One Life Ministries
We were looking at One Life Ministries from the outside, a perspective that’s hard for organizations to have. A couple adjustments, a few wrinkles ironed out, and a fresh marketing plan led to big growth in 2020!
The Rundown
How Vast the Sea
One Life Ministries sought help with branding, messaging, brand awareness, and donor development. After interviewing (and visiting!) the team based in Mexico, AMI identified a brand disparity—there was no direct Spanish translation of their former name: One Life One Chance Ministries. Rebranding eliminated the feelings of alienation for the team in Mexico who previously had to refer to the ministry only in English.
Client
One Life Ministries
Services
— Strategy
— Communications
— Fundraising Collateral
— Email Marketing
— Social Media
The team
— Strategist
— Project Management
— Designer
— Copywriter
— Digital Specialist
Year
2019 – Present
The Solution
Steering the Ship
Branding & Messaging
After the rebrand, AMI built a comprehensive Strategic Marketing Plan for the ministry. In addition, the website was redesigned to focus on user experience and create a simplified donation process.
Donor Development
AMI created a new Communications Strategy, which included:
- Introducing and Managing a Social Media Strategy
- Writing and Managing Donor Letters/Emails
- Implementing a Monthly Donor Program
- Writing the Ministries First Annual Report
- Designing a New Donor Welcome PackageeDeveloping a Corporate Sponsorship Package
Name Change
The ministry works exclusively in Mexico, but a name with no direct translation portrayed them as a primarily English organization. AMI identified this disparity and recommended shortening their name to ‘One Life’ while incorporating the Spanish translation, ‘Una Vida’.
New Logo
Inspired by a grove of olive trees at the ministry’s Mexican HQ, the new logo signifies strong roots, connections, and community in the San Quintin Valley of Baja California, Mexico.
Brand Look and Guidelines
AMI developed a festive colour palette (and complementary elements) inspired by the buntings and banners that are often hung in the streets of Mexico—invoking joy, life, and hope.
The Result
Wind in Their Sails
Embracing a shorter and easily translatable name allowed for dynamic visual branding in both languages. This deepened trust with partners and staff in Mexico while maintaining recognition with Canadian donors. The new Marketing Plan and Communications Strategy lead to increased reach and engagement with donors.
Over 6,500 people ate a nutritious meal, through 13 partner churches.
Revenue increased 4.8% from 2019.
200 children received school supply backpacks.
150 families+ were supported with groceries.
Over 20 homes were built for needy families.
Web traffic increased month over month.
12 Mexican churches received second-hand pews from Canadian churches.
500+ people from 13 church gathered for the annual Unity San Quintin Conference.
Concluding the Journey
Land Ho!
The timing was difficult with COVID-19. It took fortitude for the ministry to press on with the hard work of rethinking their brand. However, the results paid off! One Life has strengthened their brand awareness and alignment. They’ve seen an increased response to their fundraising efforts in Canada and people are engaging on a deeper level than ever before.
