One of the themes coming off of last month’s Y-Conference was the idea that doing good can be good for business. With our ability as communicators and designers, we have the opportunity to magnify the efforts of nonprofits.

Over the next few months we’ll feature the efforts of some local members, asking the hows and whys behind their relationships. We’ll start by talking with Chris Chase, principal of Chase Design. This spring, his firm worked with Casa De Amistad, a nonprofit organization that serves Latino children and their families in coastal North County San Diego by offering tutoring and after school programs.

Tell us about your studio.

Chris Chase: Chase Design has been in business for ten years. We’re a team of six people and work with a regular group of freelancers as well.

How did you get involved with Casa de Amistad?
We’ve done the occasional pro bono piece but nothing as large as our new campaign for Casa de Amistad. One of our clients volunteers with Casa de Amistad and sits on their board. She asked me if we would be interested in helping market their large annual fundraiser. We’ve been in business for a while and we’re in a pretty good spot, so I figured this would be a good way for us to give back a little.

How did you establish the scope of the project?
When we took on the project, I asked how much creative freedom we would get. We had to run it by the board but our client said she would be an advocate. I said we would provide two rounds of revisions to the chosen concept. Due to time constraints, we had to work with an existing logo.

How did you run the project internally?
We set up our Casa de Amistad project up into our workflow and put a project manager on it like any of our paying clients.

What was one of the benefits of taking on this project?
We found this to be a great opportunity to bond with our client outside of our normal duties. Our client is also treating our firm with tickets to the gala event, so this will be a fun opportunity for the entire company.

How did your staff enjoy the experience?
This was a great opportunity to let some of our team members take the ball and run with it. They were able to oversee all the elements of a campaign and take on new responsibilities. We look forward to continuing to work with Casa de Amistad in the future.

What are your experiences do pro bono work? Do you have any insights to share?