Our clients
Sycamore Collaborative
What’s the path from food pantry to food justice?
Strategy + vision, communications, identity
Serving Schenectady County in upstate New York, Sycamore Collaborative (formerly Schenectady Inner City Ministries, or SICM) has been a lifeline in a time of increasing food insecurity and an inspiration for community engagement to volunteers and clients alike. Embracing their decision to become intentionally interfaith, we walked alongside the organization to look across all its communications to understand more clearly what they want to say, to whom, when and how.
For our communications audit, we:
reviewed all current communications
conducted key interviews
led a retreat among organizational leaders and key staff
organized and analyzed data
reviewed staffing capacity
made recommendations and provided reflective language to move the organization forward
As our communications audit concluded, we recommended a strategic planning, renaming, and rebranding process. In this iteration of our work, we:
articulated core values
created a strategic filter for decision-making
collaboratively created a far-reaching strategic plan
created a new visual identity, name, and website
Covenant Network of Presbyterians
How do we live out our covenant today and tomorrow?
The mission of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians is to strengthen the church of Jesus Christ, with the help of God's grace. They are called to achieve this goal by working for the unity of the church, furthering the inclusion of LGBTQ persons, seeking understanding and reconciliation, and joining with others seeking a still more just and inclusive church.
Organization's internal work along with a changing landscape can often impact the overall identity. Following shifts in their denomination's environment, we worked with the Covenant Network to articulate their verbal identity. We then successfully paired these words with images by creating a new logo and visual identity.
Episcopal Church of Heavenly Rest
How do you run a campaign with bare cupboards?
Heavenly Rest is a multi-staff congregation on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Their mission is to love and serve Christ in all persons, regardless of their race, gender, social background, religious upbringing, or sexual orientation. Heavenly Rest was in need of interim design and fundraising support as they were transition staff, and Vandersall Collective was happy to help.
Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis
How can we be of service?
The Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis is called by Christ to welcome and witness in Central and Southern Indiana. Together we live an active faith that leads toward true peace--peace with justice, rooted in restoration with God in Christ. We join hearts and minds to transform mistrust and division into conversations grounded in the shared hope of Jesus Christ; we join hands to reach out, to tend, to invite, and to do the work of the gospel; we join voices with those who have been unheard and ignored, so that God’s word may be spoken, embodied, and heard in all the places where good news is needed in the world today.
We worked with the diocese to lead a restructuring retreat for their Executive Council, as well as implementing their vision for the future through design work.
Metro New York Synod (ELCA)
How do we unite across culture and geography?
The Metro New York Synod came to us with a few short months to spare before their Reformation 500 Service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. They needed a skilled event planner who could quickly onramp their work as they knew time was running out. In addition to needing help, the scope of the event kept growing!
The event grew from an expected audience of a few hundred to over 1,000. This included ecumenical guests from throughout the breadth and depth of the Christian tradition. In addition, liturgical planning was needed with two choirs, three ensembles, and dozens more liturgical participants. We coordinated countless details and subcontractors to provide a seamless experience for the guests who came and allowed the liturgy to shine through. A powerful event moving forward the ecumenical community committed to unity in Christ, we were proud to have played a part in creating this memorable night of a lifetime.
Music that Makes Community
How do we go from start-up to grown-up?
A non-profit organization working with ecumenical communities and leaders, MMC empowers and liberates communities’ spiritual life through singing.
Case Study
When Paul Vasile took the reins as Executive Director, Music That Makes Community needed to raise funds urgently and quickly. A small, but engaged and energetic Board, took up the challenge to envision with Vandersall Collective how to bring the organizational skills and larger vision of their Executive Director to life in vibrant new ways.
How do we tell our story in a way that will foster active participation and financial engagement?
What are our priorities as an organization?
What are the new horizons we can explore as we invite people to support us?
VEHICLES FOR CHANGE
Fundraising—A customized fundraising initiative that incorporated the small pool of major donors and the wide-ranging group of individuals and organizations that had experienced the power of the ministry of Music That Makes Community over the years.
NEW DIRECTIONS
Collateral Materials—A fresh new face for a new era in the life of MMC, communicated in clean, bright, high contrast visuals, and accessible words to reflect an organization that is all about human connection
Board Member Training—Working with Board members in the basic mechanics of donor cultivation and funding requests, Vandersall Collective planted seeds that would outlive our hands on engagement
Donor Strategy—Creating a tracking system, tailored to the donor base, needs, and vision of the organization, along with communication and note-taking features to support tracking and maintaining relationships
Major Donor Campaign—Vandersall Collective then conceptualized, wrote, designed and launched a fall campaign, telling the story of the organization through the testimonies of those who had received MMC’s services and requesting support. We seized this opportunity to increase the grassroots supporters and also to increase the number of larger donors as well as opening the way for multiple conversations with prospective board members.
Grass Roots Cultivation—By connecting with those who had received MMC’s services, we not only gleaned beautiful stories, we helped to build another, broad-based constituency of individual giving and engagement for the future vision.
ON THE HORIZON
Having exceeded fundraising goals and met our quick timeline, we continue to work toward a bright and creative new era of transformation and community through music.
“On our own, we would not be able to navigate these waters. We’re grateful for the partnership we feel with Mieke and her team.”
Nevelson Chapel
What do art and church have to do with God and the city?
Nevelson Chapel is the only remaining, permanent, fully intact sculptural environment by Louise Nevelson. Nine wall-mounted sculptures, a tranquil white-on-white presentation accented with gold-leaf and enhanced by the play of shadow and light from a single window, the Chapel is an incomparable example of this 20th-century art form which is intended to involve or encompass visitors. Nevelson was instrumental in the conception and introduction of the form, which “sought to break down the historical dichotomy between life and art.”
Vandersall Collective has served in many forms as we work together to restore and renew the Chapel. We are integrated into all aspects of the Chapel life. Together we manage all events and communications, including the case materials, social media, eblasts and the website, and serve as the primary fundraising council. In addition to advising the Chapel project, we have created systems and structures for fundraising administration, and are deeply embedded in the enactment of them running smoothly. We continue to implement communication strategies through the curation of their Instagram account.
“Our campaign isn't simply raising money. We are building relationships, recalibrating our culture and renewing our mission. Mieke and her team are integrated into every aspect with competency, dedication and heart.”
— The Rev. Jared Stahler, Nevelson Chapel
Not So Churchy
How do we reflect the core of who we are?
Not So Churchy is a place of healing and hope, where queerness and curiosity expand the spiritual journey beyond boxes and binaries. This eclectic community also happens to have been started by Mieke, and is where she currently serves. We engage as their regular designer, including the beautification of annual reports and the website that serves as a spiritual home for this geographically diverse community.
Park Avenue Christian Church
The project’s started. How do we raise the money?
The community at The Park is on a mission and has a vision – a vision for a more just, sustainable, vibrant and growing community that has a broad impact on our city, our nation and our world. They believe that the church should be a place where we come to worship, fellowship and be sent out as ministers to do the work that God has called us to do — in our homes, our workplaces, our volunteer organizations, and in the world.
We served as primary fundraising counsel for the Park as they have prepared to publicly launch their multi-million dollar capital campaign. Through this, we created their case materials, both verbally and visually.
“Vandersall Collective helped us to gain the motivation, the tools and the confidence to launch our capital campaign. We are so grateful for their faithful and visionary guidance.”
Q Christian Fellowship
How do we stake our claim to the Good News of Christ?
Q Christian Fellowship is an international network of Christians working for fully inclusive Christian community and a world where all people are treated as the beloved children of God. It is their mission to transform attitudes toward LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people and bring about a day when the church is the biggest ally and defender of LGBTQ people rather than a chief opponent.
Q Christian came to us with an urgent need for a new website. After quickly completing a new, beautiful, easy to navigate site, we then began work on a name change, shift in verbal identity, visual implementation including logo and web design, and a short video.
“Vandersall Collective was an incredibly efficient and creative firm that took our organization through a massive name change process—including rebranding, rollout, and website build—while using professional resources and insight that left my company comfortable in every stage of the process and utterly pleased with the final products.”
Saint Peter's Church
How do merged congregations become one?
Saint Peter’s Church is a welcoming and diverse evangelical catholic communion nourished by God and publicly engaged with others in creatively shaping life in the city.
Working with the Director of Communications, we helped guide Saint Peter’s in articulating their needs for a new website and then enacting those needs through the creation of a design brief, guidance of verbal articulation, and then implementation through a new, easy to manage, website. We continue to provide regular maintenance support.
The Vine
What is the appeal of progressive campus ministry?
The Vine NYC is a network of open, inviting campus ministries in New York City where all students are welcome. They are college and graduate students from institutions across the city who together are trying to figure out how to live in better relationship with God, one another and creation.
The past many years has seen a decrease in funding of campus ministry programs. We worked with The Vine to kick-start their fundraising efforts by conducting a mini-development audit, writing and designing case materials, analyzing their donor list, training their board and leadership, accompanying their leadership on “asks,” and organizing their first-ever major donor cultivation and ask event.
West End Church
How do we show people who we really are?
Phase I: communications audit
West End Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan is a community with deep roots, curious spirits, and hearts set on God’s way of justice and peace. They want their neighbors, and the whole world, to know what they're up to, why it matters, and how to be involved, especially in this time when connection and community are so vitally important.
After leading a robust communications audit including a strategic retreat, series of interviews and a survey, we created a framework authentic to them through which to view their communication strategy. We then rebranded West End Church through a new logo and communication system, and built and launched their new website. We continue to provide on-going communications support as they live into their new look and articulated identity.
Phase II: fundraising
Alongside our on-going communications support, we work with West End to develop annual campaigns that reflect their culture, identity, theology of giving, and goals. Our work together has included:
creating opportunities for leaders to reflect on money narratives
creating and implementing segmentation of giving data to consider appropriate strategies
increasing volunteerism through training, ongoing coaching, and celebration
developing compelling communication pieces for multiples audiences and special occasions
