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Orlando public relations agency brings more than four decades of experience to helping nonprofits build trust, visibility and momentum for major philanthropic efforts
ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 6, 2026) — Curley & Pynn Public Relations Management, Inc. has rebranded as Biplane (teambiplane.com), reflecting the Orlando-based firm’s growing focus on public relations for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations pursuing major fundraising campaigns.
The change reflects a significant strategic shift for the agency, which has evolved from a broad-based public relations practice serving corporations and organizations throughout Florida since 1984 into a firm focused specifically on helping nonprofits build visibility, reputation and trust to advance their philanthropy. Its work includes awareness and education, campaign brand activation, reputation management and thought leadership.
In practice, Biplane helps organizations determine who they need to reach, what those audiences need to understand and how to communicate in ways that build confidence and support. That may include communications research and planning, message development, media relations, community and influencer partnerships, events, content, spokesperson preparation and issues or crisis management.
“Our work has increasingly centered on applying decades of corporate communications experience to help mission-driven organizations prepare for some of their most important moments,” said Biplane owner and CEO Dan Ward, APR, CPRC. “Biplane reflects that evolution. It honors the experience that brought us here while focusing it where we believe it can have the greatest impact.”
Biplane president Kacie Escobar, MBA, APR, said the new name reflects both the firm’s approach and its ambitions.
“The biplane is a symbol of pioneering ambition and purposeful design,” Escobar said. “Its wings work together to create lift and stability, much as we work alongside clients, fundraising teams and campaign counsel. The name captures both where we’re going and the role we play in helping visionary philanthropic partners increase their capacity for greater impact.”
Biplane remains independently owned and headquartered in Orlando, with the same leadership team and staff serving its clients. The new identity represents a refined strategic focus and service model rather than a change in the firm’s longstanding commitment to strategic public relations counsel for existing clients.
Recent Work
In recent years, the firm has increasingly specialized in supporting nonprofits through major fundraising initiatives. This includes branding The Beacon Promise, Beacon College’s $14.5 million capital campaign, which concluded in June 2026, and supporting general awareness-building efforts for the college’s mission throughout the campaign; conducting initial assessments and planning for Maitland Public Library’s upcoming capacity-building campaign for operating a new facility; and providing strategic communications support to an arts organization in the quiet phase of a multi-million dollar capital campaign.
Public Relations and Major Fundraising Campaigns
The firm’s evolution has been informed by ongoing conversations with nonprofit executives, fundraising leaders and campaign consultants around the country about the role reputation and communications play in modern philanthropy.
“Fundraising campaigns have traditionally treated communications as something that becomes more important when a campaign goes public,” said Ward. “We believe it needs to begin much earlier. Reputation, confidence and trust are built long before an organization announces a campaign or asks someone to make a transformational gift... and they can be lost in an instant.”
That need has grown as nonprofit organizations navigate an increasingly complex information environment. Donors and other stakeholders form opinions through information gleaned from earned media, social platforms, online search, peer networks and AI-powered tools, often long before they enter a formal cultivation process. Biplane’s approach includes diagnostic tools and communication strategies designed to help organizations intentionally manage the reputation, relationships and risks that influence those perceptions.
The opportunity extends beyond protecting what an organization has already built. A major campaign is also a chance to deepen understanding of its mission, strengthen confidence in its leadership, expand visibility and build relationships that will serve the organization long after the campaign ends. Biplane’s focus extends beyond traditional fundraising communications, such as cases for support and donor materials, to the public relations environment surrounding philanthropy. The firm helps organizations strengthen their reputation, align stakeholders, increase visibility, prepare leaders for consistent message delivery and help manage issues that can affect donor confidence in the campaign.
Biplane works alongside nonprofit executives, internal advancement and communications teams and external fundraising counsel. Its role is to bring public relations strategy into campaign planning earlier and help create the conditions in which philanthropy can succeed.
The firm also regularly works alongside specialists in fundraising and philanthropy consulting, branding, paid media, social media and creative production.
As part of its growing commitment to the sector, Biplane recently joined The Giving Institute, an international association of organizations dedicated to advancing philanthropy and generosity. Ward is also a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
About Biplane
Biplane is a strategic public relations firm that builds the visibility, reputation and trust needed to advance major philanthropic efforts. Founded in Orlando more than four decades ago as Curley & Pynn Public Relations Management, Inc., the firm brings deep corporate communications experience to organizations preparing for and navigating major fundraising campaigns. Biplane works alongside nonprofit leaders, communications and advancement teams, and fundraising counsel to strengthen reputation, align stakeholders, manage risk and lift important missions.
Leadership
Dan Ward, APR, CPRC, CEO
Dan Ward, APR, CPRC, leads a team of talented professionals providing advice and counsel primarily to nonprofit organizations, offering experience in fundraising campaign support, issue and reputation management, strategic communications, and message alignment and training. A former chair of UCF ALUMNI, he currently serves on boards for the Jonathan’s Landing Foundation and UCF Nicholson School of Communication and Media, and on committees for CareerSource Central Florida and Susan G. Komen MORE THAN PINK Walk. He is a proud member of The Giving Institute and Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Dan is a Florida Public Relations Association Orlando Chapter PR Professional of the Year honoree and a Hall of Fame inductee of the UCF Nicholson School of Communication and Media.
Kacie Escobar, MBA, APR, President
Kacie Escobar, MBA, APR, is president of Biplane, where she leads initiatives that drive business growth, strengthen organizational culture, and deliver exceptional results for clients. She provides senior-level communications strategy and counsel to mission-driven organizations, helping them navigate milestone moments like capital campaigns, major announcements and leadership transitions.
With more than a decade of experience guiding high-profile, award-winning programs, Escobar is known for crafting strategies that build trust, engage stakeholders and position nonprofits for long-term impact. She is board chair of the Florida Public Relations Education Foundation, a former FPRA Member of the Year, a UCF “30 Under 30” honoree and an Orlando Business Journal “40 Under 40” honoree.
