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Four Common Branding Mistakes That Harm Your Nonprofit's Fundraising Efforts

Forbes Nonprofit Council

The best storytellers will tell you: Keep your message concise, relevant and engaging. Yet, you put time and hard work into crafting your nonprofit’s story — how it started, grew over time, and became the success it is today — all to find out your donors couldn’t care less. What’s the deal?

You probably know the basics of good branding, but what's harder to nail down is how to tailor your message to your audience. Your current message could very well be concise, relevant and engaging, but not to your target audience. It’s a good idea to occasionally scrutinize your branding to see what simple mistakes might be diluting your fundraising efforts.

The four nonprofit executives below from Forbes Nonprofit Council tweaked their brand over the years, and here are the top branding mistakes they come across.       

Melissa Kushner, founder and executive director of goods for good. Photo courtesy of the individual.

Not Tailoring Your Message To Your Audience

Melissa Kushner is the founder and executive director of goods for good, a nonprofit that builds small and household businesses in local South African communities to support orphan care. She has pitched to everyone from the average donor to big-time sponsors for her organization’s annual Gala for Good event.

She says, “A failure to tailor your message is a key branding mistake. The work of nonprofits is complicated. Some people can’t make it through the elevator pitch, while others want to know every detail.”

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In other words, master a variety of delivery styles for your message, and be prepared to switch it up according to your audience’s level of engagement. Better yet, know who you’re speaking to ahead of time, and do your research. Don’t underestimate what a potential supporter might be willing to contribute.   

“There’s a tendency to shy away from complexities for simple units of impact, but you never know — your biggest donor might be the person who likes a challenge,” says Kushner.

Sean McIntosh, executive director of Bunker Labs KC. Photo courtesy of the individual.

Not Sharing The Stories Of The People Or Problems They Serve

Many nonprofit leaders focus their brands on themselves — their background, leadership team, etc. — which are important components, but this can overshadow the stories of the people or problems their organization serves.

To Sean McIntosh, that’s a big mistake. He’s the executive director of Bunker Labs KC, an educational and monetary resource for military veteran entrepreneurs. He says, “Many nonprofits put themselves and their stories first, which donors don’t want to hear.”

This is because they want to see exactly where their money is going. In other words, how much impact does each of their dollars have in the hands of your organization?

McIntosh predicts the level of transparency donors expect to see in the future will only increase. “It may speed up to real-time in which events are streamed over the internet. Right now, I think they’re satisfied with quarterly updates, but this won’t continue. Eventually, weekly or real-time updates will be required,” says McIntosh.  

Peggy Smith, president and CEO of Worldwide ERC. Photo courtesy of the individual.

Confusing Your Donors

“Rule number one: don’t confuse your donors,” says Peggy Smith, president and CEO of Worldwide ERC. It’s an association for professionals who support U.S. domestic and international employee transfer, working to overcome the challenges of workforce mobility.   

Says Smith: “It’s important to know who you are if you expect others to understand your mission and support it.”

Worldwide ERC experienced this challenge firsthand. It used to contribute to multiple charities, but has since changed its model to maximize its fundraising efforts.

Smith says: “Our organization recently reviewed our charitable initiative and simplified our message by redefining its purpose and focusing on one major charity for all of its fundraising. We made it easier for our supporters to see how their donations make a difference and our cumulative giving as we move forward will show a larger impact.”

With a clear message and a single, streamlined initiative, donors can understand Worldwide ERC’s mission without a complicated explanation.

Not Fulfilling Their Brand Promise

If your nonprofit emphasizes anything other than its fundraising efforts — like a one-for-one promise or a diverse leadership board — it’s important to treat them like any other objective and show your donors that your organization is delivering results.

“Like any other business, nonprofits need to ensure they convey and fulfill their brand promise to the public versus relying solely on the affinity for the mission. The minimum expectation is to fulfill the mission, but what else does your brand stand for that can lead to other ways to expand fundraising efforts?” says Dorri McWhorter. She’s the CEO of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, a nonprofit that empowers women to fight racial injustice through entrepreneurship and services like child care and sexual violence support.

Her organization thinks of innovative ways to create economic opportunities. Says McWhorter: “At the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, innovation has become part of our brand promise and, as a result, we’ve attracted new funding partners like Uber.”

Its partnership with Uber, called Drive to Thrive, aims to recruit one million women around the world, 5,000 of those in Chicago specifically, to drive for Uber as a way to achieve financial independence. As McWhorter says, it’s part of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago’s brand promise to innovate.

The next time you review your nonprofit’s brand, make sure you’re not committing any of these common and not-so-obvious mistakes. Showcase your work in an easy-to-understand way, and have a transparent relationship with your donors. You might find that simple changes to your brand will carry your fundraising efforts much further.