The debate over global warming appears to be over, with science definitively stating it is happening, and it is being caused by humans. Solutions to this pressing issue have been more forthcoming from our nation's local and state governments, and from the nonprofit sector. One enterprising nonprofit organization working hard to bring public awareness to both the problem and the solutions is GLICCC — Greater Long Island Clean Cities Coalition.
GLICCC, a program at LIFT (Long Island Forum for Technology), is dedicated to expanding the use of alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuels. They work with both businesses and municipalities throughout Long Island, helping them make the transition to cleaner burning alternative fuel vehicles to reduce harmful emissions. A fuel neutral organization, GLICCC can provide information and assistance with all alternative fuels including LPG, CNG, electricity, methanol, ethanol, HEV, and biodiesel.
A year and a half ago, GLICCC approached Fuelblue about creating a brand image for their organization. Andria Adler, the Program Coordinator, related to me that they had a difficult time proving their credibility to people who were unfamiliar with them. They rightly realized that their nonprofit was no different than the typical small business. Like the small business, they needed to attract customers — in their case, member organizations and municipalities with whom they can work. And also like the small business, they need to market themselves to organizations and city officials who do not yet know them.
Like any other client, we began with the logo. But unlike any other client, the GLICCC logo had to include the national Clean Cities Coalition logo within it. We decided to incorporate a lighthouse into the design to reflect the uniqueness of Long Island, and to set GLICCC apart from other Clean Cities organizations across the US. We also created a new web site and a quarterly e-newsletter, along with a plan for how best to implement these new tools and spread awareness of GLICCC's programs.
A little over a year, and four on-time newsletter issues later, I spoke with Andria to see what results she has seen for the organization.
“The web site has been a very good marketing tool for us,” she told me. “The concept of alternative fuels is hard for many people to grasp, so a lot of people use our site to learn more about the issues, as well as the programs we're promoting.”
One major plus Andria has noticed is that they've been able to clear the credibility hurdle that was once so daunting. “The logo and web site established instant credibility for us,” she noted. “We've been an established, reputable organization making great strides in alternative fuels for ten years. And now, we look the part.”
“Not only that,” she continued, “but more than one person has commented to me that they think the GLICCC site is one of the best looking and most informative Clean Cities web sites. Plus, our e-newsletter has gotten more popular and has increased readership each quarter so far.”
GLICCC is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and their annual conference Advancing the Choice: A Decade of Making a Difference will be held October 25, 2006 at the Huntington Hilton.
More information about the conference, and GLICCC's programs can be found on their web site.
