Pro Bono Branding and Strategy for Small Nonprofits: The Sunflower Project
The Sunflower Project badge—a symbol of strategic support, creative clarity, and a belief that small nonprofits deserve big impact.
Why Pro Bono Branding & Strategy Work Matters for Small Nonprofits
In the nonprofit sector, passion fuels purpose—but passion alone can’t build sustainable organizations. Thousands of small nonprofits are run by executive directors wearing every hat: fundraising, operations, marketing, HR, and program delivery. This overextension leads to chronic burnout, scattered messaging, and stalled growth.
What’s worse? These leaders are often surrounded by well-meaning boards and volunteers who are passionate about the mission—but not trained in nonprofit development, messaging strategy, or operational clarity. Without outside guidance, organizations can’t evolve. They survive, but struggle to thrive.
The Sunflower Project was designed to change that.
By offering pro bono nonprofit consulting and branding support, The Sunflower Project steps into this critical gap—providing the kind of high-level strategic assistance that small nonprofits need to grow, fundraise, and deepen their community impact.
Rooted in Advocacy, Grown Through Purpose
The Sunflower Project was born out of Kristin’s earlier advocacy work with families of children with special needs. While that work operated as a for-profit service, it was deeply personal—a vocation more than a job. Kristin offered support and expertise at significantly reduced rates because it felt like a calling.
That same spirit of service now fuels The Sunflower Project. This time, the work is extended beyond individual families to entire organizations, especially those doing powerful work on small budgets. Many of these nonprofits are unable to afford professional branding, development, or marketing services.
The Sunflower Project exists to fill that gap.
It’s about lifting the helpers. Supporting those who are already making a difference, but need structure, voice, and visibility to reach the next level. The joy and fulfillment of helping small, mighty teams clarify their message and impact is what keeps this project going—and growing.
The Capacity Crisis in the Nonprofit Sector
Let’s be honest: many nonprofit boards and leaders are flying the plane while still building the cockpit. The vast majority of small to mid-sized nonprofits:
Don’t have a communications or development director
Don’t have a marketing budget or strategy
Can’t afford consultants or rebranding packages
Struggle to communicate clearly with donors, stakeholders, and the community
This creates a sector-wide issue where deeply meaningful work is happening, but it’s underfunded, underrecognized, and often misunderstood by the very people who could support it.
That’s not a problem of merit. That’s a problem of messaging. And messaging is solvable—with the right kind of support.
The Sunflower Project: What It Offers and Why It Works
Each quarter, The Sunflower Project selects one small nonprofit to receive 60 hours of pro bono services focused on foundational brand strategy, messaging, and organizational development. These services are not just marketing fluff. They are operational tools, rooted in:
1. Brand Voice and Messaging Architecture. Most nonprofits struggle to articulate their mission in a single sentence. We help them:
Define their mission and vision in clear, compelling language
Create a resonant tagline and program descriptions that inspire
Develop key messages for grant writing, donor appeals, board presentations, and media outreach
This isn’t about sounding polished—it’s about sounding like you, with purpose.
2. Internal Alignment and Organizational Development You can’t execute strategy without internal clarity. That’s why we help recipients:
Clarify board and staff roles
Identify communication gaps
Facilitate decision-making protocols
The goal is not just visibility—it’s sustainability.
3. Visual Identity That Matches the Message Once your words are solid, we help create a visual identity that complements them:
Color palettes rooted in story and psychology
Design elements that express your mission’s tone
Photo guidelines that showcase real people and impact
This builds cohesion across your website, social media, fundraising campaigns, and print materials.
What Success Looks Like—From the People Who Know
Don’t just take it from us. Here’s what recent Sunflower Project recipients had to say:
“Kristin did a fantastic job, which consisted of a complete rework of our foundational language, including our mission, vision, programs, and key messages. This led to significant website improvements, which we will launch very soon.
She came to the project with compassion and deep listening skills to challenge, focus, and elevate how we communicate the impact of our process and mission.
Through her insights, previous nonprofit experience, and quick turnarounds of drafted options, we were able to put together both template language and visual tools that will increase our efficiency as we move forward.
Reflecting on where we started just three months ago and where we are now, it has been a transformational experience and an achievement. I know Kristin is as proud as I am of the work we were able to do together and the tremendous position we are now in, thanks to her generous efforts.
On behalf of myself and the Joy Collaborative Board, thank you, Kristin, for your dedication and skills; we are in a better place thanks to your partnership and The Sunflower Project!”
—Mark Ostrom, Executive Director, Joy Collaborative
“Our nonprofit, Alive & Kickin, was lucky enough to work with Kristin through the Sunflower Project. She was a steady guide helping our team explore ways to update our messaging and best represent who we are and what we do, to new audiences.
She was a great listener with a keen ability to extract the most critical contributions from everyone's perspective and incorporate them into new mission, vision, values, and key message options for our organization to consider.
We had fun, moved ourselves forward, and have excellent options and language nuggets that we can build upon and use moving forward. We were grateful for the opportunity and the outcome.”
—Teri Deaver, Managing Director, Alive & Kickin
A Strategic Gift, Not Just a Service
This is more than a free brand refresh. The Sunflower Project is a strategic partnership. It’s about:
Giving nonprofits a roadmap, not just a new logo
Creating messaging systems that scale
Laying the foundation for increased donor retention, stronger grant applications, and a more confident leadership team
When messaging and mission are aligned, nonprofits stop spinning their wheels. They grow. They attract the right partners. They build trust.
That’s what we mean when we say “brand voice leads to organizational strength.”
The Bigger Picture—And Why It Matters Now
The nonprofit sector is undergoing significant shifts:
Giving is more fragmented than ever
Volunteers and board members are aging
Government and corporate support are inconsistent
Smaller organizations are bearing the brunt. They need more than encouragement. They need a clear strategy, crisp communications, and confidence in their direction.
The Sunflower Project helps deliver that. It’s not a band-aid. It’s not charity for charity’s sake. It’s a recognition that high-quality nonprofit consulting should not only be available to the wealthiest organizations.
If you would like to learn more about our overall approach to messaging strategy, you can explore our blog post on nonprofit brand voice.
Who’s a Good Fit for the Sunflower Project?
The program is ideal for:
Executive directors are doing too much, with too little support
New nonprofits that need to tighten their public presence
Growing organizations that feel internally misaligned
Orgs with board members who believe in the work but aren’t sure how to support it
All applicants must have a business or strategic plan in place. That’s the only non-negotiable. We build on existing vision—you just need help getting it across the finish line.
At the end of the quarter, Sunflower Project recipients are also offered an ongoing special rate for additional support. Most projects are scoped at a fixed rate to help organizations stay within budget while still receiving high-quality services.
Let’s Make Your Mission Unmissable
The organizations we serve aren’t just “clients.” They’re movements in the making. Our job is to:
Help them rise
Help them be seen
Help them find the right words and visuals to rally their supporters
I do this work because I believe nonprofits are doing the most courageous work in our communities.
And we believe they deserve more than survival. They deserve systems, structure, and strategy that empower them to thrive.
Apply, Refer, Share
If this sounds like the kind of support your organization could use, we encourage you to apply. If it reminds you of someone else’s work, send them our way.
🟡 Apply for the next Sunflower Project quarter
🟡 Encourage your favorite nonprofit to apply
🟡 Share this blog link on LinkedIn, BlueSky, or in an email
Let’s spread the sunshine. The right words can change everything.
