D&A Communications
D&A Communications is a San Francisco-based, founder-owned, full-service communications agency founded in 1996, specializing in equity-first community engagement, multicultural marketing, and public affairs for Bay Area government agencies, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and mission-driven companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What D&A Communications does
D&A Communications, Inc. (legal entity) is a privately held, founder-owned, full-service communications agency headquartered in San Francisco, California, founded in 1996 by Darolyn Davis. The firm operates under the consumer-facing brand D&A Communications (DBA: Davis Impact) and positions itself as equity-first, providing communications strategy, community engagement, creative and content production, digital and social marketing, paid media, government and public affairs, measurement and analytics, and reputation management services. Its underlying technology is intentionally non-proprietary: service delivery is human-led and supported by standard agency tools for project management, design production, and digital advertising execution, with no software platform, API, or proprietary technical product.
D&A serves government and public agencies, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and mission-driven private-sector companies, with a client roster that includes SFO (agency of record since 2016), SFMTA, BART, Caltrans, AC Transit, WETA, Port of Oakland, Port of San Francisco, SFPUC, MTC, BAIFA, Alameda County Health, the Alzheimer's Association, AMIA, AT&T, IKEA, PG&E, AECOM, Jacobs, and Clark Construction. The firm's differentiating capability is its equity-first framework, applied across research, messaging, creative, and community activation, supported by multilingual execution (English, Spanish, Tagalog, Cantonese) and trauma-informed, IAP2-certified public participation practice. Quantified outcomes across documented campaigns include 1,100+ new ferry riders, 90% ridership recovery for SF Bay Ferry, 22M impressions for a multilingual Alameda County Health EMS campaign, 784,000+ impressions for the Port of Oakland rebrand, and a 6% college enrollment increase linked to the Kindergarten to College outreach program.
D&A generates revenue entirely from professional service fees under project-based scopes and retainer arrangements, with no software, subscription, advertising-revshare, or transactional product revenue. The firm is certified as WBE, DBE, SBE, and MBE and is registered in SAM.gov and Cal eProcure, which qualify it for set-aside government contracts. It distributes services through direct client engagement, predominantly RFP responses and contract negotiations with Bay Area public agencies, with inbound inquiries via its website as a secondary channel. The firm is privately held, has no disclosed parent company, no institutional investors, and no public funding history.
D&A Communications firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- D&A Communications
- Legal name
- D & A Communications, Inc.
- Website
- https://davisimpact.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- D&A Communications is a San Francisco-based, founder-owned, full-service communications agency founded in 1996, specializing in equity-first community engagement, multicultural marketing, and public affairs for Bay Area government agencies, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and mission-driven companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
D&A Communications industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Relations and Communications Services
- NAICS
- Public Relations Agencies (54182), Public Relations Agencies (541820)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Digital PR & Social Media Communications (MPAAADAJ)
Keywords
Where D&A Communications is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
D&A Communications business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Services — Communications and Engagement: D&A Communications generates revenue by providing fee-based communications consulting and creative services to government agencies, nonprofits, and mission-driven private clients. Engagement structures include project-based scopes and retainer arrangements. Revenue is derived entirely from professional service fees; there is no software, subscription, advertising, or transactional product revenue.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
D&A Communications product offering
Product offeringCore offering
D&A Communications is a full-service, equity-first communications agency that provides community engagement, multicultural marketing, creative and content development, digital and social strategy, measurement and analytics, reputation management, and government and public affairs services to government agencies, nonprofits, healthcare organizations, and mission-driven companies. Engagements are delivered as project-based campaigns or long-term agency-of-record retainers, with revenue earned entirely through professional service fees.
Product overview
D&A Communications is a full-service, equity-first communications agency founded in 1996 by Darolyn Davis. The agency offers a portfolio of core services organized around community engagement & public participation, creative & content development, digital & social marketing, communications strategy, measurement & analytics, reputation management, and government & public affairs. Their approach centers on multicultural marketing and inclusive brand strategy, with signature campaigns including the award-winning 'Ferry There!' multicultural transit campaign, 'Silent Disco' experiential activations, brand identity transformations like 'Seaport. Airport. Everyone's Port' for Port of Oakland, community engagement programs such as the Waterfront Resilience Program, and targeted outreach campaigns including multilingual healthcare education and anti-harassment safety research for transit agencies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community Engagement & Public Participation Culturally relevant community engagement services including multicultural marketing, influencer strategy, CBO partnerships, field outreach, workshops, town halls, ambassador programs, and in-language events for government agencies, healthcare organizations, and nonprofits.
- Creative & Content Brand development and creative services spanning naming, identity systems, campaign concepts, copy, design, photo and video production, and multilingual adaptation for mission-driven clients.
- Digital & Social Social and digital marketing services combining paid and organic social, creator partnerships, SEO, email, website design and development, with inclusive design standards (WCAG-AA) and data-informed optimization.
- Communications Strategy Strategic communications consulting including audience research, message testing, segmentation, positioning, and go-to-market strategy development for public-sector and mission-driven clients.
- Measurement & Analytics KPI frameworks, dashboards, campaign analysis, and lift studies providing transparent reporting and continuous learning with real-time optimization across client engagements.
- Reputation Management Proactive narrative shaping, crisis and issues management, rapid response, and stakeholder engagement services that protect and strengthen organizational reputations.
- Government & Public Affairs Public affairs strategy, stakeholder engagement, public education, and issues management navigating the intersection of policy, politics, and public opinion for government and civic clients.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,100+ new ferry riders and pre-pandemic ridership recovery for San Francisco Bay Ferry
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use D&A Communications
Customer profileNamed customers21 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
D&A Communications technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
D&A Communications partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Feed.FMminorD&A partnered with Feed.FM for the SFO Silent Disco activation. Feed.FM provided a curated Bay Area artist playlist, which D&A transformed into the live 'SanFranDisco' experiential event at San Francisco International Airport. The partnership enabled QR-code headphone access to the curated Feed.FM station for airport travelers.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
D&A Communications competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Adisa Group: Diversity-focused public relations and communications firm with explicit multicultural and minority-owned business positioning. Closely comparable to D&A's equity-first framework and minority business certification-driven model.
- Fenton Communications: Social impact communications firm specializing in cause-based campaigns for nonprofits, foundations, and progressive clients. Directly comparable to D&A's equity-first, mission-driven positioning and community engagement service offering.
- Singer Associates: San Francisco-based public relations and public affairs firm serving government agencies, corporations, and nonprofits. Highly comparable given shared Bay Area focus, public-sector client base, and community engagement capabilities, though Singer Associates is larger and more established in public affairs.
- The Hatcher Group: Public affairs and communications firm serving nonprofits, government agencies, and socially responsible businesses. Comparable in mission-driven client focus and integrated communications strategy services, though primarily East Coast-based.
- Resolute Consulting: Public affairs and strategic communications firm with strong DEI and community engagement focus, serving government, nonprofit, and corporate clients. Comparable to D&A's equity-first public affairs and stakeholder engagement capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- GMMB: Large, established public affairs and communications firm with significant public-sector and healthcare campaign work. Comparable in targeting government and healthcare clients with integrated campaigns, but operates at much larger scale across multiple regions.
- Edelman: Largest global public relations firm with significant public-sector, healthcare, and purpose-driven communications practices. Comparable in serving government and healthcare clients with integrated campaigns, but competes as a much larger incumbent with global scale.
- Hill+Knowlton Strategies: Global public relations and communications firm with public affairs and public-sector capabilities. Comparable in offering integrated communications strategy and government affairs services, though operates at much larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
- APCO Worldwide: Global public affairs and strategic communications firm with significant government, public sector, and corporate social responsibility practices. Comparable in serving government clients with stakeholder engagement and reputation management, but operates globally with far greater scale.
Regional players
- Metzger Albee Public Relations: Boutique public affairs and communications firm based outside the Bay Area with focus on transportation, infrastructure, and public-sector clients. Comparable in serving transit and government clients with community engagement and equity-focused campaigns, though not operating in D&A's primary geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
D&A Communications social profiles
Digital presenceD&A Communications financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
D&A Communications leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
D&A Communications funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
D&A Communications M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about D&A Communications
What does D&A Communications do?
D&A Communications is a full-service, equity-first communications agency that provides community engagement, multicultural marketing, creative and content development, digital and social strategy, measurement and analytics, reputation management, and government and public affairs services to government agencies, nonprofits, healthcare organizations, and mission-driven companies. Engagements are delivered as project-based campaigns or long-term agency-of-record retainers, with revenue earned entirely through professional service fees.
Is D&A Communications a public or private company?
D&A Communications is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was D&A Communications founded?
D&A Communications was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is D&A Communications based?
D&A Communications is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does D&A Communications make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Services — Communications and Engagement.
Who are D&A Communications's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Adisa Group, Fenton Communications, Singer Associates, The Hatcher Group and Resolute Consulting. Broad incumbents are GMMB, Edelman, Hill+Knowlton Strategies and APCO Worldwide. Metzger Albee Public Relations is listed as a regional player.
Does D&A Communications have an API?
No public API is recorded for D&A Communications.
What industry is D&A Communications in?
D&A Communications's product category is Public Relations and Communications Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFADAK, Nonprofit & Cause Communications, with a secondary code of MPAAADAJ, Digital PR & Social Media Communications. Its NAICS code is 54182 and its SIC code is 7311.