Case study

How CAFE filled 585 of 700 seats for Steelpan Heritage Month

The Cultural Academy for Excellence (CAFE) is a 30-year-old performing arts and youth development nonprofit in Prince George's County, Maryland. This is how its brand, technology, and outreach came together.

The starting point

Where CAFE started

CAFE had a strong program but an inconsistent brand identity, technology spread across 13 platforms that did not connect, and limited visibility into its marketing performance. Brand materials had built up over decades with no unifying system, and staff were duplicating work because none of the platforms were documented.

The work

What we built

Brand Strategy

Unified identity across every audience

Brand materials had accumulated over decades with no unifying system. Donors, board members, and staff described the organization differently.

30th anniversary brand refresh
New logo and 17-page brand guidelines
First donor and sponsor pitch deck (18 slides)
Consistent messaging framework

Marketing Technology

13 platforms mapped and documented, with the key systems connected

The technology stack had grown organically. Staff were duplicating work because platforms did not talk to each other and none were documented.

Full 13-platform ecosystem review and data flow map
Givebutter donor platform implementation ($3,000 end-of-year donation secured)
Google Analytics and Search Console
Zapier automation connecting Constant Contact to Givebutter
Email template redesign: 2X open and click-through rate

Outreach and Campaigns

Campaigns that filled seats and built the donor file

Outreach was seasonal and inconsistent. One or two events per year did not build sustained engagement or give leadership results to report.

30th Annual Holiday Concert: 228 tickets sold
$5,297 gross revenue, 4.9/5 attendee rating
5X return on $101 Facebook ad investment
3 sold-out steelpan workshops
Adult steelpan class grew from 4 to 16 students, generating $4,000 in revenue

The result

The result: Steelpan Heritage Month, August 22, 2026

CAFE presented Celebrating Steelpan Heritage Month at the Center for Performing Arts at Prince George's Community College. A total of 585 of 700 seats were filled, and box office revenue reached $13,596.

IAG led marketing and promotion for the event: email, social media, Facebook advertising, media outreach, and coordination with WETA. The venue handled ticketing.

$13,596

Box office revenue

585 of 700

Seats filled (84%)

464

Paid tickets

Box office revenue per the venue's payout report. The seat count includes complimentary seats.

The campaign

How the campaign worked

Facebook advertising

$79.93 over 15 days reached 8,139 people and generated 477 link clicks at $0.17 per click.

894 contacts received the campaign, with a 33.0% confirmed open rate and a 4.5% click rate. A resend to non-openers added 15 more clicks.

Media and partnerships

WETA, the public broadcasting station serving the nation's capital, recorded the concert and is producing a documentary on 30 years of CAFE's impact and the history of the steelpan.

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Ongoing growth

What it keeps building

The Fall 2026 adult steelpan class sold out, and 15 people are on the Spring 2027 waitlist. IAG also built CAFE's ESOL registration system. The spring cohort enrolled 10, and 22 more have registered for fall.

Why the results compound

Each campaign had more to build on than the last: a consistent brand, connected donor and email platforms, and analytics that showed what was working. We cannot isolate any single factor, but this is what it looks like when brand, technology, and outreach are planned together.

Four chapters

How the engagement unfolded

Brand and systems

30th anniversary refresh, 13 platforms reviewed and documented, Givebutter, analytics, Zapier.

Holiday Concert

228 tickets, $5,297 gross, 5X return on a $101 Facebook ad.

Steelpan Heritage Month

585 seats filled, $13,596 box office.

Sustained growth

A sold-out adult class, a Spring 2027 waitlist, an ESOL program, a WETA documentary.

From leading our 30th anniversary brand refresh to implementing new fundraising platforms and managing a concert campaign that exceeded $5,000 in ticket sales, IAG's work has strengthened every aspect of how we communicate our mission and connect with our supporters. I recommend IAG without reservation to any nonprofit seeking to elevate its marketing, technology, and outreach capabilities.

Mrs. Lorna Green

Founder and CEO, Cultural Academy for Excellence

IAG's brand, technology, and marketing work reflect a rare combination of corporate-level expertise and genuine nonprofit understanding. The board is confident that IAG's contributions have positioned CAFE for sustained growth, and I would recommend IAG to any mission-driven organization looking for a strategic partner who delivers results.

Dr. Barbara Hutchinson

Board Chair, Cultural Academy for Excellence

Sample engagement. Published with written permission from CAFE leadership.

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