How Amplified Helped DEEP Build the Story and the Strategy to Grow
Featuring DEEP
What would it take to bring a proven early literacy model to more San Diego schools? For DEEP, the answer started with two questions: how to tell its story, and how to pay for its growth. Across two engagements, Amplified helped DEEP answer both.
The stakes are high. Third grade is a turning point: by the end of that year, children stop learning to read and start reading to learn. Those who reach it as confident readers carry that advantage into every grade that follows. Those who don’t often spend years trying to catch up.
In a cluster of southeastern San Diego neighborhoods, DEEP works to help more children reach that milestone on time. Guided by a research-based theory of change, DEEP brings community partners together around three priorities: kindergarten readiness, strong in-school literacy instruction and social-emotional support, and extended learning beyond the classroom.
Telling the story
The first answer came in 2024. An Amplified consulting team assessed DEEP’s messaging and marketing materials and compared them with those of similar nonprofits across California. They also helped survey current and prospective families, educators, and donors. Building on those findings, Amplified guided DEEP through a structured process to develop its Case for Support. The team then helped turn it into agency-ready creative briefs and identified potential agencies for a rebranding campaign.
“I was totally blown away by the impactfulness of this engagement: the team brought expertise from fields that we just didn’t have experience with (fundraising, marketing) and then drove the process and organized the meetings to keep us moving.” – Allison Ohle, Executive Director
Funding the growth
With a sharper story to tell, DEEP turned to the second question. It lost a major school district contract, fundraising became less predictable, and the grant landscape grew more crowded. In response, the organization narrowed its program focus and began building what Ohle calls “a coalition of the willing” for its next chapter. That raised two practical questions: what would it cost to expand beyond the four Diamond District schools DEEP has historically served, and how could that growth help diversify its funding model?
DEEP returned to Amplified for a second engagement. Amplified Partners Andy Kaiser (Lead) and Alexandria Papasavas worked with DEEP across finance and budget, strategy, and revenue development. The engagement had four phases:
Aligning on core impact and priorities
Assessing DEEP’s financial condition
Exploring opportunities to adapt
Making strategic recommendations
In the final two phases, the team led a fund development capability assessment and weighed a full range of revenue options. These included contracts with additional schools and districts, corporate partnerships, individual giving, events, and building an internal fundraising team. The team evaluated each option for its likely return on investment.
“We knew the problem we were trying to solve, and we knew we needed some thought partnership, some expertise and some accountability partners to help us move through addressing it. Our Amplified team was just that.” – Allison Ohle, Executive Director
What comes next
DEEP now has both the story and the strategy to grow. It has a clear view of which revenue opportunities are worth pursuing and what each is likely to return, and that analysis will guide its revenue development plan for the coming year. For families in southeastern San Diego, that work strengthens the programs that help children reach third grade ready to read to learn. It also opens the door to reaching more schools and more young readers.
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