Developing and
Building a Great
Nonprofit Brand
Introduction
Dave Shaw
Arsenal Advertising + PR
512-499-8009
dave@GoArsenal.com
@TheRealDaveShaw
@ArsenalAgency
Agenda
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The case for branding
What makes a strong brand
Elements of a brand
Assessing your brand
Expressing your brand
Why should nonprofits care about branding?
• Branding is not just for profit
• You have a brand, choose to manage it:
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Mission drives the brand
Stakeholders have expectations of the brand
Strategies can strengthen the brand
Employees, board and volunteers deliver on the brand
Materials express the brand
• A strong brand drives internal alignment
• A strong brand builds external trust and credibility
There is a practical approach to branding nonprofits
What are some great nonprofit brands?
And what makes them great?
2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Rankings for
Nonprofit Brands
Youth
Health
Animal Welfare
Environmental
Social Services
Disability
Great Brands…
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Clear sense of who they are
Are disciplined and focused
Tell good stories
Internally and externally aligned
Stakeholders have tools, room to deliver
Consistently meet or exceed expectations
Defining Brand
A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and
relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s
decision to choose one product or service over another.
- Seth Godin
Everything Communicates the Brand
1. Core Purpose
Why you exist
2. Programs and Services
Support the core purpose
3. Staff, Board, Volunteers
Deliver the experience
4. Online Presence
Website, social media – look and voice
5. Physical Space
Physical representation of the brand
6. Name, Logo, Collateral, Look and Feel
Creative expression of the brand
Levels of
Audience Interaction
With a Brand
Engagement:
What will they do?
Resonance: How do we
make them feel?
Action and loyalty.
Alignment of values.
Emotional connection.
Relevance: Do they need us?
Perception: What do they know, what do they
think about us?
Awareness: Have they heard of us?
Can they live without us?
Rational connection.
Understanding.
Baseline.
Understand Your Brand
Purpose and message
2. Audiences and stakeholders
3. Programs and offerings
4. Service and communication
5. Look and feel
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Performing a Brand Audit
1. Interviews and focus groups tell you what and why
Employees
Board members
Donors
Volunteers
2. Surveys tell you how much and how many
Donors
Partners
Stakeholders
3. Review materials for the three “C's”:
Clarity
Creativity
Consistency
Expressing a Nonprofit Brand
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Core purpose
Name, logo and brand guidelines
Expressing a Nonprofit Brand
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Core purpose
Name, logo and brand guidelines
Message platform
Message Platform
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Elevator pitch
o One or two sentences in length
o 40,000 foot view of who you are and why you’re here
• Build key messages from elevator pitch
o Limit key messages to no more than five
o Present messages in bullet list form
o Messages support elevator speech
o Each message must be concise and to the point
• Ensure all stakeholders internalize key messages
Expressing a Nonprofit Brand
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Core purpose
Name, logo and brand guidelines
Message platform
Images and stories
www.stocklayouts.com
Expressing a Nonprofit Brand
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Core purpose
Name, logo and brand guidelines
Message platform
Images and stories
Audience experience
Training for staff, board, volunteers
Protecting Your Brand
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Establish brand look and feel
Library of approved, royalty-free stock images
Copyrights and trademarks
URLs, in all their variations
Common branding mistakes
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Four-color logos
Logo is my brand
Mission is my brand
Not training the front line
Mission creep
Inconsistent experiences
Employees, volunteers, board members not empowered
to deliver on the brand
Do’s of a Strong Brand
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Promises made and kept... over time
Consistency in messaging, visuals
Experiences that delight audiences
Clear sense of what the brand stands for
Staff, board members know how to deliver on the brand
Not just a logo or a tagline
Dave Shaw
Arsenal Advertising + PR
512-499-8009
dave@GoArsenal.com
@TheRealDaveShaw
@ArsenalAgency
Thank You