Think of us as your “virtual” marketing and strategy department.
Initial branding and launches. Market research and analysis. Content strategy and user experience. Communications and marketing program management. Strategic planning and measurement.
We develop marketing communications and organizational strategies that help organizations develop, grow, and thrive.
Communications. Strategy. Brainpower.
Services
Using a team of senior subject matter experts, Crainium develops marketing communications and organizational strategies for nonprofits and emerging organizations. No matter what the assignment, we work to establish a win-win approach that meets your organization’s goals and budget.
Marketing Communications
- Branding and corporate identity
- Full-service marketing communications
- Content development & strategy
- Development and fundraising
Strategic Planning
- Market research and feasibility studies
- Go-to-market strategy
- Program development
- Project management
- Performance measurement
Organizational Development
- Corporate culture and leadership coaching
- User experience and customer engagement
- Vision casting and value formation
- Workshop development and facilitation
Approach
We take a four-step approach to problem solving.
Discover
Every assignment begins with a kickoff meeting which informs our intensive discovery process. We get to know your organization—inside out and outside in. We talk with your leadership, your staff, your customers, your partners, and sometimes, even your competitors. We review your strategic plans, key documents, prior activities, and outcomes. We study your market and industry trends.
Planning
Next, we develop an action plan. We work to establish clear and consistent goals, messaging, workplans, and performance measures. Our experience includes a wide range of activities, including organizational positioning and new launches, SWOT and root cause analysis, market research, segmentation, and more. Deliverables take the form of planning documents—business plans, strategic plans, marketing plans, project plans—that are revised from your source documents or built from the ground up.
Implementation
Even the best plans easily fall short with poor execution. That’s why we pride ourselves on putting together teams that deliver your desired results. Once your plan is in place, we perform as much, or as little, of the execution as you need. If you don’t have in-house resources, we can act as your implementation team or outsourced marketing and strategy department. If you do have internal staff, we can act as a supervisory or supplemental team, providing consultative or specialized support.
Evaluation
You’ve heard the adage “what gets measured gets managed.” Well, we start and end each project with a clear set of expectations and goals, and we set key performance indicators that can be measured periodically and over time. We want to know how you define success—and then we work to measure it, again and again. Evaluation is the “wash, rinse, repeat” cycle of strong programs and healthy organizations.
Work
Nothing gets us more excited than sharing our clients’ stories—and sharing in their successes.
ForbesBooks
Create a world-class website—fast
AIM Initiative
Introduce an innovative tool to help those affected by neglected tropical diseases
FaithBridge Foster Care
Launch brand and meet evolving organizational needs
News University
Generate buzz and maintain momentum
In addition, team members have collaborated with many other great organizations—too many to name, in fact. Here are just a few that we have served individually or collectively.
FaithBridge Foster Care
Georgia Bio
James S. and John L. Knight Foundation
NewsU / The Poynter Institute
Task Force for Global Health
The Coca-Cola Company
TMS Global
Team
Get to know us.
Susan Crain, CCNL — Founder and Managing Principal
Crainium Consortium
Simply put, Crainium Consortium is our brain trust.
Our work is made possible through a best-in-class cadre of senior practitioners, each with more than 20 years’ experience in their areas of expertise.
Each sharpens their talents both within, and outside of, their consulting work with Crainium. We’re a group who believes in lifelong learning and giving back. Each of us hopes to make a meaningful difference, professionally and personally, in our communities and world.
Meet our core team—and rest assured, we have other bright minds that contribute when needed.
Karen Caswell, MBA — Business Analyst and Market Researcher
Kathleen Turaski — Creative Director and Graphic Designer
