Category — non-profit fundraising

To paraphrase Shakespeare, would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? I’d say NOT.

I have been talking a lot this past week about the value in a strong brand and what branding means to nonprofits. Typically, we have thought of a brand as our logo. There it is. Stick it on all of your materials and call it a day.

This is another area in which we NPOs tend to undervalue ourselves. Just think of some of the best known nonprofit brands out there. According to this New York Times article from last year, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/us/24charity.html?_r=2&ref=us the YMCA has the strongest brand – followed by the Salvation Army and the United Way of America.

What does this mean? Well, it means that their organizations have clear personalities. When people hear or see the name, they know what to expect and it rings all of the appropriate emotional bells in their minds. If someone asks you to support the YMCA, you rarely need to stop and ask “Now what do they do?” That gives them power in the marketplace with stakeholders of all kind, including potential corporate partners.

You may not have a nationally known brand. Face it, few of us do. This doesn’t let you off the proverbial hook. Whatever the size of your universe, make it count. Give your brand the power it needs to speak for you and to represent you well.

Here is a good place to start: set in front of you on a table both your mission statement and a few examples of your brand in action (your newsletter, letterhead, a funding proposal, etc.). Ask yourself this question: do these things all speak the same language and do they say what I want my audience to hear? If the answer is not a resounding yes, get to work!

I was talking with a group at a conference recently about the value of a strong visual impression, a good brand. I have often talked in this blog about the value of branding and co-branding with strong partners. This is a tremendous asset for nonprofits and corporations alike. Many nonprofits undervalue their brand when negotiating partnerships – this is seldom a lack of confidence found among for profit companies.

To my amazement, the group at this NPO conference had not considered their brand or their partners’ brands as an issue of consideration. They rarely use the logos and images available to them. Sometimes, using odd and disconnected images in place of the logo… which seems to be a lot of work to take the long way around one’s backside to get to your own elbow.

When asked about the right time and place for using the brand, I told them “everywhere, every time.” There was a bit of laughter and a few nods of agreement so I said again: “really, you need to you it everywhere, every time.” Without consistency, a brand has little value.

So, the next time someone asks you about repeating and reinforcing your company or NPO message, just remember: EVERYWHERE, EVERY TIME.” Easy to remember and worth its weight in gold.

I attended a conference this past week and was surprised by the experience in one of the sessions. Although the topic was a good one, the speaker seemed knowledgeable and the audience was enthusiastic, the outcome was basically a train wreck.

I have given a lot of thought as to what happened and tried to analyze where things went wrong – after all, I spend most of my time working with groups of people and my goal is to build business and nonrpofit partnerships. How could a seemingly positive setting with positive participants have a negative outcome?

Here’s what I think: the speaker couldn’t find middle ground with his audience because he didn’t give enough thought to WHERE we all started. Let’s take my train wreck analogy a bit further. Assume that you are driving a train on the tracks and you want to have a successful trip. Maybe you even want to add more passengers to your train along the way. Well, both goals require that you know the LOCATION of other trains and potential passengers – right?

In this session, the leader had a very clear perspective on his topic and, as it turned out, it was not the same perspective as most of the people in the room. He started right in with his material and laid out his “tracks” to success. The problem is that the other people were coming from other directions and his “tracks” didn’t reach them from the start. We couldn’t catch up becuase he didn’t give us the resources or guidance to make the trip.

Lesson learned? Any partnership, whether a learning environment or a business partnership, begins with a roadmap (or train map) and maps only help you to find the place where you can meet others and find agreement if you know from where each participant starts the journey. Ask questions, do your research and know your environment – then we can find common ground.

I was at a meeting at the Center for Nonprofit Management in Nashville, TN a few weeks ago and the director was quoted as saying “Never Waste A Crisis.” Of course this sounds like a contradiction but it made perfect sense in the context. We were talking about nonprofits and the need to focus on our core missions and be realistic about our programs and our roles within the community.

After the meeting, I started thinking about the wider implications of this idea in the current economic climate. Almost everyone and every business I know is facing some level of “crisis” and some have been more introspective than others. Clearly, some difficulties are just plain lousy. Some, however, really can be a hidden opportunity or at least a wake-up call.

We cannot rewind the clock and make different choices before the economic downturn began. We can’t rethink a greedy growth mode or undo the program or partnership that was clearly off the mark. We CAN use these lessons and their results to build strong partnerships now – ones that will serve in tough times and will only grow in impact as things improve again. So, don’t waste the crisis… live, learn and look forward.

I had the opportunity to speak at an annual meeting of volunteer leaders who support one of our state park systems. Although a small gathering, the enthusiasm and passion in the room was palpable.

It is extraordinary, I think, to consider the strength of a group of passionate people. I was there to give them ideas for building their fundraising programs but many also taught me about the success you can achieve with sheer strength of purpose. Most of these volunteer leaders came to their positions because of their enthusiasm for their favorite park – not because of the politics or networking potential or (heaven forbid) the thought that it would look good on a resume. 

Companies and foundations would be smart to put their efforts behind these groups. If you want to see your dollars stretched to accomplish miracles AND your brand warmly embraced by strong minded people, look no further than these parks volunteers. They may not have legions of members but they are vocal and dedicated.

So many funders in the current market seem to be looking for big numbers and high volume nonprofits to support – with the thought of making their gifts worth more to more people. Perhaps another approach is to give some of these funds to small groups with clear focus and driven purpose. Who knows, they may move mountains.

It has been a while since my last post. Partly, the holidays chewed up my time but I must be honest… it has been tough just keeping up with the economic news.

In case you haven’t noticed (ha ha), the economy stinks. It stinks for consumers, businesses, NPOs, foundations, individual donors and the government. That covers just about everyone who might hope to give or receive a gift of charitable support. I’ve decided that THIS is the proverbial “elephant in the room.”

Over the past few months, I have spoken with quite a few consultants, donors and NPO leaders. I am amazed at h disconnect I see here. The donors are strategizing, making cuts, sweating the options and too many of the NPO leaders are smiling and saying they are just fine. You know, that smile that looks physically painful and has a little twitch in the corner.

Look guys, no one expects nonprofits to be immune to the climate. If NPOs had the magic potion they should be sharing it with everyone else! What our partners and supporters do and should expect is that we face the situation and make the tough choices. Ask yourselves these questions when requesting a gift or considering forging a partnership with an NPO:

1. How is this agency making a difference right now and to whom?

2. How is this agency adapting to changes and preparing for future potential changes. Will they outlast the bumps? Will my gift have long term value?

If you can’t answer these questions, get out the BIG pooper-scooper. That “elephant” has taken up residence in the corner of your office and isn’t leaving any time soon.

In this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, there was a marketing piece about “The Brand-ness of Strangers.” It focused on the examples of Ralph Lauren’s Polo Brand and Dasani brand bottled water.

Among other things, this article summarized the results of a research study that answers the question” Does seeing a brand in regular use (as opposed to the media) impact our likelihood of selecting the brand? The answer seems to be YES.

I cannot say that I am surprised by this news but it does reinforce the high value of product based sponsorships. If, as the research in the article contends, people perceive a brand more favorably that they see often, then this adds weight to corporate – NPO partnerships that add visibility to a brand.

Nonprofits have loyal and consistent communities. Generally these communities of donors, participants and volunteers trust the NPO and its information. For the company that promotes their brand to this audience in this way, they receive the transferred benefit of these beliefs. Not only does the potential consumer see the logo, it sees it in connection with something they already like, already support.

Add the compact nature of NPO target audiences and the ability to micromarket, and you have solid gold.

A few weeks ago, I presented two sessions at the annual conference for the Friends of Tennessee State Parks.  I have spoken at these types of events dozens of times and usually the audience and the experience is the same – some people listen and some appear more interested in the snacks to be offered at the next break. Not this group.

I have rarely worked with a group, particularly one made up almost exclusively of volunteers, that seems so dedicated to their work.  There goals are clear – they are there to support our state parks.  They are not there for politics, self aggrandizement, brownie points or anything else.  In my humble opinion, this makes them extremely powerful.  I bet they will accomplish anything they set their minds to.

During the past decade, as the money has been flowing freely and NPOs have benefited from a strong market, many new NPOs have sprung up. Some are great but many have not had the outside pressures to clearly define themselves or to achieve to their potential. Times are different now and only the most dedicated and focused NPOs will do well when the flow of funds slows to a trickle.

I predict that these amazing Friends organizations will be among those that thrive.  They are clear and razor focused.  Many are unsophisticated in their ways but funders would make a good bet in looking past the sparkles and fancy trim of other groups to see the true dedication that I found here.  Perhaps this economic downturn will help NPOs and companies alike to separate the players from the pretenders – not such a bad thing.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to join this nonprofit and this corporation. In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse… hey, wait a minute… what do you mean by WORSE?

What if my sponsorship partner is involved in a scandal? Insider trading? Sexual misconduct? Financial disaster? Then what happens?

The answer might just depend on whether you thought through these potential challenges ahead of time and created a sponsorship “pre-nuptial” agreement. Every good partnership hopes for the best but prepares for the worst.

Here is a good example: I am currently working with a NPO client whose work involves advocacy and sometimes legal action around a particular issue. If a company is in violation of the laws in this area, the NPO often assists other nonprofits or community groups in filing complaints against the violators.  Great work. Very necessary. Best of all, they are very good at what they do.

So, what happens if one of their corporate partners ends up on the wrong side of the law? The NPO has thought ahead and includes in all of its requests for sponsorship the caution that partnership does not imply endorsement of corporate policies or prevent them from future action if it becomes necessary. Not much of a warm, gushy enticement to give – but the honest truth.

In our rush for dollars, exposure and good will among men, we can forget these harsh truths and how important they are to our missions. Whether you speak for an NPO or corporation, you should know your organization’s ethics and your parameters. We hope to never need to fall back on these exclusions but no one ever gets married hoping for a divorce either.

Okay, in the spirit of full disclosure, this post is not exactly about cause marketing. It is, however, about a topic with huge implications for business – NPO relationships: non-profit employee compensation.

A number of recent experiences have reminded me that NPOs still flip-flop in the decision to be a business or a “cause.” When I say “cause,” I mean the notion of a group of free-thinkers in a garage somewhere printing off flyers and going door-to-door with petitions. Don’t get me wrong, these types of activities are GOOD! My point is that they very rarely can stay within this paradigm and have the longevity and depth of impact that makes an organized NPO so effective.

Why then are non-profits, as a group, so reluctant to pay for what they need? If someone is a marketing guru with tons of experience and the kind of know-how to change the world, he or she must choose between being paid a fair wage for talents OR working for a non-profit.  Why do NPOs tend to hire the bargain employee instead of the best  – and then act surprised when the inexperienced employee struggles? Don’t even get me started on consulting, equipment, computers, software and marketing…

If I were queen for a day, here is what I would say to non-profits: “Value those who are talented AND choose to put their talents to use for the benefit of our communities and our causes. Pay competitive prices and wages, demonstrate quality in all that you do and your supporters will see you as such. Investing wisely is not wasting money.”