Crafting a voice for Cambodian Children's Fund.

Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF) is on a mission to end poverty in one of the most at-risk communities in Cambodia. Founded by former Hollywood executive Scott Neeson, the charity’s donor base primarily consisted of Scott’s high-profile, celebrity network. While this business plan had proven to be successful, it wasn’t sustainable. CCF knew they needed to increase their audience of recurring donors. A new site was the best way to do that.

To fully understand the depth of CCF’s work and the complexity of the community they serve, we headed to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to experience it firsthand. Over six days, our five-person team met with managers, directors, teachers, and volunteers to understand the ins and outs of the charity and make sense of its 60+ programs, but that was just the beginning of our education.

We saw firsthand how the country was still healing from genocide, how a hospital trip could plunge a family into debt, how moving to landfills was their only option, and how scavenging for materials was their only source of income.

The more we learned, the more we understood the implications of sending a child to school. At the same time, we met elders who cared for orphaned children, CCF alumni who relentlessly gave back to the community that built them up, and kids of all ages who stayed after school well into the night to soak up as much knowledge as they could.

After a thorough discovery phase and competitive analysis, we knew one thing for sure: guilt doesn’t drive donations. We couldn’t just lead with the need. But, we also couldn’t lean too hard into aspiration. We’d have to strike a true balance of both in order to communicate a clear understanding of the problem while inspiring a belief in its solvability. So, we delved into CCF's story, carving out a unique voice that would weave together the harsh realities of genocide, the founder's unwavering spirit, and the power of community to inspire a new generation of change makers. This wasn't just about a website; it was about igniting a movement, one story at a time.

Our next step was to take a good, hard look at the CCF model. Ending poverty is no small task, and it was clear that CCF had been grappling with the complexities of explaining how they approach it for a long time. To simplify things, we took each of the 60+ programs and re-sorted them into categories inspired by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The result? Four pillars dedicated to addressing the complicated issues of poverty.

After a few months, we’d done our research, honed our strategy, reorganized the site structure, built out wireframes, defined a messaging hierarchy, and created a visual language. It was time to put the pieces together. For each page, we outlined a goal and crafted a story that would inform and inspire.

It would be an understatement to say this was one of the most rewarding projects I have ever worked on. I’m eager to see how CCF continues their path to a brighter future.