Institute for Charitable Giving

Philanthropy CountsYou Have a Brand – Good or Bad
blue rule

You Have a Brand – Good or Bad

blue rule

What the devil is all the hubbub about, “Branding”?

Everyone seems to be talking about it. It’s the buzzword I hear everywhere I go. When I ask if it’s more than just changing the logo or the public relations they’ve been talking about for years, I often get . . . “well, ahmm . . .”

Actually, every organization has a Brand, whether it knows it or not. It can be emphatic and powerful or of little value. But there is the Brand.

Branding is a way of demonstrating your distinctive and relevant impact. If it’s done properly, it can help your organization create more lasting relationships, secure far more support, and increase substantially your effectiveness.

I read just the other day that a Brand is more than a logo or a set of communication tools. It is the alpha-omega of all the perceptions about an organization. It is everything. It is the result of every communication of the organization and every action. It is the sum and substance of everything it does.

Every organization has its own specific constituencies. Take a college for instance. Its various publics include: Past and present trustees, alumni, present students, faculty, parents and grandparents. That’s for starters.

Branding is concerned with how all of the people in these various constituencies feel and think about the college. The reputation, identity, and favorable perception about an organization is a result of good Branding.

The concept needs to be accepted, understood, and advocated by everyone within the organization. If done properly, Branding can be one of your most valuable assets. It is like the thread woven in a fabric— it connects everything to everything.

There is a direct linking to the organization’s reputation. That’s why a strong and effective Brand is important. It can result in tremendous financial gains.

It is what bonds you with your supporters and friends. It dictates what your organization says about itself and how it performs.

I saw the table that follows in a magazine article. It helps explain what Branding is all about. It becomes the breakthrough in how you are perceived. It becomes the hymn everyone sings— all of your constituencies.

Traditional Thinking
Logo, look, language
Raising money
Campaign
Organization
Deliver programs
Market at people
Send money
Donors
Power of a few

Breakthrough Branding
What the organization stands for
Mission vision, values in action
Commitment
Cause
Deliver value outcomes
Connect with people
Join us
Investors and believers
Voice of many

Close
Close
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