Nailing positioning and business models as a new nonprofit
Everyone deserves clothing that fits well, expresses themselves, and leaves the planet better off.
Experienced fiber artist Shiree Dyson wanted to build up her community and bring awareness to the variety of career opportunities using sewing skills. She envisioned a future where Sage & Needles helped LGBTQ+ youth harness their creativity and eco-consciousness through sewing, but was stuck on how to structure her business and articulate the core value proposition.
Sifting through the pieces.
Shiree’s vision for Sage & Needles was to serve her community as a non-profit, but she needed to craft the two parts of her vision in a business model:
Sell original clothing patterns she designed, and
Teach people sewing skills—from the basics through making and mending their own clothes.
Shiree asked Zahler Design to articulate her vision so she could complete her first grant application for funding, finish the website, and set a direction for content creation. She had a lot of content but needed assistance with messaging and positioning. She needed to decide which elements of the business would be non-profit or for-profit, and how they would relate.
Surfacing the patterns.
Customers and Value Proposition. The first step was to identify the three main audiences she would be speaking to: Pattern Customers, Teens, and Funders. Shiree was guided to think through the thoughts, motivations, emotions, and skills of each.
For each audience, we used the Value Proposition Canvas to tease out their goals, how they would benefit, and what stood in their way. Then Shiree began matching services, products, and resources that would benefit each.
This made it clear that the two audiences for patterns and training events had different motivations and skill levels—so Shiree was now confident in focusing the non-profit exclusively on training. She separated the patterns into their own for-profit arm.
Business Model and System Model. We next defined the funding and program models for the non-profit, using an adapted version of the Business Model Canvas. This allowed Shiree to fully articulate how she planned to deliver and grow the program, identifying clear opportunities for funding and partnerships. Zahler Design modeled a systems diagram weaving the two business entities together to help Shiree explain the relationship between them.
Telling the story. For each of the three audiences, we used a simplified hero’s journey story arc to sketch out how Sage & Needles meets each of them where they are, inspires action, and provides support along the way.
Results.
Shiree used what we developed to complete the grant funding application. She was then able to engage a copy writer and web design agency to publish her website. Shortly after, she launched successful workshops and has requests from the community to offer more events and grow her program.
ABOUT SAGE & NEEDLES
Sage & Needles is a San Francisco Bay Area non-profit offering standalone beginners workshops for teens and adults in the local community. Sage & Needles teaches basic sewing, repair, and design skills, which can put people on a path toward a rewarding career and a life of creative self-expression.