Ascend Fundraising Solutions - Creative Platform Across a National Nonprofit Roster
“Ran the creative bench at a national fundraising agency, shaping the campaign look, voice and case-for-support systems behind a roster of nonprofit clients whose combined multi-year fundraising is measured in the billions.”
Ascend's clients ranged from hospital foundations and universities to community charities and faith-based causes - each with their own donor base, board culture, brand history and appetite for risk. The creative had to feel bespoke for every one of them while still moving through a single agency operation with tight production windows, high approvals volume and campaigns that hit direct mail, digital, event and executive channels in the same week.
- 01Set the creative direction across concurrent nonprofit campaigns - case for support, direct mail, donor journeys, event platforms, executive presentations - one bench, many voices
- 02Built messaging frameworks with each client's leadership before design started, so the emotional register and the fundraising ask aligned before anyone opened Figma or InDesign
- 03Directed photography, illustration, editorial writing and information design so the visible expression matched the underlying strategy, not just the brand guide
- 04Coached the internal creative team on judgment calls that donor-facing work asks of you - dignity, restraint, credibility - alongside the craft side of typography, layout and hierarchy
- 05Partnered with account, strategy and production to hold quality as volume scaled, defending the idea through committee reviews without losing the client
- 06Kept a hand on the tools - typography, image direction, final artwork - so the standard I asked others to meet was one I was still meeting myself
- A consistent creative standard across a national nonprofit roster whose associated multi-year fundraising totals reach into the billions
- Faster, more predictable path from client brief to donor-ready campaign assets across print, digital and event
- Stronger case-for-support materials that gave nonprofit leadership clearer language for the biggest conversations they had to have
- A creative operation that grew with the client base without the drift, rework and burnout that usually comes with scale
Selected imagery
Click to enlarge · 2 pieces
Concept, art direction & execution - Shawn Van Daele for Ascend Fundraising Solutions, 2020 - 2023.
