Our new brand identity is aimed at positioning the organization for long-term impact on the residents of Frederick County
After 43 years as The Religious Coalition, the organization has undergone a rebrand and will be known as Beyond Shelter Frederick moving forward.
The genesis for the rebrand is our desire to better convey who we are, the scope of what we do, and the breadth of who we serve. Since The Religious Coalition’s inception, the organization has grown significantly, evolving our services to address the changing needs of the community. By utilizing a name that openly states that we go ‘beyond shelter,’ we are able to create a dialogue about our wide range of services, which have expanded to include programs supporting people as they move beyond crisis and regain control of their lives.
In addition to more adequately describing the support we provide, the updated brand will also help create a distinct presence for us in the Frederick community, alleviating any confusion or perceived overlap in services with local organizations. And most importantly, the new name’s positioning of inclusivity will allow a broader audience of clients to comfortably engage with our organization.
After almost half a century as The Religious Coalition, a rebrand was not taken lightly. Our Executive Director, Board of Directors, and a segment of our leadership team spent two years conducting a wide-ranging review of the organization’s perception, identity, and brand and ultimately determined that now was the time to make a change.
“It’s important to understand that our clients’ journeys do not end at a shelter bed. This is a detour in their lives that allows us to provide respite and recovery on their way back to self-sufficiency and independence,” said Nick Brown, Executive Director, Beyond Shelter Frederick.
“Our name may have changed, but the reason we exist, the mission to help those in need, and our commitment to this amazing Frederick community will not alter and will not waver.”
For those familiar with the organization, the name Beyond Shelter will ring familiar as it was the naming convention for the most successful capital fundraising campaign in the nonprofit’s history. Now, we are embracing it as much as a marching order as it is an ideology. This service-centric designation not only recognizes the far-reaching impact of our currently offered programs, but also leaves the door open for our team to continue to develop new lines of programming as the community’s needs continue to evolve.
When it came to the visual identity of the new brand, we moved away from our bright green and purple to incorporate colors like navy, orange, and gold in the new logo and design elements. The logo, color scheme, and font were all chosen carefully to represent the respectful and compassionate nature of the organization, while remaining accessible to all.
The path-like icon was also incorporated to better illustrate our new missional tagline: Illuminating Paths to Hope. Creating a pathway that is also reminiscent of a sunburst was an intentional choice to convey the idea that we won’t stop until our clients are moving forward towards a brighter future.
The rollout of the new brand identity will continue throughout the year as our digital platforms, informational materials, signage, and more are updated to bear the name Beyond Shelter Frederick.
We thank you for your continued support and invite you to join us as we go Beyond Shelter.
