When the renowned Alberta art and culture museum, Glenbow, embarked on a fundraising campaign to renovate its building and transform public access to its collection and programs, we were thrilled to help.
For the aptly titled Glenbow Reimagined campaign, we began with a beautifully designed, yet traditional, printed case for support document outlining the need for a community-based fundraising campaign with the purpose to compel donors and funders to give.
It took the form of a perfect-bound book and digital PDF that leveraged the look of Glenbow’s new website while incorporating the museum brand’s distinct use of surprising colour combinations and bold shapes. We also made use of the organization’s collection of stunning visuals, integrating full-page photography and high-quality architectural renderings to provide the reader with a look into a Glenbow of the future.
With a $40 million community-fundraising goal, the case also required thoughtful layout choices to tell the story of what a transformed museum will provide Calgarians and people from across Canada and the world. We began by introducing Glenbow’s vision for the future, followed by clearly establishing the ask. Next, we outlined the five priority areas the campaign would fund, along with detailed explanations of each.
To demonstrate the Glenbow’s significance in the community and the broader Canadian arts and culture landscape, we layered in the inspiring stories of artists, members, donors and visitors. These stories were integrated as short sheets, providing the reader with an added layer of context.
Redefining a case for support
After a successful beginning to the campaign and with an upcoming lead gift announcement, it was time to leverage the national attention this generous $35 million donation from the family of JR Shaw would bring, and present the story of the Glenbow Reimagined campaign in a bold, compelling, and moving way – capturing public interest and energy as fundraising moved into a new level and final stretch.
Shifting the case for support from the printed page to the Glenbow website allowed us to evolve the story as the campaign has evolved. A scrolling “microsite” was assembled on the Glenbow website using the flexibility of the existing content blocks within the content management system. On that page, five primary themes and supporting videos connect with readers in different ways – each one punctuated with a call to donate and a direct link to the online donation form. That immediate path to donating in the moment is something obviously not available with the printed version.
The online case for support also meant we could make the new building come to life with a feature fly-through video in the banner, and the series of videos mentioned above highlighted key features, community connections, and benefits as shared by Glenbow staff, supporters, and donors.
While both the printed and digital case for support are just two parts in a suite of tools designed to inspire donors, the finished products effectively stand on their own to tell the story of Glenbow Reimagined and the incredible value a transformed cultural institution will unlock for our city.
To learn more about the campaign or get involved, please visit glenbow.org/reimagined.
