Opportunity Passport

The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative commissioned Basis to develop the Opportunity Passport to house financial basics for young adults exiting the foster care system. They wanted to use their passport, but didn’t want to attract attention by having one. Initial designs were focus-group tested and revised to arrive at the very basic design seen here. This design responded to requests for something “grown up” and not too flashy.

America Saves Online Outreach

The America Saves web site, as well as over 20 other local web sites, is managed via a custom designed and implemented content management system (CMS) created at Basis. The America Saves staff uses their CMS to create new local sites at the push of a button, then delegate management authority to administrators all around the country—a robust solution for a vigorous grassroots movement.

Military Saves Campaign

Basis developed this sub-brand and developed materials, both online and in print for Military Saves, a program of America Saves. By focusing on the unique military audience, we created a distinctive identity to work within the overall America Saves movement. This new identity enabled military personnel to reach their web presence, as well as a full suite of outreach and communication tools, conveniently and effectively. 

Afterschool Toolkit™

Basis worked alongside Corporate Voices for Working Families to develop a series of multimedia pieces to share best practices about after school care by connecting businesses to their communities and vice-versa. In essence, the effort helped all involved to achieve fiscally smart ideas together—assisting at-risk youth via job creation, fostering financial literacy, and increasing after school programs.  

EITC Toolkit™

Basis worked on the EITC Toolkit in an effort to get employers and employees to talk more about the Earned Income Tax Credit. Items in the toolkit engaged employees at every phase of their workday, from lunch rooms to payday.

One of the best-received components of the campaign was a series of frequently asked questions (and answers) printed on handy reference cards for line managers to use when answering employee inquiries. These cards were delivered with the same color codes as the information going out in paychecks, and thus inspired people to ask about the cards when they saw them hanging from their managers’ belts. Happily, both employer and employees benefitted financially from the campaign through increased employee loyalty and higher retention.

The Associated Press, The Chicago Sun Times, and The Washington Post have featured stories about the campaign, spurred by the toolkit developed by Basis, with the National Chamber of Commerce singling it out as “the best educational tool about EITC made.” As a result, the Chamber commissioned Basis to develop toolkits for every member of the U.S. Congress. We worked closely with Corporate Voices for Working Families, an Annie E. Casey-funded nonprofit, to develop the kit.

The National Tax Assistance for Working
Families Campaign

A nationwide network of volunteer-run centers were a key part of this communications effort. All materials were developed so that the local groups could tailor each of the pieces to their specific needs. One of the most frequently used elements in the toolkit was the "palm card". They were often passed out, one by one, at the entrances to supermarkets and bus stations—increasing the number and variety of people helped by the volunteers. Basis worked with The Hatcher Group to create this campaign, which was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  

Family Economic Success Logo and Booklets

The essence of this campaign was to distribute factual information more effectively to academic and research sources. Basis helped by developing a friendly and easily understood logo, and by designing body templates for reports and publications.

The Working Poor Families web site and the State EITC web site

As with many movements to increase awareness and inspire change, an easy-to-use, accessible, and clearly presented web site is essential. Basis has developed over 150 web sites, many of which focus on financial awareness topics and initiatives. The State EITC site features a bevy of recent communication tools that have proven so popular with today's web 2.0 trends.

Fairfax - Falls Church Community Homelessness Campaign

A number of local nonprofits and organizations have asked Basis to provide a unique way to bring attention to their collective campaign addressing the problem homelessness. The brand was required to instill a sense of urgency, yet at the same time not alarm or create fear. To tackle this nuanced objective, our branding team created a concept of “take note” that filtered through all the campaign materials, both online and in print. The message underlined the importance of being aware of the currnet financial crisis and its effect on housing. Through this subtle and educational approach, citizens were encouraged to be proactive, which included contacting county officials regarding an upcoming vote. As a result, with the aid of downloads from the campaign’s web site, numerous petitions were created within the community, and the new bill was passed—helping many in dire financial need. See more >