branding identity key to fundraising success rev 3 12.1.10
TRANSCRIPT
Branding your identity is key to fundraising success
Stacie Madden, SEM AssociatesNancy Barr, International Fund for Animal Welfare
Stacie MaddenSEM Associates
• Experience in nonprofit, education, healthcare and consumer products
• Consultant to the Animal Rescue League of Boston and ManeuverPoint
• Adjunct faculty, marketing, University of Phoenix• Former director of marketing and corporate giving for IFAW • Communications and community outreach for EMD Serono• Brand building roles at Reebok, Dunkin’ Donuts and
HealthBridge• MBA from Babson College
Nancy BarrInternational Fund for Animal
Welfare• Joined IFAW in 2006, currently Senior Manager,
Communications• 20 years experience in nonprofit marketing,
educational marketing and international communications
• Previous positions with the United Nations, World Vision, CBS News and Time Magazine
• MA, International Relations: USCBA, Williams College
Agenda
• Branding sets the stage• Build a memorable brand• Use branding to proactively impact
fundraising• Q&A
Branding improves fundraising• Develop a clear, cohesive organizational identity and
communications system– Support the goals of raising money and increasing visibility– Make it easier to express the organization’s mission
effectively and consistently• Proven approach to improve fundraising, programs
and advocacy efforts with focus on marketing, branding and communications – Articulate an organizational profile– Develop a solid identity– Conduct smart outreach
Your Brand is NOT
• A logo• A tagline• A color scheme• A mission statement• A core values statement• A vision statement
What the heck is a brand anyway?
“A singular idea or concept … inside the mind of your prospect”
Ries and Ries
Some critical points
• It’s an idea, not a thing• Your audience owns the brand, you
don’t• It’s about everything you do• Your brand is mostly about emotion,
not logic• Branding lives and dies by the quality
of your “product”
One Million Messa
ges
a Year
“If You’re Not Remarkable, You’re Invisible”
Top ten global brands
Source: InterbrandThe Top 100 Best Global Brands
Top ten nonprofit brands
Source: ConeThe Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100
Familiarity and personal relevance, media coverage, percent of revenue from direct public support
UNIQUENESS IMPORTANCETO AUDIENCE
YOU EXCEL AT IT
YOURBRAND
Your Brand is the Hub of the Wheel
The First Law of Branding
The Law of Expansion:
The power of a brand is inversely proportional to its
scope
Source: Ries and Ries, The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding
The model expansion undermines the brand name in the mind of the consumer
The Second Law of Branding
The Law of Contraction:
A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its
focus
A Cautionary Tale…
The Fifth Law of Branding
The Law of the Word:
A brand should strive to own a word in the mind
of the consumer
The 10th Law
The Law of Extensions:
The easiest way to destroy a brand is to put its name on everything.
The 19th Law
The Law of Consistency:
A brand is not built overnight. Success is
measured in decades, not years.
100 year-old nonprofits
The 20th Law
The Law of Change:
Brands can be changed, but only infrequently
and only very carefully.
The 22d Law of Branding
The Law of Singularity:
The most important aspect of a brand is its
single-mindedness
The Bemporad-Baranowski Law of Consistency
A brand cannot get into the mind of its audience unless it is communicated clearly and consistently over time.
Branding at the Organizational Level
• The core elements that direct all aspects of the organizations work
• The strategic platform that daily communication and all other aspects of the organizations work are built on
• Serves as a bridge connecting strategic elements into every day communications such as the fundraising materials, newsletter, e-mail campaign and annual report
Organizational Level• Vision statements are the big ideas written down in a
way that can be shared• A strong mission answers that basic question of what
the organization exists to do and provides the basis for judging the success of the organization and its key programs
• Values are beliefs in which a person or group has an emotional involvement and serve as guiding principles that shape and inform the organization’s approach to its work
• Organizational objectives set forth a framework for annual budgeting and planning and the strategic planning process results in a set of objectives that the organization will work toward to achieve its mission
Organizational Level
• Audiences fall into three categories – fundraising, program and advocacy
• A position is the single idea your organization hopes to own in the minds of its target audience, including differentiating yourself from competitors or peers
• An organization’s personality can be defined with a list of attributes that reflect the way the organization wants individuals to experience it
Branding at the Identity Level• Visual identity
– Organization’s logos, program logos, color palette, typography, imagery and preferred use of graphics
– People have feelings, rather than thoughts, about color that reinforce the organization’s desired personality
– Typeface can communicate friendliness, tradition, or grandeur
• Thoughtful use of color, type, images, and graphic elements establish a sense of consistency and connection between different channels and tools
Identity Level• Messaging platform
– Organization's name, program names, tagline, vision, mission, values, key messages, boilerplate, lexicon of terminology and elevator pitch
– A tagline can add specificity and clarity to a name that’s abstract or aspiration and focus donors on the essence of the nonprofit’s work
– Key messages are woven into everything written about the nonprofit organization throughout copy in multiple tools
– The lexicon removes jargon from communications and helps staff stay on message and articulates the values of the organization
– An elevator pitch communicates the essence of the nonprofit exists and why it’s worth supporting, ideally in a tone and style that demonstrates its personality
Branding at the Experiential Level
• How do you reach the clients, donors, policymakers, or media you want to engage in order to fulfill your mission? – Channels and tools through which
audiences connect with the organization– Selecting audience-centric channels –
focusing on the human experience
Experiential Level• How do potential donors find out about your
organization?• What do they do when they want to learn more?• Where are your audiences spending time, and do you
have the staff to monitor the conversation and develop meaningful content?
• The art of building relationships with donors comes in how you engage them once they connect
Online• Web sites• E-mail – raise money and inspire action• Blogs, message boards, listservs• Webinars• Social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn)• Social media and aggregators (Twitter, Digg)• Pay-per-click, banner ads and other online
advertising• Virtual worlds
Print• Annual reports• Brochures• Newsletters• Direct mail• Stationary• Folders and media kits• Flyers, postcards, handouts• Posters• Signage and banners• Fundraising campaign materials case statements• Event invitations, programs and other collateral
In person and on air• Visitors come to your office for meetings• Clients come to facilities to participate in programs• Donors and the media attend events• Board members, staff, clients, volunteers speak with
their colleagues, friends and contacts about your organizations
• Public service announcements or ads run on TV/radio or at an event
• Listening to organization's podcast• Watching videos on a Web site such as YouTube
Mobile
• A still-emerging medium for fundraising• Start collecting mobile numbers of
intake and donation forms business reply envelopes and other points of entry
Integrating branding with fundraising
• Personality and positioning underpin all aspects of communications
• Keep the identity level consistent• Develop communications plans
targeting fundraising, program and advocacy audiences
The Animal Rescue League of Boston
• The Animal Rescue League is a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing domesticated animals and wildlife from suffering, cruelty, abandonment, and neglect.
• Since 1899 we have advocated the philosophy of our founder, Anna Harris Smith, that “Kindness Uplifts the World.”
• Each year the Animal Rescue League of Boston provides direct hands on care to more than 20,000 animals, including many healthy feral cats that are returned to their natural environments after receiving medical care and sterilization.
• The League’s animal rescue, shelter, adoption, veterinary medical care, education and advocacy work is coordinated through a variety of programs offered on three campuses in eastern Massachusetts and via mobile services.
Champions Circle
Champions Circle Redesign Monthly Giving
Program
July 23, 2010
Dear Ms. Gray, This month’s Animal Rescue League of Boston adoption success story showcases a handsome canine named Quincy. Soon after his October 2009 arrival in the Boston Animal Care and Adoption Center, Quincy was adopted by the B. family of Carlisle, MA. Each year, hundreds of dogs like Quincy arrive in our three shelters. Some are young and not far from puppy hood, like Quincy, while others may be more senior. Some of these dogs become homeless when their owners lose their jobs and homes. Other dogs come to us due to disruptions in their families, such as death or divorce. Still other dogs have never known the security of a loving permanent home and live the harsh life of a stray animal. No matter what the reason, once dogs arrive at the Animal Rescue League of Boston, our dedicated staff evaluates them, treats them for any common dog maladies such as fleas and ticks, administers medication to prevent heartworm and other medical conditions, and works with these dogs on any behavioral issue they may be demonstrating. The dogs are then placed up for adoption and, in due time, the right match is found. Sometimes it takes only a short time (as it did for Quincy), while other times the process is months longer. But we do whatever it takes to ensure a good outcome for these once homeless dogs. Champions Circle member like you help the Animal Rescue League of Boston in caring for pets like Quincy. Your ongoing support is greatly valued and appreciated.
Sincerely, John J. Bowen President
Thank you for being a member of our Champions Circle! 10 Chandler Street Boston, MA 02116 617.426.9170 www.arlboston.org
IFAW’s Animal Action Program
Animal Action 2010
Interactive Teaching Guide
Play
IFAW's Roar! Youth Voices for Tigers Video As part of the international Animal Action education program, IFAW offices around the world gathered video messages from young people for protecting the last wild tigers. These youth voices were used to create a video presentation for world leaders during a VIP reception organized by IFAW in St. Petersburg during the Global Tiger Summit. It was a unique project that received wide-spread attention from summit participants and media.
Click to play Boston’s Fox 25 News
Education & Awareness
1. Clear Goals2. Identify Target3. Know Target Audience
4. Message & Delivery
Be Specific
• What do you want people to do?
• What behavior do you want to change?
• What outcome to you want to achieve?
Are goals Attainable?
• Set a practical goal for incremental progress rather than revolutionary change
• For example, focus first on success or behavior change with one community, one age group, one industry.
Are goals Measurable?
• Quantifiable: X number of people did this before activity, y number do it afterwards
• Qualitative: Anecdotal; feedback surveys
Identify Target Audience
• Who has to hear the message, take action or change behavior in order to achieve goal?
• Where and how can you best reach them?
• What message will resonate with their values, beliefs, emotions?
Questions
Resources
• The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, How to build a product or service into a world-class brand, Al Ries and Laura Ries
• Brandraising, How nonprofits raise visibility and money through smart communications, Sarah Durham
