Designing a social good agency

In the world of humanitarian and philanthropic work, many challenges can make it tough for organizations on the ground and the donors who want to help. Everyone agrees that money is precious, and using it wisely is a big concern for everyone involved.

Roles

Founding Creative Director
Field researcher
Workshop facilitator
Strategist
Experience designer
Brand designer

Contributors

Andrew Kessler
Irene Polnyi
Gillian Gutierez
Carla Yuen
Ryan Moore
Haley Saba

For organizations focused on impact, securing funding is a perennial challenge. Their ability to plan and commit to ongoing activities relies heavily on others opening their checkbooks. Moreover, when funds do arrive, they often come with the pressure to quickly escalate efforts, which can ultimately compromise the long-term health of an organization. These experts have a strong expertise in aiding the communities they serve, yet operational excellence is often missing from their toolkit. High-impact individuals and smaller organizations prefer to enhance their current contributions to their communities or specific causes, rather than expand indiscriminately. Finding genuine ways to broaden their impact can seem out of reach.

For donors, the stories that organizations tell are what catch their attention. It's really important for groups to clearly explain what problems they're tackling and how they're making a difference. But it's not just about telling good stories. These organizations also need to show that they're actually making a difference and explain how more money can help them do even more good.

These parallel challenges led us to an important realization. Both donors and organizations need to talk effectively with many different stakeholders across various platforms and communication channels. This complicated web of interactions is a perfect place for human-centered design, which can, through field research and co-creation, help craft strategies that connect these groups and create a more unified experience for everyone.

Creative Service Structure

Tailored for each community

From our New York studio, Articlegroup.org worked closely with philanthropic organizations to tailor our approach. Our process started with in-depth field research, including interviews with global experts and observations in the communities these organizations served. We also heavily involved community members through participatory design sessions, ensuring our solutions were both informed by and tailored to real needs.

We immersed ourselves in the environments these organizations operated within to fully understand the challenges and motivations they faced. This close interaction was crucial for designing solutions that not only innovated but also aligned well with the organization’s goals and the needs of the communities they impacted.

Field research & observation

School master interview

Greengrocer’s sales record

Observations with young farmers

Home visit

Innovation & empathy

As our work continued to grow across Southeast Asia and North America, we adapted our methods to meet the unique needs of each organization and the specific context of the communities they aimed to help. This tailored approach ensured our interventions were practical, supportive, and transformative, driving sustainable impact through strategic design and effective communication.

As Articlegroup.org continues to refine its approach, the essence of our work remains the same—bringing human-centered design to the forefront of humanitarian efforts. Our projects in Thailand and Myanmar illustrated how this approach did not just support operational improvements but also transformed how these organizations connected with their diverse audiences. We were committed to evolving our strategies and interventions, ensuring they remained relevant and impactful in a rapidly changing world. Through innovation and empathy, we strove to make a lasting difference in the lives of those who needed it most.