Get to know us
With John D Abu at the helm of a multi-talented dynamic team, comes armed with a wealth of proven knowledge, passion and unbridled creativity, unparalleled in the experiential communication design world. Together they are wholly dedicated to supporting the efforts of each client and project, helping each of them to differentiate and distinguish themselves while raising the bar of their outreach objectives and fundraising success.
CATM and team have engaged with hundreds of organizations to concept, design and create. From identity development and identity makeovers to brand development, direct mail, brochures, capital campaigns, commemorative celebrations and high-profile galas and benefits for everything from political campaigns, centennial celebrations to performing arts fundraisers, we provide not only the prerequisite range of printed and electronic communications, but a long-standing commitment to social causes lit with proven knowledge and social passion. With original concepts for tribute journals, gala event ideation and branding, keepsake donor gifts and high impact digital solutions.
CATM New York offers a full range of services optimizing a multi disciplined approach to both digital and analog media. For more than 3 decades we have helped with branding, promoting and implementing major public relations campaigns, helped with milestone occasions and have assisted with international agendas. We have excelled in solution and resolve with the most challenging of requests while ensuring design integrity.
We offer full service execution of your design, providing experienced counsel from start to finish as well as all manufacturing and fulfillment needs. Our team of creatives are also here to help with ideation of new designs and fine tune pre-established goals.
CATM’s 12 Secret Ingredients
How CATM New York approaches design for the greater good.
Your "story" should be distinctive and capture the mission of why your organization exists. Take great care and effort to relay this story in a compelling, heartfelt and honest way. The voice and tone deliver the essence of the story's message to your audience, as well as communicates the intention behind the communications. It's essential to keep donors, sponsors, staff and the public on the same page.
Don't let the term "brand" or "integrated design" scare you. They are no longer reserved for big brands or companies. Nonprofits need to view themselves as brands with finely tuned intellectual property. Consider the names of your events, campaigns, initiatives or custom developed consumer products as valuable assets worthy of protection. Establishing rigid graphic standards and adhering to those standards not only enhances the value of these assets, but also makes your communication efforts clearer and more focusedmaking it easier for you to connect with your audience more succinctly. It also makes your cause more attractive to prominent sponsors, and oftentimes provides greater economical efficiency for your organization in the long run.
When considering new campaigns, fundraising events and initiatives, authenticity depends in large measure on your efforts to respond sincerely to what your donors, sponsors and supporters need. Why not present the value and benefits of how their involvement will make them feel and how it will benefit them? In this way, authenticity is the shortest distance between two points: you and me. From an emotional standpoint, authenticity is heartfelt. From a communications stand-point, it's unencumbered. Pure expression. Everyone just gets it.
Cross-generational understanding is more important now than ever before, largely due to the rapid advancement of technology and means for communication such as social media. To be mindful of this is essential for next generation survival of you organization. Different generations have different values in terms of their philanthropy. Don't fear those wunderkinds! Know the lingo and build a multi-generational tier. This applies to not only the way you communicate your message, but the types of events and campaigns you decide.
If you allow for change, then you can create without judgment. I would never deny myself the pleasure of seeing aspects of the project transform throughout the process, or for that matter, the course of my life. Today's organizations have a broad mix of old-school/next-gen volunteers, each with their own points of view, political agendas, and how things "should be done." While agreeing on when, what and how to change is not always open for debate, keeping the best interests of the organization in mind allows for an atmosphere of change to evolve and yield fresh perspectives on solving new challenges. Relevancy is what's essential in today's constantly changing philanthropic landscape.
Pixels or paper? Based on the type of event you're creating, there's the right modality to communicate based on your audience. Thousand dollar-plate dinners require materials that promise an evening of substantial significance, while a digital invitation is perfect for a "friendraiser" or cocktail reception. Incorporating social graces into your decision making process is essential, and above all else, your communications need to be well designed and inviting to cut through the clutter of today's overcrowded, over-asked, over-emailed donor community. Therefore set realistic budgets for realistic results, as the more effective your tools are for communicating your message, the more poised you are for success.
Every organization, cause and campaign has room for it. And every initiative, even the most serious benefits from at least being considered from a witty perspective. Wit makes messages more accessible and personal. It fosters the relationship between sender and receiver, making them more human. And it helps the receiver to grasp idea a little more simply and joyfully. Intelligence and wit attracts more money!
Good taste means doing things competently according to established norms and conventions. Great taste means expressing the social graces in a highly individualized and personal way. Good taste is appropriate. Great taste is cherished and memorable. The experiences we create are just that, life-affirming and celebratory. For individuals and communities, they are rites of passage. For organizations, they are moments in time. Adopting a playful spirit helps to ensure that your strategy is infused with humanity and life. Make your mantra “No More Rubber Chicken Dinners!" Not only are they boring, they do little in providing attendees an enriching experience .
Unexpected references add a bit of discovery to the communication and deepen an individual's involvement in an experience. Handled well, unexpected references draw your audience into your story because they ask your audience to use their imagination to connect the dots. Once they start, they keep on connecting and stay more loyally engaged. It also adds to greater word-of-mouth buzz, which is priceless.
Giving a sponsor "above the line" naming rights to your organization's events becomes a very challenging matter. As soon as you do, your cause, your story and the essence of your organization loses top billing and becomes diluted. There are a number of ways to satisfy sponsors-without selling out.
Does your organization tend to go after the same donors for the same donations time and time again? What about going after the same people who all of the other organizations go after? Multiply that by a 100 and think about how many requests are being made of your donor pool for all of the worthy causes. One remedy is to consider partnering with other non-conflicting organizations, perhaps other organizations that share board members in common. The donor will appreciate it, and think you're über smart. At the same time, you will expand your reach and the awareness of your organization to a wider audience something that in the long run can help you raise more money and support.
Love is in the details. The discerning eye always notices; and appreciates.