Speaking in Language Funders Understand
Understood
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overview
Translating Mission Into Market Fit
Understood.org helps shape a world where neurodivergent people can thrive. To sustain and expand its mission, the organization needed clearer, more connected messaging and materials that would resonate with funders—bridging bold vision with practical, fundable action. Friday led a collaborative process that translated Understood’s ambitious goals into funder-focused storytelling.
challenge
At the intersection of education, mental health, neurodiversity, and equity, funders often struggled to categorize Understood or link their strategic goals to the organization’s work—even when they find the work compelling. Additionally, many funders perceive Understood as a content platform, not a digital-first driver of direct service or systems change.
insight
To extend its reach, Understood needed to identify the right “funder fit,” then position itself as a driver of systems change through the empowerment of individuals at scale. Funders needed to see how “direct-to-family” digital tools constitute modern direct service; how reach, repetition, and relevance combine into measurable behavior change; and how narrative change and identity shifts ripple into institutional transformation.
solution
Friday created a funder persona matrix to guide prioritization, proposal strategy, and relationship-building across high-, medium-, and low-fit funders. To support funder communications, Friday built a funder-centered messaging architecture that reframed Understood’s model as “systems-by-individuals change,” spoke to funder-specific pain points, and strengthened impact language to better align with funder goals. User-friendly, elegantly designed templates enabled the Understood team to implement and refine messaging in real time.
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“You guys were totally different than any other vendors. They drop a template that doesn’t help, isn’t really in your control, and doesn’t resonate. But because you guys look at brand, strategy and messaging in one neat bow – it was all really helpful.”
Laila Khan, Ph.D.
Director, Head of Institutional Giving at Understood.org
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