Don't Rob Peter to Pay Paul

Consistency also saves time spent rewriting or redesigning each new piece. Do donors get bored of seeing the same visuals and hearing the same messages? Most likely not. They’re receiving so many messages every day that what might feel like repetition to the organization feels like stability and consistency to the typical donor.

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“Several years ago, the Women’s Funding Network launched a concept brand called ‘fund>>forward.’ It uses strong messages, colors and logos to present the value proposition of investing in women and girls — and it totally changed the way we communicate,” says Chris Grumm, president and CEO of the Women’s Funding Network, an international organization committed to improving the status of women and girls locally, nationally and globally. “We have developed campaigns using the brand and integrated it into all of our materials. Many of our 115 member funds use fund>>forward’s visuals and messages in their materials too.

“By building a consistent language to describe the movement to invest in women and girls, we’ve begun speaking with one voice nationally and internationally, although our member organizations each work locally,” she adds. “Doing so has built a platform that is allowing us to fundraise at both the local and the national level in ways that wouldn’t have been possible before.”

Whether your organization is embarking on a major fundraising campaign or looking to build and sustain operations, a strong brand is good business in today’s increasingly competitive and sophisticated fundraising climate.

Sarah Durham is the principal and founder of Big Duck, a communications firm in New York City that works exclusively with nonprofits.