ftoc.indd x 10/20/09 3:28:08 PM “Brandraising is a timely, critically important contribution for all nonprofi ts. As ‘competition’ intensifi es, resources dwindle, and senior executives are drawn to react in short-term crisis mode, it becomes even more vital that external (and internal!) communications stay as strategic as possible. The ultimate perception of ‘brand’ will be the extent to which the audience clearly understands the organization’s vision, and Sarah Durham gets this ironclad principle. With step-by- step sage guidance, Brandraising should be a dog-eared resource for perceptive chief executives in the sector.” —Mark Lipton, consultant on nonprofi t board strat- egy and professor of management, Milano: The New School for Management and Urban Policy “Brandraising is a must-read for any organization operating in the noisy and crowded nonprofi t arena today. Sarah Durham ‘fl ips the switch’ on our understanding of a holistic communications strategy. Like the architecture of the planning and implementation she encour- ages, the architecture of this book delivers a clear and smart message. Finally, in one volume we can fi nd the structure and the techniques any institution can use to place itself above the din.” —Nancy Schwartz Sternoff, director, Dobkin Family Foundation “Sarah Durham presents her considerable expertise with a smart com- bination of authority and accessibility that makes Brandraising a must- read for fundraisers and nonprofi t communications and marketing staff—no matter how long they’ve been in the business or the size and mission of their organizations. The book’s hip yet down-to-earth tone is a perfect refl ection of Sarah herself, as is its fi nely balanced respect for traditional strategies with a serious, forward-looking nod to new technologies.” —Margaret Battistelli, editor-in-chief, Fundraising Success ffirs.indd i 10/20/09 3:25:41 PM “If you lead a nonprofi t organization and you want to be successful, you better read this book—right now! In today’s highly fragmented and fast-moving world, it is important for an organization to have a strong brand. Scratch that—it’s necessary, critical, obligatory, unavoid- able. Nonprofi t organizations must demonstrate their vision, mission, values, objectives, positioning, and personality in every aspect of their work. If they don’t, their audience won’t engage, their issues won’t resonate, and they will fail. Creating that strong brand is no easy task. Navigating the process of building and maintaining brand can be frustrating and exhausting. Sarah Durham understands that. She has spent her life helping nonprofi t organizations build strong brands and communicate successfully. And now she has written a book that provides clear guidelines, valuable lessons, and powerful examples that nonprofi t organizations can use to build their brand and succeed in their work.” —Brian Reich, coauthor, Media Rules: Mastering Today’s Technology to Connect With and Keep Your Audience “In today’s highly competitive nonprofi t sector, creating an effective brand is essential. Brandraising tells you how to do it right! It should be required reading by today’s executive director, development director, communications director, or other nonprofi t professional.” —Cheryl A. Clarke, consultant and author of Storytelling for Grantseekers and Grant Proposal Makeover “During these uncertain economic times, when organizations’ staffs are required to do more with much less, while meeting an ever growing need, Brandraising is a must-read for nonprofi t professionals looking to help their organizations thrive or even just survive. Although nonprof- its generally spend time on strategic planning, Sarah Durham brings home the point that executing the strategies is an entirely different set of tasks. Brandraising illustrates how strategically planned and executed tactics in branding, communications, and fundraising are critical ingredients for solvent and successful nonprofi t organizations.” —Nicci Noble, president, Noble Services ffirs.indd ii 10/20/09 3:25:42 PM Brandraising ffirs.indd iii 10/20/09 3:25:42 PM FREE PPremium Content This book includes premium content that can be accessed from our Web site when you register at www.josseybass.com/go/sarahdurham using the password professional. ffirs.indd iv 10/20/09 3:25:43 PM raising Brand HOW NONPROFITS RAISE VISIBILITY AND MONEY THROUGH SMART COMMUNICATIONS Sarah Durham ffirs.indd v 10/20/09 3:25:43 PM Copyright © 2010 by Sarah Durham. All rights reserved. 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ISBN-13: 978-0-470-52753-5 Printed in the United States of America FIRST EDITION HB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ffirs.indd vi 10/20/09 3:25:44 PM CONTENTS 1 BRANDRAISING 1 What “Brandraising” Means 3 Measuring the Value of Communications 5 In Summary 7 2 PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS 9 Seeing the Long View 10 Communicating on Their Terms, Not Yours 19 Doing More with Less 25 In Summary 29 3 OVERVIEW OF BRANDRAISING 31 The Organizational Level 31 The Identity Level 32 The Experiential Level 33 Leadership Involvement in Each Level 34 Measuring and Assessing Brandraising’s Impact 35 vii ftoc.indd vii 10/20/09 3:28:07 PM Quantitative and Qualitative Metrics 37 In Summary 39 4 BRANDRAISING AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL 41 What Comes First: Strategic Planning or Brandraising? 42 Vision 42 Mission 44 Values 49 Objectives 52 Audiences 55 Positioning 59 Personality 62 A Foundation for Everyday Activities 66 In Summary 70 5 BRANDRAISING AT THE IDENTITY LEVEL 73 The Visual Identity 75 The Messaging Platform 88 Sub-Brands 103 Integrating the Identity 104 In Summary 109 6 BRANDRAISING AT THE EXPERIENTIAL LEVEL 111 Selecting Audience-Centric Channels 112 Online 120 In Print 132 In Person 137 On Air 143 By Mobile 145 In Summary 148 7 IMPLEMENTING BRANDRAISING 151 When You Can’t Do It All 152 Relaunching Your Nonprofi t’s Identity 153 viii CONTENTS ftoc.indd viii 10/20/09 3:28:08 PM Brandraising After Relaunch 157 Integrating Brandraising into Daily Communications 165 In Summary 169 In Conclusion 170 Acknowledgments 171 About the Author 173 References 175 Index 177 CONTENTS ix ftoc.indd ix 10/20/09 3:28:08 PM ftoc.indd x 10/20/09 3:28:08 PM For my family flast.indd xi 10/20/09 3:27:17 PM flast.indd xii 10/20/09 3:27:17 PM Brandraising flast.indd xiii 10/20/09 3:27:18 PM flast.indd xiv 10/20/09 3:27:18 PM CHAPTER 1 Brandraising uring the fall of 2008, right in the middle of the fi nan- D cial market ’s collapse, I facilitated a panel on branding at an event called “ Meet the Grantmakers, ” organized by the Support Center for Nonprofi t Management. Throughout the morning, several offi cers of large corporate founda- tions talked about how their foundations ’ endowments had plummeted, leading to fewer grants and less money awarded to nonprofi ts. These grantmakers stressed that the competition for available grants was going to be tougher than ever. Organizations applying would have to distinguish themselves by communicating clearly and demonstrating their value distinctively. By the time my afternoon panel on branding began, the big question on everyone ’ s mind seemed to be, How can we demonstrate our value and uniqueness with our limited staff, budget, and experi- ence in the area of communications? 1 CH001.indd 1 10/20/09 3:24:07 PM Let ’ s face it: nonprofi ts arrived very late at the market- ing party.