CASE STUDY / EF & Community Boating
Two river neighbors Focused on Learning through experience. One needed funding to scale access. One needed to demonstrate Brand values.
Partnerships are often seen as ‘sponsorship dollars’, but overlooked as a grassroots way to build brand and community. At EF, I wanted to change that. Finding partners who shared our perspective on creating belonging and an optimistic spirit of ‘nothing is impossible’ became my personal mission. From the first day we met the team at Community Boating, Inc. (CBI), I knew this was the right partner for us. One we could do great things with.
THE APPROACH
Finding Common Ground
Many companies approached CBI over the years about partnering on customized sails. Why wouldn’t they? As the nation’s first public sailing center, and with a prime location on the banks of the Charles River in Boston, it was an incredible opportunity to make an impression.
When we first met them in 2014, however, it was because they reached out to us. They saw our local events in the community, and they saw what we stood for and how we worked (and loved EF’s pink brand color). Within 10 minutes of my first meeting with the Executive Director, Charlie Zechel, it was clear that we clicked and there was an incredible opportunity to benefit both organizations.
THE PROCESS
A Story of Access
CBI started in 1946 with a mission of ‘Sailing for All’. And they meant it. Not only did they have a legacy of providing local Boston kids a place to hang out in the summer with legendary $1 memberships, but they also became a pioneer in accessible sailing for people with physical and cognitive challenges. Adam Bickelman, EF’s Vice President of Corporate Communications, saw an opportunity instantly. And that’s how EF’s challenge was born. For every mile sailed in a pink EF sail, EF would fund an endowment for Community Boating’s Universal Access Program for adaptive sailing.
But the partnership extended well beyond that. EF hosted an event called ‘All Boats on the Water’, where staff participated in getting every single CBI boat in the fleet out onto the Charles River. And in 2019, the Boston Business Journal recognized our partnership and awarded us Corporate Citizenship Partners of the Year.
THE WORK
Pink On The Horizon
Millions of residents, students, commuters, and tourists see the Charles River every year. My vision was that EF’s pink would become an iconic part of that skyline. The approach was simple—use a full wash of EF’s pink and the EF logo on every vessel possible. So, in addition to funding the endowment through the use of pink sails, we gifted CBI with kayaks in EF’s pink. You haven’t lived until you try to source sail cloth and kayaks in a brand color, but Charlie made it happen. Then, we used consistent storytelling, in our own channels, at CBI events, and through the media, to connect EF’s pink to the mission of CBI. The overall approach simply boiled down to simplicity, consistency, and repetition.
The Team // Partnership Management: Amy Van Aarle & Adam Bickelman / Creative Direction: Amy Van Aarle / PR: Adam Bickelman / Videography: Hamo Field & Jeff Sias / Photography: Greg Cooper
THE SHIFT
From Neighbors to Community
Over the past 10+ years of partnership, EF and CBI became more than river neighbors. They became a community of believers in the power of experiences to change hearts and minds. EF staff have long enjoyed access to CBI’s kayaks and discounted memberships to learn to sail. And every year, CBI brings a boat to the EF office, unfurling a pink sail to get EF staff excited about the year to come and the impact.
This became more than a partnership. And it was built out of much more than sponsorship dollars. It was created through genuine relationships, brand connection, and deep mutual respect.
2019
The year The Boston Business Journal recognized us as Corporate Citizenship Partners of the Year
100M+
Impressions online and in person
Countless
Appearances in tourism photos and on Boston weather reports
1
EF pink sail appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever