Sherard Family Reunion
Context
The Sherard Family Reunion is a biennial, weekend-long event with over 100 attendees, which dates back to 1962 – when the first Reunion was held in my great grandparent’s backyard in Anderson, South Carolina.
Since 2008 I have been solely responsible for all of the visual branding decisions. These projects have included forms, mailers, t-shirts, merchandise, a cookbook, centerpiece decorations and more.
Objective
SherardFamily.com is a home base for our family - for information about virtual events. In the future it will grow to contain a mini social network and archive of family history, photos, recipes, and more.
Process
In 2014 I created our first online registration system (as an alternative to mailing in forms and checks), and in 2020 I pioneered the concept for our first Virtual Reunion at the height of the COVID-19 era. We sent out custom printed mugs stuffed with cookies as a fundraiser, and we recruited a team of volunteers to provide on-call tech help for the older generation. We had three full days of activities including making waffles together, story time for the kids, fitness class by a personal trainer, and even a video tour of a farm with goats and chickens.
I use Adobe Illustrator and InDesign for design work, and WordPress for the website with CiviCRM to manage memberships, donations, and bi-monthly email campaigns.
Results
In the 10+ years that I have been on the SFR Executive Board, having the opportunity to manage all aspects of the brand has taught me so much. Although we are not an official nonprofit (…yet! I’m working on it…) most of the services and tools I have used, and the challenges I have faced have been similar to running a small nonprofit organization.
Skill Highlights
- Web Design
- Branding
- Graphic Design
- Video Production
- Content Creation
- Marketing
- Event Planning
