Talk about “branding” can sometimes come off as jargon-ish in today’s marketing saturated culture. It seems like every company, organization, and individual is trying to establish its brand; from the PTO at your child’s school to your Aunt Betty’s country cooking blog, everything and everyone is obsessed with their brand identity.

Should your nonprofit join the fray and get all worked up about branding? How important is it to your overall success?

Very.

It’s precisely because the school PTO and Aunt Betty have branding that it’s more important than ever for your nonprofit to refine your own brand standards. The world is noisy, competition for supporters is fierce, and often, it’s your branding that will help you stand out from the crowd.

Why is branding important for nonprofits? 

Here are a few benefits of nonprofit branding, along with links to more resources for further information.

• Intentional, consistent, and integrated branding helps you cut through the clutter. As the number of nonprofits increases (not to mention all the other companies, organizations, brands, and media that vie for your followers’ attention), effective branding makes people take notice. Read more: http://www.agroup.com/blog/how-to-stand-out-from-the-pack
• One of the things Millennial donors look to throw their support behind is a unique group with an authentic mission. Your branding gives you an identity. With effective branding, there’s no chance of blending in (and being forgotten or ignored). Read more: http://www.agroup.com/blog/escaping-the-nonprofit-cookie-cutter
• Branding is an excellent vehicle to help you tell your story. Read more: http://www.agroup.com/blog/why-you-struggle-to-effectively-tell-your-story
• Beautiful, professional brands are more credible. In our digital age, especially, your audience is accustomed to questioning any group or company that doesn’t “look” legit. Branding makes you more trustworthy.

• Branding gives your donor something to believe in. Just like in the business world, nonprofits have to prove their value to donors and give them a reason to choose to support you. Your brand helps you clearly communicate that. Read more: https://www.douglasshaw.com/answering-the-eternal-question-why/

How has branding worked well for your nonprofit? What changes do you need to make to your brand identity?