Our "feature" today is a little different. We've recently received questions from FS/Today in Fundraising readers, and we'd like to pose them to you. If you have any insights to share, please feel free to leave them in the comments section.
Renaming your organization
"We are considering a renaming. I am curious if groups out there have done a renaming and not experienced a decline in revenues, or actually saw an increase?"
Timing of acquisition mailings
"My board of directors has authorized sending out 100,000 acquisition mailings per year. I wonder what month of the year is best to send out such mailings? We are a 501(c)4, so donors do not receive tax deductions for gifts made [to our organization]. I would like to send our package out as soon as possible of course!"
We're also interested in your thoughts on the great branding debate. By The Horns columnist Tom Harrison took it on in his column in March, and we've been getting some great insights, some of which we featured here. What do you think?
Responses to "Can Branding Help Fundraising"
"Tom, Great topic! I liked some of what you say here, but I think further discussion about the definition of branding is needed. Having spent twenty years working for consumer and business branding and advertising agencies before turning my focus to those serving nonprofits about ten years ago, I define branding thusly: your brand is the promise you keep, not the one you make. At it’s essence, your brand is defined by your audience, not your advertising, branding or even your fundraising communications agency. If your target audience has a pleasurable experience with your product, service or nonprofit, and this experience is also reflected in your brand promise, then it paints your brand in a favorable light in their minds. But if your brand promise doesn’t measure up to their experience, then nothing you say or do will change their perception. This is why it’s often said that your branding really begins with your phone receptionist.
"Nonprofits who know who they are and truly understand their donors will be less likely to be bullied into changing branding and messaging elements that don’t reflect reality, just because some agency said they should. And branding elements that are developed by agencies who truly understand the heart and soul of their nonprofit client and its supporters will reflect this reality in the branding and messaging platforms they create for their clients, which will not only generate awareness but also increase revenue, since they will enhance and not hinder fundraising.
"I think the biggest lesson that nonprofit organizations of all sizes can take from the negative branding experiences that some have had and that you describe here, Tom, is that they don’t need to look outside the nonprofit sector to gain a branding and messaging platform that enhances and generates visibility and funds. They have plenty of potential branding and fundraising partners readily available to them with agencies like yours and mine to choose from, and don’t need to look elsewhere."
— Richard DeVeau
"This article presents "brand building" as some kind of solo activity, which, as Richard points out, it is not. Your brand is what exists in the mind of your constituents — including your donors. It is, as Richard says, how your phone receptionist greets callers (or what music they hear when they are on hold), it is every interaction that anyone has with your organization, be it a vendor or a client or a donor. It is recommendations people make, etc. It is also about logos, taglines, etc. and making sure the organization's messaging is consistent.
"But that ALL starts with strategic planning and development and what this article is talking about is poor marketing strategy development. If an organization and the so-called "brand experts" come up with a marketing strategy that ignores a major target or constituency, they are missing the mark so widely I would suggest they are not "brand experts" at all. This is marketing 101. The issue discussed in this article is about poor strategic planning, not "brand building" versus fundraising. But maybe that headline would not have garnered as much readership.
— Lee Slaton Neel
"Tom, I agree that brand messages need to be tested to ensure that they resonate with target audiences, especially an organization's donor base. However, I don't care how good the messaging or how creative or compelling the campaign. In my view, a good brand is far less about marketing, advertising, PR, logos and messaging campaigns, and far more about quality leadership and staff, accountable and ethical behavior, and the organization's willingness, ability and commitment to live up to whatever it says about itself.
"A campaign has a beginning, a middle and an end. A brand, on the other hand, is a reflection of how you conduct your business every moment of every day. Regardless of how good your messages are or how attractive your logo may look, I'm only going to give to you if I trust and believe in what you do. "
— Larry Checco
Do You Have Answers to These Questions?
Our "feature" today is a little different. We've recently received questions from FS/Today in Fundraising readers, and we'd like to pose them to you. If you have any insights to share, please feel free to leave them in the comments section.
Renaming your organization
"We are considering a renaming. I am curious if groups out there have done a renaming and not experienced a decline in revenues, or actually saw an increase?"
Timing of acquisition mailings
"My board of directors has authorized sending out 100,000 acquisition mailings per year. I wonder what month of the year is best to send out such mailings? We are a 501(c)4, so donors do not receive tax deductions for gifts made [to our organization]. I would like to send our package out as soon as possible of course!"
We're also interested in your thoughts on the great branding debate. By The Horns columnist Tom Harrison took it on in his column in March, and we've been getting some great insights, some of which we featured here. What do you think?
Responses to "Can Branding Help Fundraising"
"Tom, Great topic! I liked some of what you say here, but I think further discussion about the definition of branding is needed. Having spent twenty years working for consumer and business branding and advertising agencies before turning my focus to those serving nonprofits about ten years ago, I define branding thusly: your brand is the promise you keep, not the one you make. At it’s essence, your brand is defined by your audience, not your advertising, branding or even your fundraising communications agency. If your target audience has a pleasurable experience with your product, service or nonprofit, and this experience is also reflected in your brand promise, then it paints your brand in a favorable light in their minds. But if your brand promise doesn’t measure up to their experience, then nothing you say or do will change their perception. This is why it’s often said that your branding really begins with your phone receptionist.
"Nonprofits who know who they are and truly understand their donors will be less likely to be bullied into changing branding and messaging elements that don’t reflect reality, just because some agency said they should. And branding elements that are developed by agencies who truly understand the heart and soul of their nonprofit client and its supporters will reflect this reality in the branding and messaging platforms they create for their clients, which will not only generate awareness but also increase revenue, since they will enhance and not hinder fundraising.
"I think the biggest lesson that nonprofit organizations of all sizes can take from the negative branding experiences that some have had and that you describe here, Tom, is that they don’t need to look outside the nonprofit sector to gain a branding and messaging platform that enhances and generates visibility and funds. They have plenty of potential branding and fundraising partners readily available to them with agencies like yours and mine to choose from, and don’t need to look elsewhere."
— Richard DeVeau
"This article presents "brand building" as some kind of solo activity, which, as Richard points out, it is not. Your brand is what exists in the mind of your constituents — including your donors. It is, as Richard says, how your phone receptionist greets callers (or what music they hear when they are on hold), it is every interaction that anyone has with your organization, be it a vendor or a client or a donor. It is recommendations people make, etc. It is also about logos, taglines, etc. and making sure the organization's messaging is consistent.
"But that ALL starts with strategic planning and development and what this article is talking about is poor marketing strategy development. If an organization and the so-called "brand experts" come up with a marketing strategy that ignores a major target or constituency, they are missing the mark so widely I would suggest they are not "brand experts" at all. This is marketing 101. The issue discussed in this article is about poor strategic planning, not "brand building" versus fundraising. But maybe that headline would not have garnered as much readership.
— Lee Slaton Neel
"Tom, I agree that brand messages need to be tested to ensure that they resonate with target audiences, especially an organization's donor base. However, I don't care how good the messaging or how creative or compelling the campaign. In my view, a good brand is far less about marketing, advertising, PR, logos and messaging campaigns, and far more about quality leadership and staff, accountable and ethical behavior, and the organization's willingness, ability and commitment to live up to whatever it says about itself.
"A campaign has a beginning, a middle and an end. A brand, on the other hand, is a reflection of how you conduct your business every moment of every day. Regardless of how good your messages are or how attractive your logo may look, I'm only going to give to you if I trust and believe in what you do. "
— Larry Checco