Conference Roundup: Winning the Battle of the Brand

“A brand is like a prism,” he said. “It helps people see different [sides] of a brand.

“In good fundraising, stop recruiting donors — inspire people [instead],” he said. “A majority of causes are not for everybody. Focus on the key people who connect with your organization.”

It’s also important that young fundraisers are trained properly. Those new to fundraising often are a challenge because they feel uneasy about an ask. They think, “We’re begging for money,” Elischer said, suggesting new fundraising professionals need to be re-programmed regarding that. “You’re not asking for yourself. You’re giving someone the opportunity to connect with something.”

“You can’t touch and feel our products; we’re about changing things,” he added.

An organization needs a framework for increasing the impact of its brand and, to establish that, has to figure out the problem it’s trying to solve, the value of the work it’s doing, its personality, its attributes and benefits, and who its key people and stakeholders are.

From there, Elischer suggests creating a vision.

“Your brand denotes sets of values and ethos,” he said. “A brand is an experience more than a communications device.”