SAE Foundation
From One Annual Report to a 36% Increase in First-Time Donors
When your organization is doing life-changing work, your brand should reflect it.
Major donors were asking whether the students in SAE Foundation's materials were real. That question located the problem exactly.
SAE Foundation was reaching millions of students. But for years, the assumption was that the Foundation needed to mirror its parent organization, SAE International. Corporate blues, stock photography, and generic iconography defined the brand. None of it looked like the students building things, the educators guiding them, or the industry professionals giving their time to make it happen.
That gap had a direct cost. Donors couldn't see the work. When they asked if the students were real, it was clear the brand wasn't just dated. It was actively working against the mission.
Services provided:
Creative Direction
Brand Story
Marketing Strategy
SEO/SEM
What the Donor Question Revealed
We rebuilt the annual report from the ground up. What had been a static year-end recap became a story-driven piece with a clear arc, strong visual direction, and creative that actually reflected the people SAE Foundation existed to serve.
The donor question didn't just identify a visual problem. It identified a trust problem. A report that showed real students doing real work was the fastest way to start closing it.
From an Annual Report Update to a New Brand Standard
From there we developed a full storytelling strategy and a brand guide that set a specific standard for what the brand should look and sound like, regardless of who was doing the work. We defined the boilerplate language, established what good brand photography and videography actually looked like, and set concrete examples for social content that could guide anyone working with the brand.
Teachers noticed the shift immediately. Donors stopped asking if the students were real.
65%
increase in social engagement
36%
increase in first-time donors
17%
increase in total online donations
56%
increase in number of companies giving, 2021-2022
$868K+
increase in corporate gifts, 2021-2025
30
companies have given four or more years
“I engaged with Deep Varnish on a range of projects including brochure development, photography and videography, SEO, collateral design, annual giving optimization, social media and email strategy, and a full website and brand redesign. Shawn was an exceptional partner throughout. He built strong relationships with our staff, took time to deeply understand our organization, and consistently approached the work as if it were his own. His innovative thinking and thoughtful approach gently pushed our organization beyond its comfort zone in ways that ultimately strengthened our fundraising and advanced our mission. I would highly recommend Shawn and Deep Varnish to any organization seeking a creative, strategic, and truly invested partner.”