Branding ...
Your image can take a hit from myths

By now, the term “branding” is ingrained into the consciousness of everyone in the nonprofit/philanthropic sector. Despite this widespread awareness, there is a lack of understanding about just what a brand is and what it does.

At a recent national conference on nonprofit marketing, Larry Checco, of Checco Communications in Washington, D.C., discussed the most common myths about branding and offered the straight story on where those myths go wrong. The myths are, as he sees them:

• Myth: Marketing and branding are one and the same. Fact: marketing and advertising sell products and services. A brand is a reflection of everything associated with the organization, including but not limited to the quality of the organization’s work, as well as its reputation, staff, leadership, culture, core values, programs, services and products. A good brand is nothing less than an organization’s DNA.
• Myth: Once you have an attractive logo and catchy tagline, you have your brand. Fact: Your logo and tagline are the banners for the brand. Your brand drills much deeper into your organization’s core values.
• Myth: Branding is the responsibility of your communications/marketing staff. Fact: Branding is the responsibility of everyone in the organization, from board members to support staff. If it helps, consider the person who answers your phones as your Director of First Impressions.
• Myth: We don’t have a budget for branding our organization. Fact: If you effectively leverage your current resources, you might not need much of a budget to better brand your organization.

What the line under your name says about you

Taglines. They are usually short and sweet, but can pack a punch for your organization’s recognition and branding. More than 3,000 nonprofit professionals voted for 12 nonprofit winners, which were among more than 1,000 submissions, for the best and most effective taglines in the 2008 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards.

Winners spanned the arts (Where Actors Find Their Space, from NYC Theatre Spaces), workforce development (All Building Starts With a Foundation, from Building Future Builders), and more.

“A high-impact tagline is the easiest and most effective way to communicate your organization’s brand, and the best way to freshen up your messaging, emphasize your commitment to your work and/or revive tired positioning,” said Nancy Schwartz, president of Nancy Schwartz & Company and blogger at GettingAttention.org. “The most unforgettable taglines also make an emotional connection. The challenge is doing so in eight words or less.”

Schwartz says ask yourself these questions to make sure your tagline works:

• Message: Does it tell a smart, fun and memorable story?
• Characteristics: Does it express your organization’s brand focus,
  personality and values?
• Differentiation: Is it distinctive, not easily used by another nonprofit?
• People Power: Does it motivate your audiences to contact you, join, give, volunteer and participate in programs or services?”

Taglines were gathered in the Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Survey. A report on those submissions, The Nonprofit Tagline Report, will be published in September. Visit GettingAttention.org for all the winners.