We love working to strengthen organizations committed to hope, generosity and justice. The leaders of these organizations (let’s call them Kim and Paul), don’t just love what they do - they love who they serve, and they love how they get to serve. 

Kim and Paul have a great (and often beautiful) Strategic Plan, but don’t necessarily love having to think about marketing or brand strategy to bring the strategic plan to life, though. When we jump into our work with Kim, Paul and their team, they often say, “we’re the best kept secret,” then passionately describe the work they do and who they get to serve, and then ask, “how do we get more people to care about what we do - and engage them as donors or volunteers?”. 

They love what they do. They love who they serve. And they want to be able to do more of the work they love. Since we share that deep sense of mission, we want them to do more of that work too. And, that’s why we start with brand strategy and marketing / communications strategy. 

Why Brand Strategy? 

Knowing who you are, who you serve, what your donors care about, and how you uniquely do the work you do - and being able to clearly articulate that, building awareness, experience and engagement over a defined period of time, is the first step to ending the “best kept secret” storyline. That’s Brand Strategy. 

A strong brand builds stronger awareness, stronger awareness with the right people builds strong advocacy, and strong advocacy engages new donors and more people involved in the work Kim and Paul care deeply about. 

Starting with Brand Clarity and Strategy is smart - and provides a solid foundation for growth. And, it informs Marketing / Communications and Donor Fundraising Strategy - answering “how do we get more people to care about what we do?”. 

Self-assess: 

• How’s your Brand clarity? Do you have a Brand Playbook for your team? Are you reviewing it regularly and staying on-brand?  

• How clearly and consistently can your staff, volunteers and donors describe who you are, what you do, and why others should be involved? 

• How easy is it for you to identify the experience donors, staff, and volunteers should have with your organization, and how they benefit from that experience? 

• Do you know exactly what your donors and beneficiaries would or should say makes your organization unique? Have you tested those things? Are you consistently and regularly sharing them? 

• Can your team clearly articulate what your organization is all about, in ten words or less?

Need to boost your brand equity? Schedule a free 20-minute consult to find out if we’d be a good fit to help you get there.