What Does It Mean to Build a Nonprofit Brand (and Why Does It Matter)?
by Michele Levy


When you build your brand, you are building a perception of your organization…setting expectations around who you are and what you offer. Your brand perception results from every single contact a person has with your organization. Branding and marketing professionals often refer to this as your “brand touchpoints”, essentially all the places where your key internal and external constituents “touch” your brand…and where your brand touches them.

Another way to think about your brand perception is in terms of a simple metaphor. Consider your brand perception as a suit of clothing-it needs to feel good to be wearing it and it needs to make you look good. Ideally, it’s a little large…most brands are aspirational, something the organization needs to grow into. But it can’t be so large that it looks silly on you!

You build your brand perception on four key elements (or, to continue the metaphor, weave your suit from four threads):
o A set of consistent core messages relevant to your various audiences…how you talk about what you do
o A visual brand identity (logo, fonts, color palette, imagery) that effectively (and efficiently) communicates the essence of your brand…what your brochures, invitations, web site, email newsletter, etc. look like
o An agreed-upon set of consistent brand behaviors…how your staff and volunteers interact with each other and with the members of your various audiences.
o An integrated plan to communicate the brand across all touchpoints…how, when, how often, you communicate with your audiences.

While many nonprofit organizations now understand the value of a strong brand, there are still staff and board members unclear as to why a strong brand matters in the nonprofit sector. As you work to strengthen your brand, it’s important to educate those individuals. Here are some simple answers that generally make sense to those folks:

Focus: like an effective mission, a strong brand can help staff, members, etc. stay focused on what’s most important to the organization. It provides a helpful framework for evaluating new programming, strategic partnerships, etc. If you can’t show how an initiative supports the brand, you should not put resources towards it.

Efficiency: A strong brand allows you to quickly establish who you are and why you matter, which is crucial when it comes to fundraising, membership, media coverage. If people have to work too hard to figure out what you are about, they’ll move on to the next thing (and that next thing might just be an annual appeal from another organization!). On a more tactical note, having consistent brand tools (logo, visual identity, messaging, etc) simply saves time. No more hunting on the server for the correct version of the logo, or making up yet another boilerplate paragraph for the latest grant application. Translation: a streamlined approach to your brand could also streamline communications spending.

Clarity: If the marketplace is making up its own stories about your organization, and/or your staff and board are creating umpteen versions of your messaging, chances are there is a great deal of confusion about who you are, and where you are going. That confusion is challenging for both internal and external constituencies.

Impact: With so many marketing messages (also called “noise in the marketplace”) consumers tend to be overwhelmed. And when consumers are confused, they tend to stick with what they know (which might not be you!). Having a strong brand helps claim your space, gives your story a chance of being heard above the fray, and gives you a better chance of becoming the “safe” or “comfortable” option from which people don’t want to switch.

Momentum: This one’s simple…and you see it every day in your own life. The strongest brands become increasingly compelling to those most important to you (think of the momentum around the Apple iPhone, or around a winning sports team. People want to connect with brands they see as successful.

By the way, there is no such thing as an “unbranded” organization, company, product, approach, etc. You have a brand…whether you’re managing it or someone else is. Unless you are a completely new organization, there are perceptions of you in the marketplace, based on the experiences individuals have had with your organization. Ultimately, it’s easier and more cost-effective to manage those perceptions from the beginning, instead of cleaning up afterwards.

Excerpted from Building Your Brand: A Practical Guide for Nonprofit Organizations (to be published spring 2011).

Meet author Michele Levy at Get Connected: Marketing and Communications Best Practices for Nonprofits on February 22 in Detroit. See sidebar to left.

Take a Class!

If you work for a nonprofit in Washtenaw County you may apply for a Washtenaw Community College Nonprofit Agency Scholarship, which will reimburse the tuition for attending any of the LifeLong Learning classes shown on this page. Check out the wide variety of classes that start at various times.

Special Event: Don’t Turn Away -- A Community Forum on Poverty
Sunday, January 23, 1:30pm
Congregation Shaarey Zedek, Adler Hall, 27375 Bell Road, Southfield
Presented by Jewish Community Relations Council
Cost: Free; donation of food or children’s book encouraged.

Join the discussion on how to help the large number of Michiganders living in poverty. A distinguished panel of citizens will provide insight.  More information and registration or call 248-642-5393.

Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation Grant Deadline

While AAACF will provide funding to support human services through the Coordinated Funding process, the Community Foundation will continue to fund areas of interest through our General Grantmaking and Targeted Grantmaking Programs including the Community Foundation of Plymouth and the Ypsilanti Area Community Fund.
Be aware of cycle 1 deadline of Wednesday, February 2.  More information.

Southeast Michigan Nonprofit News

Stay in the loop of nonprofit news by following Sherri Welch’s blog at Crain’s Detroit.

 

Board Chair 101
Wednesday, January 19, 5pm - 7pm
NEW Center, 1100 N Main St., Ann Arbor
Cost:  $40

A strong board chair leads to a strong board, which leads to a strong organization. Learn more and register.

Webinar: The Compensation Checklist for Nonprofits: Are You Prepared for Today and the Next Five Years?
Wednesday, January 19, 1pm ET
Presented by Guidestar.  Free. More information.

Assessing the Financial Health of Nonprofits
Monday, January 24, 5pm-6:30 p.m.
E1540 Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Free and open to the public, no registration required.

Join Kevin Sweeney, Director of the Detroit Program at the Nonprofit Finance Fund, in a discussion of how to discern financial strength and weakness in a nonprofit organization. More information.

Webinar: How the IRS and Congressional Actions May Impact Your Organization in 2011: A Discussion of Current and Future Tax Initiatives Affecting the Nonprofit Community
Thursday, January 27, noon-1pm ET
Presented by BDO. Free. More information.

Nonprofit Training: Building Your Board
Wednesday, February 16, 9am-noon
NEW Center, 1100 N Main St, Ann Arbor
Cost: $30

Covers important aspects of recruiting new members for a nonprofit’s board of directors including recruitment planning, identifying and cultivating candidates, and electing new members. More information and registration.

Get Connected: Marketing and Communication Best Practices for Nonprofits
Tuesday, February 22, 1pm - 2:30pm
Hannan House, 4750 Woodward, Detroit
Cost: $10

Learn techniques for creating your brand and communications plan, and, most importantly, how to promote the work of your nonprofit. Interact with panelists Michele Levy, BrandStrat (see article above), Lynne Cohn Schreiber, Your People, LLC, Christianne Sims, Chief Engagement Officer – Urbanize (D), Deb Patrick, dpcreative.  More information and registration.

Your Board Members as Ambassadors and Fundraisers
March 17, 9am- 10:30am
NEW Center, 1100 N Main St, Ann Arbor
Cost : $35

Join a seasoned board member in a fast-paced 1.5 hour session about ways to get your board to be better ambassadors. Learn how to jump start their involvement in raising money! More information and registration.

Grant Writing USA 2-Day Workshop
Hosted by the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber
Washtenaw Community College
March 31 and April 1, 9am - 4pm each day
Cost: $425

Beginning and experienced grant writers from city, county and state agencies as well as nonprofits, K-12, colleges and universities are encouraged to attend. Event details including learning objectives, class location, graduate testimonials and online registration are available here.
 

Bulletin Board

Multi-User Phone System FREE!
A fully functioning, multi-user phone system is available until January 31 to a nonprofit or community service organization. This Avaya Definity system includes a receptionist console, 55 phone sets and voicemail system. Please contact. Chris Krosnowski (ChrisK at second-to-none.com) for more information.

Reach a Dynamic Group of Women
Nonprofits are welcome to include literature in “goodie” bags at the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw’s May Event (Now We’re Talking Forum) for a reduced cost of $100 ($250 for a business or individual). Contact: marketing at wxwbusiness.com. Learn more about the group.