TrueWorks

TrueWorks is a Houston-based organization training and equipping redemptive entrepreneurs through programs like their nine-month H-Town Fellows program, Redemptive Labs for business owners, and TrueWorks Ventures, which invests in startups for the common good. The people inside TrueWorks absolutely loved what they were doing. They knew it was transformative. But they could never quite explain it to others in a way that clicked.

When they’d try to share their vision, people would nod politely but walk away confused. “I don’t get it,” they’d say. “What exactly is TrueWorks?” The organization was going through a period of transition and theory of change work, and they were using concepts like “the Praxis redemptive framework” that—while brilliant—often went over people’s heads. Their team was asking for help to “distill the vision to something we can rally around.” To explain what redemption actually means in plain English, and to create easier pathways for people to get involved. They needed someone to take their fairly complicated content and make it accessible and clear.

We started where we always do: by listening. We surveyed TrueWorks’ audience—staff, board members, clients, and stakeholders—to understand who they were trying to reach, what problems TrueWorks was solving, and what success looked like for the people they served. We asked about similar organizations to understand where TrueWorks fit in the marketplace, and what made them different. We even asked people to define “redemption” in their own words, then built a word and phrase bank of authentically TrueWorks language with phrases like “garden maker,” “restore,” “tear down the false barrier between the marketplace and God’s kingdom,” and “think creatively about a Christ-centered approach to tackling the world’s problems.”

From there, we created:

• An 11-page survey insights document that revealed who they’re reaching, what clients want, what sets TrueWorks apart, and whether everyone was aligned on the vision (spoiler: they were, they just needed help saying it)
• A comprehensive messaging guide with long and short brand scripts, updated mission and vision statements, data-driven audience personas, brand voice guidelines (including their brand archetypes), and uniqueness statements to position them clearly in the marketplace
• New website copy for their homepage, mission page, and teaching page

We took the complexity of the Praxis redemptive framework and translated it into language that everyday people could understand immediately. Our goal was to help people quickly see how they fit into TrueWorks’ story.