The Non-Profit Marketer blog takes a good look at weak nonprofit branding efforts at The myth that you are different.
He cites the common brand-building practice of getting all the "stakeholders" to express what the organization is about and shape that into a compelling brand. (Stakeholders are usually leaders, staff, and board members. Sometimes beneficiaries. Seldom donors.)
While that internal approach can help rally the troops, it fails to produce a strong brand.
John's concern is that the internal focus can make you miss the competition factor: When you look inward, you probably won't notice that there are other organizations reaching out to your donors.
That's true. But I think something even more harmful happens: You buy into the dangerous myth is that what you think is exciting is the same thing everyone else thinks exciting, and what you dislike turns off everyone else too.
Self-marketing brand. You end up with trendy design and high-flown, abstract descriptions of the mission. Amazingly often, nonprofits conclude during an inward-looking branding exercise that they don't really do the activities they've been doing all along, but instead create hope.
There's a way out of this trap. Look outward. Discover who your donors are. Then find out what excites them. Do a lot of testing and see what they actually respond to and give money for.
That's how you build a brand that expands your reach and empowers you to do more.
