Bridging Changes with a Membership Campaign at a Local Park
The Olympia Tumwater Foundation
Branding a nonprofit’s new membership & fundraising program, Friends of the Falls
CLIENT
The Olympia Tumwater Foundation
SERVICES
Branding, Capacity Strengthening
Preserving & Enhancing an Iconic Park
The Olympia Tumwater Foundation (OTF) is a nonprofit organization that preserves and celebrates the natural beauty, history, and ecology of the land around Tumwater Falls. This public space is a staple of the community, but is unique in that it is not publicly owned; operations aren’t supported by tax dollars, local or otherwise. OTF is excited to invite fans of the falls in Tumwater and beyond to join the effort of preserving and enhancing one of Thurston County’s historic centerpieces, while increasing the accessibility of their message both digitally and in person.
Branding for Clarity & Inspiration
OTF set out to strengthen community relationships with a new membership program, Friends of the Falls. They hope to create a program that inspires the community to engage in active stewardship and shared learning.
Alongside the development of visual assets and strategy, several other key objectives guided this project. It was important to differentiate the visual branding from several partners while honoring the existing OTF parent brand. We also needed to clarify the theme of the program itself, the audience, giving tiers, key messages, and SEO considerations. We knew the brand would live on signage, giveaways, social media, and newsletters, so it needed to fit seamlessly into all these landscapes.
Getting Grounded in the Archives
We had the great privilege of wading into OTF’s ample archives digitally, and because some of the WCA is based in Thurston County, we even got to visit in-person. Full of historical documents, photos, advertisements, maps, paintings, and more, the archives helped generate creative energy and inspiration for the brand buildout. Stories from OTF’s staff, seeing the space we were representing with fresh eyes, and grounding ourselves in the organization’s history made for a strengthened context as we designed.
Thanks to our visit to the archives, we brought back a decades-old icon, Dr. Oplet, and visually referenced old newspapers and retro fonts in the Friends of the Falls brand and layouts. We saw where OTF had been, where they are now, and we left feeling clarity around where they could go after launching their membership program.
“I appreciated the time WCA took to get to know us and our project,” said OTF project manager Mariella Lutz. Whether we’re right there with you or several states away, we love to ground our brand development in this kind of place- and time-based research.
Navigating a Pivot
We proceeded through our Creative Phases with OTF as we’ve done with other clients (you can read about how that goes in one of our blog posts). What made OTF’s process unique was how we smoothly navigated a change in scope. At the outset of the project, OTF requested a logo for their new Friends of the Falls membership program. As we moved through clarifying conversations with OTF’s team, we realized that designing a whole new logo might not meet the program needs. After thoughtful internal conversations during the mockup phase, we recommended a heavier emphasis on assets rather than a logo to bring Friends of the Falls to life. OTF agreed with this approach, and we were on our way.
Connecting the Community to Stewardship
The Olympia Tumwater Foundation now has an active membership program steadily gaining momentum as word spreads and more and more park lovers engage with it. Right away, OTF was comfortable using the graphics and fonts themselves for social media content, flyers, and more. Within a couple of months, eye-catching, easy-to-read signs popped up around the park featuring charming new icons and inviting visitors to become members.
We successfully organized and named the giving tiers based on moving water metaphors (starting at a “Droplet” tier and going all the way up to a “Cascade” tier). All level donors receive a branded membership sticker that gives them access to priority parking spaces, starting at just $10 per month.
Perhaps most exciting is the opportunity this creates for community members to come get their hands dirty as care for the park opens to a wider pool of volunteers. Renovations and developments are coming to the land around Tumwater Falls, and this initiative calls in the community to be a part of them. After upcoming renovations, the Friends of the Falls campaign will continue to support other stewardship initiatives at the park, including Native plant revival and maintenance through community-building volunteer opportunities.
This park is a cornerstone of natural beauty for families, youth, elders, locals, and visitors alike, and now they can all be Friends of the Falls.
