GitLab Foundation
Project Overview
The GitLab Foundation supports organizations creating economic mobility for individuals in the United States, Colombia and Kenya, with a mission to ensure each dollar invested provides at least 100x ROI on lifetime earnings. SINA serves as a critical operational partner to the foundation, helping to oversee and manage multiple aspects of the organization’s strategic communications function. From building and executing a multi-channel content strategy to launching new initiatives, developing the foundation’s first impact report and managing stakeholder communications, SINA’s work has helped position the GitLab Foundation as a recognized leader and innovator in philanthropy and economic opportunity.
What We Do
Multi-channel Owned Content Strategy and Creation
Narrative Strategy and High-level Messaging Framework Development
Media Relations and Executive Thought Leadership
Initiative Incubation and Launch
Impact Reporting and Stakeholder Communications
The Challenge
The GitLab Foundation entered the philanthropic landscape with a fundamentally different approach to grantmaking, one centered on measuring outcomes, not activities, with an ambitious benchmark of 100x ROI on lifetime earnings per dollar invested. This focus on rigorous impact measurement set the foundation apart, but it also created a communications challenge. How do you articulate a complex, data-driven funding model in ways that resonate with diverse stakeholders — from nonprofit grantees and peer funders to journalists and leaders in economic opportunity? And how do you build brand awareness and credibility for a young foundation operating in a space where most organizations are more established?
The foundation needed a strategic communications partner who could translate its unique value proposition into a compelling narrative, build an engaged community of brand ambassadors from scratch and position the organization as an influential voice in conversations about philanthropy, economic mobility and impact measurement.
The Solution
Curating an engaged community around a central narrative
Knowing that the foundation’s outcomes-driven approach was unique within the broader philanthropic community, SINA saw an opportunity to do more than simply communicate the foundation’s work — we set out to build a movement around it. We developed a robust multi-channel owned content and narrative strategy designed to motivate others to action and curate an engaged community of brand ambassadors made up of nonprofits, peer funders, industry influencers and journalists. Every piece of content — from grantee features and annual reports to videos and LinkedIn posts — reinforces a central narrative around impact, positioning the foundation not just as a funder, but as a thought leader reshaping how philanthropy can think about results.
Launching initiatives and telling the story of impact
As the foundation’s communications partner, SINA hasn’t just amplified existing work, we’ve helped bring new ideas to life along the way, including developing the brand identity and supporting the launch of Opportunity AI — a growing funder community focused on how AI can drive economic opportunity. We also developed the foundation’s first impact report, translating complex data on grantee outcomes and lifetime earnings growth into a compelling narrative that demonstrated the foundation’s unique model in action. Beyond marquee moments, SINA manages ongoing communications with stakeholders and partners in collaborative funds, grantee announcements and organizational milestones, ensuring the foundation maintains a consistent and credible presence across every touchpoint.
Building a brand that attracts the right relationships
SINA’s strategic approach has built considerable brand awareness for the foundation and its unique narrative on impact measurement in a short time. We’ve successfully placed foundation staff in outlets that influence key philanthropic and nonprofit stakeholders, elevating the foundation’s visibility among the audiences that matter most. This strategic positioning work has both raised the foundation’s profile, as well as directly contributed to exciting new grantee and funder relationships.
SINA’s work has delivered measurable results across audience growth, engagement and strategic positioning. In our time working together, we’ve increased the foundation’s LinkedIn audience by more than 1,100%, with high engagement rates across our content. The foundation’s website and measurement dashboards see strong monthly traffic numbers, with robust referrals from owned channels. Most importantly, the foundation’s strategic communications work has translated directly into new relationships and opportunities — attracting grantees, funders and collaborators who are drawn to the foundation’s unique model.
Hear from Our Client
“At GitLab Foundation, we care about outcomes above all — and SINA has delivered outstanding results. SINA has helped position the foundation as a recognized leader and innovator in philanthropy and economic opportunity, which has led to an influx of exciting new grantee and funder relationships. We recommend them to any organization that wants to develop a unique voice with a highly collaborative and strategic partner.”
Ellie Bertani, President and CEO
