Portfolio

International event communications

For this client, we developed and led all communications needs for a two-day international research conference that attracted more than 200 high-level attendees who worked in higher education, industry, NGOs and government and who represented Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, North America, South America and the Middle East. This included managing email marketing campaigns, building website content, editing and writing speaker bios, creating the event program, building event Powerpoint presentations, drafting all scripts, managing media relations, and managing social media promotions.

Brand development & execution of state-wide marketing campaignS

SC2 Strategic Communications served as the account manager ScholarShare 529, California’s Official College Savings Plan, leading the branding team as it executed several state-wide marketing initiatives including the ScholarDollars grant program that awarded more than $300,000 to K-8 schools throughout California. Additionally, SC2 Strategic Communications developed and led the execution a new sub-brand for ScholarShare 529 to help target HR professionals and college savings in the workplace. This sub-brand, Be an HR Hero, helped ScholarShare529 more than double its business with this important segment of the market.

Donor relations management & consulting

SC2 Strategic Communications provided consultative services to help Christian Brothers High School launch the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the school’s history. Services included conceptualizing the campaign kick-off event, editing solicitation letters and campaign announcements, drafting executive communications and event scripts, and providing donor relations and volunteer management support.

major gift publicity

Warren Winiarski, the vintner who put Napa Valley on the map by winning the 1976 Tasting of Paris, made a multi-million-dollar donation to the UC Davis Library—the largest gift to the library to date. The library entrusted SC2 Strategic Communications with writing and publicizing this story to announce the this gift, which was picked up by local and national media alike.

Multi-Media presentation for fundraising campaign launch

The UC Davis College of Engineering was on the cusp of embarking on a multi-million-dollar fundraising campaign for a new design center for its students and wanted to announce the project to key donors and volunteer leaders at an upcoming event in a manner that resonated beyond a faculty member’s presentation. SC2 Strategic Communications successfully created a multi-media presentation and wrote corresponding scripts that wowed, inspired and excited donors, and set the college on the right track toward achieving its fundraising goals.

magazine production

San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, California wanted to launch a new magazine to engage and inform its alumni, donors, parents and friends. With their expertise in magazine production, SC2 Strategic Communications led the client through creative concerting, editorial development and design production. Additionally, SC2 Strategic Communications wrote all the content for the publication—everything from news briefs to profile stories to feature stories.

Writing “Buzz” & SEO-worthy website content

As part of a web migration project, UC Davis’ Division of Student Affairs hired SC2 Strategic Communications to help rewrite hundreds webpages, merge content from two websites and update copy to optimized for search engines. SC2 Strategic Communications not only executed this project in a tight timeline with minimal oversight, but also helped craft content in a way that helped enhance the organization’s brand and speak to its target audience.

Serving Small Businesses

New Clairvaux Vineyard came to SC2 Strategic Communications when they needed a fresh pair of eyes for content related to a new product launch and that was going on thousands of wine labels. Not only did SC2 Strategic Communications make sure all their “I”s were dotted and “T”s were crossed, but we also provided grammar suggestions that both improved the readability of the message and ensured the authenticity of the original content was upheld.

Media relations / elevator speech training

Being interviewed by a member of the media can be a nerve-racking experience, especially when cameras are involved. It also can be a powerful opportunity for you and your company. Having worked in news media and served as public relations specialist, SC2 Strategic Communications can provide you with tricks-of-the-trade that will allow you to make the most of any earned media opportunity. In addition to making you more comfortable with the media, it is a skill that is transferrable for use at donor visits and engagement events. Through our half-day media and elevator speech trainings, we’ve helped numerous clients, such as the Yolo Crisis Nursery, become confident speaking in front of a camera and ready to go on their next donor visit.

People Profiles

Short, compelling stories about people—they can be a compelling way to humanize a brand, engage a target audience and show how your company is providing an important service to your clientele. The UC Davis Library hired SC2 Strategic Communications to write dozens of staff and donor profiles as it relaunched its main website and elevated its brand identity. Through this project, SC2 Strategic Communications interviewed key donors and leadership, and wrote short bios and engaging profiles to personify important communication strategy points for the library. We also rewrote existing stories to help bring continuity to the website and helped the client save money. Prior to starting SC2 Strategic Communications, Sarah also managed and edited a massive, 100-donor-stories project for UC Davis to help celebrate the successful conclusion of the university’s $1 billion fundraising campaign.