What is a brand? It’s something that reminds people of your nonprofit and makes them think of you. Consider the black clenched fist of the Black Lives Matter, the pink ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness, or the big capital letters of the ACLU. A very successful brand becomes widely recognizable. A name becomes a brand when people associate it with a mission, vision, or set of values. As this association grows stronger, followers’ loyalty and support grow stronger and the nonprofit’s perceived significance grows.

But there’s a misconception in the nonprofit world that branding is only something that big businesses do, and it doesn’t matter for mission-driven nonprofits that are changing the world. The reality is that the most successful nonprofits realize how valuable branding is for spreading awareness of their work and getting recognized as a Big Deal. Specifically, great branding can help you communicate more effectively who you are and what you stand for. A good brand helps you stand out among other organizations and be a much more memorable organization. 

So what does a great brand entail? Several things:

• Brand. Often a graphic image. May be suggestive, not literal. People learn to associate it with your business. Communicates at a level more basic than words.
• Message. Text, words. Both information and emotional appeals
• Presentation. What people see. The look and feel of your materials— print and internet. Your store or office. How you and your people come across. How you do your work, your customer service.

Only your written messages convey explicit information. Your brand, your message, and your presentation all communicate at a non-verbal level. All three have to be cohesive for your communications to work well. If one of these is out of whack with the others, the entire effort is pulled down.

To build a brand, you need to do three things:

1. Get fully aligned with your actions, your spending, and your communications. People look to see if advocacy organizations are walking their talk. Your talk needs to point directly at how you walk and the line you walk needs to be solid. How you present yourself (in visual identity & messaging) becomes a part of what you deliver.

2. Communicate your commitment and impact in the world. It’s fine to talk about problems you’re trying to solve (ending hunger, eliminating poverty, etc.), but it’s just as important to put forth a positive vision of the World you’re trying to bring forth (food for all, universal basic income, etc.).

3. Create a brand that the people of your organization believe in. Make sure they truly identify with the values, visuals, and messaging of your brand. If your people don’t genuinely believe in it, then it’s just shallow words and pictures. A brand is just as much about aligning everyone on your team as it is about building new relationships.

Branding is all about telling a story about your organization that you believe and that resonates with others. If you can follow these steps to create a truly powerful brand, your nonprofit’s work and messaging will be elevated in a powerful way.