Arbor Day Foundation Brand + Web Roll-Out
The Arbor Day Foundation underwent a major brand refresh and website redesign — a pivotal moment for one of the most recognized environmental nonprofits in the country.
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A brand refresh of this scale isn’t just visual. It’s strategic. It’s cultural. It’s organizational.
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As Lead Social Media Manager (2021-2025), I led the full social and digital roll-out — from pre-launch momentum to launch execution to post-launch integration — ensuring the refreshed brand showed up intentionally, cohesively, and powerfully across every platform.
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This required deep collaboration across creative agencies, executive leadership, program teams, development, corporate partnerships, and PR.
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The goal wasn’t just to launch a new look.
It was to introduce a bolder voice, clearer positioning, and a renewed invitation into our mission.
The Ask
We needed to:
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Launch a refreshed brand and website in a way that felt bold, not abrupt
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Leave a lasting impression with both loyal supporters and new audiences
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Drive meaningful web traffic to the redesigned site
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Grow our network of supporters and partners
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Empower employees and corporate partners to participate in the launch
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Establish a new “normal” for how the Arbor Day Foundation shows up digitally
The roll-out needed to feel cohesive across:
Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, paid ads, executive LinkedIn, employee advocacy, and partner channels.
The Idea
Treat the rebrand like a campaign — not a design update.
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We built a three-phase rollout strategy:
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Pre-Launch Momentum
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Launch Week Impact
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Post-Launch Integration + Brand Normalization
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Every piece of content laddered up to one core idea:
The Arbor Day Foundation is bold enough to believe in a better, greener future — and we can’t meet this moment alone.
3 Phase Strategy
Phase 1
Objective: Reinforce credibility and build momentum before revealing the refreshed brand.
We created ~4–5 teaser posts per platform highlighting:
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50+ years of history
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Major milestones (500M+ trees planted, global reach)
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Storytelling of planting projects
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Moments of cultural relevance (NYSE bell ringing, national media appearances)
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Soundbites from leadership and team members
Platform-first strategy mattered:
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LinkedIn: Partnership-focused, professional positioning
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Instagram: Visual storytelling + short-form video
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Facebook: Loyal supporter engagement
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Twitter/X: Industry visibility
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Phase 2
Launch week included:
We focused on hitting core content buckets immediately:
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5 consecutive branded posts (Tuesday–Saturday)
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A powerful 30-second brand anthem video introducing refreshed messaging and visuals
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Cutdowns in 10-, 15-, and 30-second formats optimized per platform
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Headline-forward creative reinforcing bold positioning
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Updated profile images, cover photos, and story highlights
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Instagram Story covers aligned with the new visual system
Every post was designed to: Stop the scroll. Drive traffic. Move people closer to action.
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Mission & Vision
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Reforestation
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Urban Tree Equity
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Education
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Thought Leadership
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Partnerships
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Donations + Engagement
Supporting efforts included:
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Paid digital ads (awareness + conversion focused)
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LinkedIn pulse articles written for CEO Dan Lambe
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Executive-facing content tailored for professional audiences
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Website traffic drivers tied to blog content and landing pages
Phase 3
A rebrand isn’t successful if it fades after one week.
We created a structured integration plan through December and into spring:
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10–12 newly branded posts per month
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Ongoing content bucket alignment based on channel performance data
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Video-forward content for Instagram + TikTok
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Data-backed tree benefits and stats posts
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Project profiles + impact storytelling
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Partner spotlights + testimonials
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Thought leadership content for LinkedIn
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Webinar, keynote, and executive promotion graphics
We analyzed top-performing content buckets per channel to guide creative decisions — ensuring performance and positioning aligned.
Employee Advocacy
One of the most strategic levers of the launch was mobilizing internal and external voices. We created a comprehensive employee advocacy toolkit including:
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Pre-written copy variations
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Creative assets sized per platform
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Posting timelines
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Hashtag guidance
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Messaging guardrails
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Employees were encouraged to share on LinkedIn and personal social platforms — extending reach into corporate, planting partner, and industry networks.
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Corporate and planting partners were also equipped with resharing assets and co-branded content options.
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This transformed the launch from a single-channel announcement into a network-wide amplification effort.