Greatest Possible Good met Laura Bacon of The Third at a startup showcase and fell in love with her mission to build an incubator in Howard County that meets the unique needs of women of color. We ran a pro bono design thinking engagement with The Well since October 2019 - April 2020. Our goal was to understand who The Well serves and use that knowledge to refine the nonprofit's strategic plan and membership model.

Project Purpose

• To understand the goals, pains, and needs of creative and entrepreneurial women of color in Howard County and the surrounding area
• To learn how membership at The 3rd could provide the most value to creative and entrepreneurial women of color in Howard County
• To design a sustainable revenue model for The 3rd

Project Outcomes

• Branding overhaul with logo, social media post templates, color palette, and brand guidelines
• Strategic vision, mission, and values statements
• Ten hour-long interviews with women of color who own businesses in the area
• Twenty-three insights learned from our interview data
• Design pillars for the membership model
• Co-ideation with The 3rd's board members
• Prototypes of membership materials
• User acceptance testing and feedback
• Virtual pivot when the pandemic hit
• Design thinking webinars for The 3rd community members
• A new path for the same vision

The 3rd is fundraising for its envisioned space in Howard County. Check out its page on IFUNDWOMEN and pledge your support today!

https://ifundwomen.com/projects/growing-businesses-ignite-community