3 Signs That It's Time to Hire a Creative Agency

Whether the events of the past year forced your social impact organization to go totally digital or you’re at a different crossroads, you may be scratching your head wondering where to go from here. You can no longer deny your need for branded digital experiences that will push your mission further, but there’s a creeping sense of we can’t solve this alone.

The good thing is you don’t have to. Working with a social impact creative agency can empower and position your organization for rapid, strategic change. But questions remain: When is the right time to involve an agency? And how do you know you’ve found the right social impact partner?

Though the answers are unique to each organization, one thing is certain. In your fight for change, involving a social impact creative agency gives your organization the tools it needs to make a statement, expand your reach, and scale to your full potential.

When is the Right Time to Work With a Creative Agency?

It’s clear when you need to ask for help from your supporters, like when you need a petition signed or a fundraiser organized. But when it comes to seeking an outside perspective for your creative projects? The answer is opaque.

The thing is, if you feel like your organization needs help, you probably do. But you can check that gut feeling against the following three scenarios:

• •
  You’re transforming. The events of 2020 were a collective inflection point for many organizations. Whether by choice or force, many pivoted to a digital-first model to circumvent the barriers to “normal” in-person engagements. If that was your organization and your head is still spinning with how to move forward, partnering with a creative agency is the right call.
  
  If your organization is aiming to launch new initiatives, or rapidly scale, those are good reasons too. Lastly, if you’re lucky enough to have secured funding to amplify your message, a social impact creative agency can ensure you make the most of your resources.
  
  At Cosmic, we’ve guided social impact organizations through campaign launches, brand overhauls, and the transformation from analog to digital.
  
  
• •
  You’re stuck. If your organization’s progress has stalled, you may find yourself needing new creative energy. Or maybe you’ve grown so much you no longer know how to explain what you do. A creative agency can give your brand a much-needed refresh, or provide an outside perspective on how to meet your organization’s goals.
  
  
• •
  You’re maxed out. Social impact organizations are well-known for having so much to do but so little time. By involving a creative agency, you can offload the heavy lifting of fully transforming to digital or crafting your next campaign from your already-at-capacity team. In the same vein, if your team lacks the expertise to shoulder the type of creative work you need to do (and hiring someone is off the table) bringing in a creative partner can turn your vision into reality. A creative agency partner will further ease your organization’s workload by driving the process, freeing your team to focus on the real work at hand.

For Effective Results, You Need A Creative Agency’s Holistic, Digital-First Strategy

If you find your organization in one of these spots, it is probably time to call in reinforcements with a special skill set. The right agency will jump in to move your marketing strategy forward.

Partnering with a creative agency for the first time can be exciting, emotional, and challenging. After all, the work you do is deeply important, both to you and to the world. You need an agency partner that understands where you're coming from — and is committed to stewarding and advancing your mission, too. Knowing what to expect can quell some anxiety when you’re on the search for a creative agency partner.

At Cosmic, we believe nonprofits and social enterprises should work with someone who takes a comprehensive approach to every creative project, from brand strategy to implementation. If your organization has complex problems to solve, this holistic approach supercharges your impact.

Our end goal is to give your organization the tools you need to be self-sustaining — so you can focus on changing the world for the better.

We approach each new project with empathy and curiosity. We come primed and ready to listen, engage, and find the best-fit solution for you.

Here's how:

1. 1.
   Start with a diagnostic. There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution, so our first order of business is to quickly uncover the details of your unique situation. A diagnostic is like a health checkup for your organization. It takes an integrated look at your branding, messaging, marketing, and communication efforts to analyze how (and if) they’re working to achieve your mission. You can expect a lot of questions, active listening, researching, and investigating during this process.
   
   In the end, the diagnostic provides your organization with a view of the overall effectiveness of your outreach and action-driving efforts. We also identify opportunities for revamping internal workflows to maximize your team’s efficiency. Our mission is to find your team’s capabilities and cultivate their capacity to create sustainable tools to achieve your organization’s goals well into the future.
   
   
2. 2.
   Focus on digital. Chances are you already have a digital presence of some kind, whether it’s a website or social media channels. We aim to centralize your entire digital presence into one sophisticated digital hub. This hub encompasses a robust website, a digital action center, and a digital media center. It could also include an education center or any other resource that would enable you to better connect with your supporters or customers. If your organization lacks a well-oiled donor management system (or a CRM), we will bring you up to speed to keep pace with today’s digital demands.
   
   
3. 3.
   Create a roadmap. Just as your organization has a plan for achieving your vision, we will give you a roadmap to achieve your fundraising, outreach, or other hard-earned goals. This roadmap provides a holistic look at each element your organization needs to be successful for the long haul — no one-and-done projects here. The end goal? To produce a sustainable revenue stream and long-term supporter engagement through a strategy composed of technology, content, and culture.

Complex Issues? Collaborate With Cosmic For Branded Digital Experiences that create real-world impact

We do our best work when we can fully get behind what our clients are doing. Rainforest conservation? Let’s tackle it. Climate action? Let's do it.

Cosmic sparks change through our expertise across many different causes and issue sectors. We remain at the vanguard of today’s trends with a strategic eye toward the future. And we believe we can always learn from other organizations, re-tooling best practices to solve each organization’s unique problem.

To work with Cosmic is to collaborate with a creative, supportive, and compassionate team that brings well-rounded perspectives to the table. Expect to work with:

• •
  A creative director to oversee your project’s vision and provide meaningful insights.
• •
  Impact strategists to maximize your brand’s ability to drive change.
• •
  A project manager to keep the project organized and everyone on track.
• •
  Designers to translate your brand story into a bespoke aesthetic.
• •
  Web developers to handle your tech stack and show you the ropes to do it on your own.
• •
  Content strategists writer to verbally paint a compelling narrative and communicate your impact story.

We work in sprints to drive the process with few disruptions, minimizing back-and-forth approvals and taking the load off your team. And we are all about employing a JAMstack approach, employing a range of tools that best serve your supporters. Plus, we develop all digital experiences in-house to bring you everything from strategy to implementation — and any support you need going forward.

Our big picture goal is to teach your organization how to build and sustain a robust digital presence, so you’re empowered to scale on your own. (Though we’re never far if you need a hand.)

As you work to create the change you so deeply believe in, your decision to partner with a social impact creative agency may be one of the most important investments you can make. If your organization is at a crossroads, let’s connect.

Together, we can transform your organization — so you can transform the world.