The Branding of Non-ProfitsSeptember - 2015

Our CEO, Brian Walker, along with Harvard’s Nathalie Laidler-Kylander, Ph.D. and the International Dyslexia Association’s John Mayo-Smith recently sat down with Branding Magazine for an interview on the challenges and opportunities facing non-profit organizations.

Here is a short excerpt of Brian’s interview.

Branding Magazine: What is your definition of a brand, specifically applied to nonprofits?

Brian Walker: A non-profit brand is a balance of internal forces (employees, operations, services) and external forces (customers, donors, community/government organizations) mixed with design and data to create a good experience. Often brands, especially non-profit brands, tend to think of brand as a creative or marketing function, rather than an organizational function. That’s a big mistake.

Branding Magazine: Do you feel nonprofit branding has risen to the level of a strategic tool, or is it still mostly used for more tactical, transactional functions, like fundraising?

Brian Walker: It is rising. Not as fast as it should, however. Some non-profits are still stuck in the silos of brand (marketing vs. development). What those organizations need to understand is that brand transcends every aspect of who you are and what you do. If you can fuel that strategic mindset, you will be much more successful and create good experiences.

Branding Magazine: What are the biggest challenges with getting a nonprofit organization – from leadership to employees – to embrace branding?

Brian Walker: The biggest challenge is getting them to recognize that brand is not another expense that comes out of a marketing P&L. You can’t afford to not invest in brand, including your internal and external audiences. Employees are critical to the brand experience as they are the ones delivering your products or services. Engage and empower them to have shared ownership in the brand.

Also, if and when you decide to spend precious dollars on external marketing, recognize that it doesn’t have to be at expense of your mission. Just like for-profits, incremental marketing may help you grow and expand to deliver value you hadn’t realized before.

Branding Magazine: Can you describe a specific nonprofit organization that you believe is making especially good use of branding?

Brian Walker: I am a big fan of Bright Pink. Once a small non-profit that found a purpose and market niche and, while competing in a world of much larger non-profit brands, Bright Pink now has grown to impact millions of women. The growth and community impact at Bright Pink was all made possible by its Founder and CEO Lindsay Avner and her team, building a tremendous brand experience.

Read the full interview with Brian, Nathalie and John here or watch a video segment with Branding Magazine’s Chuck Kent and AE Marketing Group customer UCAN.