branding secrets for non profits 2011

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 1

Branding Secrets for Non-Profits

Ron Gossen, APR, PMPrgossen@att.net

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 2

Is a brand…

1. A logo?2. A jingle?3. A tagline?4. A product?5. A positioning?6. None of the above?

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 3

The answer is…

6. None of the above.

Logo, jingle, tagline, products and positioning are “how the brand is represented” NOT the brand.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 4

A brand is…

…all the promises and perceptions that the organization wants its constituents to feel about the organization and what it does.

It’s identifying sustainable competitive advantage, and creating and managing a reputation to enable it.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 5

Why brand? Because you need people to do “something.” Volunteer Help manage Contribute Be served - outreach Support – talk about, write about.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 6

Persuasive Model

COGNITIVE

Cognitive – know who you are, knowledge.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 7

Persuasive Model

COGNITIVE

No.

Too limited

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 8

Persuasive Model

COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE

Affective – Feelings and attitudes.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 9

Persuasive Model

COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE

Better.

But still too limited.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 10

Persuasive Model

COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE CONATIVE

Conative – behavior: volunteer, contribute, support.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 11

“The 4 Secrets of Branding”

1. “You’re branded.”2. “Find the sweet spot.”3. “Make moonshine.”4. “The ‘anytime, anywhere, anyhow’

imperative.”

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 12

BRANDING – your competitive advantage! Brand identity – your culture. Brand meaning – drawn from your

constituencies and the environment

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 13

BRANDING SECRET #1: You’re branded. Every organization is branded. Like it or not!

The question is not whether “to brand” or “not to brand.”

If you don’t manage your brand, your competition or circumstances will manage it for you!

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 14

Strong Brand Criteria

LEGITIMACY. A promise that you can deliver.

DISTINCTIVENESS. Cut through the clutter.

RELEVANCY. Meaningful to your key audiences – don’t speak to yourself!

CONSISTENCY. Live up to your brand, anytime, anywhere and anyhow.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 15

Brand essence modelYour Strengths Constituents’ Needs

Competitions’ Weaknesses

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 16

BRANDING SECRET #2: Find the “sweet spot.”

It’s a strength of your organization. It’s a want or need of your

constituencies. It’s something that your competition

can’t offer.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 17

Brand essence modelYour Strengths Constituents Needs

Competitions’ Weaknesses

SECRET #2

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 18

SWOT yourself, hard!

Strengths & Weaknesses (internal) Opportunities & Threats (external)

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 19

Discover and uncover

Study your “competition.” SWOT them by reviewing secondary sources and interviewing their constituents with focus groups, executive interviews or objective research.

Study your constituents with focus groups, executive interviews or objective research.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 20

BRANDING SECRET #3: Make moonshine (distill yourself).

C – B – V – P – E Define your characteristics. Isolate the constituents’ benefits. Determine your values. Personify yourself. Distill from this your brand

“essence.”

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 21

Find the “sweet spot.”Your Strengths Constituents Needs

Competitions’ Weaknesses

Sweet spot

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 22

Branding Secret #4: The “anytime, anywhere, anyhow” imperative.Live the brand essence. Act on it

“anytime, anywhere, anyhow.” Compare all strategic decisions to the

brand essence, i.e.,”does this create well-being and productivity and contribute to meaningful lives?” It’s a change-agent.

Apply an advertising version (unique selling proposition) to everything.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 23

Branding Process Deliverables Identification of sustainable organizational

competitive advantage. Targeted constituents, publics and

stakeholders WITH individualized message parameters.

Strategic, objective-oriented, communications plan: internal communications, donor relations, program outreach, recipient communications, media relations, other stakeholder communications.

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 24

Branding Process Results

Organizational focus, direction and renewed purpose.

Board/trustee productivity and unity. Targeted messaging for development. Facilitated volunteer & staff recruitment. Employee satisfaction, longevity, reduced

turn-over and reduced training costs. Efficient program delivery. And others…

04/07/23StratComm, San Antonio 25

“Questions to answers. Answers to results.”

StratCommStrategic Communications

Group

rgossen@att.net

Ron Gossen, M.B.A., A.P.R.