Turning a Bold Promise to Neurodivergent Students Into a $14.5 Million Public Campaign Launch

The Opportunity

Beacon College holds a distinction unlike any other institution in the country—it is the first college accredited to award bachelor’s degrees exclusively to students with learning disabilities, ADHD and other learning differences.

With enrollment climbing to historic levels, the college planned to launch a $12 million campaign (which later grew to $14.5 million) to build new facilities and fund scholarships for its growing student population.

With another record-breaking class set to arrive on campus in 2023, Beacon needed a campaign identity that could carry the full weight of its impact for students, families and supporters, and a communications strategy capable of activating the campaign brand.

Our Approach

Before a campaign name, logo or assets took shape, our team conducted exploratory interviews with college leadership, faculty, trustees, students and alumni. Through these interviews, “promise” surfaced repeatedly across stakeholder groups as the essence of Beacon’s campaign—not only the promise of an elevated education designed to meet unique needs, but also a commitment to prepare students for their bright futures.

From that insight, we named the campaign “The Beacon Promise” and worked with a graphic designer to build a visual identity that honored it, incorporating the college’s signature flame while aligning with its existing brand standards. The name and identity resonated immediately with every audience we tested it against, which gave us a strong foundation for work that followed.

With the campaign brand established, we then led development of a full suite of campaign materials including a case statement, campaign brochure, one-sheets for each of the three campaign priorities, an introductory video and a campaign website. Each piece was built to serve a specific audience and moment in the donor journey, not simply to exist as collateral.

For the public campaign launch, we developed a multi-channel strategy encompassing social media content, email marketing and media relations, anchored by an announcement secured in the Orlando Business Journal.

Our Impact

Beacon College surpassed key fundraising milestones ahead of schedule within months of the public campaign launch and established a new goal of $14.5 million.

The campaign launched publicly with support across all stakeholder groups, including college leadership, faculty, trustees, students and alumni, reflecting early internal alignment built through the discovery process.

A story by the Orlando Business Journal anchored the public campaign launch, extending its reach throughout the region’s business and philanthropic communities.

Results