Branding

Nonprofits rarely have the luxury of big advertising budgets, and it's not often they get chances to analyze whether their ads are working. But a new study may help shed some light on the kinds of ads that actually help drive donations. Market research firm Millward Brown and the Ad Council recently set out to…

The best storytellers will tell you: Keep your message concise, relevant and engaging. Yet, you put time and hard work into crafting your nonprofit’s story—how it started, grew over time and became the success it is today—all to find out your donors couldn’t care less. What’s the deal? You probably know the basics of good…

Sometime after they divorced in 2012, the Livestrong cancer foundation received an unusual request from Lance Armstrong, the charity’s founder and biggest donor. He wanted his name back. Livestrong officially changed its name more than three years ago, dumping its original name—the Lance Armstrong Foundation—in favor of Livestrong, its popular nickname. But the foundation still…

Hard to see, the Dark Side is—especially when you can’t use your lightsaber to light the way. Newmindspace, a Toronto-based nonprofit, has rebranded its popular charity lightsaber battles as the “Cats in Space Tour” after it received a cease-and-desist letter from Lucasfilm’s lawyers for using trademarked terms, the Toronto Star reported...

A sparrow landed on Bernie Sanders’ podium in Portland, Oregon and the Internet went bonkers. Within hours, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter were flooded with trending topics about #BirdieSanders. You Can’t Predict What Will Go Viral If I told you that a sparrow literally would perch herself on Bernie’s podium and light up the Internet, you’d…

It seems like you can't go a minute without some mention of the election in our 24-hour news cycle, which got me thinking, how does a brand compete with the deep pockets of presidential candidates for attention? This must be especially hard for nonprofit brands with limited resources. It's frustrating to me that many nonprofit…

Years ago, branding was considered the purview of corporations alone. But in recent years, branding is increasingly considered a useful strategy for nonprofits, too, particularly those that are struggling to distinguish themselves from peers when competition for donors, members or clients heats up. But what does the word “brand” mean for nonprofits today?...

Mission statements often have been mind-numbing, only good for bureaucrats and impressing funders. But your mission statement is part of your branding, just like your logo or website design. That's why it must be outstanding. Today's mission statements often are shortened to a few, pithy words that work across communication channels. The best ones express…

Goodwill Industries of San Joaquin Valley is taking a stand against competitors with a billboard that reads, "Say yes to Goodwill and say no to the box." The billboard is posted at the intersection of Thornton Road and Hammer Lane in Stockton, Calif., and will rotate to a new location every two months through June.…

The rampant, widespread use of boring, convoluted language is costing the social sector a lot of money. Here’s why: Nonprofits are spending more to get people involved in their causes simply because no one can understand what they’re saying. The language they use to convey who they are, what they stand for and what they…