New Tagline Database Offers Nonprofits Inspiration and Guidance for Creating Powerful Messages

Maplewood, NJ—Nonprofit organizations of all sizes have a valuable opportunity to strengthen their messaging with the just-launched Nonprofit Tagline Database (http://bit.ly/bujJLI).

Organizations that hone their messaging well are part of a growing trend of smart nonprofits whose taglines help build awareness of their value and put them firmly in audiences’ hearts, minds, schedules and wallets, says Nancy Schwartz, publisher of these resources and the Getting Attention blog and e-newsletter (http://www.GettingAttention.org).

The all-new Nonprofit Tagline Database of 4,800+ taglines and the guide to making them work—the 2011 Nonprofit Tagline Report—are key tools in crafting taglines, organization names and other messages that connect and motivate action

Strong nonprofit taglines provide significant impact at little cost, but few nonprofits use them. A Getting Attention survey found that 7 in 10 organizations rate their taglines as poor or don’t have one at all. That’s the gap the Tagline Database and Report (http://bit.ly/bujJLI) aims to close, says Schwartz.

The Nonprofit Tagline Database features more than 4,800 organizational, program, fundraising campaign, and special event taglines. Users can scan taglines by organizational focus or tagline type, or drill down into specific sets via the search tool. Organizations can use the Database to:

• Get ideas on ways to integrate a specific word or phrase into their taglines.
• Be inspired and guided in shaping all message elements by the taglines of organizations like theirs.
• Brainstorm on how to strengthen overall program messaging by reviewing program taglines of similar organizations.
• Breakthrough paralysis in naming (or re-naming) an organization by reviewing names of other organizations in the same field.

The 2011 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Report provides everything an organization needs to jump start its tagline development process:

• Why a Nonprofit’s Name Isn’t Enough
• How a Strong Tagline Benefits Your Organization – Useful for developing support among colleagues and leadership
• The 10 Have-Tos for Successful Taglines
• Using Words that Work
• The 7 Deadly Sins, 9 Snores and 5 Best Ways to Antagonize Your Audience – What not to do!

Schwartz sees taglines as a key tool in building strong nonprofit brands, which are more important than ever in these times of increased competition for dollars, members, volunteers and other supporters. “Nonprofits can develop a tagline at the organization, program or campaign levels to freshen up their messaging, emphasize their commitment and/or revive tired positioning,” she says.