind of our charge as well.
Um, we're trying to reach thefamilies that we serve, we're
(08:25):
trying to reach donors, we'retrying to reach stakeholders,
um, really understanding whatlevel of engagement they want
with us and having the messagesin a format that makes sense to
them, that has that emotionalconnection to them, or, you
know, really is speaking theirlanguage to get them to
understand better what our branddoes and keep that consistency.
SPEAKER_01 (08:48):
Um Jenna, what do you like about this list?
SPEAKER_03 (08:50):
It's hard to choose.
And, you know, just adding on tothat, knowing your market.
Um, I think knowing absolutelywho your audience is, who you're
trying to reach.
Um, I have a wonderful uhcolleague and mentor that always
says, if you're trying to talkto everyone, you're not talking
to anyone at all.
So really having a targetedmessage, but I think going a
(09:11):
step beyond knowing your market,but also understanding where
your organization is and theecosystem of care within your
communities.
And a way that we, you know, inour marketing and communications
team really think of it andposition ourselves is we are
part of the continuum of care.
You know, it's not just a bonusto have wonderful marketing
(09:32):
communication resources.
It's really critical becauseit's our team that does a lot of
the work to build trust with thecommunity and help people come
into our front doors for thefirst time.
unknown (09:43):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (09:43):
Whitney, jump in, if you would, please.
SPEAKER_02 (09:45):
When I think about the persistent theme that
stretches across all of these, Icome back to research and know
your market.
It's fairly obvious.
You know, we researchedthousands of, we surveyed
thousands of employees andresearched hundreds of
organizations while we werecrafting our brand, its
personality, its place withinthe market.
At the end of the day, whenyou're rebranding or forging
(10:08):
into new territory, it cansometimes feel uncharted.
You need to have confidence inyour path so that you can be
steadfast in where you areheaded.
And if you don't have a wealthof research that have armed and
informed your position, yourknowledge of the market, and how
you are implementing this newbrand, it's easy to go off
chart.
(10:28):
You really need to know whereyou're headed and feel steadfast
in that direction.
And I believe that throughoutthese four themes, research is
just paramount to success.
SPEAKER_01 (10:38):
That's really interesting.
Can I ask all three of you?
I want to come back to thesecond one that I had on this
list here in terms of being boldand having bold personalities
within your organization andoutside with your public-facing
folks as well, and yourpublic-facing advocacy and
campaigns and whatnot.
(10:59):
Could you each maybe think ofsomething bold that you've led
or been part of, whether it's inyour current organization or and
can can be from the past, butjust something bold that you've
put out there that that youfound resonated?
SPEAKER_03 (11:12):
I think a lot of times healthcare brands play it
pretty safe.
Um, it's still very clinical.
Um, and so what we have tried todo um is a little bit more of
the opposite.
We want our boldness showingwarmth, brightness, humanity.
Um, we want it to catch people'sattention, spread the energy, be
(11:34):
really intentional and juststand out.
So I think when you're lookingat transforming a brand, don't
do what everybody else is doing.
Don't mimic what everyone elseis doing.
Look for something that's alittle bit different and is
gonna help you stand out, andyou're able to tell that story
and weave it into so manydifferent facets of your
(11:57):
organization.
How do you bring this to lifewith your team?
How do you bring that into yourmission, your vision, your
guiding principles?
Um, our guiding principles, wewere just filling out our um
annual uh reviews, ourperformance reviews, and um, you
know, a lot of our guidingprinciples are embedded into
that, where we're, you know,trying to identify how well we
think we're living each of thoseout.
SPEAKER_02 (12:19):
You know, our choice to rebrand to Claire Vita, I
would consider very bold.
We had 27 different brands, 72different social channels.
There was a lot of passion andheritage in the brands that we
had to retire to become oneunified brand.
And we were very intentionalabout embracing a bold,
(12:41):
memorable name and visualidentity.
Our research in the marketshowed a lot of people using
greens or rainbow colors, thingsthat either felt very clinical.
Our previous names includedpathways.
There are 1700 pathways in theU.S.
Patent and Trademark Registry,by the way.
Um so we intentionally chosesomething that really deviated
(13:03):
from that norm.
Our name is actually acombination of Clarity and Vita
or Life in Spanish.
And the choice to use acombination of English and
Spanish was very intentional,and the meaning behind it even
more so.
Our logo has contrasting verybright colors.
And so moving away fromsomething that felt more typical
within the health and humanservices industry into something
(13:26):
that might feel even lifestyleadjacent, but set us apart for
us was a very bold choice.
And I admit I had concerns whenwe were selling this in, but
I'll go back to the research.
It was so strong, it was easy tobe persuasive among our internal
stakeholders and to tell acompelling story externally
(13:46):
about this brand.
SPEAKER_01 (13:48):
How long did it take you, Whitney?
Just to follow up on that, justa little bit.
How long did it take you onceyou put that out there, those
colors, the new name, when youstarted getting some feedback
coming back in?
And you went, maybe took abreath and went, okay, this is
working.
SPEAKER_02 (14:05):
I probably held my breath for a straight month
between when we had gotten theinitial clearance approval on
the name to when it wasintroduced to our most critical
stakeholders and their receptioninternally, all of our business
leaders, our operating leaders,was the moment when I finally
(14:25):
was able to exhale and feel veryconfident about it.
It's easy to get locked in yourown, you know, um, be very
myopic about what's happeninguntil others can join in on the
celebration of this brand.
So it was really that turningpoint internally, having our
leadership buy into this brandthat helped me feel confident
about our next steps.
(14:46):
And I'm thankful that it thentranslated out to our uh clients
that we serve and our communitypartners as well.
But I think truly those internalleaders who've been with us for
decades were the voice of reasonto say this is right, or they
could have said this is wrong.
But fortunately, we were all inalignment.
SPEAKER_03 (15:05):
I think we often see companies rebrand, and sometimes
it goes really well, sometimesit doesn't, right?
Like Cracker Barrel.
Um, but you have to understandwhat your audience needs, what
your market needs.
There has to be value.
You really have to believe inthe value of this rebrand, and
(15:26):
that will help you stand by it,that will help you see it
through.
And in some cases, maybe thereis not everybody's gonna love it
right away.
But you know, I I always try tosay, it's like whenever you're
naming your baby.
You know, a lot of times youdon't want to tell people what
you're gonna name your baby.
Um, you know, when you're stillpregnant, because they'd be
like, oh, I don't like thatname.
But if you say, if you hand themthe baby and give them their
(15:48):
name, they're gonna love thatbaby.
They're gonna love that namebecause now it's associated with
that baby.
But I feel like the the brand,sometimes we have to prove it a
little bit over time, and it maynot be love at first sight.
Um, but if you believe in it,you really know there's value to
it and hang in there, I thinkit's worth it.
Um, we're we're actually rightthere with you, Whitney.
(16:09):
Um, so Brightly is made up um ofabout 10 different brands that
we manage.
Um, we on November 1st areformally uh merging in with
Sinnerstone, which is anotherlarge um behavioral health
provider, and uh will be thelargest nonprofit behavioral
health provider in the nation.
Yes.
(16:29):
Congratulations about thepossibilities there.
Um, but we will be taking thename Sinnerstone across all of
Brightley.
So all those brands, you know,over the next year, year and a
half will be transitioning.
So talk about transformation andwe are we are right there in the
middle of it.
SPEAKER_02 (16:45):
Just to build on what you say, I hate to keep
coming back to research.
But I think part of where thingsfail is not really understanding
your audience and maybe having aposition that you have
confidence in, but notunderstanding your market and
their readiness to receive it.
I kind of liken it to a new pairof shoes.
If you've done your research,you have faith in the brand, you
(17:07):
have confidence in it, you know,they may be a little
uncomfortable at first, butafter a while, they fit just
like a glove.
But if you haven't invested inthe right way, after all, you're
gonna get blisters because youput on a pair of cheap shoes
that were never gonna work out,you know, at the start.
So I think if you've done yourwork, you really understand your
market and you're not trying toforce fit something, it will
(17:30):
work out.
Um, it's where people fall shortand lose sight of what the
market really needs and wantsand is ready for, where things
tend to fall flat.
SPEAKER_04 (17:39):
And I think just to piggyback on, you know, all of
the research that is needed,that is why you have that
creative investor.
Because I know sometimes,especially when you're managing
a lot of companies comingtogether, um, they may have very
um specific ideas about theirbrand and bringing it into a new
brand, having that creative umperson with you and having all
(18:02):
of that research that Whitneykeeps bringing up really does
help you internally to kind ofget people to open their eyes
and look a little bit furtherinto the landscape and
understand how this plays out.
So I just wanted to echo that.
That I think that's why havingsomebody else, another voice
from outside of the organizationsometimes is so impactful.
SPEAKER_03 (18:25):
Yeah, those creative advisors can help you, like we
were saying, be a little braver,take a little bit of risk with
this brand and not just blendin, but be willing to stand out.
And sometimes those creativeadvisors can help nudge you in
that direction.
SPEAKER_01 (18:37):
All right.
I want to come back to your wordor phrase that you described
your uh branding and and whatyou're about, well, right now
with your respectiveorganizations.
So we started the episode withthis.
Renee, when I asked you aboutboundless, you said it was uh
the words that came to your mindwere reimagining possible.
SPEAKER_04 (18:57):
I think part of our identity and the core of our
brand is Boundless tries to finda way for the people that we
serve.
We want them to live boundlesslives.
It's it's great that that's ourname too, but that really is
what we are going for with eachperson that we serve.
And just given the times and thecreativity and some of the
(19:18):
things that we need to do tomake sure that we can still
continue serving people and getthem on their boundless journey,
I think is a hallmark of ouragency.
So we are really always tryingto innovate, find new ways to do
more with less.
And, you know, that is just partof our DNA.
No matter what else is going on,we're focused on the people who
(19:39):
we're serving and we're going tofind a way to do it.
SPEAKER_01 (19:42):
You know, and I think about my four years being
uh a communications partner withyou here, I I along that same
lines.
I don't know if it's a I don'tthink it's a uh a marketing
slogan per se, but um boundlesstries to get to the yes all the
time.
Does that make sense?
Absolutely.
I think so.
Uh that's that's what comes tomy mind.
SPEAKER_04 (20:03):
Yes.
If if someone needs something,we are going to find a way to
get that for them if if that'swhat they need to live their
boundless life.
And so that's why I always thinkabout that, because we've got a
lot of challenges coming.
There's a lot going on rightnow, but we're focused on the
future and and continuing to sayyes, as you said.
SPEAKER_01 (20:21):
Uh Janna, you had another good one too.
Uh, tenacious.
Tell us how we can be moretenacious.
SPEAKER_03 (20:27):
Well, one of our guiding principles at Rightly is
to spark tenacity.
Um, our CEO, CJ Davis, says um,he always calls us that we're
relentless learners, is what hesaid.
So we are constantly looking totake in feedback, make
improvements.
And we don't want to justprovide wonderful care.
(20:48):
We absolutely want to do that,but we want to continue to push
the industry, dive intoresearch.
Yeah, Whitney.
And um, we want to lead theindustry.
We want to be setting thatstandard for care.
We want to continuously beleveling up and um really
looking at the best way to helpour clients and patients to have
(21:09):
those wonderful outcomes thatthey deserve.
So, in some ways, Brightley'sbrand itself is tenacious.
Um, that's our personality.
And with all the change, um,constant evolution at our
organization, we just aretenacious, we don't give up.
But at the same time, it's bakedinto our mission because we
don't give up on people, wedon't give up on our
(21:30):
communities, or you know, wedon't give up on the belief that
healthcare can be more hopefuland more human and um be that
source that really helps peoplethrive and just live the best
lives possible.
SPEAKER_01 (21:42):
And you know, if you think about it, when we're all
tenacious and when we all getafter it, that's when we break
through.
And Whitney, that was the wordthat you brought to the
conversation.
Tell us more about breakingthrough.
SPEAKER_02 (21:53):
So we're a year into our rebrand just over, and while
we've made significant progress,we know there's a lot more to
do.
So I would consider our presentstage a breakthrough.
And I go back to the commentabout consistency.
It would be amazing if I couldwave a magic wand, and the
moment the rebrand was out intothe universe, every touch point
(22:15):
would be transformed.
But it does take a while.
You know, we have 192 physicallocations and thousands of
employees, and so it is it is aprocess.
I would say beyond just therebrand, however, you know, at
our core, we're a staffingbusiness focused on having the
right people in place to deliverto deliver care and services.
And right now, the benefit ofbeing one united brand is that
(22:39):
we're breaking through to newways of attracting and retaining
staff.
So a big part of thatbreakthrough momentum is um
because of our unified brand.
And I would say the last piecewhen I think about breakthroughs
is it's more than just amilestone.
Um, it's our promise to ouremployees and our clients alike.
(23:00):
So whether you're looking toadvance your career or achieve
personal goals, we feel thatbreakthroughs begin here.
And being able to effectivelyarticulate that is a lot due to
our unified brand.
And one last time, all theresearch that went into it.
SPEAKER_01 (23:18):
Let me ask all three of you, let's do a little bit of
pivot, a little bit of a pivottoward storytelling.
Um, and and I'm I'm realtransparent with with our
listeners here.
Uh, all I've ever been is astoryteller, first is a
journalist for for 28 years, andthen now as a content provider
and and hopefully stillstoryteller with with my own
business.
And I I tell all my clients thatif if you're not telling your
(23:42):
story, someone else will.
And that's when it leaves yourhands, and that's when things
can can get dangerous.
So let's talk about storytellingin this way, whether it's it's
it's internally or externallywith your stakeholders, with
your respective communities.
How do all three of youstorytell?
SPEAKER_02 (24:00):
For us, uh new focus is employee-generated content
and helping our employees to bethe voice of Claire Vita.
We really believe that there isthis innate trust and
authenticity that comes alongwith the voice of the employee.
They're not only able to tellthe stories of our clients in a
way that is genuine andemotionally impactful, but
(24:22):
they're able to speakauthentically about their
experience at Claire Vita, whata day in the life and their role
is like.
And so we have done some testingin regards to content that uses
either stock footage or highlyproduced footage, or you know,
more typical EGC, less highlyproduced content.
And that employee-generatedcontent wins every time.
(24:44):
And it really because is becauseof that third-party trust and
credibility.
So for us, it's been a big pivotto those employees versus things
just coming from Claire Vita.
SPEAKER_01 (24:55):
And Whitney, is that um, you know, iPhone videos?
I mean, what are we talkingabout here when you're talking
about employee-generatedcontent?
SPEAKER_02 (25:01):
Great question.
We actually use a platformcalled Sceneit.
It allows people to collectcontent either on their phone or
on their laptop.
You create a series of prompts.
It lets them very easily movethrough questions.
It creates a very scalablecollection method.
And there's some built-inediting tools.
Um, I am not a representative ofSceneit, but I am really
(25:22):
impressed with their Slickplatform.
So it's helped us to elevatethat employee-generated content
function in a way that peoplecan use even if you're not a
traditional storyteller.
SPEAKER_01 (25:33):
Renee, I'll come to you.
And again, Boundless has shownleadership by having four years
worth of this very podcast.
Uh, and then Boundless alsoleans heavy into videos as well.
Can you talk about maybestorytelling uh from this
campus, maybe to 30,000-footview?
SPEAKER_04 (25:49):
Sure.
So um we try and usestorytelling to talk about our
results, and we often use thatwhen we're rolling something new
out.
Um, you know, sometimes programand services, we all kind of use
the same label.
So what we try to do here istell the impact of a program.
So, you know, we we may take aprogram where we're out in the
(26:10):
community and we'll tellstories, um, success stories
that we've had.
People that have gone throughthe program, we use their
testimony.
If a mom calls in and just says,Oh my gosh, I loved your, you
know, behavioral health program,my daughter loved it.
I'm like, great, you know, cancan I use this quote from you?
So we really use storytelling.
We're just trying to show theimpact to a person's life and
(26:33):
the improvement.
So we do a lot of blog posts,you know, we have this podcast.
Um, so we do internally too aswell.
We collect employees' successstory and share those as well.
Um, so that's something we'rereally focused on is really
showing impact and not justactions.
Okay.
SPEAKER_03 (26:50):
I feel like this is one you're gonna have to cut me
off.
I could just go on and on and onabout storytelling from
considering a strategicnarrative.
So as you're considering yourbrand and your organization,
finding that common theme, thatstrategic narrative.
For us, we call it a commonpurpose, and you weave it into
everything.
(27:10):
It shows up everywhere.
Our common purpose, ourstrategic narrative is that we
sparkle and it shows upeverywhere.
Um, storytelling is so importantbecause if I just share a raw
statistic with you, it's gonnawake up two parts of your brain
or engage two parts of yourbrain.
It's those language areas.
But if I tell you a story,that's gonna wake up many more
areas of your brain (27:31):
sensory, emotional, memory parts, just
your whole brain leans in.
One way that we've done this atBrightly is we put together an
art exhibit.
It's called The Art of Being Me.
And we did this with um BrightlyFoundation, Soon to Be
Cinnerstone Foundation.
Um, but we have about 30 storiesbecause we've been adding to it
over the years, where we are nottelling people stories.
(27:53):
We are asking them to sharetheir own stories.
They're sharing stories ofaddiction, um, behavioral health
issues, mental healthchallenges, um, just a wide
variety.
We even had a board member sharehis story.
These are done on beautifulportraits.
We worked with a local artist inSpringfield, Missouri, Randy
Bacon, and he tells the story.
(28:15):
They also have a video that gowith it.
And we've had the opportunity toum have this exhibit travel
around the state.
It was even in the MissouriState Capitol for a little bit.
We are so grateful for thatbecause we know we want people
talking about their mentalhealth.
We want them to talk about theirhealth with their loved ones,
(28:36):
um, with their friends.
And if they can see other peoplewilling to tell their stories,
that just makes it feel a littlebit more okay to tell your own
and to start talking about it.
And maybe that helps you getinto care if you need care.
I always say if something we putout there helps you get into
care, I don't even care whereyou go to get your mental health
(28:58):
care.
I I consider that a win.
So hopefully I don't get knockedfor that by my boss, right?
But um, I consider that a win ifwe help you get really
comfortable with the idea ofmental health and that you're
willing to see care because ofthe resource or the story you
might have um seen through someof our efforts.
SPEAKER_01 (29:14):
I love it that you brought up data points and
telling stories beyond the datapoints or really aligned to the
data points.
Um I I was asked, I've beenasked over the last 30 years,
what what makes a really goodsoundbite?
You know, what what's gonna geton the news or what's gonna, you
know, now in social media, it'snot so much the news, but now
it's all about social media.
And my definition of what makesa great soundbite has really
(29:36):
never changed.
And I I don't really think itwill.
And it's taking a data point andgiving it human impact.
And again, that really boils itdown.
But when you can take a datapoint and again connect it to
human impact or a group ofhumans and how that data can
help drive advocacy or drivechange local level, state level,
(29:59):
federal level.
Then then you're getting intothe secret sauce there.
That is that is really goodstuff.
Let's do this.
Let's let me ask you one, allthree of you, one last question.
What would be a piece of advice?
Let's say if we've got um uh alistener, maybe a young
nonprofit executive, and they'remanaging transition right now.
(30:20):
Maybe they're managing a bigbranding transition.
What would be your best piece ofadvice to that person or to a
nonprofit organization overallif they're they're trying to
navigate that and and you know,in some turbulent times right
now?
Um, Whitney, would you start usoff with that one?
SPEAKER_02 (30:36):
Don't let bumps in the road keep you from the
journey that's ahead of you.
You're bound to run intochallenges, you're bound to make
mistakes, um, but you'll, youknow, get back up and recover.
I think the the proof of astrong leader and a strong brand
is not whether you've fallenshort or fallen down, but the
(30:58):
recovery and how you pickyourself back up and forge
ahead.
So, you know, come up with aplan, feel good about that plan,
but expect that you'll have todeviate from the plan and that
you'll run into challenges thatyou couldn't possibly foresee
right now.
And that's okay.
SPEAKER_01 (31:15):
Janet, how about it?
SPEAKER_03 (31:16):
There was a study, and it came out last year or the
year before.
It was from the AmericanMarketing Association.
They have a journal of publicpolicy and marketing, but they
studied how do marketing effortsimpact access to mental health
care.
I mean, what a dream.
It's exactly what we needed.
I'd be glad to share it if youwant to post that or make it
available for your listeners.
SPEAKER_01 (31:37):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03 (31:38):
But I mean, to no surprise of this group, it does
make a difference.
It is evidence-based, that it'snot just um the cherry on the
top to be able to do thesemarketing and branding efforts.
It truly is part of thatcontinuum of care.
Creating the access and theknowledge of what to talk about,
what to ask about, whatresources are available.
(32:00):
These help break down the stigmaand the reasons why someone
would not seek care.
So, one, my advice is this isactually really important.
It's part of your continuum ofcare and it's research-based,
it's evidence-based to thatfact.
My second piece of advice is andwill always be is just keep the
people first.
As you're doing this, thinkabout your employees.
(32:23):
How do you use this effort toconnect them back to the greater
purpose?
Because we all need that.
And, you know, how do you keepyour people first, um, your
employees as well as yourclients and the community that
you're serving?
I think if you keep them justfirst in mind, then um you're
probably not gonna get it wrong.
SPEAKER_01 (32:43):
Renee, you got a piece of advice to help close it
out here?
SPEAKER_04 (32:45):
Um, to piggyback on what they both said, you know,
do your research, um, make surethat you have the voices of
those you serve, yourconstituents, listen when you're
going through the rebrandingeffort.
How do they see you collect allof that data?
This is very important.
You know, this isn't just adecision.
Oh, I kind of like this name.
(33:06):
We're gonna throw it up there.
You know, this is the guidingforce for your agency.
So it's worth the time, it'sworth the effort.
You know, make sure you do yourdue diligence.
SPEAKER_01 (33:16):
Renee, Jana, Whitney, thank you all for
joining us today.
And again, continue on these um,these branding roads that we're
all on and uh come back to thepodcast anytime, okay?
SPEAKER_03 (33:28):
Thank you so much um for the wonderful conversation
and thanks for having me withyou today.
Thank you.
It was a pleasure.
SPEAKER_01 (33:34):
Thank you very much, Scott.
And now, as we're reallywrapping things up, something
that we're trying to include inas many episodes as possible.
We call it our mission moment.
So the last time you heard fromour CEO, Dr.
Patrick Maynard, for thisepisode, we want you to meet
Molly Mallory with this missionmoment.
SPEAKER_00 (33:53):
I am Molly Mallory, as Scott mentioned, and I am the
outreach manager for Boundless.
Our outreach positions were bornfrom a dream to give individuals
with disabilities meaningfulopportunities beyond the usual
roles like dishwashing andstocking shelves.
We wanted something different,something that taps into their
passions, skills, and interests.
(34:15):
To bring this vision to life, wepartnered with Capabilities,
Independent Employment Services,and our own internal programs to
identify three exceptionaloutreach specialists.
What began as a modest list oftasks quickly transformed into
something extraordinary.
These individuals didn't justmeet expectations, they
(34:36):
redefined them.
They dove in with enthusiasm,sending 50 to 60 emails a day,
cold-calling businesses,organizing fundraisers, and
securing new distributors.
The impact, immediate andinspiring.
For example, George made aone-call close with Jungle Jims,
who's now one of our favoritecommunity partners.
(34:58):
Brandon just delivered 150products to a PTA fundraiser,
doubling the good we're doing inthat school district.
And Kyle, the creative forcebehind our sweet treats, has
taken his story national,inspiring others to dream bigger
through conferencepresentations.
These are not just wins.
They're proofs that what when weinvest in people's potential,
(35:22):
the results ripple far beyondwhat we imagined.
I envision a future where oursocial enterprises flourish,
where we empower even moreoutreach specialists to lead
with purpose and passion.
These roles aren't just jobs.
They're bridges to possibilitydesigned to unlock the unique
talents of individuals withdisabilities.
(35:42):
And what's the truly powerfulthing is that these people
behind our baked goods and ourpet treats know that someone
just like them is out in thecommunity representing them,
advocating for them, and showingthe world what's possible when
we believe in potential overlimitation.
With the holidays coming up,don't forget that our Pets and
(36:05):
People Dog Treats make perfectstocking stuffers, and the
Confection Connection Bakerywill make your holiday parties
extra sweet.
And of course, I have the beststaff to help you.
Reach out to me at mmallory atIamboundless.org.
I am Molly Mallory, and I amboundless.
SPEAKER_01 (36:28):
Molly, thank you very much.
That was just terrific.
And we also do shout outs to theother folks that Molly
mentioned (36:33):
George, Brandon, Kyle, and really everybody
involved on the team.
That was just terrific.
We thank all of you for joiningus for this episode.
This is the Nonprofit Leader'sGuide Podcast brought to you by
Bamless.
Welcome everyone to the Nonprofit Leader's Guide
Podcast brought to you byBoundless.
I'm your host, Scott Light.
We are so excited to bring youthis episode to highlight the
work of three impactfulmarketing and storytelling
professionals.
These creative and brilliantleaders do the hard work of
transforming organizations bymaking the work that they do
visible and telling the storiesof their mission, the outcomes
(00:26):
of people served, and alsointroducing the community to the
hardworking staff that deliverthese results every single day.
Their work promotes access toservices and a vital link to the
community.
We think that bringing you thethoughts of these and many other
leaders in our podcast series inhealth and human services might
just be that extra dose ofmotivation and common sense that
(00:49):
you need to be a North Starduring these turbulent times.
We consider hosting and leadingthese conversations another way
that we are building a worldthat realizes the boundless
potential of all people.
Let me introduce you to thosegreat guests that I just
mentioned.
Renee Stein is Vice President ofMarketing and Communications
here at Boundless.
In fact, we're right here on theBoundless campus together in our
(01:12):
studio.
She leads strategic initiativesthat elevate brand visibility,
drive stakeholder engagement,and support organizational
growth.
Renee brings both professionalexpertise and personal advocacy
to her roles.
She is a passionate voice forcontinued investment in
developmental disabilityservices across Ohio.
Hi, Renee.
It's good to see you.
SPEAKER_04 (01:33):
Hello, great to see you as well.
SPEAKER_01 (01:34):
Janna Gregg is here as well, executive vice
president of administration atBrightley, a journalist, turn
marketer, and strategist with 18years experience.
Her endless curiosity fuels hercreative problem-solving skills,
making her a go-to resource forreally any challenge that comes
her way.
She holds a bachelor's degree injournalism from Missouri State
(01:56):
University and a master's degreein communications and marketing
from Drury University.
She is also currently working onher Master of Science in Health
Administration at the Universityof Alabama.
Janna, you're not going to haveenough room on your walls for
all of these degrees here.
I should say uh UAB, Universityof Alabama at Birmingham.
And she also completed theExecutive Strategy Program at
(02:17):
Oxford University's BusinessSchool.
Janna, welcome to you.
SPEAKER_03 (02:20):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
Great to be with you all.
SPEAKER_01 (02:23):
Whitney McChain is here as well, Chief Marketing
Officer of Clare Vita.
She leads brand strategy,marketing operations, and
enterprise communications forone of the nation's largest
behavioral health and humanservices organizations.
Whitney is guiding a boldtransition and transformation
right now.
So, of course, her expertise andher perspective is going to
(02:44):
really be pertinent to thisconversation.
She's modernizing her company'sidentity and crafting a
narrative that reflects itscommitment to helping every
client and every employee breakthrough.
She's known for hercollaborative leadership style,
strategic clarity, and deeprespect for the people doing
this life-changing work on thefront lines every single day.
(03:04):
Whitney, hello to you.
It's good to have you.
SPEAKER_02 (03:06):
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (03:08):
Well, I'd like to go around the horn with a little
bit of a rapid fire out of thegate.
And Renee, let me start withyou.
When you think, this is for allof you, but Renee's going to
start us off.
When you think of yourorganization's brand today, what
single word or maybe a phrase inyour mind best describes it?
SPEAKER_04 (03:27):
I would have to say today, it's reimagining
possibilities.
SPEAKER_01 (03:31):
Okay.
Janet, how about to you?
SPEAKER_04 (03:33):
I'm going to say tenacious.
SPEAKER_01 (03:36):
Love that.
We're two for two.
Okay, Whitney, no pressure.
Two for two.
SPEAKER_02 (03:40):
If I had to choose one word to describe Claire Vita
today, it would bebreakthroughs.
SPEAKER_01 (03:45):
Love it.
Here's what we're going to do.
We're going to come back to yourwords and phrases here in just a
little bit because we're wereally want to flesh those out.
I also want to start and tellour listeners about a couple of
themes today.
We're going to explore howrebranding helps nonprofits, how
it helps nonprofits stayrelevant to the communities that
they serve.
And, you know, we'll alsohighlight, you know, sometimes
(04:06):
there's tension.
Let's be honest here.
When we're talking aboutmodernizing, let's say, a look
or a feel, but also preservingtrust that has been built over
the decade.
So I did a little homework here.
So I looked at a list and astory about the best nonprofit
brands of 2024.
And they were rated on thesethree things.
(04:28):
So again, we'll go around thehorn.
I'd love to get your thoughtshere.
They were rated on these threemetrics positioning, so
determining how yourorganization stands out, brand
identity, uh, you know, thevisuals, the emotional impact of
your organization.
And the third one was message,crafting that narrative that
resonates with your supporters.
Um, Whitney, why don't we startwith you?
(04:50):
How do you think those threemarkers, pillars, if you will,
um, what do you like about abrand being put up against
against those three markers?
SPEAKER_02 (05:00):
You know, it's that three-legged stool.
You really can't fall shortshort on any one of them because
all three are incrediblyimportant.
In order for your brand toresonate and break through, you
have to have strong positioning.
You need to understand who youare positioning yourself toward
and the market in which you arebeing positioned.
So the competition.
(05:20):
And when you have strongpositioning, then you can craft
a personality that is unique andhelps you really stand apart
from the competition.
But just standing apart is notalone.
You have to be able to resonateemotionally, intellectually with
the people who you're marketingyourself to.
So I absolutely agree that threeare equally important and
powerful.
SPEAKER_03 (05:40):
I like what you said, Whitney, calling it that
three-legged stool that allthree need to be present.
Um, I might even make it afourth-legg stool if that's a
thing, because positioning,brand identity, the message, so
critical, but I might addconsistency.
You know, what's the consistencythat you're showing up with that
(06:01):
same message, that sameidentity, that same positioning?
I think um, marketers, we areprobably the only ones that can
easily get bored with our brandand start maybe going outside
those brand guidelines, tryingto bring in some different
pieces with messagingpositioning, but that
consistency is really critical.
SPEAKER_01 (06:21):
Renee, let me come to you.
What do you think about thosethree?
I'll mention them again: positioning, brand identity, and (06:23):
undefined
messaging.
SPEAKER_04 (06:27):
I think they're critical.
And I think an agency, um,especially one that does
probably as much as all of ouragency does, you know, we do a
lot, but we always have to staytrue to our brand and keep our
position in the marketplace,even when we're trying something
new and we're sending out thatmessage.
I want people to know thatboundless is behind it.
(06:48):
So having that consistency, thethe big B we like to call it,
even if we're doing a newprogram, a new service, having
that trusted bee and thatconsistency, I think, is very
key.
So I'd have to agree with thatas well.
So if we can make it afour-legged stool, I would vote
for that.
Because I love the three-leggedand the fourth there just made
the whole picture whole.
SPEAKER_01 (07:08):
Renee, you mentioned you you talked about knowing
your market.
Boy, did you tee up really mynext um thought and question
here?
Because that same story that Iwas reading, they they said that
the great branders out there inthe nonprofit world um have some
common threads uh between them.
Know your market was one ofthem.
Uh being bold, having boldpersonalities.
(07:31):
And Whitney, I think you eventouched on that one just a
couple of minutes ago.
Emotional residence was anotherone.
Invest in a creative advisor,and that is maybe going outside.
If you don't have those folksinside your organization, go
outside to get those skilleddesigners, those skilled
experts.
And then a community-centeredapproach.
(07:53):
So I'd love for the group andand Renee, if you want to expand
a little bit on knowing yourmarket and maybe a couple of
these other pillars, whatresonates with you out of that
list?
SPEAKER_04 (08:02):
I I would have to say knowing your market, you
have to understand who you'retalking to, what their um
capacity is to receive yourmessage and and how best to
connect with them.
So, you know, we say about thepeople that we serve, we meet
them where they're at.
And I think as marketers, that'skind of our charge as well.
Um, we're trying to reach thefamilies that we serve, we're
(08:25):
trying to reach donors, we'retrying to reach stakeholders,
um, really understanding whatlevel of engagement they want
with us and having the messagesin a format that makes sense to
them, that has that emotionalconnection to them, or, you
know, really is speaking theirlanguage to get them to
understand better what our branddoes and keep that consistency.
SPEAKER_01 (08:48):
Um Jenna, what do you like about this list?
SPEAKER_03 (08:50):
It's hard to choose.
And, you know, just adding on tothat, knowing your market.
Um, I think knowing absolutelywho your audience is, who you're
trying to reach.
Um, I have a wonderful uhcolleague and mentor that always
says, if you're trying to talkto everyone, you're not talking
to anyone at all.
So really having a targetedmessage, but I think going a
(09:11):
step beyond knowing your market,but also understanding where
your organization is and theecosystem of care within your
communities.
And a way that we, you know, inour marketing and communications
team really think of it andposition ourselves is we are
part of the continuum of care.
You know, it's not just a bonusto have wonderful marketing
(09:32):
communication resources.
It's really critical becauseit's our team that does a lot of
the work to build trust with thecommunity and help people come
into our front doors for thefirst time.
unknown (09:43):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (09:43):
Whitney, jump in, if you would, please.
SPEAKER_02 (09:45):
When I think about the persistent theme that
stretches across all of these, Icome back to research and know
your market.
It's fairly obvious.
You know, we researchedthousands of, we surveyed
thousands of employees andresearched hundreds of
organizations while we werecrafting our brand, its
personality, its place withinthe market.
At the end of the day, whenyou're rebranding or forging
(10:08):
into new territory, it cansometimes feel uncharted.
You need to have confidence inyour path so that you can be
steadfast in where you areheaded.
And if you don't have a wealthof research that have armed and
informed your position, yourknowledge of the market, and how
you are implementing this newbrand, it's easy to go off
chart.
(10:28):
You really need to know whereyou're headed and feel steadfast
in that direction.
And I believe that throughoutthese four themes, research is
just paramount to success.
SPEAKER_01 (10:38):
That's really interesting.
Can I ask all three of you?
I want to come back to thesecond one that I had on this
list here in terms of being boldand having bold personalities
within your organization andoutside with your public-facing
folks as well, and yourpublic-facing advocacy and
campaigns and whatnot.
(10:59):
Could you each maybe think ofsomething bold that you've led
or been part of, whether it's inyour current organization or and
can can be from the past, butjust something bold that you've
put out there that that youfound resonated?
SPEAKER_03 (11:12):
I think a lot of times healthcare brands play it
pretty safe.
Um, it's still very clinical.
Um, and so what we have tried todo um is a little bit more of
the opposite.
We want our boldness showingwarmth, brightness, humanity.
Um, we want it to catch people'sattention, spread the energy, be
(11:34):
really intentional and juststand out.
So I think when you're lookingat transforming a brand, don't
do what everybody else is doing.
Don't mimic what everyone elseis doing.
Look for something that's alittle bit different and is
gonna help you stand out, andyou're able to tell that story
and weave it into so manydifferent facets of your
(11:57):
organization.
How do you bring this to lifewith your team?
How do you bring that into yourmission, your vision, your
guiding principles?
Um, our guiding principles, wewere just filling out our um
annual uh reviews, ourperformance reviews, and um, you
know, a lot of our guidingprinciples are embedded into
that, where we're, you know,trying to identify how well we
think we're living each of thoseout.
SPEAKER_02 (12:19):
You know, our choice to rebrand to Claire Vita, I
would consider very bold.
We had 27 different brands, 72different social channels.
There was a lot of passion andheritage in the brands that we
had to retire to become oneunified brand.
And we were very intentionalabout embracing a bold,
(12:41):
memorable name and visualidentity.
Our research in the marketshowed a lot of people using
greens or rainbow colors, thingsthat either felt very clinical.
Our previous names includedpathways.
There are 1700 pathways in theU.S.
Patent and Trademark Registry,by the way.
Um so we intentionally chosesomething that really deviated
(13:03):
from that norm.
Our name is actually acombination of Clarity and Vita
or Life in Spanish.
And the choice to use acombination of English and
Spanish was very intentional,and the meaning behind it even
more so.
Our logo has contrasting verybright colors.
And so moving away fromsomething that felt more typical
within the health and humanservices industry into something
(13:26):
that might feel even lifestyleadjacent, but set us apart for
us was a very bold choice.
And I admit I had concerns whenwe were selling this in, but
I'll go back to the research.
It was so strong, it was easy tobe persuasive among our internal
stakeholders and to tell acompelling story externally
(13:46):
about this brand.
SPEAKER_01 (13:48):
How long did it take you, Whitney?
Just to follow up on that, justa little bit.
How long did it take you onceyou put that out there, those
colors, the new name, when youstarted getting some feedback
coming back in?
And you went, maybe took abreath and went, okay, this is
working.
SPEAKER_02 (14:05):
I probably held my breath for a straight month
between when we had gotten theinitial clearance approval on
the name to when it wasintroduced to our most critical
stakeholders and their receptioninternally, all of our business
leaders, our operating leaders,was the moment when I finally
(14:25):
was able to exhale and feel veryconfident about it.
It's easy to get locked in yourown, you know, um, be very
myopic about what's happeninguntil others can join in on the
celebration of this brand.
So it was really that turningpoint internally, having our
leadership buy into this brandthat helped me feel confident
about our next steps.
(14:46):
And I'm thankful that it thentranslated out to our uh clients
that we serve and our communitypartners as well.
But I think truly those internalleaders who've been with us for
decades were the voice of reasonto say this is right, or they
could have said this is wrong.
But fortunately, we were all inalignment.
SPEAKER_03 (15:05):
I think we often see companies rebrand, and sometimes
it goes really well, sometimesit doesn't, right?
Like Cracker Barrel.
Um, but you have to understandwhat your audience needs, what
your market needs.
There has to be value.
You really have to believe inthe value of this rebrand, and
(15:26):
that will help you stand by it,that will help you see it
through.
And in some cases, maybe thereis not everybody's gonna love it
right away.
But you know, I I always try tosay, it's like whenever you're
naming your baby.
You know, a lot of times youdon't want to tell people what
you're gonna name your baby.
Um, you know, when you're stillpregnant, because they'd be
like, oh, I don't like thatname.
But if you say, if you hand themthe baby and give them their
(15:48):
name, they're gonna love thatbaby.
They're gonna love that namebecause now it's associated with
that baby.
But I feel like the the brand,sometimes we have to prove it a
little bit over time, and it maynot be love at first sight.
Um, but if you believe in it,you really know there's value to
it and hang in there, I thinkit's worth it.
Um, we're we're actually rightthere with you, Whitney.
(16:09):
Um, so Brightly is made up um ofabout 10 different brands that
we manage.
Um, we on November 1st areformally uh merging in with
Sinnerstone, which is anotherlarge um behavioral health
provider, and uh will be thelargest nonprofit behavioral
health provider in the nation.
Yes.
(16:29):
Congratulations about thepossibilities there.
Um, but we will be taking thename Sinnerstone across all of
Brightley.
So all those brands, you know,over the next year, year and a
half will be transitioning.
So talk about transformation andwe are we are right there in the
middle of it.
SPEAKER_02 (16:45):
Just to build on what you say, I hate to keep
coming back to research.
But I think part of where thingsfail is not really understanding
your audience and maybe having aposition that you have
confidence in, but notunderstanding your market and
their readiness to receive it.
I kind of liken it to a new pairof shoes.
If you've done your research,you have faith in the brand, you
(17:07):
have confidence in it, you know,they may be a little
uncomfortable at first, butafter a while, they fit just
like a glove.
But if you haven't invested inthe right way, after all, you're
gonna get blisters because youput on a pair of cheap shoes
that were never gonna work out,you know, at the start.
So I think if you've done yourwork, you really understand your
market and you're not trying toforce fit something, it will
(17:30):
work out.
Um, it's where people fall shortand lose sight of what the
market really needs and wantsand is ready for, where things
tend to fall flat.
SPEAKER_04 (17:39):
And I think just to piggyback on, you know, all of
the research that is needed,that is why you have that
creative investor.
Because I know sometimes,especially when you're managing
a lot of companies comingtogether, um, they may have very
um specific ideas about theirbrand and bringing it into a new
brand, having that creative umperson with you and having all
(18:02):
of that research that Whitneykeeps bringing up really does
help you internally to kind ofget people to open their eyes
and look a little bit furtherinto the landscape and
understand how this plays out.
So I just wanted to echo that.
That I think that's why havingsomebody else, another voice
from outside of the organizationsometimes is so impactful.
SPEAKER_03 (18:25):
Yeah, those creative advisors can help you, like we
were saying, be a little braver,take a little bit of risk with
this brand and not just blendin, but be willing to stand out.
And sometimes those creativeadvisors can help nudge you in
that direction.
SPEAKER_01 (18:37):
All right.
I want to come back to your wordor phrase that you described
your uh branding and and whatyou're about, well, right now
with your respectiveorganizations.
So we started the episode withthis.
Renee, when I asked you aboutboundless, you said it was uh
the words that came to your mindwere reimagining possible.
SPEAKER_04 (18:57):
I think part of our identity and the core of our
brand is Boundless tries to finda way for the people that we
serve.
We want them to live boundlesslives.
It's it's great that that's ourname too, but that really is
what we are going for with eachperson that we serve.
And just given the times and thecreativity and some of the
(19:18):
things that we need to do tomake sure that we can still
continue serving people and getthem on their boundless journey,
I think is a hallmark of ouragency.
So we are really always tryingto innovate, find new ways to do
more with less.
And, you know, that is just partof our DNA.
No matter what else is going on,we're focused on the people who
(19:39):
we're serving and we're going tofind a way to do it.
SPEAKER_01 (19:42):
You know, and I think about my four years being
uh a communications partner withyou here, I I along that same
lines.
I don't know if it's a I don'tthink it's a uh a marketing
slogan per se, but um boundlesstries to get to the yes all the
time.
Does that make sense?
Absolutely.
I think so.
Uh that's that's what comes tomy mind.
SPEAKER_04 (20:03):
Yes.
If if someone needs something,we are going to find a way to
get that for them if if that'swhat they need to live their
boundless life.
And so that's why I always thinkabout that, because we've got a
lot of challenges coming.
There's a lot going on rightnow, but we're focused on the
future and and continuing to sayyes, as you said.
SPEAKER_01 (20:21):
Uh Janna, you had another good one too.
Uh, tenacious.
Tell us how we can be moretenacious.
SPEAKER_03 (20:27):
Well, one of our guiding principles at Rightly is
to spark tenacity.
Um, our CEO, CJ Davis, says um,he always calls us that we're
relentless learners, is what hesaid.
So we are constantly looking totake in feedback, make
improvements.
And we don't want to justprovide wonderful care.
(20:48):
We absolutely want to do that,but we want to continue to push
the industry, dive intoresearch.
Yeah, Whitney.
And um, we want to lead theindustry.
We want to be setting thatstandard for care.
We want to continuously beleveling up and um really
looking at the best way to helpour clients and patients to have
(21:09):
those wonderful outcomes thatthey deserve.
So, in some ways, Brightley'sbrand itself is tenacious.
Um, that's our personality.
And with all the change, um,constant evolution at our
organization, we just aretenacious, we don't give up.
But at the same time, it's bakedinto our mission because we
don't give up on people, wedon't give up on our
(21:30):
communities, or you know, wedon't give up on the belief that
healthcare can be more hopefuland more human and um be that
source that really helps peoplethrive and just live the best
lives possible.
SPEAKER_01 (21:42):
And you know, if you think about it, when we're all
tenacious and when we all getafter it, that's when we break
through.
And Whitney, that was the wordthat you brought to the
conversation.
Tell us more about breakingthrough.
SPEAKER_02 (21:53):
So we're a year into our rebrand just over, and while
we've made significant progress,we know there's a lot more to
do.
So I would consider our presentstage a breakthrough.
And I go back to the commentabout consistency.
It would be amazing if I couldwave a magic wand, and the
moment the rebrand was out intothe universe, every touch point
(22:15):
would be transformed.
But it does take a while.
You know, we have 192 physicallocations and thousands of
employees, and so it is it is aprocess.
I would say beyond just therebrand, however, you know, at
our core, we're a staffingbusiness focused on having the
right people in place to deliverto deliver care and services.
And right now, the benefit ofbeing one united brand is that
(22:39):
we're breaking through to newways of attracting and retaining
staff.
So a big part of thatbreakthrough momentum is um
because of our unified brand.
And I would say the last piecewhen I think about breakthroughs
is it's more than just amilestone.
Um, it's our promise to ouremployees and our clients alike.
(23:00):
So whether you're looking toadvance your career or achieve
personal goals, we feel thatbreakthroughs begin here.
And being able to effectivelyarticulate that is a lot due to
our unified brand.
And one last time, all theresearch that went into it.
SPEAKER_01 (23:18):
Let me ask all three of you, let's do a little bit of
pivot, a little bit of a pivottoward storytelling.
Um, and and I'm I'm realtransparent with with our
listeners here.
Uh, all I've ever been is astoryteller, first is a
journalist for for 28 years, andthen now as a content provider
and and hopefully stillstoryteller with with my own
business.
And I I tell all my clients thatif if you're not telling your
(23:42):
story, someone else will.
And that's when it leaves yourhands, and that's when things
can can get dangerous.
So let's talk about storytellingin this way, whether it's it's
it's internally or externallywith your stakeholders, with
your respective communities.
How do all three of youstorytell?
SPEAKER_02 (24:00):
For us, uh new focus is employee-generated content
and helping our employees to bethe voice of Claire Vita.
We really believe that there isthis innate trust and
authenticity that comes alongwith the voice of the employee.
They're not only able to tellthe stories of our clients in a
way that is genuine andemotionally impactful, but
(24:22):
they're able to speakauthentically about their
experience at Claire Vita, whata day in the life and their role
is like.
And so we have done some testingin regards to content that uses
either stock footage or highlyproduced footage, or you know,
more typical EGC, less highlyproduced content.
And that employee-generatedcontent wins every time.
(24:44):
And it really because is becauseof that third-party trust and
credibility.
So for us, it's been a big pivotto those employees versus things
just coming from Claire Vita.
SPEAKER_01 (24:55):
And Whitney, is that um, you know, iPhone videos?
I mean, what are we talkingabout here when you're talking
about employee-generatedcontent?
SPEAKER_02 (25:01):
Great question.
We actually use a platformcalled Sceneit.
It allows people to collectcontent either on their phone or
on their laptop.
You create a series of prompts.
It lets them very easily movethrough questions.
It creates a very scalablecollection method.
And there's some built-inediting tools.
Um, I am not a representative ofSceneit, but I am really
(25:22):
impressed with their Slickplatform.
So it's helped us to elevatethat employee-generated content
function in a way that peoplecan use even if you're not a
traditional storyteller.
SPEAKER_01 (25:33):
Renee, I'll come to you.
And again, Boundless has shownleadership by having four years
worth of this very podcast.
Uh, and then Boundless alsoleans heavy into videos as well.
Can you talk about maybestorytelling uh from this
campus, maybe to 30,000-footview?
SPEAKER_04 (25:49):
Sure.
So um we try and usestorytelling to talk about our
results, and we often use thatwhen we're rolling something new
out.
Um, you know, sometimes programand services, we all kind of use
the same label.
So what we try to do here istell the impact of a program.
So, you know, we we may take aprogram where we're out in the
(26:10):
community and we'll tellstories, um, success stories
that we've had.
People that have gone throughthe program, we use their
testimony.
If a mom calls in and just says,Oh my gosh, I loved your, you
know, behavioral health program,my daughter loved it.
I'm like, great, you know, cancan I use this quote from you?
So we really use storytelling.
We're just trying to show theimpact to a person's life and
(26:33):
the improvement.
So we do a lot of blog posts,you know, we have this podcast.
Um, so we do internally too aswell.
We collect employees' successstory and share those as well.
Um, so that's something we'rereally focused on is really
showing impact and not justactions.
Okay.
SPEAKER_03 (26:50):
I feel like this is one you're gonna have to cut me
off.
I could just go on and on and onabout storytelling from
considering a strategicnarrative.
So as you're considering yourbrand and your organization,
finding that common theme, thatstrategic narrative.
For us, we call it a commonpurpose, and you weave it into
everything.
(27:10):
It shows up everywhere.
Our common purpose, ourstrategic narrative is that we
sparkle and it shows upeverywhere.
Um, storytelling is so importantbecause if I just share a raw
statistic with you, it's gonnawake up two parts of your brain
or engage two parts of yourbrain.
It's those language areas.
But if I tell you a story,that's gonna wake up many more
areas of your brain (27:31):
sensory, emotional, memory parts, just
your whole brain leans in.
One way that we've done this atBrightly is we put together an
art exhibit.
It's called The Art of Being Me.
And we did this with um BrightlyFoundation, Soon to Be
Cinnerstone Foundation.
Um, but we have about 30 storiesbecause we've been adding to it
over the years, where we are nottelling people stories.
(27:53):
We are asking them to sharetheir own stories.
They're sharing stories ofaddiction, um, behavioral health
issues, mental healthchallenges, um, just a wide
variety.
We even had a board member sharehis story.
These are done on beautifulportraits.
We worked with a local artist inSpringfield, Missouri, Randy
Bacon, and he tells the story.
(28:15):
They also have a video that gowith it.
And we've had the opportunity toum have this exhibit travel
around the state.
It was even in the MissouriState Capitol for a little bit.
We are so grateful for thatbecause we know we want people
talking about their mentalhealth.
We want them to talk about theirhealth with their loved ones,
(28:36):
um, with their friends.
And if they can see other peoplewilling to tell their stories,
that just makes it feel a littlebit more okay to tell your own
and to start talking about it.
And maybe that helps you getinto care if you need care.
I always say if something we putout there helps you get into
care, I don't even care whereyou go to get your mental health
(28:58):
care.
I I consider that a win.
So hopefully I don't get knockedfor that by my boss, right?
But um, I consider that a win ifwe help you get really
comfortable with the idea ofmental health and that you're
willing to see care because ofthe resource or the story you
might have um seen through someof our efforts.
SPEAKER_01 (29:14):
I love it that you brought up data points and
telling stories beyond the datapoints or really aligned to the
data points.
Um I I was asked, I've beenasked over the last 30 years,
what what makes a really goodsoundbite?
You know, what what's gonna geton the news or what's gonna, you
know, now in social media, it'snot so much the news, but now
it's all about social media.
And my definition of what makesa great soundbite has really
(29:36):
never changed.
And I I don't really think itwill.
And it's taking a data point andgiving it human impact.
And again, that really boils itdown.
But when you can take a datapoint and again connect it to
human impact or a group ofhumans and how that data can
help drive advocacy or drivechange local level, state level,
(29:59):
federal level.
Then then you're getting intothe secret sauce there.
That is that is really goodstuff.
Let's do this.
Let's let me ask you one, allthree of you, one last question.
What would be a piece of advice?
Let's say if we've got um uh alistener, maybe a young
nonprofit executive, and they'remanaging transition right now.
(30:20):
Maybe they're managing a bigbranding transition.
What would be your best piece ofadvice to that person or to a
nonprofit organization overallif they're they're trying to
navigate that and and you know,in some turbulent times right
now?
Um, Whitney, would you start usoff with that one?
SPEAKER_02 (30:36):
Don't let bumps in the road keep you from the
journey that's ahead of you.
You're bound to run intochallenges, you're bound to make
mistakes, um, but you'll, youknow, get back up and recover.
I think the the proof of astrong leader and a strong brand
is not whether you've fallenshort or fallen down, but the
(30:58):
recovery and how you pickyourself back up and forge
ahead.
So, you know, come up with aplan, feel good about that plan,
but expect that you'll have todeviate from the plan and that
you'll run into challenges thatyou couldn't possibly foresee
right now.
And that's okay.
SPEAKER_01 (31:15):
Janet, how about it?
SPEAKER_03 (31:16):
There was a study, and it came out last year or the
year before.
It was from the AmericanMarketing Association.
They have a journal of publicpolicy and marketing, but they
studied how do marketing effortsimpact access to mental health
care.
I mean, what a dream.
It's exactly what we needed.
I'd be glad to share it if youwant to post that or make it
available for your listeners.
SPEAKER_01 (31:37):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03 (31:38):
But I mean, to no surprise of this group, it does
make a difference.
It is evidence-based, that it'snot just um the cherry on the
top to be able to do thesemarketing and branding efforts.
It truly is part of thatcontinuum of care.
Creating the access and theknowledge of what to talk about,
what to ask about, whatresources are available.
(32:00):
These help break down the stigmaand the reasons why someone
would not seek care.
So, one, my advice is this isactually really important.
It's part of your continuum ofcare and it's research-based,
it's evidence-based to thatfact.
My second piece of advice is andwill always be is just keep the
people first.
As you're doing this, thinkabout your employees.
(32:23):
How do you use this effort toconnect them back to the greater
purpose?
Because we all need that.
And, you know, how do you keepyour people first, um, your
employees as well as yourclients and the community that
you're serving?
I think if you keep them justfirst in mind, then um you're
probably not gonna get it wrong.
SPEAKER_01 (32:43):
Renee, you got a piece of advice to help close it
out here?
SPEAKER_04 (32:45):
Um, to piggyback on what they both said, you know,
do your research, um, make surethat you have the voices of
those you serve, yourconstituents, listen when you're
going through the rebrandingeffort.
How do they see you collect allof that data?
This is very important.
You know, this isn't just adecision.
Oh, I kind of like this name.
(33:06):
We're gonna throw it up there.
You know, this is the guidingforce for your agency.
So it's worth the time, it'sworth the effort.
You know, make sure you do yourdue diligence.
SPEAKER_01 (33:16):
Renee, Jana, Whitney, thank you all for
joining us today.
And again, continue on these um,these branding roads that we're
all on and uh come back to thepodcast anytime, okay?
SPEAKER_03 (33:28):
Thank you so much um for the wonderful conversation
and thanks for having me withyou today.
Thank you.
It was a pleasure.
SPEAKER_01 (33:34):
Thank you very much, Scott.
And now, as we're reallywrapping things up, something
that we're trying to include inas many episodes as possible.
We call it our mission moment.
So the last time you heard fromour CEO, Dr.
Patrick Maynard, for thisepisode, we want you to meet
Molly Mallory with this missionmoment.
SPEAKER_00 (33:53):
I am Molly Mallory, as Scott mentioned, and I am the
outreach manager for Boundless.
Our outreach positions were bornfrom a dream to give individuals
with disabilities meaningfulopportunities beyond the usual
roles like dishwashing andstocking shelves.
We wanted something different,something that taps into their
passions, skills, and interests.
(34:15):
To bring this vision to life, wepartnered with Capabilities,
Independent Employment Services,and our own internal programs to
identify three exceptionaloutreach specialists.
What began as a modest list oftasks quickly transformed into
something extraordinary.
These individuals didn't justmeet expectations, they
(34:36):
redefined them.
They dove in with enthusiasm,sending 50 to 60 emails a day,
cold-calling businesses,organizing fundraisers, and
securing new distributors.
The impact, immediate andinspiring.
For example, George made aone-call close with Jungle Jims,
who's now one of our favoritecommunity partners.
(34:58):
Brandon just delivered 150products to a PTA fundraiser,
doubling the good we're doing inthat school district.
And Kyle, the creative forcebehind our sweet treats, has
taken his story national,inspiring others to dream bigger
through conferencepresentations.
These are not just wins.
They're proofs that what when weinvest in people's potential,
(35:22):
the results ripple far beyondwhat we imagined.
I envision a future where oursocial enterprises flourish,
where we empower even moreoutreach specialists to lead
with purpose and passion.
These roles aren't just jobs.
They're bridges to possibilitydesigned to unlock the unique
talents of individuals withdisabilities.
(35:42):
And what's the truly powerfulthing is that these people
behind our baked goods and ourpet treats know that someone
just like them is out in thecommunity representing them,
advocating for them, and showingthe world what's possible when
we believe in potential overlimitation.
With the holidays coming up,don't forget that our Pets and
(36:05):
People Dog Treats make perfectstocking stuffers, and the
Confection Connection Bakerywill make your holiday parties
extra sweet.
And of course, I have the beststaff to help you.
Reach out to me at mmallory atIamboundless.org.
I am Molly Mallory, and I amboundless.
SPEAKER_01 (36:28):
Molly, thank you very much.
That was just terrific.
And we also do shout outs to theother folks that Molly
mentioned (36:33):
George, Brandon, Kyle, and really everybody
involved on the team.
That was just terrific.
We thank all of you for joiningus for this episode.
This is the Nonprofit Leader'sGuide Podcast brought to you by
Bamless.
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