The Issues

ORT America (OA) is the American fundraising arm of World ORT and primarily supports educational programs in Israel. OA was perceived as a dead organization, one your grandmother may have been a member of. They had never had a national advertising campaign, and materials were inconsistent from chapter to chapter because of a lack of a clear central communications department. The organization had a twice annual magazine that did not concentrate on the organization mission. And the website was sorely out of date.

The Solutions

Advertising - As Director of Communications and marketing, Sarina Roffé immediately had a vision for change and, based on her prior experience at Jewish National Fund, understood the need for an ongoing advertising presence. She was able to obtain budget approval for a national advertising campaign that immediately spurred OA into the limelight.

Branding – Sarina Roffé issued branding guidelines on the use of the logo to OA’s hundreds of chapters.

Organization Mission – Since the magazine did not focus on the organization mission, Sarina Roffé recommended that it be replaced by a print newsletter to disseminate information about OA’s work. Three times a year the newsletter was mailed to members. Each issue included a major feature, and sections devoted to regions, major donors and projects. In no time, members indicated that they felt like they had more information. Buy in for the organization increased, as did donations!

Website - A new website was launched along with a monthly electronic newsletter that provided information to donors about ORT programs and had anecdotes about the ways the organization's work was impacting individuals in 70 countries.