The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation was seeking to create a legacy giving program to add an additional offering to its suite of ways donors can support the Stollery. Stollery wanted to better understand the planned giving market and asked us to help them create an inspiring, reliable call for people to join the new program.
Incite developed a comprehensive brand strategy that included both visual and messaging tools and recommendations that their internal team could implement in the future. Upon extensive research, we named the legacy program the Great Bear Society. Using the Great Bear and Little Bear constellations, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, as inspiration for the name, we were able to align their symbolism of health and protection to the Foundation’s iconic teddy bear to create a unique story of how one can have a positive impact even after they are gone.
Additional research also allowed us to identify the high level of discomfort people experience when discussing death. We knew we had to create a story that made talking about this subject matter—and asking for this type of bestowment—easier for all parties involved.
Within the first six months of the Great Bear Society’s inception, the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation was able to confirm $10M in legacy donations. Equally important, it has created a welcoming platform that enables people to talk openly about a difficult subject—providing comfort and peace in knowing their legacy donations will make a positive difference to many children and their families.
