Case Studies
Overcoming
Budget
Shortfalls
How we helped save an organization
Services Provided
The Arc Tampa Bay
The Arc Tampa Bay is a nonprofit organization that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). They are a local affiliate of The Arc of Florida and The Arc of the United States, the largest community-based disability organization in the United States advocating for and with people with IDD and their families.
In 1958, The Arc Tampa Bay began with six families who came together as a small advocacy group seeking better services and opportunities for their children. The organization later became known as UPARC and has been working to support and empower individuals with IDD and their families ever since.
The Challenge
What’s at Stake: Funding Shortfall + Program Closure
At the time, many of the individuals who attended The Arc Tampa Bay day program chose to work in its sheltered workshop, where they were closely supervised and able to earn income from completing small jobs. These workshop positions helped empower individuals with IDD by giving them a sense of purpose and contribution.
When funding for these programs was reduced, it created a seemingly insurmountable fiscal challenge. The Arc needed to find a way to finance its workshop program or else the program would have to shut its doors.
The organization came up with a rough idea of how they could overcome the challenge, but they had no idea how to execute it or even where to start.
The Success
Highlights: 3x Sold-out Inventory Within Weeks
From their very first phone call with Jessica Jeffery, Founder + Chief Creative Officer of Diace Designs, The Arc Tampa Bay knew they had found the partner they needed. Diace Designs quickly grasped the project objectives and outlined a clear plan of action. While the project itself was straightforward, success was not guaranteed.
The organization hoped to create a line of graphic t-shirts, Able Threads, that could be packaged and shipped by individuals in The Arc Tampa Bay workshop program. However, retail is a notoriously competitive and difficult business. The success of the idea hinged upon Diace Designs’ ability to create t-shirt designs with mass appeal that also stayed true to the nature of the project and the organization. The designs needed to be trendy while also reflecting positivity, authenticity, and the beauty of diversity, all values that The Arc Tampa Bay aims to instill in its community.
100% of Able Threads net proceeds benefited people with IDD through The Arc Tampa Bay Foundation.
The designs Diace Designs’ creative team came up with were unanimously approved by the nonprofit board of directors, and within weeks of launching Able Threads online, it SOLD OUT of inventory—3X times! The instant success of the Able Threads project not only helped save the workshop program, but it also inspired other nonprofits to find creative solutions to their own fiscal challenges.
Client Raves
What Our Clients Say
"As an organization leader, Jessica and the Diace Designs creative team feel like they are a part of my very own team! They were able to connect with our vision instantly and stay in communication as our vision was brought to life. It’s not often you find partners who take the same pride in your idea as you do, but their commitment and knack for crisp designs that will stand the test of time catapult our abilities to do great things!"
Case Studies
