Our vision is to see our city flourish by loving our neighbors together.
To abolish economic, relational and spiritual poverty through career and community development.
We provide community-based career development to bring about generational change in Denver’s neighborhoods with the highest rates of poverty.
Here are some words that show who we are and what we sound like.
We are accessible.
We are bold.
We are cutting edge
We are rebellious.
We are loving.
We are inspiring
We value community, relationships, belonging, and a vision for a better city. Our core values are as follows:
The redemptive edge is found at the limits of our comfort and our assumptions. We are called to the margins and call others to join us.
We’re willing to give excessively of ourselves for human beings made with dignity, value and worth.
We’re not going anywhere. Transformational work takes decades of intentional, focused labor and commitment to long-lasting relationships.
We love each other enough to affirm each other’s giftings and confront each other’s blind spots by using Scripture as an ultimate framework for truth.
Relationships between people across all walks of life are woven into every aspect of what we do; they make everything else possible.
We are wholly committed to fight for our neighbors against poverty in our communities. 4D
We are not just working for temporary transformation. We are committed to realizing generational change in our community.
Our tuition-free, six-month career training program aims to empower individuals in Denver to develop the personal and professional skills that they need to succeed in the workplace. We offer a variety of career certification and preapprenticeship tracks to provide a wide selection of career opportunities.
Our program participants are called Leaders, because we believe that every individual is the leader of their own change. We aren’t the hero, we are simply here to provide the personal, professional, and community resources to help our neighbors succeed. In addition to emphasizing growth in economic capital, we believe in the power of developing spiritual and relational capital.
We believe that no significant change happens without significant relationships. By completing our program, our Leaders gain far more than career skills. We surround them with caring staff, community volunteers, and fellow leaders in order to build long-lasting relationships that go beyond our program. Ultimately, the love of God is what compels us to care for our neighbors and will offer them the greatest gift they could ever receive.
Every day, 300,000 people in the Denver metro area experience the stark limitations of poverty, and it’s almost impossible to escape alone. We offer a career development program to help our neighbors enter into meaningful careers, build social and spiritual capital, and create lasting generational change in our city.
In 2008, six families set out to learn what it really meant to “love our neighbor” and moved together to northeast Denver to plant Providence Bible Church. CrossPurpose was born out of the church with a similar vision and values and a complimentary mission and methodology.
Our vision is to see our community restored to wholeness by the grace of God.
Our mission is to live as fully loved and devoted followers of Jesus and to love our neighbors to do the same.
Our vision is to see our city flourish by loving our neighbors together.
Values
The Redemptive Edge. Expensive Love. Deep Roots. Truth Telling. Relational Weave. All In. 4D.
Our mission is to abolish economic, relational and spiritual poverty through career and community development.
The Redemptive Edge. Expensive Love. Deep Roots. Truth Telling. Relational Weave. All In. 4D.
Method
Tagline
We are a multi-cultural, neighborhood church dedicated to loving God, loving one another and loving our neighbors. Live different together.
We provide community-based career development to bring about generational change in Denver’s neighborhoods with the highest rates of poverty.
Live different together.
These items are the same. These items are similar, with slight variations.
These items are different, but complimentary. variations.
Our brand name, CrossPurpose, represents the idea that our work is actually a contrary aim to many traditional approaches. When we talk about poverty in our society today, we quickly realize we are at cross purposes with the idea that poverty is only economic, that relief work can fix it, and that small investments will solve it. As we embark on our mission, we seek to address the all-encompassing nature of poverty, confront its root causes, and give radically of ourselves to see its end.
The CrossPurpose “X” logo symbolizes a crossroads that can be found throughout several facets of our program. Many Leaders face a crossroads when they first join our program - it often marks a turning point that allows them to move their lives in a totally new direction.
In another way, we are also at odds with the traditional poverty solution in our city. We oppose relief and short-term change, instead offering personalized development that can create change for generations to come.
Spiritually, we are at odds with the forces of evil that exist in our world. Where there is darkness and isolation, we seek to bring light and love through the hope found in the Gospel.
These are our logo variations. As much as possible, use the full twotoned logo so that audiences can recognize our brand. Based on the design you’re producing, feel free to use the white/red logo or black/ red logo.
Sometimes, certain designs call for just the X, instead of the full logo. Here are a few ways to know when you can just use the X:
1. When communicating to an internal audience (Staff, Current Allies, Alumni, etc.)
2. On smaller design messaging (cards, emails, etc.)
3. On social media posts or any content that will be hosted on a CrossPurpose platform
4. In any document where our full logo has already been used at least once
Be sure to not use the X as a replacement for any letters, words or symbols. Your message should be completely clear with or without the logo.
Keep it readable.
Minimum screen width: 185 px
Minimum print width: 1.35 in
Watch the size and spacing of the logo. Be sure it’s easily legible and has enough space on the page.
Leave some breathing room. Measure the distance between the X and the text and leave at least that amount of space around the logo.
[Left to Right]
1. Don’t stretch or squish the logo.
2. Don’t change the font.
3. Don’t change or reverse the color.*
4. Don’t remove the X.
5. Don’t change or rotate the X.
6. Don’t use the logo in a sentence.
*You may change the entire logo to all white when advised or working with multi-colored backgrounds.
was started in 2014.
There are a number of CrossPurpose customers and programs. If your department is interested in creating a logo to identify a specific stakeholder or program, work with the Communications Department to create a logo that best showcases your constituents and works cohesively with the brand.
CMYK: 11, 98, 98, 2
RGB: 212, 36, 40
HEX: d42428
PMS: Pantone 1795 C
Our primary colors are red and dark gray. These are the main tones we use to present ourselves.
This red is bold and bright. It shows that we are daring and unafraid to be different.
CMYK: 75, 65, 62, 63
RGB: 43, 44, 46
HEX: 2b2c2e
PMS: Pantone 426 C
This gray is dark, but not black. It contrasts well with our red without being too harsh.
CMYK: 29, 22, 23, 0
RGB: 181, 182, 185
HEX: b5b6b9
PMS: Pantone 4274 C
We have four secondary colors, that can be used to add depth and enhance a design. White can be used liberally in any content.
This gray is a helpful background color. It shows that we prioritze clarity and simplicity.
CMYK: 28, 96, 88, 27
RGB: 144, 36, 40
HEX: 902428
PMS: Pantone 7622 C
This darker red contrasts well with our primary red. It shows professionalism.
CMYK: 11, 31, 100, 10
RGB: 207, 160, 31
HEX: cfa01f
PMS: Pantone 7555
CMYK: 68, 59, 53, 35
RGB: 76, 77, 82
HEX: 4c4d52
PMS: Pantone 7540 C This gray helps make our primary colors pop. It shows boldness and consistency.
This gold is a celebratory accent color. It shows that we love to celebrate and are investing in something that lasts.
When designing or working to produce new content, aim to use our primary and secondary colors proportionally as reflected in the color wheel.
While we use bold colors to represent our brand, we also emphasize white space. This term simply means the blank area of a page or design that doesn’t have text, images or other content. CrossPurpose designs should have a minimum of 40% white space. Example: This page you’re reading has about 70% white space. Page 8 has about 40% white space, and is an example of a page with our minimum white space guidelines.
For headings and titles, we use Social Gothic. It best represents our bold brand when used in all caps. For narratives and other body text, we use Quasimoda and occasionally, Lato. All of these fonts are used on our external-facing content.
SOCIAL GOTHIC REGULAR
SOCIAL GOTHIC MEDIUM
SOCIAL GOTHIC DEMIBOLD
SOCIAL GOTHIC BOLD
Quasimoda Thin
Quasimoda Thin Italic
Quasimoda ExtraLight
Quasimoda ExtraLight Italic
Quasimoda Regular
Quasimoda Italic
Quasimoda Medium
Quasimoda Medium Italic
Quasimoda SemiBold
Quasimoda SemiBold Italic
Quasimoda Bold
Quasimoda Bold Italic
Quasimoda ExtraBold
Quasimoda ExtraBold Italic
Quasimoda Black
Quasimoda Black Italic
Lato Thin
Lato Regular
Lato Italic
Lato Medium
Lato Medium Italic
Lato Semibold
Lato Bold
Lato Heavy
Lato Black
For documents circulated within the organization, we use Arial or Georgia. All emails should utilize the default Sans Serif font.
Arial Regular
Arial Italic
Arial Bold
Arial Bold Italic
Georgia Regular
Georgia Italic
Georgia Bold
Georgia Bold Italic
Our logo spells CrossPurpose with a custom designed font, called Designosaur. This font should remain distinctive and should not be used for anything other than the logo. While the edginess of our logo font reflects our brand well, reading or printing content using Designosaur or any other similar font can be difficult. All of our readers should be able to read clearly and see boldness and excellence in our written aesthetic.
We are committed to honoring the dignity of our neighbors. Our current photo library showcases bright colors, happy faces, hope, and a family feel.
Because our program doesn’t work without community, we want to show how many different kinds of members of the CrossPurpose family it takes to love our city well. This means we share visual stories. The more we can show different ages, classes, genders and races coming together, the more our city can see how possible it is to bridge divides so that everyone can thrive.
Be sure to check with the Communications Department before publishing any Leader photos to ensure compliance with their photo waivers.
Note: When Graduates are showing their diploma in a photo, be sure to blur their name to preserve privacy.
We use accurate names and locations for all stories unless an individual’s name or location should be changed or remain undisclosed in order to protect them.
We do not use photography/video of unrelated community members or nations when visually representing our work, but only of direct beneficiaries.
If a Leader, Staff member, Ally, or any other party requests that their image be removed, we comply with their wishes.
We believe video is an excellent way to put storytelling power in the hands of our Leaders. Capturing experiences in their own words is one of the most authentic ways our partners, supporters and prospective Leaders can understand the impact of our program. When filming Leaders in particular, be sure to:
1) Build trust and make sure they feel comfortable and know what to expect.
2) Be prepared with interview questions to help them tell their story.
3) Gather B-roll (candid footage) when you can. It helps viewers gather a fuller picture of the story.
4) Every video we publish should directly or indirectly answer the question, ‘Why CrossPurpose?’ It should evoke emotion from the viewer, and emphasize the dignity of the storyteller.
To honor the diversity of thought and experience represented by our constituents and stakeholders, we strive to strike a tone that is diplomatic and universal. By way of example, we are faith-based, but communicate in such a way that people of all faiths or no faith feel comfortable and welcomed. Additionally, we are strictly non-partisan.
To honor the dignity of those we serve and the general tenets of ethical storytelling, we strive to tell affirming, trauma-informed, and client-centered stories. Such an approach will also recognize the importance of power dynamics, and work within the confines of a subject’s consent. Our stories will celebrate resiliency and hope rather than objectifying pain.
When people interact with our brand in any way, we want them to think deeply, feel inspired, be motivated to act, and part of something bigger than themselves. No matter who we are communicating with, from Leaders to donors, we seek to position ourselves as the guide that can help them become part of something bigger than themselves. We aim to bridge the gaps between communities, success, and resources while helping neighbors reach their goals.
We always follow Leaders’ preferences regarding name disclosure and photo consent. Many of those we serve have been victims of intimate partner violence or gang violence, and we want to make sure all our Leaders’ safety and privacy is protected when we share their accomplishments. For all names, but especially those of different linguistic or ethnic origins, pay attention to correct name spelling and punctuation.
For gender, race, economic status, and all other protected classes, use positive language according to the guidelines listed here. For specific questions, refer to the online Diversity Style Guide (diversitystyleguide.com).
Gender: Refer to any Leader specifically by name when gender-appropriate pronouns are in doubt. When referring to adults, use the terms “men and women”, not “guys and gals/ girls”.
Race: When it is necessary to mention race identifiers, refer specifically to the Diversity Style Guide. The general phrase “majority and minority culture” is appropriate to use when referring to minority groups in any protected class.
Class: When referring to economic class, the terms “working poor”, “in poverty” and “low income” are preferred.
Use people-first language. Watch your identifiers.
Dan had been previously incarcerated before coming to the CrossPurpose program.
Person with prior justice system involvement OR previously incarcerated. Person with mental health needs. Person currently or previously experiencing homelessness. Person with a history of substance misuse.
Dan, an ex-offender, is starting the CrossPurpose program.
Ex-offender, ex-con. Mentally ill person. Homeless person. Addict, Substance Abuser.
Communicate with data.
We help Leaders get out of poverty by helping them gain an entry-level career job paying $17/ hr or more.
We help Leaders get out of poverty by helping them gain a job that pays a livable wage.
Focus on outcomes, not activities.
In 2019, 123 Leaders graduated from the CrossPurpose program.
In 2019, 123 Leaders ate 689 cups of ramen during their time in the CrossPurpose program.
Our goal is to engage with all of our constituents on social media and drive them to deeper engagement on our website and with our organization.
Our goal is to create regular, visual, and impactful connections to our work and the people who make it meaningful.
We see social media as a place where we can have fun, celebrate, and demonstrate our knowledge and care for our community. Our focus is to celebrate our Leaders, Alumni, and partners who make our work possible. We are not the hero, just the vehicle connecting neighbors to one another.
“#livedifferent #together” is the appropriate use of hashtags to incorporate our tagline in social media posts.
@crosspurposeCO
These are the platforms we use to promote our stories, impact and voice. Be sure to check with our Communications Department to ensure you’re using the right messaging on the right platform.
@crosspurposeCO
@crosspurpose
@crosspurpose
@crosspurpose
Brand Name
CrossPurpose is always spelled as one word, with “C” and “P” capitalized. Never Cross Purpose or Crosspurpose.
To embody our deep roots, CrossPurpose uses the language of neighborhood and neighbors to describe the locations and people with which we work. Through CrossPurpose originated in the neighborhood of Northeast Denver, new locations will involve new neighborhoods.
For all questions regarding grammar, punctuation and usage, refer to the AP style guide.
Stories bridge cultural, economic, geographic and generational divides. Stories humanize people and crises humans are facing. People find themselves within each story if told well. Stories destroy fear, comfort, apathy, and ignorance. Stories stir action, and provide hope. Stories create action.
We do not exaggerate or embellish. We are truth-tellers who adhere to journalistic principles of balance, fairness, objectivity and truth. We always cite our sources and get all data approved by the Innovation department before publishing. We do not oversensationalize or necessarily choose the highest statistic for shock value.
The official CrossPurpose tagline is “Live different together.” It can either be written in all caps (LIVE DIFFERENT TOGETHER.) or in sentence case. This tagline serves as a rallying cry for all internal audiences in the CrossPurpose family - Leaders, Staff, Allies, Alumni, Donors, Employer Partners, and Community Partners. While it serves as a reminder of what our program embodies, it doesn’t explain what kind of work we do. It should not be used for external audiences (prospective Leaders, etc) or as a way to introduce our brand.
When the tagline is used in conjunction with the logo, be sure to use the design file in the CrossPurpose Brand Packet folder (shown here) to maintain a consistent look and feel.
The first time these terms are used in external-facing communication, they should be introduced using the definitions below. Always capitalize any term that applies to a person, program or event, specific to CrossPurpose.
Leader: A Leader is a participant in the CrossPurpose career development program. We believe that our students are the leaders of their own change in growth.
Ally: Allies are community volunteers who support Leaders to achieve long-term success through the CrossPurpose program. Allies provide mentorship, networking opportunities, and personal support with the goal of building meaningful friendships that empower both Leaders and Allies alike to escape economic, relational, and spiritual poverty.
Community Partner: Community Partners are support organizations that refer qualified applicants to our program.
Employer Partner: Employer Partners are organizations that seek opportunities to employ CrossPurpose graduates. In a mutually beneficial relationship with our Employer Partners, we supply a pool of qualified Leaders who have completed skill training in applicable career tracks.
Graduation: Each six month career program cohort culminates in a graduation ceremony. Leaders are eligible to walk in graduation if they finish the program in good standing, attend Family Gatherings and coaching meetings, complete their skill development work (if applicable) and become employed full time in a career job earning at least $15/hour minimum, $17/ hour or more desired (data as of May 2021).
Alumni: A graduate of the CrossPurpose program becomes an Alum.
Alumni Association: The CrossPurpose Alumni Association is a family of CrossPurpose graduates, Allies and staff who are radically committed to supporting and loving each other and impacting the city for the common good.
Easy Access: Easy Access is a free, six week, online career training program for adults receiving TANF or SNAP government benefits who may not qualify for the full six month program. Participants do not receive a career certification. No application is required.
Change Agency & Change Agents: Change Agency is a nine-month idea incubator and accelerator program, open to application for CrossPurpose Alumni. Through our rigorous course, we provide tools, training, and coaching to help these Alumni (called Change Agents) develop ideas, businesses, projects, or non-profit organizations that give back to the community. Change Agents successfully completing the program will gain knowledge, confidence, and effective planning skills. The program will culminate in a presentation to interested donors and investors.
Pitch Night: Pitch Night is the presentation event when Change Agents present their entrepreneurial ideas to a room of interested donors and investors.
We find the following language helpful in describing who we are and what we do.
“We can’t just help people in poverty, we must help people get out of poverty.”
“We don’t help people who need help, we help people who want help.”
“You can’t solve a problem you don’t understand; you can’t understand from a distance.”
“There can be no significant change without significant relationship.”
“We are outcomes-oriented, not activity-based.”
“If you don’t help people heal the core wound of their heart, they will get fired and cycle back into poverty.”
- Father Greg Boyle“We want to build a legacy institution of excellence in our city. One that exists for all, endures a hundred years from now and empowers tens of thousands of families to escape poverty.”
- Jason Janz
When visitors enter any of our sites, our hope is that our facilities look like part of the solution, not part of the problem. Our classrooms, architecture and design should all be thoughtfully crafted and maintained to reflect the value, dignity and worth of the Leaders we serve. When hosting or presenting in a CrossPurpose facility, be sure to prepare the space through the lens of ‘being the solution:’
1) Be sure to greet all guests at the front upon arrival and offer them water, tea or coffee.
2) Have your meeting room reserved and prepared with no mess or debris.
3) Have your presentation or meeting points ready and plan to act as ‘host’ for the duration of their visit.
All our visitors, from Leaders to donors, should feel valued and dignified when visiting any of our sites.
At our headquarters, visitors can see works of visual art from a number of local artists, especially works made by women and people of color. Our hope is that Leaders can see themselves not just in other Staff and Allies, but also in the imagery we display. Filling our facilities with diverse works of art shows that we value creativity and image-bearing, and that the work we do should not simply be utilitarian, but beautiful.
If you have any questions, just ask: adorman@crosspurpose.org
