After eighteen years as a marketing practitioner and having devoured
most published books on the subject, it seemed to me that someone
should distill the essentials of branding in a simple and concise
fashion. This article is by no means an attempt to grapple with that
endeavor, but merely consolidates the basics for real-world
application.

Overview:
During my tenure as a graduate student, the looming question on every
student's mind was - what will be the focus of my research? Since
my career was inundated in brand management activities, the idea of
applying branding theories to a business model not readily engaged in
these practices seemed challenging. As a result, an eighteen month
journey commenced to understand how a nonprofit searches for relevance
in a world of scarce resources through brand management.

To begin, a theoretical model is needed from which to view the process
of branding. If you assimilate most published material on branding, you
can derive four essentials:

1.        What is your overall brand perception today?
2.        Describe the future brand goal?
3.        Create a plan to reach that goal
4.        Does the brand live throughout the organization?

Brand Perception:
An organization's greatest asset is its brand, yet so little time,
energy, and care is devoted to this process and generally relegated to
a lower level functionary. In my research, the daily efforts and thin
resources a nonprofit faces yields little time for reflection. During
my interviews with top management, it became apparent that brand
assessment was not part of the agenda nor considered relevant. If your
present brand perception is not working, step back and view it through
the eyes of your potential donor. If you don't like what you see,
it's time to roll up your sleeves and evaluate every facet of your
brand.

Brand Goal:
Defining your future brand goal is generally an easier task than
looking backwards. The question that every organization should ask
itself: what is the one thing that I can do better than anyone else?
To be a meaningful brand, your cause must be a FIRST - a new
category, approach, or service that hasn't been exploited. Since this
differentiator (value proposition) sets your organization apart from
all others, make sure that the organization not only believes it, but
can execute it! Once defined, every facet of the organization should be
centered on that rallying cry.

Plan:
My thesis focused on a nonprofit organization that had many competitors
in a crowded market space. Their differentiator, a fully functioning
village for the homeless, was ground-breaking on both a local and
national level. The brand perception migrated from a decentralized
rescue mission to a community that integrates a variety of functions
(meals, shelter, education, behavior enhancement, hope, etc.) under one
roof. This concept has the potential to become a powerful, new brand
position in the local community and its attributes are easily
recognizable and unique.

The next step bridges the gap between the current perception and the
brand goal. As with any planning process, a series of activities that
culminates into a brand shift takes time and patience. Great brands
were not invented overnight and required careful planning and attention
to detail. The greatest stumbling block for an organization to achieve
a brand goal lies in its execution; most plans are written and then
collect dust on a shelf. Brand planning requires daily attention for
progression and change to occur. Also, a brand lives in the mind of
each donor and has been developed through years of message layering.
One Super-Bowl ad just won't cut it!

Organizational Adoption:
The key to a successful plan requires a top-down commitment and
involvement. Aside from the change in external messages, a separate
campaign to inform, educate, and acquire buy-in from all organizational
members is essential. In order for the new brand perception to be
realized, it can't be the latest management fad - it needs to
reside in the hearts and minds of every single employee!

My research indicated that monthly, weekly, and even daily meetings
were needed to ensure a consistent message was delivered and acted
upon.

Summary:
In summary, we examined the four essentials of branding to provide
nonprofits with a structure from which they can reflect on their target
audience. All brands should be re-evaluated continuously to assure the
appropriate message and deliveries of services are synergistic. By
analyzing the present perception and projecting a future brand goal,
the planning process will naturally follow. Integrating the
organization in the process will be critical for the brand promise to
be realized.

Bill Nissim consults with nonprofit organizations on brand management
issues. His website www.ibranz.com contains reference materials, links,
and helpful articles on the many facets of branding.