Strategic Arc Limited Wins National Communicator Award of Distinction for Koahnic Broadcast Corporation Campaign

National recognition honors mission-driven marketing campaign that helped raise a record $286,000 for Indigenous-led public media.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Strategic Arc Limited announced it has been named a winner in the 32nd Annual Communicator Awards, receiving an Award of Distinction in the Campaign, Non-Profit category for Marketing Effectiveness for its work supporting Koahnic Broadcast Corporation’s 30th Annual Alaska Native Art Auction campaign. The national recognition follows a milestone campaign that helped Koahnic Broadcast Corporation raise approximately $286,000, its largest fundraising total to date for the Alaska Native Art Auction. The campaign also helped generate statewide press attention in Alaska and opened national media conversations within the public media sector.

The Communicator Awards is one of the largest and most competitive awards programs honoring excellence in marketing, communications, and creative work, receiving more than 3,000 entries from agencies, global brands, digital agencies, production studios, in-house communications teams, designers, public relations firms, and independent creators. The awards are sanctioned and reviewed by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, an invitation-only body of more than 1,100 industry leaders from acclaimed brands, institutions, and agencies. Strategic Arc’s recognition places its work in a competitive class that included organizations and brands such as PBS Arizona, AT&T Multimedia, and Bank of America.

“This award matters because it recognizes more than creative execution. It recognizes our work at the intersection of strategy, communications, and measurable impact for mission-driven organizations,” said DaWayne Cleckley, President of Strategic Arc Limited. “Our work with Koahnic Broadcast Corporation was built to elevate a milestone event, strengthen donor engagement, and connect the urgency of Indigenous-led public media with fundraising outcomes. To see that campaign help Koahnic achieve its largest Alaska Native Art Auction total to date, while earning national recognition alongside major public media and corporate brands, is a powerful validation of what happens when mission-driven organizations have the right strategy, message, and moment.”

Strategic Arc team members named for the award are DaWayne Cleckley, President; Lauren Walden, Sr. Creative Services Manager; and Tyrel Yearwood, Digital Solutions Specialist.

The winning campaign supported Koahnic Broadcast Corporation’s 30th Annual Alaska Native Art Auction, a signature event celebrating Alaska Native artists while raising critical support for Koahnic’s national Indigenous media platforms, including KNBA 90.3 FM, National Native News, Native America Calling, and the Native Voice One network.

The event also came at a defining moment for Koahnic, as the organization advanced Koahnic 2030, a long-term initiative focused on digital transformation, financial resilience, and the future of Indigenous-led public media.

Koahnic’s post-event announcement framed the auction as both a celebration of Native artists and a launch point for the organization’s next chapter.
“Thirty years ago, this event was created to celebrate Native artists and Indigenous broadcasting,” said Jaclyn Sallee, President and CEO of Koahnic Broadcast Corporation. “Today, it also represents a commitment to what comes next. Koahnic 2030 is about transforming how we operate so Indigenous voices, journalism, language, and culture continue to thrive in a digital-first future.”

This year’s Communicator Awards theme emphasized the power of effective messaging in a crowded communications environment.

“We are in an era of information and content overload. Breaking through requires the right message, medium, and moment,” said Josh Campbell, AIVA General Manager. “This season’s winners got it exactly right, across campaigns, video series, annual reports, podcasts, websites and apps, immersive experiences, brand style guides and beyond. We are deeply grateful to the AIVA Jury for the expertise, curiosity and dedication they brought to recognizing this work. We’re honored to spotlight the winners whose work was truly Well Said.”

The Communicator Awards recognizes two levels of achievement: the Award of Excellence, the competition’s highest honor, and the Award of Distinction. Entries are reviewed on merit against a standard of excellence for each category, with Award of Distinction winners generally receiving scores between 7 and 8.9 on a 10-point scale.

For Strategic Arc, the award reinforces the company’s growing role in helping mission-driven organizations strengthen strategy, communications, marketing, and campaign effectiveness across public media, healthcare, financial services, and nonprofit sectors.

A link to Strategic Arc’s 32nd Annual Communicator Awards win can be found here: https://www.communicatorawards.com/winners/winners-gallery/?event=1099&search=strategic%20arc&id=695328

About Strategic Arc Limited

Strategic Arc Limited is an award-winning, minority and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned consultancy that works at the intersection of strategy, communications, and marketing to empower missions that transform communities. The firm partners with mission-driven organizations, including institutions whose work reaches local, regional, and national audiences, to facilitate strategic planning, move strategy into action, and develop marketing and communications strategies that strengthen engagement and expand community impact.

www.strategicarc.biz

About Koahnic Broadcast Corporation

Koahnic Broadcast Corporation is a national Indigenous media organization dedicated to amplifying Native voices, stories, and perspectives. Koahnic operates KNBA 90.3 FM, National Native News, Native America Calling, RIVR, and distributes programming to stations nationwide through the Native Voice One network. Together, these platforms serve Indigenous, rural, and urban communities with trusted journalism, cultural programming, and storytelling.

www.koahnic.org

About The Communicator Awards

The Communicator Awards recognizes excellence, effectiveness, and innovation across all areas of communication. For 32 years, the platform has provided an equal opportunity for companies, agencies, organizations, and independent creators to be honored, regardless of team size or project budget. The Communicator Awards is sanctioned and reviewed by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts.

www.communicatorawards.com

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