“The Taproot Foundation team brought a level of objectivity to our work, and helped us see what is special and unique about our organization. Our team’s own volunteer experience with Inspiration Corporation pointed out to us the things we take for granted, or perhaps are too modest about. The messages they developed truly reflect the transformational nature of our work.”

- John Pfeiffer
  Executive Director & CEO, Inspiration Corporation

Inspiration Corporation was founded in 1989 by Lisa Nigro, a Chicago police officer who, in her free time, distributed sandwiches to the homeless in Chicago’s Uptown community where she patrolled daily. In an atmosphere of dignity and respect, Inspiration Corporation helps people affected by homelessness and poverty to improve their lives and increase self sufficiency through the provision of social services, employment training and housing.

Over the past five years, Inspiration Corporation grew from a 15-member staff and a $700,000 budget to a 65-member staff and a $2.8M budget – having merged with The Living Room Cafe and The Employment Project, opened a for-profit Cafe Too and professionalized its supportive services. As a leader in Chicago’s 10-Year Plan to End Homeless, Inspiration Corporation seeks to nearly double its budget by 2010, making it possible to increase the number of people it can serve, open a South Side Cafe Too culinary training program, and provide 100 housing units. Aggressive growth goals translated to a need for clear positioning and differentiation. The organization needed to be better understood to achieve its potential for public support from donors, volunteers and government agencies. By establishing a clear brand positioning, Inspiration Corporation hoped to more clearly communicate the value of the organization.

Taproot Foundation awarded Inspiration Corporation a Key Messages and Branding Service grant, worth $50,000. The Taproot Foundation team quickly immersed itself in Inspiration Corporation’s mission. To more fully understand the organization, the team reviewed Inspiration Corporation’s in-house research, and interviewed donors, volunteers, clients and staff. In addition, the Taproot Foundation team volunteered at Inspiration Cafe, cooking in the kitchen and serving community guests to gain first-hand insights into the organization’s clients and the volunteer experience.

From their analysis, the team realized that the Inspiration Corporation brand, while polished and professional, did not reflect the organization’s warmth. The team synthesized their findings and provided Inspiration Corporation with three brand positioning statements. Inspiration Corporation chose the statement reflecting their unique position – they are a source of inspiration for the community.

From there, the team developed the final messaging by audience and evaluated the organization’s marketing communication plan. In the messaging, the team emphasized the importance of the inspiring work of their organization.

Alan Karo, former Senior Vice President - Advertising, Calvin Klein Inc

Tanya Earley, Senior Manager, Marketing Communications, USG Corporation

Kelly Higbea, Advertising Manager, Verizon Wireless

Melinda Davis, Senior Account Manager, DDB Chicago

Masha Alexander, Freelance Copywriter

“The Taproot Foundation model allowed me and my team to work with Inspiration Corporation to provide long-term solutions to the organization’s business problems. Our work will help them spread the Inspiration message out to critical stakeholders, such as donors, government organizations, and volunteers. Inspiration Corporation is already beginning to integrate Key Messages into their marketing efforts.”
- Tanya Earley
  Volunteer Project Manager

Interested in applying for a Service Grant? Please review our eligibility requirements. If you would like to volunteer for a grant project, check out the available roles.