PAF9151 Summer 2017 Online Community

After watching the TED talk presented by Melinda Gates, I was fascinated by the process in which nonprofits strive to develop a brand. Despite the fact that a large number of organizations take a very limited approach to branding by using it to aid with the fundraising process, many organizations are opting to go beyond that limit by, “moving beyond that approach to explore the wider, strategic roles that brands can play: driving broad, long-term social goals, while strengthening internal identity, cohesion, and capacity.”  After doing some research, I came across this article which thoroughly explains the strategic incentive of branding and the process in which many nonprofits have followed a framework called the “Nonprofit Brand IDEA”. IDEA is an acronym for (brand) integrity, democracy, ethics, and affinity. This conceptual framework allows nonprofit organizations to develop brands that “allow their brands to contribute to sustaining their social impact, serving their mission, and staying true to their organization’s values and culture”. After reflecting upon this creative methodology, I was determined to see it in smaller, less known organizations. However, I came to the conclusion that branding DOES matter in terms of recognition since organizations like AmeriCorps, the Legal Defense Fund, and the Wold Wildlife Fund have developed their branding to go beyond funding. Their branding goes beyond the logo to appeal to potential donors-it further reinforces the purpose of why their organization’s mission matters. This theme is seen throughout the Simon Sinek TEDtalk, thus reinforcing the same sentiment of why purpose matters behind every motive of an organization.

https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_role_of_brand_in_the_nonprofit_sector

I want to share an article about a nonprofit’s effective communication with volunteers, which is posted on Nancy Schwartz’s blog. She is a motivational coach and NGO consultant. Her article The 13 Principles Driving New York Cares’ Volunteer Communication Strategy describes the case of effective communication example from an NYC-based volunteer organization called that runs programs for 1,000 local nonprofits.

One of the most interesting concepts that Nancy emphasizes is a “Volunteer Engagement Scale” that categorizes all volunteers based on the frequency and intensity of their volunteering with NY Cares.  Segmenting volunteers in this way allows the organization to tailor its communications to different kinds of volunteers — some people might respond well to frequent communications about volunteer opportunities, while other people (e.g. “episodic contributors”) might be put off by constant volunteering appeals.

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/viral-content-psychology 

This week’s discussion on nonprofit branding makes my head turn its gears wondering what makes something go viral, and what doesn’t.

The marketing teams at nonprofit organizations across the country are coming up with new videos everyday: some short, some long, telling stories about lives that they have changed with their organization’s effort.

Some, like the KONY 2012 campaign, go viral and gain millions of supporters in a number of hours, while others get a few likes on instagram, and that’s it. Both are produced with high-level video production equipment, a powerful story, and an important cause. So why does one do better than the other?

Well, in the words of YouTube Star Michelle Phan, “You’re not going to make it viral. Viral chooses you.”

I thought I’d share some psychology behind it. In short, it’s a mix of CURIOSITY and TRIGGERED EMOTIONS. There’s no secret formula, but testing your content over and over again to see what sticks is most important.

Here’s a map that shows what emotions cause videos to be more viral than others. I can’t say that I’ve seen a nonprofit use the element of surprise for their content, perhaps they should try it!

Our readings and class discussions have definitely emphasized the importance of NGOs communicating their mission and explaining their programs strategically, clearly and compellingly.  Failing to do so may affect not only the careers of the non-profit’s top managers (as in the case of Susan G. Komen for the Cure), trust from the community, supporters, and funders, but may demoralize the organization’s entry-level and mid-level staff and damage their productivity.

When program staff become unsure of the scope of their organization’s vision and the priorities of its agenda, this challenges their ability carry out their everyday work.  How can they be great ambassadors of their nonprofit if they doubt whether the mission they articulate to others is the same one that the organization’s management or Board is pursuing?  Top-level communications that is frequently shifting and posturing makes employees doubt the authenticity of the leadership and makes it hard for them to stay inspired. Such employees may turn to the private sector, where they might be less passionate but that might be offset by higher salaries.

Nonprofit leaders will face a situation where they must focus on restoring the organization’s good reputation rather than focus on programs, look for new Board members and funding, and there will be less people on the team in this time of crisis, and recruitment of new staff will be difficult as well.  I don’t wish such a scenario on any legitimate nonprofit 🙂

The mission statement of an organization plays an imperative role in shaping an organization’s existence. The mission explains the purpose behind the organization’s actions. It also helps potential leaders-organizationally speaking and beyond. The mission statement must be composed of three elements which can be identified as the target audience, a verb, and results. It is essential for organizations to outline their mission statement with the interests of their target audience in mind.  This way,  it can be evident when the organization is not fulfilling it’s intended goals.  In turn, this makes it easier to keep the organization accountable to it’s practices. The leadership of the organization is responsible for reinforcing the sentiment of the mission statement to the constituents it serves (which counts as the verb). The last component (results) revolves around employee fulfillment of their designated responsibilities and duties while serving to a common cause/purpose, thus generating the last component-results.

Having a brand is very important to nonprofits, as having a strong brand identity could either make or break your project in the nonprofit world. In the U.S. currently, over 150 nonprofits are created every day, all fighting for funding from corporations, institutional funders, and the general public.

I’ve noticed more and more in our age that the public is less concerned with how well a nonprofit does in its particular field, or how efficient that it runs, but how glamorous its work sounds and aesthetically pleasing it’s branding material is- with a grabby mission statement that can communicated in a 60-second Facebook video.

One of our recommended readings states some of the same nonprofits that come to my mind: Charity: Water, (RED), and Tom’s Shoes are all causes that indeed do incredible work, but are people really supporting these causes because they care, or because it’s cool?

The article goes on to mention how important it is for small nonprofits to have strong branding: one example that comes to mind is JustLeadershipUSA, a young nonprofit that started in 2014. Their mission is to empower formerly incarcerated individuals to becomes criminal justice advocates in their own communities. Their tagline is that “those closest to the problem are closest to the solution.”

Just by taking a look at their website, you can clearly see how strong their branding is: a thoughtful logo, color scheme, mission statement all beautifully crafted to tell a story. Their strong branding strategy has served them well – JLUSA has grown from a staff of 1 to 16 in a matter of two years, and they continue to grow rapidly. Additionally, The ALS Association was a nonprofit wasn’t very well known – but the ice bucket challenge transformed the organization and its cause practically overnight. I know that many of my friends who participated in the challenging just wanted to have fun on Facebook.

This goes to show that it’s often the branding and marketing, not the work, that can make all the difference.

https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_role_of_brand_in_the_nonprofit_sector

The link above is about the role of brands in the non-profit sector. It explains that the role of brands has expanded in the last decade, and is no longer just about communications and visibility/recognition among target audiences for the purpose of fundraising. It is no longer only about the logo of an organization, it is more about the organization’s purpose, what you do, and why it matters. It is a global identity that can provide efficiency to an organization, if crafted correctly. If the brand is strategically communicated to stakeholders, it can speak for itself, stand on its own, and allow an organization to acquire more resource and use them more freely. A strong brand adds credibility to an organization and attracts more stakeholders.