Can This Brand Be Saved?

A wildlife rescue with an identity problem

Photo: Dustin Safranek

A few months ago, I got a call from the director of a small but mighty wildlife rescue center up north.

Let’s call it WildWings.

They’re doing incredible work — rescuing injured birds, educating the public, and quietly saving part of the region’s fragile ecosystem.

But here’s the thing: nobody really knew that.

Not donors.
Not the broader community.
Not even their own board members.

The Disconnect

• Their brand was too narrow: "injured bird rehab" — full stop.

• Their bigger story — protecting the region’s natural heritage — was completely missing.

• Their website and materials felt dated, scattered, and small.

• They were invisible to major funders and donors who cared about conservation, education, and environmental impact.

They weren’t wrong about what they did — they were just underselling it.

The Fix

We built a simple plan to pull them out of the weeds:

• Reframe the mission. Not just healing birds — healing ecosystems.

• Update the story. Shift from "tiny rehab center" to "essential part of regional conservation."

• Fix the website. Clearer content, bigger narrative, stronger donor appeal.

• Get the board on board. Convene a branding workshop so everyone could tell the same powerful story, not just mumble through the old one.

Bottom Line?

The brand they thought they had was way smaller than the brand they actually could own.

All it took was seeing the bigger picture — and telling it well.

The Take Away

Brands don’t fall apart overnight.
They fade away, little by little — until someone finally says: "Wait, this isn’t the story we should be telling."

The good news?
You can always take it back.

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