Branding

Best Friends Animal Society and Susan G. Komen for the Cure are the two most-trusted nonprofit name brands in the country, according to the 2011 Harris Poll Equitrend study, conducted by Harris Interactive, a market-research firm.

The two organizations were followed by Shriners Hospitals for Children and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which tied for No. 3 in the poll.

Same mission. Different name. That’s how CEO Bev Cassidy explained Newaygo County Community Services’ name change to TrueNorth Community Services — a new direction while staying on a steady course.

The new name was announced Tuesday night at a volunteer recognition ceremony at the agency’s headquarters in Fremont. Founded in 1972, the private nonprofit agency focuses on issues unique to rural communities, says Darci David, the communications and development senior officer.

A local nonprofit organization has changed its name and launched an interactive website with the aim of fostering more collaboration and resource sharing among Lake Tahoe's nonprofit sector.

The organization formerly known as the Parasol Community Collaboration has rebranded itself as Tahoe CAN (Collaborative Association of Nonprofits) in an effort to provide the organization with an identity that is distinct from the other Incline Village nonprofits that shared the Parasol moniker.

PETA, known for its graphic stunts with bleeding carcasses and naked models, is shifting its strategy. Its new approach is less about disrupting events from the outside and more about educating the fashion industry from the inside, says Dan Mathews, PETA senior vice president of campaigns.

PETA's move comes at a time when the high-end fashion industry is pushing fur heavily. A parade of pelts strutted down the runways of New York, Milan and Paris in recent weeks.

Technology is great, but it takes human beings to make the most of it. Ask these questions to make your fundraising efforts successful this year and beyond.

The Gorilla Organization sticks to its guns for what's best to achieve its mission. It stays true to its mission, and it's resulted in an annual fundraiser that has brought in more than 1.3 million pounds from more than 2,500 participants over the years. And best of all, the donors and supporters are passionate stewards of the cause. All because Davies and his staff stay true to the Gorilla Organization's mission.

The primary objective of direct-response fundraising is to acquire and cultivate donors to generate the maximum net income for nonprofit programs over the long haul. But precious few direct-response fundraising campaigns these days accomplish that objective. Hence the budget problems of so many nonprofits — the cutbacks, the turnover in development staff and the lack of funds to accomplish the mission.

KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to saving play for America's children, has proven that money isn’t everything when you have friends.  Over the past two weeks, KaBOOM!’s dedicated supporters voted online once a day to help the nonprofit win the Breakthrough Nonprofit Branding contest’s first place prize.

We would also like to congratulate the other nine nonprofits for advancing to the final round of the contest.  Each will receive a second or third place prize to help them continue their brand development journey.

Marci Schankweiler’s cancer respite nonprofit has been rebranded. The new name — For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation — is designed to pass the “elevator test.”

A desire to attract travel partners prompted the changes — which include a new logo and website — according to Schankweiler. She admitted to hearing a disconnect between the former name, Crossing the Finish Line, the old logo and the organization’s mission.

In a recent article for GuideStar, nonprofit branding expert Howard Adam Levy, principal of Red Rooster Group, shares three components of a successful brand.