June
2008 E-bulletin
FEATURE ARTICLE
Creating Brand-Name Non-Profits: Marketing Your Organization
RELATED
RESOURCES
Marketing Your Non-Profit
TIPS
& TOOLS
Branding Through Your Website
SPECIAL
EVENTS
Funders Forum
Student Recruitment Fairs - Winnipeg & Brandon
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Study: Boards of Midsize Non-Profits: Their Needs & Challenges
2. Leadership Winnipeg
is seeking applications for it's Fall 2008 program
3. Skills-base volunteering key to leadership development for YGEN
4. Send Video Messages to Volunteers for Free - Staying Connected
FEATURE
ARTICLE
Creating Brand-Name Non-Profits: Marketing Your Organization
by:
Tracy Douglass
What's your brand? What do people think about when they see your logo or hear your name? If you've spent some time on developing your brand, people will think of your mission and programs the way you want them to - in other words - "to own a position in the mind" of people.
A brand is what sets your organization apart from everyone else - an approach, category, or service that is uniquely yours. It is the impression the public shares about your organization.
According to "Branding Your Organization Through Your Website" (see Tips & Tools section) brands are influenced by all sorts of things. This includes logical things, such as your communications, awards you're given, or press articles about you. But it also includes things that may or may not be so rational - the way you design your materials, the way you answer your phone, etc. It's not what you say it is, it's what the public says it is.
So why would you want to brand your organization? To help people distinguish your organization from others. This is important when you are recruiting volunteers, hiring staff, proposing new programs, and asking for donations. The faster people can identify what your organization does, the easier it is for them to make a decision to support or join your organization. In today's fast-paced, competitive environment where grants, donations, volunteers, and staff are in short supply, a strong brand makes it easier for people to decide if they want to focus their attention on you to learn more or if they should move on to something else - a different volunteer ad, a different proposal, or a different fundraising event. Basically, a powerful brand will help you attract more money, more volunteers, and better staff. The end result - you can achieve your mission.
Laura Ries, author & consultant, outlines steps for building a strong non-profit brand in her web article of the same name. The steps are:
1. The Name - use the organization's name to help people distinguish your organization from the others. Does the name tell people what your organization does? For example, Boys & Girls Clubs of Winnipeg provide activities for youth but Graffiti Art Programming provides art-based activities for youth. Alternatively, you can ensure that your name clearly states your cause "Habitat for Humanity" or "Mothers Against Drunk Driving".
2. Spokesperson - Is there a person that the public connects to your organization - it doesn't have to be a celebrity. It could be the ED or CEO who is consistently seen at public events and in the media, speaks for the organization, andd will give credibility and accountability to the brand.
3. The Position - What is your focus? The only way to get your brand into the mind is with a narrow focus. the more focused the message, the more powerful it becomes and the easier it is to get into the mind.
4. PR - PR builds brands. The spokesperson needs to spend the majority of his/her time doing PR for the charity and looking for that one PR breakthrough that will put you on the non-profit map.
5. A signature event - Focus on one or two big events and do them every year forever. Consistency is the key to success. Volunteer Manitoba has it's Volunteer Awards Dinner every spring and a Funders Forum every fall. MS Society has it's bike-a-thon annually.
6. Color and logo - any brand can benefit from the use of a strong, singular colour they can own in the mind. Pink and Breast Cancer is an example.
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RELATED
RESOURCES
Marketing Your Non-Profit
Volunteer Manitoba has the following books available for lending:
Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations (David L. Rados) - A professional book and text for anyone interested in marketing in the nonprofit sector including communications, raising money, and recruiting and keeping volunteers.
Mission-Based Marketing: How Your Not-For-Profit Can Succeed in a More Competitive World (Peter C. Brinckerhoff) - a focused, practical guide to becoming a market-driven organization that will achieve its mission, outlining the strategies and skills needed in this competitive environment.
Non-Profit Communications Report - A monthly newsletter full of quick, practical communication ideas for non-profits including real examples, templates, and forms.
Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations: Seven Steps to Creating a Successful Plan (Janel M. Radtke) - A practical approach combining expet insights, real-life case studies, and clear step-by-step instructions to demonstrate non-profit communications strategies that work. Includes worksheets, forms, surveys and self-assessment tools.
To lend these books contact Jody Corriveau, our Resource
Coordinator, by calling (204) 477-5180 ext. 223, toll-free
1-888-922-4545 ext. 223 or vmresource@mts.net.
Additional websites:
www.alderconsulting.com/branding . - This website has articles on the topic of technology for non-profits
www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com - FLot's of articles and links to advice to improve your marketing and public messages including annual report, newsletters, brochures, and websites.
www.nancyshwartz.com . - A case study to outine four steps to creating a non-profit brand.
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TIPS
& TOOLS
Branding Through Your Website
excerpts
from Alder Consulting's website: www.alderconsulting.com/branding
This article suggests four different ways to influence your brand through your website:
1. Branding Through Statements - A tagline - a short phrase that usually accompanies your logo - can be a useful way to convey what you do on almost every page of your site. Taglines should be a concrete and clear statement of what you do or why it's important.
2. Branding Through Information & Functionality - Make sure that what you provide on your site echoes the brand messages you want to convey. Provide value by providing news and information. Post articles about your own services which shows what you do in a tangible, concrete, and human way. Include pictures and videos that show things that are difficult to convey in print, and are more likely to provoke an emotional response. A searchable database shows the depth of your information and demonstrates a commitment to being a resource. Community tools such as blogs, message boards, and the like can show you as a force that can involve a whole community. Remember though that an empty message boarde can brand you as sad and unsuccessful. Interactive pieces like games can present information in a fun and interesting way. Don't forget allowing people to donate on-line is a very powerful interactive tool.
3. Branding Through Prioritization - Prioritize the information to draw your visitors to key thhings that you want them to see and do. If everything is featured on your homepage, then nothing is emphasized. Many comopeting elements will just confuse your users.
4. Branding Through Graphic Design - Graphic design will do two things: Establish that you are professional and credible with a clean and clear layout. Plus, graphic design will reassure your audience that the site is intended for them. the colours, fonts, shapes, images and overall feel strongly influence your message. They can make your site seem "fun", "expert", "friendly", "cold", "quirky", - an infinite number of messages. Choose your design and your designer carefully.
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SPECIAL
EVENTS
Funders Forum
Registration Forms now available. To download the PDF form click here...
This year's forum includes even more corporate funders as well as foundations and government funding programs. We also have a guest speaker address the challenges and issues surrounding buiding partnerships and collaborations - a growing requirement among funders
Tuesday, September 16
Marlborough Hotel, 331 Smith Street
8:30 - 12:00pm
Fee: $30 (includes continental breakfast)
For information or to register call 477-5180 or download the form - click here...
Student Recruitment Fairs - Winnipeg & Brandon
Volunteer Manitoba organizes Student Recruitment Fairs to allow non-profit organizations to recruit student volunteers and raise the awareness of resources the organization offers. The fairs are run at U of W, U of M, RRC (Notre Dame), Assiniboine College & Crocus Plains in September & October.
Book your display table now by calling 477-5180, toll-free 1-888-922-4545, or email vm@mts.net.
For dates and table rental fees visit our website - click here...
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
