Using the Community Action Brand

To get started using the Community Action branding, please consult our Community Action Style Guidelines (updated December 2018). To access color palletes, logos, fonts, and training resources, click here. 

Why Brand with the National Community Action Partnership?

When your agency brands itself as a member of the National Community Action Partnership, you help create a visual connection to the national network and the work of 1000+ agencies who are working alongside you to alleviate poverty across America. The mission of helping people and the promise of Community Action connects diverse agencies who are working within local communities but who are also making a national impact.

Branding your agency as a member of this network can be done in a variety of ways including full adoption of the national style guide, or by incorporating pieces of visual branding within your own unique visual materials. However your agency chooses to maintain their visual brand, NCAP is here to help with resources, guidance, and more. 

The Community Action Promise

The Community Action Promise is one of the most adopted national branding tools across the network. That is because it tells who we are, what we do, and why we do it. It is our promise to every community, and we continue to live up to that promise every day.

We are a national Network like no other in the country. Even though our Community Action Agencies may administer well over 50 diverse programs and services—all unique, all tailored to the specific needs of the community—we have the Community Action Promise in common. The promise helps define our brand as a robust state and local force to our board, staff, and partners, and to the 99% of American counties we collectively serve.

“Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.”

Font Family & Font Usage

The Community Action logo, which includes the “huggy heart,” will maintain the original Formata
font. To simplify and reduce costs, we are suggesting new fonts—which are free, open source, and
readily available—for use in new materials as follows. The fonts suggested are also available in
common and popular design programs including Adobe and Canva.

Branding is About How People Feel

When we talk about how people feel about Community Action we refer to the range of feelings that include but are not limited to confidence, satisfaction, trust, respect, comfort, and loyalty. This includes all stakeholders such as program participants, community members, public officials, supporters, funders, members of the media, and others who have involvement with Community Action.

For an organization to be a genuine brand, it must meet several expectations:

  1. It is truly distinctive in a manner that is important or valued by its users.
  2. It is committed to providing emotional and functional benefits.
  3. It consistently fulfills its promise and delivers on its commitment.

When people come away from a Community Action Agency feeling positive, the Promise has been delivered. Multiply that by the 1000-plus Community Action Agencies in the country and the Community Action brand becomes one that is recognizable and turned to time and again.

Strategy For Our Brand

What are we doing to deliver the Community Action Promise every day? What are you doing to make sure everyone in Community Action understands how to deliver the Promise?

Today there are hundreds of Community Action Agencies that deliver that Promise and understand the power of the positive emotional impact. It’s understood that simply displaying the national logo will not evoke positive emotion if it is not followed up with positive action and experiences. Creating, sharing, and maintaining positive experiences for our customers, partners, staff, board, volunteers, elected officials, and all other stakeholders are opportunities for us to connect the emotional connection to our visual branding. Displaying the logo alone is not the answer—it’s not enough.

When there is a story to be covered, a proposal to be funded, an organization to recognize, or a new alliance to develop, our strong Community Action network will help us build and maintain our brand. Be sure also to share those stories with NCAP so we can help elevate your local brand. Contact Johnny Eudaly (link to email).

Tools and Style Guide

To get started using the Community Action branding, please consult our Community Action Style Guidelines (updated December 2018).

To access color palettes, logos, fonts, and training resources, and other tools click here.