Campaigning for BPI’s next 50 years

On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, BPI (Business and Professional People for the Public Interest) invited Jell to help the organization increase its visibility, energize its current base, re-engage former constituents, attract younger supporters, and generate major funding support.

BPI is well known within public policy and social justice circles, most notably for a landmark public housing case it brought before the Supreme Court in 1976 and won, with dramatic repercussions. Historically, however, BPI had worked mostly behind the scenes, rather than seeking broad public name recognition or a high profile in the media.

Initial planning for the anniversary focused on a series of events leading up to a splashier-than-usual gala dinner. It soon became clear that the potential for fundraising could be considerably greater beyond the constraints of a few events. Jell proposed a different approach than had been originally envisioned.

Rather than focusing entirely on fundraising at the anniversary gala, we recommended development of a campaign with its own branding and the flexibility to be marketed to a much wider audience, possibly even outliving the anniversary itself.

We created separate but closely related visual identities for “BPI50” (the anniversary) and a major public-facing fundraising campaign we dubbed “Strive for Equity.”

Centered on the theme “A Tale of Two Cities,” the campaign focused on BPI’s goals for the future, but still offered sufficient historical context to explain and celebrate the significance of the 50-year-old organization.

Our work included event planning, a case statement for the campaign, a campaign packet, a campaign microsite, and a series of “Real Stories” videos spotlighting individuals whose lives were touched by BPI.

Invitations to the 50th Anniversary Celebration Dinner, featuring keynote speaker Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot, landed in mailboxes soon after her election.