The Land Trust of Huntsville & North Alabama Membership Brochure
Organization Information:
- Organization Name:
- The Land Trust of Huntsville & North Alabama
- City & State:
- Huntsville,
- Alabama
- Organization Website:
- www.landtrust-hsv.org
- Organization's Mission Statement
- The Land Trust of Huntsville & North Alabama is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving lands for public use to enhance recreation, education, conservation, and prosperity in the North Alabama region.
Submission Information
- Impact Essay
- Lean times, lean staff, big mission. “Back to basics” seems the new catchphrase, but it’s a way of life for non-profits. And, like most small organizations, The Land Trust of Huntsville & North Alabama makes the most of what it has. In our case, membership brochures donated in 2003 were *finally* about to be depleted in 2008. The design and copy were woefully out of date. An effective marketing tool in the form of a new membership brochure was overdue. The challenges: 1) Craft an updated, high quality multi-purpose brochure to highlight our mission and encourage operating support via membership; 2) Find and use industry standard software that staff (even a confirmed C***DRAW geek) could intuit; and 3) Create it quickly and on an almost non-existent software budget. Adobe’s CS3 Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign software donated through TechSoup provided the answers – and then some. Being green comes naturally to The Land Trust. We protect the environment by working to preserve forests, scenic vistas, and clean watersheds in Alabama’s northernmost ten counties. We encourage public enjoyment and appreciation of preserved lands by offering 33+ miles of trails on three nature preserves. Beautiful North Alabama has been discovered. In 2003, our landmark “Greenprint for Growth” noted that Madison County could be 50% developed by 2020 – a very dramatic increase from the 1984 benchmark of 13% developed land. Add the influx of new residents from 4,700 direct jobs coming to Redstone Arsenal between by 2011 as a result of BRAC (US Department of Defense Base Realignment and Closure), and our region faces loss of greenspace and heritage farm acres at an alarming rate due to new housing developments and business growth. Our organization certainly doesn’t oppose development, but does advocate planned development – termed “Smart Growth” – that balances construction with the preservation of greenspace. Our office is located in the city of Huntsville in Madison County – home to Redstone Arsenal, Marshall Space Flight Center, and the US Space & Rocket Center of “Space Camp” fame. North Alabama boasts more engineers, rocket scientists, PhD’s, and retired generals than anywhere in the country. North Alabama also has lovely mountains and rivers, as well as more species of freshwater mussels, crayfish, and limestone karst formations than any other state. With our high tech, highly educated demographic, effective printed materials are essential. The Adobe CS3 products were amazingly easy to learn and use! The initial brochure and subsequent brochures highlighting our trails have become centerpieces in packets for inquiries about Huntsville from BRAC families considering relocation, Convention & Visitor Bureau displays, business POS racks, environmental education events, and major donor materials. Contributions have increased 37% and participation in our seasonal guided hike series has tripled. Thanks to TechSoup and Adobe CS3 software, the pieces we created saved money and have enhanced our public relations image. Increased support and visibility will enable us to save more greenspace acres in North Alabama – keeping it a beautiful natural jewel now and for future generations.
- Submission Category
- Environmental Impact Print/Photo
- Supporting Work Files
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