Branding

With twenty years of experience, six nonprofit gigs, one blog, 1,500 posts,  two books, hundreds of presentations and 140 podcasts, you could call me the Pied Piper of cause marketing. For the record, I define cause marketing as a partnership between a nonprofit and for-profit for mutual profit. Here are a few other things you… Read More »

Is your nonprofit… Passionate? Personable? Nurturing? Confident? These are just some of the Brand Personality traits a nonprofit might have. What are yours? Not sure? Does your personality change with each message, audience, or marketing piece? Why it’s important to have a clearly defined Brand Personality Defining an organization’s Brand Personality is one aspect to… Read More »

Logo development is a bit like an onion. When you delve into logo design with a qualified professional, you start to realize there are many layers involved in doing it right. The core of the matter is to make sure your logo is on point in terms of brand positioning and strategy. Secondly, it’s important… Read More »

Let’s say your nonprofit is going through a rebranding, and it’s time to review logo options from your designer or design firm. The ensuing discussion can easily become derailed and devolve into a subjective discussion of who likes blue and who hates orange. It’s important to move beyond personal judgements to ensure you end up… Read More »

A major component of nonprofit management is brand management – which can be particularly challenging in the context of our sector. If you feel as though you’d benefit from deepening your nonprofit brand management or brand strategy knowledge, The Brand Idea: Managing Nonprofit Brands with Integrity, Democracy, and Affinity is a compelling read. The Brand… Read More »

It will soon be two months since our last #NPMC Twitter chat, which feels like forever to me! I’ve been ready and excited to tackle this month’s topic – nonprofit key messages – since it came up way back in June when discussing our July chat topic. For July, community member RoiAnn Phillips had requested… Read More »

For 25 years, the name “Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition” was right for our organization and its founding mission. But by 2012 we had a new executive director, new programs and an expanded vision. It was clear that the organization was growing beyond the confines of its existing brand. Our board and staff collaborated… Read More »

How do you keep your nonprofit organization’s team of spokespeople delivering the right messages, in the right way? You might have a team of spokespeople made up of subject matter experts, staff from various departments, volunteers telling their personal stories, board members and other leaders and more. How do you keep this diverse group of… Read More »

Why is a nonprofit’s name important – and why must it be selected very carefully? What constitutes a strong nonprofit name? From a marketing, branding and copywriting point of view, what should we consider when naming a nonprofit organization? Earlier this year, thanks to the ‘Names and Taglines’ Marketing Writing Bootcamp class from MarketingProfs University,… Read More »

A few years ago, a group of friends started talking on Twitter about organizing a Christmas party to help Toronto’s hungry; within less than a month, HoHoTO, a huge party and fundraising event, went from idea to incredibly successful execution. Using Twitter, Facebook and email, the organizers kicked off a process that brought together more… Read More »