What if Your Charity Organisation “Doesn't Do Branding”?
A question for you. What happens if your charity organisation ceased to exist? The people you support, the people on your payroll, your volunteers, and others would feel the effects, right?
That's why visibility and exposure are crucial, not only to your organisation, but the people you support and those that believe in your mission and help to make it happen.
A brand identity is your charity organisation's big ticket to greater visibility and exposure. But you “don't do branding”, right? You think:
It creates the wrong impression of charity organisations
It's a waste of financial resources
It doesn't work for charities
It costs too much
Branding still a dirty word for many charity organisations
That's ok. It's what you've been led to believe. For too long, “brand” has been (and still is for many charity organisations) a dirty word in the Third Sector.
A recent article published by Creative Review tells the story of Dan Dufour, one of the first brand managers in the charity sector.
In 2004, Dan joined homelessness charity, Shelter, as brand manager. On his very first day in the job, he was told he couldn't use the word ‘brand’ because it was toxic.
Dan recalls how he had to go on a charm offensive to win over everybody internally and explain what a brand was, what it was for, and if more people were aware of Shelter and grasped what they stood for, then more people would be likely to use their services and support them as a charity.
Here's the thing, do you really think the people that you help care about how much you have spent on branding if you have genuinely made a difference in their life?
Do you really think your donors, volunteers, and supporters care about what it costs to raise the profile of your charity organisation provided you continue to honour the mission they believe in? Of course they don't.
The people that do care about this stuff are the ones who want to see you fail.
The truth is, you can't afford to do without branding for your charity organisation.
Without it, you become invisible, you start to lose support, trust and credibility erodes, community ties weaken, and eventually your charity becomes irrelevant and obsolete.
It's time to wake up to the importance of branding
Your charity organisation has to snap out of the mindset that branding = bad impression. Because what's worse, a few naysayers, or losing your visibility and voice for the people who rely on you, support you and believe in your mission?
We know we're coming on strong but we're tired of seeing charities shutdown and people left desperate because charity leaders, for far too long, have been told that branding is a no go for non-profits.
It's this lie that puts charities out of action.
Never has good exposure, brought on by a strong brand identity, been a bad thing for charities that genuinely want to make a difference in their communities, to nations, and to the world.
People need to see what you do, what you stand for, the good you put into the world. Branding gives you the platform to shout your message from the rooftops and win more supporters.
Why charities must do branding
Your charity organisation must do branding because people depend on you. If you're invisible, the people you support are invisible. Their voice is silenced.
If you're not around, who will stand in the gap for them? Who will give them hope? Branding is the bridge between you and the people you need to reach for support.
Branding is a must because you know you can't rely on government funding to prop you up, which means you need more donors, more volunteers, more supporters, and alternative funding solutions to maintain your mission and do more.
Your organisation is so needed in your community, in your nation, and in the world.
Why? Because governments are limited in what they can do. There are so many competing priorities, it's impossible for them to tackle every need in society.
Red tape and bureaucratic processes often stand in the way. Governments can't respond quickly enough or provide fast, targeted assistance. That's when your charity organisation has to step in. You can be more flexible in your approach.
You can mobilise resources, reach marginalised communities, and try out innovative new ideas that are too complex for governments to implement.
Branding helps you to inspire people to fill the gaps that governments can't. With branding you can equip people to drive meaningful and positive change. The truth is, people want to support charities like yours. But if they can't see you, they can't help you.
Branding is more than just visibility
Charity branding isn't just a means of making your organisation visible, it's a way of being transparent. Donor and volunteer levels have been dropping off because trust in charities has declined.
People have become sceptical about how charity organisations are using donations, and volunteers have lost sight of charitable missions.
Branding can not only help your charity share the right message, it can help to re-establish trust and credibility with donors and volunteers.
Transparency in your branding helps donors to make informed decisions about how they donate their money.
Painting a clear picture of how their contribution makes a difference to the world takes donors from a place of sceptisism to giving with confidence.
For volunteers, clear branding helps them to connect with your mission, inspiring them to get involved and giving their time to support your cause.
By embracing branding, you can contribute to rebuilding the integrity of the Third Sector, and winning back donor and volunteer trust.
It's time for a mindset shift on charity branding
It all comes backs to this. What happens if your charity ceases to exist? That's why there needs to be a mindset shift on branding. It's not a cost, it's an investment. It's not a waste, it's useful. It doesn't make the wrong impression, it makes a lasting impression on people's lives.
Branding is the difference between earning support and losing it. The people you support, the people who champion your cause, the people who see the difference you make, those are the people you're branding for, and a strong brand identity will help you find more people like this.
Your brand is one of the biggest weapons you can wield to fight for the people who need you. Don't surrender it, pick it up and make a stand.
Just add Sodium to do branding to a high standard
We're not your typical branding agency, we're a charity sector specific agency that gives you virtual support at your fingertips.
We understand the Third Sector space more than most branding agencies, which is why we're the ideal collaborators to give you the long-term brand management support you need.
Everything you need from a branding company for your charity can be found under our roof. We are a collective of hybrid branding and marketing specialists that build brands with staying power. We serve as an extension of your charity organisation to be the creative force that champions your cause.
Let's talk brand consultancy. Book your FREE, 30-minute call with Navi Aulkh, for a detailed discussion about your organisation, branding requirements, our prices and packaging - and how to get the most out of working together.