Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire unveiled a fresh look this month.
The Santa Ana branch of the country’s largest youth mentoring nonprofit changed its logo and introduced new colors and messaging for the organization—which is one of more than 270 Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates.
The modernized branding was meant to help bring awareness and increase local volunteer recruitment.
“We currently have over 500 Littles waiting to be matched with a mentor and there is an ever-growing, urgent need for volunteers who want to create positive change in their community,” said Sloane Keane, OC and Inland Empire’s chief executive.
First announced last year by the Tampa, Fla.-based organization, the rebranding was spearheaded by Kansas City, Mo.-based firm Barkley. Several months of research included focus groups with everyone from potential to current mentors, donors, staff, and leadership.
The results showed the organization was failing to connect effectively with younger, prospective mentors and sharing the nonprofit’s mission with the public.
Barkley designed the organization’s logo, with input from its affiliate network, and modernized it to a letter “B” in two colors to give the illusion of a lowercase “b” in white, symbolizing its Little or youth, and the green lines complete the upper portion of the capital “B” to showcase the Big, or mentor, who empowers the Little’s potential.
Changes go beyond the new logo. There are plans to upgrade its technology for tracking programs and mentoring relationships, as well as investing in training for staff, leaders, parents, and volunteers.
“Our new messaging, our new look, our new energy, will fuel our movement so we can serve more children across the country,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and Chief Executive Pam Iorio in a statement.
