Branding

So you may be asking yourself, what does an ancient Greek genius have to do with my nonprofit? At first glance, not a whole lot, but a nonprofit could learn a thing or two from one of history’s brightest minds. When it came to rhetorical persuasion, Aristotle believed that an effective argument encompassed three critical components — ethos, logos, and pathos.

“From the minute the first elevator zoomed up in 1853, people have been polishing their elevator pitches. The idea was that if the big prospect ever strode into your elevator, you’d be able to  smoothly explain your organization and your role there by the time you reached your floor.”

But that elevator pitch is dead, and you need to take a radically new approach. Here’s why, and how:

Listen in as some of fundraising's freshest thinkers take on some of the sector's toughest topics — the things that should be top of mind in the new year.

If we don't figure out how to differentiate ourselves in the minds of our donors, and then prove to them over and over again that their confidence is not misplaced, we're on a collision course with failure.

The new Smithsonian Institution branding campaign, “Seriously Amazing,” makes a central bet: Visitors and would-be visitors across the country have questions, and the Smithsonian has answers.

Its icon is a question mark, and it features red, green and spacesuit-silver characters, all asking for info:

What has given us water from Mars and daggers from India?”

“How is hip-hop like the microchip?”

“What exactly does a bear do in the woods?”

The $1.4 million campaign, which has been two years in the making, launched Thursday with a preview for staff, regents and directors, and a new website.

The fundraising proposition should be one of the sharpest tools in the fundraiser's toolbox, but its blade should never be allowed to dull. Look inside your organization to develop new propositions, and keep an eye on the external environment, too. Examine the propositions you use, and ask yourself, "Could they do with sharpening up a little?"

Relevance is the heart of memorable, motivating fundraising messages — "aha! messages." If your messages are irrelevant (more than seven of 10 nonprofits describe their messages as off target), your organization will fail to motivate the gifts and loyalty you need to move your mission forward.

In this archived episode of his Nonprofit Coach radio show, Ted Hart speaks with Larry Checco, president of Checco Communications, about branding.

I'm kind of embarrassed at how weirdly happy I am that freecreditscore.com has finally given in to consumer pressure and brought back its original spokesband featuring cheesy-adorable French Canadian lead man Eric Violette.

Marketing is how your organization builds and strengthens your relationships with the people whose help you need to move your mission forward, as donors, partners, volunteers or in other roles.