Bring up the word “brand” in some nonprofit organizations and you’ll find a lot people squirming in their seats. It is a concept that can convey superficiality and, especially for cash-strapped nonprofits, be seen as a waste of resources.
Branding is more than a color palette, a logo and some graphics guidelines-it is a mechanism to convey who you are as an organization and allows you to build critical relationships with your clients, donors and key influencers. Without a vibrant and unique identity, your organization cannot attract the donors and support it needs to do its great work.
Going through a brand development process requires an organization to clarify some tough questions: How do we set ourselves apart from other organizations and show that we are unique and worthy of a donor’s investment? How do we communicate what we value? What words do we need to consistently utilize to explain who we are and what we do so that our followers begin to easily recognize us and make an emotional connection?
From personal experience, I can say that going through a brand development process is like helping an organization find it’s authentic voice. Organizations can build consensus about its core mission and values, and become more strategic about donor relations and where it puts its communication resources-be that a staff person’s time or real marketing dollars. People aren’t the only ones who suffer from identity crises. Nonprofits can too. Ask yourself, “Do our donors know who we are or do they only know what we do?” Those are two very different things and it is only when donors can easily answer the “who we are” that an organization can maximize its fundraising potential and fulfill their mission. And there’s nothing superficial about that endeavor.
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October 29th, 2008 at 4:08 am
Well written article.