Behind the Design
Team at ds+f provides priceless creative support to Fisher House
Story by Don Schaaf, President, Don Schaaf & Friends, Inc. Nearly 10 years ago during my morning commute, I learned about Fisher House Foundation while listening to the radio. Local station WMAL was doing a December holiday fundraising drive for Fisher House and it immediately inspired me. I phoned in a pledge and emailed Fisher House to offer the services of my talented design team at my Washington, DC-based advertising agency, ds+f. This began a partnership that has seen the Fisher House brand evolve from a photocopied, two-page overview handout to advertisements, collateral materials and publications like the one you are reading now. As the “unofficial brand consultant” for Fisher House Foundation, ds+f has proudly helped create branding tools and materials for programs, including Hero Miles, Hotels for Heroes, Team Fisher House, the Fisher House Golf Classic, and the Patriot Magazine, as well as the design of countless public service advertisements, brochures, annual reports, hero coins, posters and more. The relationship has been as rewarding as the work has been awarded, garnering more than two dozen advertising industry accolades to date. From art directing photo shoots at houses around the country to press inspecting publications to writing brochures, advertisements, taglines and more, the ds+f team has served Fisher House pro bono — donating more than one million dollars worth of creative and consulting services to the cause so far.
From left to right: Jeff Smith, Brett Fullam, Ben Caulk, Rebecca Perez, Matt Schaaf, Carolyn Davidson, Don Schaaf, Aaron Hansen, Pete Gibb, Mike Raso, James Anthony, Ami Barker, Thema Wilson, and Sevi the office mascot.
My team and I couldn’t do any of this without the support of our regular, paying clients. They’re the real heroes here; they allow us the time and resources to provide support to such a worthy organization. Until there’s no longer a need for this wonderful organization, we’re here to give back by serving Fisher House in the best way we know how.
Charity Ratings
www.dsfriends.com
Fisher House Foundation works hard to be a good steward of the resources entrusted to us. It is a privilege to do the work we do, and we are proud to be in good standing with top charity watch dog organizations. Fisher House Foundation has received an A+ from the American Institute of Philanthropy in their “Veterans and Military” category. Out of 46 charities rated, Fisher House Foundation is one of two charities to receive their A+ rating. Charity Navigator just awarded the Foundation their coveted 4-star rating for sound fiscal management for the ninth consecutive year, a rating achieved by only one percent of the charities they monitor.
The Patriot • VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 1 • 2013
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