Strategic Communications for Mission-Driven Organizations
Bring clarity to your mission. Tell stories with impact.
Strategic Clarity: Your Key to Standing Out
When priorities shift, clarity becomes the difference between being heard and being overlooked. I partner with nonprofit leaders to define what you stand for and how to say it, then translate that strategy into documentary photography and film designed for fundraising, reporting, and advocacy.
Before we make anything, we make sure the foundation is solid. After assessing the “Three Levels of Brand Clarity” and address the missing elements, we build a plan for visuals and storytelling.
“Steven’s unique contributions extend far beyond what one would expect from most any photographer. In addition to his gifts as a creative artist and storyteller he has partnered with our teams to openly contribute to our thinking on program strategy and communication planning at many levels. He artfully combines his background and knowledge of our sector along with his skill as a photographic storyteller to empathetically capture the universal humanity within all of us and create compelling content and deliver critical visual impact for our programs.”
Carrie Hessler-Radelet, President & CEO, Global Communities and Former Director, Peace Corps
Vaccination and prenatal care. Bihar, India ©Steven Wade Adams, 2017
A woman in traditional attire herding cattle in a dusty village at dawn with tents in the background and pink sky. Steven Wade Adams 2017.
Face washing in Bale Zone, Ethiopia. ©Steven Wade Adams 2017.
Village life in Bihar, India. ©Steven Wade Adams 2017.
Community health workers caring for young child. Uganda. ©Steven Wade Adams 2017
Trachoma surgery in Karamoja, Uganda. ©Steven Wade Adams 2017.
Family bathing in the Irrawaddy River. Myanmar. ©Steven Wade Adams 2015.
A scenic view of a mountain in the distance with a cloudy sky, surrounded by green trees and bushes. Several cows are grazing among the trees in the foreground.
A teacher and children in a classroom, with colorful educational posters on the wall, including the alphabet and animals.
A woman and a young girl sit on the floor of a small room filled with traditional and handmade items.
A woman holding a child inside a rustic kitchen with mounted pots and pans on the wall, a stove, and various kitchen items visible.
Group of women in traditional Maasai attire sitting inside a community building, engaging with a woman holding a small child, in a rural setting.
Why Organizations Choose to Work with Me
Most communications consultants do not have actual field experience. It is rare that photographers have either experience in the sector or strategic training. I bring both. My background combines Fortune 50 in executive strategy (Pfizer), 20+ years in research & development, a scientific background (DVM, PhD), and nonprofit board service. I've also worked on projects in multiple countries to combine this background into a unique approach. I understand your realities and the specific communications challenges that inevitably face complex organizations. My approach is both anthropological and dignity-centered to result in visual narratives guided above all by strategic clarity and the principle that "we are more the same than we are different."
Organizations that have Collaborated with Me
Global Communities • PCI India • Center for Catalysing Change/C3 India • Planned Social Concern (India)• International Trachoma Initiative • AfriScout • Casa Materna • Project Kalay International • Boys & Girls Club • Villa Musica
Field experience: US, India (West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan), Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Myanmar, Guatemala
Let's Start a Conversation
Whether you're navigating organizational transition, clarifying your brand positioning, or developing strategic visual campaigns, I welcome the opportunity to explore how we might partner together. I work with organizations that value strategic thinking, ethical storytelling, and long-term partnership over short-term transactional relationships.
