The Power of Brands: Sargeant, Adrian, and John B. Ford
One of the most important ways that a nonprofit can improve its effectiveness is to
develop a strong brand. It helps a nonprofit raise its visibility among the general public
and develops deeper ties with donors, partners, and other stakeholders. Nonprofits
need to learn to distinguish themselves from other non-profits, most people have
problems distinguishing between charities.
Why be distinctive? Organizations that create distinctive brand personalities are able
to create more awareness among the public, raise more money, and be more effective.
Brand Framework: Great nonprofit brands start with a clear understanding of the
organization, from which verbal and visual elements flow
Organizational Core
Vision
Mission, Purpose
Values, Actions, Principles
Unique Selling Proposition
Personality
Verbal Expression
Name
Key Messages
Tone of Voice
Positioning Statement
Visual Expression
Logo
Color Palette
Typography
Design Elements
Photography &
Illustration
What is brand? Brands are an amalgam of everything an organization is, says, and
does (its more than a color palette and brochures)
First look at what is unique/distinguishes your organization from others:
1. What is your organizations Vision (your vision is what the world would look like
if you achieved your mission)
2. What are your vision, mission and unique selling positions? This will share
what is distinctive about your work and why it deserves attention.
3. What are your values, the actions you take, and the methods you use to
take action?
Only after establishing this, do you start to focus on developing the verbal and visual
expressions of the brand: logos, ads, websites, promotional literature, etc.
Brand personality must be consistently conveyed to all stakeholders over an extended
period of time, so that their knowledge and understanding of the brands is deepened
and enhanced as time goes on.
Many Brands are Undifferentiated
Many nonprofits are not differentiated, and rely on non-recognition rather than branding,
not a good idea.
Why does this matter? People tend to give more time, talent and treasure to
organizations with brands that are seen as differentiated.
In the Nonprofit sector, personality seems to be clustered in three levels:
Zeroing in on a Unique Brand: To attract donors, organizations must distinguish
themselves from the nonprofit sector as a whole, their cause, and each other.
Sector
Cause
Class
Organization
Emotional
Stimulation
Service
Voice
Tradition
Faith
Nonprofit Brand Personality
Delineating which aspects of brand personality are shared within sector and causes is
important because the shared and unique aspects of personality affect giving in different
ways.
What Fundraisers Should Know About Brands
Fundraisers have an easier time getting donors to open their wallets when they
represent a nonprofit with a strong brand, here are 4 reasons why:
1. Brands enhance learning: A visual hook helps people remember the organization
2. Brands reduce risk: Brands help donors develop a perception and develop trust in
the organization.
3. Brands provide insurance: Is reputation insurance: a well-established brand can
withstand short-term negative publicity that might otherwise inflict significant
damage.
4. Brands Build Loyalty: Donors are drawn to nonprofits that they perceive as having
a personality that encompasses values similar to their own. Donors can express
something of their own identity, or who they would like to be, through the personality
of the brand.
Brands Can Be Differentiated; How to differentiate a Brand
Nonprofit leaders often don’t know where to begin when it comes to developing a
distinctive brand personality. Here are four places to start:
1. Map your nonprofit using the four organizational dimensions: are there
opportunities to be distinctive in the emotional stimulation they generate, the tone of
their media voice, the nature of their service, or their ties to tradition.
2. Emphasize what is distinctive about your organization: your personality will
have the greatest impact on fundraising. The greater the differentiation, the greater
the average donor contribution, lifetime value, and level of retention.
3. Pay close attention to the perceptions of your donors: Begin by researching the
current perceptions of donors, mapping the results against he desired perceptions,
and taking action accordingly.
4. Understand which of your traits are shared with others.
Brand differentiation is not enough by itself. Brand personalities must also
reflect the needs and aspirations of the donors who support the organizations.
Emotional stimulation: personality traits such as exciting, heroic, innovative, and
inspiring all have the ability to evoke an emotional response and encourage gifting.
Voice: brands can be differentiated on the basis of the tone of voice they project in the
media.
Service: the style or philosophy behind how an organization delivers its services can be
an effective route to differentiation.
Tradition: Some view nonprofits as traditional, and regard giving as a duty, especially
during certain events or seasons.