Announcing Clyde Impact: Giving Back to Our Community

Clyde Group works with many companies that seek to engage stakeholders in forms of corporate social responsibility (a term that has evolved in many directions in recent years—from “shared value” to “corporate citizenship”).

There are many ways to look at true “responsibility” for an organization—toward its customers, employees, investors and, of course, its geographical communities. There are also different motivations behind such initiatives; window dressing is not enough—they must be rooted in substance and deliver real benefit beyond the company.

It’s bearing in mind these guideposts—true value rooted in local community—that our own firm, Clyde Group, has crafted its corporate social responsibility program. I’m happy to be able to mark Clyde Group’s fifth anniversary by announcing Clyde Impact—a program to give back to my adopted city of Washington, D.C. 

I’m passionate about this city. I know every member of my team feels the same, and I’m proud that this program grew out of their collective input and desire to make an impact on our area. We’re passionate about this. We’re keen to make it one of the best initiatives Clyde Group has ever taken on.

I’m excited to announce that Clyde Group is launching Clyde Impact, a pro-bono program to provide project-based PR services to nonprofits serving the Washington, D.C. metro area. Clyde Impact will help local nonprofits devote their full energy and attention toward the work they do for the community, while we reinforce them through strategic communications support.

I’ve been lucky enough to work in a volunteer capacity for a number of nonprofits in the D.C. area and I’ve seen the dedication they bring to helping our communities. We’ve also seen that in all the nonprofit organizations that Clyde Group has already been fortunate to support in the area. It’s been an honor to work with organizations like Special Olympics D.C., Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders (SMYAL), Ayuda, and many others in carrying out their missions and helping them drive positive change.

Working closely with these organizations has also shown us how important communications services are to them. Some of our best experiences have come from helping nonprofit organizations craft a message and strategic approach that expands the reach and impact of their efforts. 

But many nonprofits face a challenge: they don’t have the resources or time to spare for communications or public relations. Trying to do so diverts their focus away from the critically important day-to-day services they provide, and that so many members of our community depend on. This doesn’t need to be the case. We’re here to help. 

We can walk you through an in-depth messaging architecture exercise to ensure your story is as sharp and impactful to donors as possible. We’ll identify and connect you with the reporters who will most want to cover the critically important work you do. We’ll media train your leaders and advocates to help you move the audiences you most need to move. Whatever your needs may be (even if you don’t know them yet!), we will be by your side to help you make an even bigger difference.

The Clyde Impact program will be open to any nonprofit working to improve the Washington, D.C. community that is interested in applying. Organizations can apply for 2020 online here by Thursday, October 31, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. ET. If you’re interested in learning more about the details of the program, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@clydegroup.com. We’ve created a guide to help you answer the questions in the application, which you can download here. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.