#FICEtools: 8 key steps to build your brand

What is a brand?

A brand is a combination of ideas existing in someone’s mind that are related to the identity of your organization: what it stands for, what it does, and what social impact it achieves.

 

Why is it important to have a brand?

Your brand is your most valuable asset because it opens doors to other human and/or financial assets.  It can also drive a consistent flow of small individual donations.

 

How can I build a brand?

Building your organization’s brand may take a long time because it represents a more complex process than just creating a logo or a tagline.  To build your brand, you need to know WHY your organization does what it does (mission) and WHO you want to know this (audience).

 

 

Follow these 8 key steps to build a strong and powerful brand for your organization:

 

1. Have a clear mission

The starting point is to be clear about what your organization pursues and why it matters to others – your organization’s mission statement.  A strong brand should be consistently anchored with this statement.

 

2. Have strong leadership

To build brand recognition and credibility, it is important to have a leader whose name is associated with excellence and who is also an important voice in the field that your organization operates.

 

3. Find and secure impressive funding

Getting a grant from an influential foundation is a huge step in building your brand.  It also creates awareness about your organization in the eyes of other foundations and peer/similar organizations.

 

4. Follow and learn from others

Partner and/or work with other nonprofit organizations that have big and recognized brands, and learn from their experience to build your own brand’s reputation and visibility.

 

5. Use communication channels effectively

The story that your organization tells is more powerful than the work it does, and the digital channels (website, social media, newsletter, etc.) where your story appears are now the golden nuggets to building a strong brand.  Use these channels to tell your story in a consistent and effective way.

 

6. Make others replicate your work

Using effective communication tools and channels will make sure that others pay attention to your work.  As others pay more attention to your work, your organization’s brand will get stronger and others will replicate its work.

 

7. Survive over time

We thought this through and here is the purest truth: If your organization can survive over time, it will surely be rewarded with brand recognition.

 

8. Do not underestimate your budget size

As your organization’s resources increase, your organization gains legitimacy.  The bigger your organization’s budget gets, the more permanence and relevance  it achieves. 

 

 

[media-downloader media_id=\”1415\” texts=\”Download the full infographic here\” title=\”Download the full infographic here\”]

 

 

For a full effective build of your brand, request a FICE program in your country.