Conquest Graphics understands that small non-profit organizations usually work with small budgets, and they’re doing something to help. Donors want to know that their financial contributions will be used to carry out the mission of the organization, so it’s important to keep costs beyond the essential operating expenses to a minimum. The Conquest Graphics Non-profit Grant Program has helped the Braille Circulating Library in this way.

Thanks to the grants awarded to use for printing services in the last two years, advertising expenses have been minimal. All marketing material needed in this time period, including letterhead, envelopes, and re-prints, have been printed free of charge without exhausting the available funds awarded. These grants have not only made budgeting for advertising easier and given the freedom to be creative if new marketing items are needed or desired, they have also allowed donor dollars to be directed toward the operational expenses that keep the organization running, and not toward advertising.

Over the decades since the Library began in 1925, there have been many changes in the way people receive information. However, even though much of life is now read or heard from electronic devices, printed material still plays a vital role in effective communication, especially in the area of advertising. Print is tangible, providing a tactile experience that engages the brain through the sense of sight, as well as of touch. Printed marketing material for the Library becomes simple “Show and Tell” items that raise awareness of just one aspect of what it may be like to live with no or low vision when people realize that the blind cannot read these commonly used items, and those with low vision may not be able to either.

Print also helps non-profits project a more professional image. Printed slogans, color schemes and graphics work together to establish that image, making the non-profit more memorable for the public. The business cards and other items used by the Library at public events or other encounters serve as lasting representations of the organization and provide much information at a glance. This type of advertising is particularly helpful at events such as conferences when there is little time to talk between sessions because it allows people to take more information with them than could be conveyed and remembered between sessions. Business cards continually prove to be an accepted and convenient method of sharing contact information.

Print will always be recognized as a viable means for the Braille Circulating Library to communicate in advertising. It’s basic, it’s relational, and it can be read without relying upon electronic devices. Business cards and brochures on display in a greeting area or waiting room can be effective as people wait for an appointment. While audio announcements can be effective, they can’t be pinned to break room bulletin boards like brochures and business cards can be, and they’re easy to take with you. Business cards have proven useful in networking, especially when future meetings are desired. There’s no need to make note of contact information – it’s all on the card.

A patron of the Library recently wrote in a letter of appreciation, “Everyone likes to find a (favorite) spot to relax with a book in their hands. Thank you for making this enjoyment a reality for the visually impaired.” Thank you, Conquest Graphics teams, for assisting the Braille Circulating Library to continue serving the blind, vision-impaired and print-disabled by providing braille, large print and audio material – free of charge!