CASE STUDY
Preserving the stories
that shaped us.
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN STRATEGY, FUNDRAISING
COMMUNICATIONS, & CREATIVE DIRECTION
PROJECT PHASE
A project for the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s $11.5M
capital campaign to create a state-of-the-art museum and
community space.
CASE STUDY
Capital campaigns have to communicate a lot at once.
There is the financial goal, the physical project, the donor opportunity, the community impact and, most importantly, the reason any of it matters.
For MVHS, the challenge was finding a clear way to connect 150 years of history with a vision for what comes next.
The Historical Society cares for more than 100,000 artifacts and archival materials, while educating and inspiring thousands of people each year.
The campaign story needed to make the scale of that responsibility understandable while showing donors what their support could make possible.
I developed the concept around three simple questions:
THE STRATEGY
WHY
Preserve our collections.
Invest in our community.
Share our stories.
These ideas establish the emotional and community reason behind the campaign.
WHAT
The proposed project would create environmentally controlled storage for collections, develop an atrium and interactive exhibit for the Idora Park Collection, renovate the interior and exterior of 250 East Federal Street and develop additional space for community use.
Instead of treating these as disconnected construction projects, the concept presents them as parts of one larger vision for the future of MVHS.
HOW
The fundraising materials then move naturally into ways supporters can participate, including three to five year pledges, estate gifts, appreciated securities, cash gifts and volunteer involvement.
This creates a simple progression from purpose, to possibility, to participation.
THE CAMPAIGN IDEA
Preserving the stories that shaped us.
Creating a place for what comes next.
That became the central idea behind the concept.
Rather than asking donors simply to fund a renovation, the campaign positions their support as an investment in preservation, education, accessibility, community and the future of Mahoning Valley history.
The visual concept balances the history of the organization with the opportunity ahead.
Archival photography establishes a sense of legacy and place. Contemporary imagery of 250 East Federal Street introduces the future. A restrained visual system brings the campaign priorities, giving opportunities and institutional impact together into one clear story.
The goal was to make the materials feel substantial enough for major donor conversations while remaining approachable and understandable to the broader community.
CREATIVE DIRECTION
THE OPPORTUNITY AHEAD
The proposed campaign seeks to raise $11.5 million to create a state of the art museum and community space that can serve as an anchor for Youngstown's East End.
For an organization that has spent 150 years preserving the Mahoning Valley's past, the challenge now is to create the space, access and resources needed to carry those stories forward.
This concept was developed to give MVHS a clear and cohesive way to communicate the scale, purpose and community impact of that opportunity.
Project design shown. Final campaign direction and materials remain in development.
MY ROLE
Campaign Strategy and Messaging
Creating the narrative structure and translating a complex capital initiative into a clear donor story.
Creative Direction
Developing the visual concept, hierarchy, typography, imagery and overall campaign presentation.
Fundraising Communications
Organizing campaign priorities, giving opportunities and community impact into materials designed to support donor conversations.
Information Design
Turning a large amount of project and fundraising information into an experience that can be understood quickly and remembered.