Branding

Lutheran Social Services of Mid-America had a problem: Its name confused people. The Ohio-based organization works with people of all faiths, not just Lutherans, offering services from credit counseling to senior-living facilities. The “mid-America” was unclear, too. What to do?

Every charity I have ever worked with has invested time and resources in branding, rebranding or refocusing the brand. The challenge with all of this is the understanding of branding in the not-for-profit sector and what drivers the charity has behind wanting to put energy into the brand. This is a key area where silo structures and internal divisions come to the fore, as fundraising is very rarely the department or discipline that leads on branding.

Underwhelming leadership, a reactive approach to technology and a communications strategy that hasn’t evolved since 1999. This is the sorry state most nonprofits find themselves in. Leadership’s difficult to change, technology changes too much to understand and marketing teams with a bad case of the “but it’s what we’ve always done!’s” syndrome.

You’re worse off than you thought if you don’t admit to having a problem.

The good news is that there is hope for you. Change isn’t fatal; not adapting is. Below are three thoughts on why I think many nonprofits are becoming obsolete.

Here's how it goes: The brand expert says the fundraising campaigns that generate most of your organization's revenue are "undermining the brand." More precisely, fundraising messages don't use the right fonts, aren't faithful to the color pallet and fail to focus on the Statement of Brand Personality.

The start of a new year can be an excellent starting point for an organization to refocus its mission statement to ensure that it is in keeping with the vision and image of the cause. Whether you are a new organization starting out or are an existing one that is looking to retool or update your mission statement, the following are some tips to consider …

Here are three things nonprofit branding is not: 1. Just a pretty face — Branding is not just great images or a stunning logo. Great design without a great story is a pricey meal with no flavor. 2. A one-time shot — Branding isn’t set-it-and-forget-it. Organizations change when they add or modify their programs, initiatives or staff. The same should be true for its branding. 3. Only for big budgets — Branding isn’t just for those who can afford a private marketing agency. In fact, even if you can afford those guys, don’t bring them in right away.

Many organizations continue to spend an inordinate amount of time, energy, human resources and money developing logos and taglines, believing they are creating their brands. Logos and taglines are simply banners for your brand. Your brand itself penetrates much deeper into your organization's culture and values, far beyond what any attractive icon or a few catchy words attempt to represent.

What follows are some tips to help you brand beyond your logo.

City Harvest of New York City took a leap of faith when it decided to expand its anti-hunger programs. Teamwork and strong branding helped raise the funds it needed to be successful. The collaborative approach to developing messaging not only helps secure the City Harvest brand, but it creates an easier transition as donors mature in their relationship with the organization.

At this year’s Sustainable Brands conference, you could find answers about how brands can evolve in order to thrive in the 21st century and meet the needs of today’s consumers and donors. Here are 10 factors that drive sustainable brand success.

To measure the effectiveness of a brand based on a single channel or a single campaign strategy is a terrible mistake. And, honestly, I'd like to see the media report on what matters — not just something that has a shock factor.