Our Mission: To educate and empower youth and adults to lead change for equity and justice in our communities.
Our Vision: A world where people live free of oppression and thrive.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
This Request for Proposals (RFP) is soliciting written proposals from qualified individuals and agencies that have a passion to support nonprofit communication, marketing and branding. The California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ) seeks an external consultant to assist with the development of new organizational branding and a plan to increase visibility for the organization between 2025-2027.
Planned Timeline
RFP Issue Date: April 1, 2024
Deadline for submission: April 30, 2024
Anticipated work period: June 2024 – November 2024
Please contact Jessy Needham, CCEJ Chief Development Officer, with any questions at jneedham@cacej.org.
BACKGROUND
CCEJ Mission and History
For 60 years, the California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ) has been building a world where people live free of oppression and thrive. Our mission is to educate and empower youth and adults to lead change for equity and justice in our communities.
CCEJ is a nonprofit organization, originally established in 1963 as the Long Beach chapter of the National Conference for Christians and Jews (NCCJ). NCCJ later evolved into the National Conference for Community and Justice to reflect its broader mission to eliminate bias, bigotry and racism. In 2005, when NCCJ’s national office closed, CCEJ became an independent nonprofit, combining the Long Beach, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego chapters of the NCCJ. CCEJ now serves thousands of people annually throughout Southern California and across the United States.
This ongoing evolution has now reached a new chapter with the development of CCEJ’s 4-year strategic plan in 2023. The plan outlined goals for updating CCEJ’s organizational name and marketing to align with an updated mission and vision. CCEJ seeks an external consultant to assist with the development of the new name and a marketing and communications plan to increase visibility for the organization between 2025-2027.
Our Mission: To educate and empower youth and adults to lead change for equity and justice in our communities.
Our Vision: A world where people live free of oppression and thrive.
SCOPE OF WORK
CCEJ has a highly participatory organizational culture, where all perspectives are encouraged, respected, and welcomed. CCEJ’s organizational values will be critical anchors during this exciting process of visioning and creativity: relationships, care, curiosity, accountability, imagination, and interdependence.
The contractor shall, at minimum, accomplish the following:
1. Lead a process to select a new name for the organization which aligns with the updated vision and mission.
2. Design an accompanying identity system, which may include a new logo, tagline, and brand guidelines.
3. Develop a marketing and communications plan to launch the new name and increase visibility for CCEJ’s work in Southern California for 2025-2027. CCEJ anticipates the contractor will conduct their work through a combination of:
- Review of CCEJ’s current marketing channels and collateral, including website, annual reports, logos, event videos, website, educational program materials, fund development documents;
- Landscape analysis to review marketing and branding of similar organizations and to test the viability of the new name and branding from a marketing and legal standpoint;
- Interviews, focus groups, and/or surveys with CCEJ Executive team, staff, board, program participants, community supporters and other stakeholders
DELIVERABLES
Deliverables will include, at a minimum, the following:
- Brand guidelines for new name and logo;
- Communications and Marketing Plan for 2025-27 that specifies goals, objectives, strategies, timeline and required resources for implementation;
- Copies of all survey instruments used to gather information;
- Interim briefings with key staff and Board for feedback and input on direction of the project; and
- A final summary presentation to CCEJ Staff and Board.
All deliverables will become the property of CCEJ.
COMPENSATION FOR SERVICES
CCEJ’s budget for this scope of work is $8,000. Each contractor’s bid should include all fees, expenses, supplies, printing, travel, per diem, overhead and profit, insurance, taxes, and any other expenses included in their work.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants shall submit a proposal that includes the following elements:
1. Profile of the Contractor, including:
a. A list of the names and title of the members, partners, officers, management and staff of the contractor’s firm.
b. A minimum of three references for which the contractor has provided comparable contractual services to those specified in this RFP.
c. A summary and samples of the contractor’s work on similar projects.
d. Evidence of experience working with organizations whose core missions focus on social justice and/or restorative justice issues
2. A Work Plan that incorporates the scope of services outlined. The work plan should identify the expected duration of each task, a schedule for all deliverables, and list personnel and other resources required for all tasks to be performed. Proposals should clearly define how the Contractor will work with CCEJ to assist in a comprehensive, participatory planning process.
3. Project fees and fee schedule
4. Statement of your core values and work approach for partnering with nonprofits
Selection Process: a committee of CCEJ Staff and Board will review the proposals and choose 1-2 consultants for presentations. Selections will be made by May 31st, with work scheduled to begin the first week of June.
Submission: email proposals to Jessy Needham, Chief Development Officer at jneedham@cacej.org by April 30, 2024.