Fully recognized innovative activities are fully valued

As a non-profit society, the BC Dispute Resolution Practicum Society (DRPS) was facing increasing pressure on their funding & resources. Despite having designed & delivered some of the most innovative programs & services to the community, DRPS found themselves struggling with the fact that these innovative activities were not being recognized by their stakeholders in terms of funding & resource support. While DRPS’ efforts were valued to the extent that they were mandated to offer even more, they were repeatedly required to justify their existence over & over again to their sponsors.

Having recently refreshed their mandate, DRPS recognized the opportunity to create a new identity as the basis of a messaging platform that could reliably support DRPS’ performance and service delivery objectives over the next few years.

Looking for an innovative approach, DRPS engaged Ascent to help translate their vision & mission into a new image and messaging in a way that powerfully communicated the full value of their programs & services – internally and externally – especially on the DRPS website. DRPS understood that this new image & messaging would be a critical strategic tool in sustaining the resources necessary to continue creating & delivering innovative programs & services.

The Engagement

When we first spoke with the DRPS management team, one of the first things we noticed right away was that the team had an extraordinary passion for offering quality dispute resolution training and developing new resolution approaches. Another realization we shared was that while DRPS’ current messaging was based on a service user’s perspective, it had little relevance for their stakeholders; they found it difficult to see how all DRPS’ great work was relevant to the various stakeholders’ organizations. So through a series of workshops designed to help DRPS identify and package the value they deliver to both their clients and stakeholders, we:

• Designed the core concept of DRPS’ positioning. Translating their vision & mission into a consistent Value Promise & framework with supporting key messages, we integrated it as their new foundation for both internal & external communications.
• Created a new name to help DRPS effectively signal the change in their organization’s positioning while maintaining the values that DRPS continues to uphold. Working with both web & graphic designers to ensure consistent user experiences, we designed DRPS’ new website information architecture, usability requirements and appropriate thematic elements aligned with their Value Promise
• Developed Stakeholder Value Propositions and unique messaging tailored for each funding stakeholder, coupled with specific strategies for clearly communicating DRPS’ core positioning to each of the stakeholders in their own language.

Results

• Re-energized morale and inspired the leadership team and staff to continue creating new & innovative approaches to delivering value.
• Positively shifted relationships with stakeholders into visibly improved cooperation & collaboration among program delivery partners.
• Within one year of the new positioning, DRPS’ funding sources directed a sister organization to merge into DRPS, doubling their funding base & resources and increasing their capabilities to fulfill their vision.