Family Reach is a financial lifeline for families fighting cancer. Brafton works with Family Reach to develop pro bono creative work and to support their marketing initiatives.
We’ve proudly been part of their team since 2015, but this year we wanted to take it step further. As our charity of the year, Family Reach is a valued member of the Brafton team, too.
The origin story
How did it all start? The partnership began when a Brafton writer’s Brafterlife led her to working on the marketing team at Family Reach.
When she reached out to Brafton for content marketing advice, we realized that Family Reach needed – and deserved – way more than a few tidbits of advice delivered via phone or email. Pitched to the execs in April 2015, Brafton decided without hesitation to take on Family Reach as a pro bono client.
Ready to dive into their world, we learned all we could about who they are, what they do and how they help families. From there, Brafton’s creative team designed this animation for a concise representation of their powerful work.
The idea was to help Family Reach tell their story.
“Brafton took a process that we struggled to explain and boiled it down into an engaging, informative video that really translated the value of our services to our community,” said Rosie Cunningham, Director of Partnerships and Marketing at Family Reach.
What they do
While families worry about making doctor’s appointments, following treatment plans and updating loved ones, Family Reach helps them overcome the financial aspects of cancer.
When families are faced with what feels like impossible financial decisions, Family Reach provides direct support for housing, transportation and utilities. The team also works with families to understand the medical and non-medical costs of cancer, coaching them on how to maximize insurance coverage and use savings effectively.
Their content needs to reach two different audiences – both cancer patients and their families – to drive home a central message: Family Reach offers relief from the stigma associated with the financial burden of cancer.
To relay that message, Family Reach needs to provide informative, reliable and clear information that’s professional, polished and accessible to cancer patients and their families.
What we do
Brafton helps Family Reach with what we do best: digital storytelling and content marketing.
In a review of Brafton, Family Reach Chief Executive Officer Carla Tardif stated,“I love the way Brafton thinks, and I love the way they make us think.”
The Brafton team has since produced graphic design work, videos and animations to support their messaging. And formatted one-pagers help the Family Reach team recruit new members during peer-to-peer programs.
“Brafton has provided us with professional, quality content that has really increased our credibility and elevated our brand,” Rosie explained.
As a national organization, Family Reach serves thousands of patients each year.
“Thanks to Brafton, we now have the videos, one-pagers and resources to back up our leadership and national presence – in the health care industry and beyond,” Rosie said.
Driving results
A point of pride for both teams is the Family Reach Financial Handbook – an educational tool to empower families to advocate for their financial health while fighting cancer.
The guide overviews potential financial challenges and roadblocks, suggests where and how to seek support and highlights advice from those who have benefited from Family Reach’s help.
As the first piece of educational content Family Reach was set to publish, Brafton’s designers worked closely with their team to make sure the layout and design were exactly what they needed.
Since its publication, the handbook has been translated into Spanish and distributed to more than 6,000 patients and caregivers nationwide.
“That’s 6,000 people who are now more empowered to speak up and ask for help when they are experiencing financial hardship as a result of a cancer diagnosis,” Rosie explained.
Plus, diversifying beyond financial assistance and tapping into education has helped Family Reach secure additional grant funding from corporate partners.
$50,000. That’s how much money will go to support families fighting cancer as a result of the Handbook.
Rosie shared these numbers with pride, along with a nod to our team: “None of this would have been possible without Brafton!”
Beyond marketing
Along with pro bono work, Brafton’s social team gets creative with organizing fundraisers that get the whole office involved.
We’ve held bake sales, created holiday cards for cancer patients and sold candy-grams for Valentine’s Day. Most recently, the team filled out March Madness ballots.
Needless to say, Brafton employees are having fun with their donations. The team feels connected to Family Reach’s mission, and we’re more than happy to help.
Stay tuned
Even better than what we’ve done together up to this point is what we’re ready to do next. We’re only just getting started with this powerful partnership, and we can’t wait to see what opportunities we have yet to create.
As Brafton’s charity of the year, Family Reach and the families they serve are at the top of our minds.
According to Rosie’s forecast for the year, Family Reach will work with Brafton “more than ever to produce creative content that amplifies the voices of the thousands of families we help across the country.”
Check back soon for updates on the videos, designs, fundraisers and initiatives we’re excited about!
