In the last 15 years Triangle Community Foundation has doubled in size. We want to continue that trajectory and are excited to launch our next phase of growth. 2023 marks the end of our most recent strategic plan, and seemed a natural time to assess our brand and messaging, which we did initially via a survey to the community. The results of that survey helped us move into a formal exercise to refresh the language and vision that describes our work and to inform new messaging, a new logo, and a new strategic direction. We gathered a committee of 15 members, consisting of staff, donors, grantees, professional advisors, and community partners, and over the course of three sessions and several hours of work in between, the committee gained some unique understanding and insights about who Triangle Community Foundation is. We learned we are connectors, paving the way for change, and we share knowledge and inspiration along the way. Specifically:
- One of our biggest strengths is our longstanding history in the Triangle region, and the relationships we have built to understand the most pressing issues that impact our community.
- Another strength and role that we play is our ability to convene all types of community stakeholders to address a problem.
- We learned the significance of the Triangle being our home and how important it is for us to invest here.
- We fly under the radar, and have an opportunity to come to the forefront, not for recognition but so others can see us as a true partner/resource in addressing the Triangle’s most pressing needs and opportunities.
Along the way, we used some psychology to clarify our identity: the set of 12 archetypes that come from the personality analysis work of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. The committee was challenged to personify the Foundation and identify which archetype felt the most like our organization. The archetype the entire committee agreed upon was the Sage. For the Sage, success centers around gathering information and pursuing the truth. Specifically, the Sage believes “that by gathering reliable, factual information and sharing it with others, we can make the world a better place.”
The committee concluded their work by developing a positioning statement, and we moved forward to the next stage of our branding process - the visualization of our brand and image. Our logo designer introduced us to the concept of Sacred Geometry and the Seed of Life pattern, which informed one of her design concepts. When we learned the Seed of Life pattern is also known as the symbol of the Sage, it brought the whole process full circle (no pun intended!). Drawing on the interdependence found in nature, we see this geometric pattern as representing the Foundation’s interconnected approach to building a stronger and more vibrant Triangle community.
We feel this new logo encapsulates what has come before, who we are today, and who we aim to be in the future, and are excited to further explore how this new identity will help us move into the next phase as we complete the strategic planning process.