The 7 most common nonprofit branding problems: a chart

The 7 most common nonprofit branding problems

This article by Steve Cebalt is an excerpt form a PDf course on nonprofit branding from www.MainStreetNonprofitTraining.com

First, identify the problem.

In a previous blog post I put forth a skeptical tone toward branding if by branding you mean obsessing over your logo, tagline, etc. For small, local nonprofits, thats not really a good use of time and energy. I introduced the term Behavioral Branding to make the point that how your organization actually treats people is the real essence of nonprofit branding. Scroll down a bit for that article if you are interested.

So instead of focusing on aesthetics, I prefer to focus on solving real communications problems. And the first step in branding is to identify the problem. This may seem obvious, but actually it is a step that is often overlooked. In nonprofits, where time and resources are precious, you want to immediately start tackling a project and not waste any time. However, a great deal of time can be wasted by trying to work on a project when you have not precisely identified what is at the heart of the project. Taking time out at the onset of a project to clearly state what the problem is will save hours of frustration later by avoiding misguided concepts and ideas that are not in alignment with the scope of the project.

Lou Holtz, former coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, is famous for his great problem-solving skills, because he takes the time to examine the problem first before trying to tackle it. Coach Holtz clearly stated this simple first step when he said, "You can't solve a problem until you identify it."

From football to nonprofits, the same is true. Before taking any action on a project, you must first identify the problem. After that, the next steps will become much clearer and each step will fall in alignment with the overall aim of the project. When you begin by isolating the problem, the solution becomes self-evident.

As indicated in the chart at the top of this article, there are seven basic problems that have proven to be the most common barriers to effective nonprofit branding and can cause your nonprofit to fall short of its branding goals. As you work to identify the main branding problem within your nonprofit, you may encounter one, two, or all of the seven specific problems, which we'll explain further in the next article, on Branding Alignment Gaps. These seven common branding problems are the result of being out of alignment with your audience. The solution, of course, is to identify the problems where you are out of alignment; and then the remedy becomes obvious. So that's the hard part identifying. The good news is that there is only one more step:

Fix the problem.

That's not nearly as hard as it sounds, once you know you are working on the right problem. You have the tools and wherewithal to address the problems you face. The key really is making sure you're working on the right problem.

This problem-solving approach to branding confronts your branding problems, not just on a strategic level, but every day, with every e-mail you send and every brochure or newsletter you publish. In the next article well discuss the day-to-day tactical ways to use this problem-solving approach to branding.

This article is an excerpt form a PDf course on nonprofit branding from www.MainStreetNonprofitTraining.com

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• nonprofit branding
• foundation branding
• nonprofit training
• nonprofit marketing