The Importance of Branding Nonprofits

The crux of branding is to establish a clear identity of the messenger - rather than the message, which is defined by marketing and outreach. Building a brand is an increasingly important step in the development of a nonprofit.

Thousands of nonprofits compete daily for donations, volunteers and other resources. The general public, eager to contribute, faces the challenge of deciding who and what deserves their aid. Most people, understandably, wont donate to an organization or campaign they've never heard of.

A major contributing factor in deciding between two organizations they have heard of is trust. Trust that their money will be well spent. Trust that they'll make a larger impact. Trust that the nonprofit has its ducks in a row. A good brand builds that trust.

Obvious examples of good branding include the United Ways, Salvation Army, and Red Cross. Chances are you'd donate or volunteer with them over, say... Mrs Badcrumble's Food Cupboard for the Poor, or Little Billy's Day Camp for Kids - because you've never heard of them.

How to build a brand.

First you must define the identity - most often in the form of a name. It's not as easy as it sounds. Most common shortcomings are picking an arbitrary name, or one that someone thinks will please your audience. The key here is to get at the essence of what your organization does and who it does it for. More often than not your mission statement (which you should most definitely have) will give you some clues.

Then you should work on the finer details. A tag line, and logo are essential. Another, often overlooked, important step is to specify what colors (more specific than red, yellow, blue) and fonts are to be used. Check out a style guide that McDonald's uses. Now yours does not have to be novel length to describe the proper use of your logo, but it is crucial. It's not obvious how important this is because its affects are usually subconscious. I'll explain a bit more down the line.

Here's an example of a style guide produced by the United Way: Toronto. [PDF]

Consistency, consistency, consistency...

The absolute most important aspects of branding is consistency. To build a brand, an organization must use it in all of its communications. Newsletters, flyers... its website... emails, business cards, etc... all must conform to the brand.

I'll say again...

The absolute most important aspects of branding is consistency. To build a brand, an organization must use it in all of its communications. Newsletters, flyers... its website... emails, business cards, etc... all must conform to the brand.

Once used enough the logo and name as well as the small details, such as font and specific colors become associated with your mission. When people see your publications conform to your brand, they feel confident about their authenticity and authority. Even the slightest changes can cast a subtle doubt which may mean the difference between a $1000 donation and none.

Strong identities form in peoples' minds after constant and consistent exposure. Exposing your audience to more than one identity (more than one style, brand, etc...) causes the identity of your organization to become diluted. The more someone is exposed to it, however - the more familiar they are with it. The more familiar they are with it, the more likely they are to approach it.

Buoya! understands the importance of branding and can work with nonprofits in developing one or at the very least ensuring that the website we design for your organization adheres to pre-existing brands.