How we helped Access Ventures tell the story of their impact in 2021
Render planned, produced, and marketed a year in review for Access Ventures that showcased how the private-operating foundation was building a more inclusive and creative economy.
Access Ventures is a private operating foundation based in Louisville, KY with a mission to build a more inclusive and creative economy.
Through their $60MM+ fund, they fulfill this mission by investing with a one-pocket mindset that rejects the bifurcation of doing good and doing well. Access Ventures believes that you don’t need to separate your values from your money and instead encourages others to follow their path towards 100% mission-aligned investments.
The Problem
Access Ventures’ biggest asset is also one of their biggest challenges: the depth and breadth of their investments. Through their one-pocket mindset, Access Ventures has built a diverse portfolio of investments that includes a great variety of asset classes, industry focus, and portfolio companies. From equity investments in blockchain technology to small business loans; from SaaS startups to podcasts, all of Access Ventures’ activities contribute to building a more inclusive and creative economy.
Given the diversity in Access Ventures’ investment portfolio and programmatic activities, the challenge was to tell a cohesive story about the impact of Access Ventures’ activities in 2021 that accurately reflects their substantial impact while keeping their stakeholders engaged in one single overarching storyline that connects these assets to the vision.
"Access Ventures is a 501c3, and it's important to transparently report on the things we have accomplished throughout the year. The annual report is a way for us to showcase our team, our partners, and our collective impact. It's also a way to build trust in our ability to execute with future partners as we seek to expand our work over the years."
Bryce Butler, Access Ventures Managing Director
Planning and Wireframing
We worked with Access Ventures months in advance of publication to establish the audience and goals of the annual report. We built an outline with their team that identified the biggest moments of their year and simplified the story by breaking down the wide range of work they do into six digestible sections. We then took this outline and created visual wireframes to help organize and develop the initial design of the document.
Content and Design
With our outline and wireframe established, we developed copy, pulled stats, and captured stories to bring the narrative to life. We used this content to design a custom, 20-page downloadable PDF from scratch that matched the quality of work the Access Ventures’ team is doing and carried the audience through the case of how they are building a more inclusive and creative economy.
Publication and Distribution
We built a custom-designed webpage that shared an overview of the report and included an embedded form for easy download. We created social media, digital advertising, and email campaigns to grow the audience for their report and achieve more downloads.
“I have done several projects with multiple outside firms for our annual report or case studies and this was by far the easiest and most seamless process. I knew what was needed from me and when...and I never felt rushed. The end product as well was amazing!”
Bryce Butler, Access Ventures Managing Director
The Results
20-page custom-designed annual report
Informed and delighted board, investors, and public
Built out improved process and management to be used for future reports
