Building a Unified Voice for a Mission Rooted in India

The team we’ve built with Sue and Kate brings a rare combination of clarity, care and creativity.

— Colleen G.

The Client

AIM for Seva USA is the U.S.-based fundraising arm supporting the work of AIM for Seva India, an organization committed to empowering the underserved children in rural India through education and holistic support.

With 27 volunteer-led chapters across the country and just a handful of paid staff, the organization relies on donor generosity to build and run student hostels, called free student homes, and educational institutions, which provide academic, emotional and material support to children who otherwise wouldn’t have access to a formal education.

By 2019, the organization had grown significantly – but their marketing tools hadn’t kept pace. The website offered only a basic overview, messaging was minimal, and chapters were creating their own materials without unified guidance or design. AIM for Seva needed to communicate their mission more clearly and connect more deeply with donors and volunteers.

How It All Started

That same year, a colleague introduced AIM for Seva to Colleen Greene of Greene Marketing for help developing a capabilities brochure. As the project took shape, it became clear that the needs went beyond a single piece.

Colleen brought in Sharper Creative to collaborate on design and execution, and the creative partnership began to grow. What began as a brochure became the beginning of a lasting collaboration – one grounded in mutual trust, strategic thinking, and a shared commitment to the mission.

What We Did

From the beginning, it was clear that AIM for Seva needed more than a brochure. To inspire donors, engage volunteers, and communicate impact clearly, the organization needed stronger messaging, a more cohesive voice, and a more intentional visual identity.

We started with deep discovery – immersing ourselves in the mission, understanding the story behind the name, and learning how the U.S. team connects with the work on the ground in India. That foundation guided everything that followed.

The original website, while functional, didn’t fully capture the depth of the organization’s impact or offer a clear path for engagement. We rebuilt it from the ground up to align with the new messaging and serve as a true digital companion to the print materials.

From there, the work grew to include chapter resources, fundraising tools, annual outreach campaigns and more – all unified under a single brand voice that reflects the compassion, care and cultural richness of AIM for Seva’s mission.

Kate Schaffner plays a pivotal role in this collaboration. A trusted partner to both Sharper Creative and Greene Marketing, Kate has worked with our teams since 2004. For AIM for Seva, she serves as lead strategist, lead writer, and main point of contact – ensuring the organization’s voice is clear, compassionate and consistent across every platform. Her deep understanding of the mission, paired with her ability to translate complex ideas into meaningful language, has made her truly invaluable to this work.

Tagline Spotlight

As part of the broader brand work for AIM for Seva, we explored new tagline options that could better reflect the depth and intention of the organization’s mission. The goal was to capture both the immediate impact on individual children and the long-term effect education has on families, communities and rural India as a whole.

Chosen Tagline

Transforming rural India, one child at a time.

Highlights the powerful connection between individual lives changed today and long-term impact across the nation.

This final line was chosen because it balances scale and intimacy. It reinforces that meaningful change begins with one child, while clearly pointing to the broader impact AIM for Seva is making throughout rural India.

Optional Taglines Presented

Raising children. Raising up a nation.

“Raising” captures the full scope of how AIM for Seva serves children, while also reflecting how the work lifts both individuals and the nation toward greater well-being and opportunity.

Raising the future for rural India.

Refers both to raising the children of rural India and to strengthening the nation’s future through education.

Nurture. Educate. Empower.

A concise expression that reflects the full breadth and depth of AIM for Seva’s impact.

Turning poverty into possibility.

Communicates the transformational nature of the work by showing how education opens doors and changes life trajectories.

Key Messaging

TAGLINE
Transforming rural India, one child at a time.

BRAND POSITIONING
AIM for Seva connects U.S. donors with a powerful opportunity – to change a child’s life through the gift of education. Through its network of free student homes and educational institutions across India, the organization offers holistic support to underserved children – from schooling and tutoring to shelter and meals – so they can reach their full potential. With 27 volunteer-run chapters in the U.S., AIM for Seva is driven by compassion, powered by community, and committed to creating generational change in India’s most rural areas.

BRAND PERSONALITY
Mission-Driven / Compassionate / Grounded / Dedicated / Transformational / Heartfelt

What We Delivered

Tagline
Capabilities Brochure
Website & Ongoing Updates
Annual Mini-Brochures
Vidyalaya Program Brochure
Annual Donor Appeal Letters
Remittance Envelope
Annual Holiday Cards
Annual COO Report to Donors
Annual Report
Emails
Print Ads
Messaging & Content Development
Photography & Videography Support
Retractable Banners
PowerPoint Presentations
Volunteer Business Cards

The Results

Our collaborative work has helped AIM for Seva build a professional, cohesive brand that reflects the depth of its mission and the dedication of its people. Volunteers now have access to tools that support their outreach and make engagement easier – while still allowing room for local customization and creativity.

The message is clear, the presence is polished, and the brand is trusted – both internally and externally. The work continues as AIM for Seva expands its reach and deepens its impact across the U.S. and India.

“Working with Sue and Kate helped AIM for Seva tell its story in a way that truly supports fundraising. The messaging and materials we’ve developed together help donors understand the mission and give volunteers what they need to confidently represent the organization.

The materials created are used across chapters to support outreach, donor communication and ongoing fundraising, from large events to smaller, local efforts. Having everything aligned around the same message has made a meaningful difference in how the organization shows up and how supporters engage with the mission.”