By Aaron Price, Marketing Management Diploma student

Non-profit organizations face significant challenges when it comes to financial resources, volunteer support and community recognition. These organizations are often the last stop for people who have fallen on hard times. For Douglas College Marketing Management Diploma students, the Envision Financial Douglas College Community Building practicum program gives us the opportunity to work with local non-profit organizations in getting them noticed, finding the right financial support and growing their volunteer base. Envision Financial provides the budget for these non-profit organizations, so we (the marketing students at Douglas College) can create fantastic content for our clients.

Our first project, the Surrey Food Bank, was a resounding success. We helped design volunteer nametags that read, “I have been a volunteer since [year]”, which helped volunteers and visitors make connections and build relationships. This tiny addition became a revolution that swept across multiple food banks in British Columbia.

“We didn’t really have a great idea how to brand ourselves; we specifically chose our volunteer program because we have over 400 volunteers, and a very small staff, so the volunteers are the face of our food bank,” says Feezah, executive director of the Surrey Food Bank.

We were able to help inspire the food bank to make further changes, including branded aprons that created a sense of teamwork among the volunteers and made them easily identifiable to visitors, and revamping the break room so volunteers felt valued.

At the Eagle Ridge Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop, we created the slogan “Shop Save Support” to better communicate the shop’s role within the community. We also created reusable bags that serve the dual purpose of reducing waste and raising awareness of the thrift shop.

Kathy Gallagher, Branch Manager of Coquitlam Envision Financial, says she is impressed with students’ work and the ongoing benefit we provide to the communities where we are working.

“Every year we think we’ve reached the top impact in our communities, but every time we are blown away,” she says.

The future will only bring more projects and students together to benefit B.C. organizations. Follow Envision Financial at Douglas on Facebook to see what other amazing projects we’re working on.

For more information about the program and a behind the scenes look, watch this short video.