The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation

Marketing Strategy | Print Design | Copywriting

The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to hosting one of the world’s best cross country ski events, the American Birkebeiner, maintaining one of the nation’s premier recreation trails, and promoting healthy lifestyles for people of all ages.

As a graphic designer, I was brought on to assist in the development of a new brand identity and marketing materials to support the new $10.2 million Mount Telemark capital fundraising project, consisting of large-scale renovations to existing structures, as well as new construction including the new main lodge, hotel, hiking trails, and outdoor plaza, and a variety of outdoor recreation areas.

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As a result of our marketing and print design work, combined with ongoing efforts from the ABSF’s full-time marketing staff, over $6 million has been raised towards their goal of $10.2 million. Construction on the project has already begun, with several ski runs, biking trails, an observation tower, and event hall completed as of December 2023. We are excited to be able to help with such an exciting project and we look forward to seeing its impact on the community for years to come.

In our first client meeting, we took an in-depth look at their current marketing materials and evaluated what was working and what was needed from us. Their current approach, which prioritized social media and email marketing strategies, didn’t cover all the bases necessary to ensure we were effectively reaching older audiences, which have historically been one of their largest donor demographics. We decided to focus on print materials to effectively fill in the gaps, creating a complete marketing package for potential donors. I worked primarily on the booklet, postcards, and logo, coordinating design choices and info from the client with the other designers.

Along the way, we found that a brand identity refresh was needed. Their current logo appeared dated compared to the logos of nearby competitors in the outdoor recreation industry, and reminded us more of a tech company or an airline than an exciting outdoor program. The redesigned logo is more dynamic, modernized, and universally appealing to both younger and older audiences.

Final Deliverables - Marketing Package for Potential Donors

Our final deliverables included a letterhead design and informational booklet, along with a Campaign-At-A-Glance flyer, bequest forms, capital campaign commitment form, donor recognition & naming rights information sheet, and a custom die-cut mailing folder to keep everything in.

Postcard Designs

We used engaging imagery with a short project summary and call-to-action on the back to build awareness and support of this project in the surrounding community and reach more potential donors. The donation specifics were added on by ABSF at a later date.

Informational Booklet

The informational booklet was created to provide a quick overview of the project for use by both stakeholders and the general public. We worked in InDesign to layout the provided copy, and used differences in line weight and color to pull out the important info. Even if the reader is only giving it a quick glance, they will know the basics of the project and why it is so important.

CREDITS: Design Team - Robert Lindholm, Kelsey Malecki, Abby Steffen, Katie Mickelson, Ashley Pertula, Joey Rebne, and Caitlyn Kviz.

Art Direction - Andrew Wall, ABSF Marketing Director. Prof. Chris Theo, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. All copywriting & imagery provided by ABSF.