If you run a nonprofit, rebranding may be low on the priority list for many nonprofit organizations. After all, rebranding a nonprofit can be a lengthy and expensive process, and organizations are focused instead on expanding programs or fundraising initiatives. There are also frequently groups within the organization who believe branding to be purely cosmetic.
We encounter these beliefs often in our work with nonprofits. Fortunately, they are becoming less common. More and more nonprofit leaders are recognizing that branding isn’t just cosmetic. Far from being just a logo or a tagline, nonprofit rebranding is about reputation management.
So when is it necessary to rebrand your nonprofit and what do you need to know about the process?
Our team at NüPOINT Marketing has been developing nonprofit brands for more than twenty years.
Here are the telltale signs that it’s time for a nonprofit to rebrand itself.
Your mission has evolved and is no longer represented by your existing brand
First, it’s important to understand that a brand isn’t static and should always evolve with the nonprofit.
Sometimes a long-lived organization will reach a point when its brand is no longer descriptive of its mission, vision, or programs. The imagery, tagline, and voice may be outdated, or they don’t reflect the organization’s current impact.
If your organization has grown in response to need – adding additional programs, services, or areas of impact – it may be time to rebrand your nonprofit.
Your audiences have changed
Above all, branding is about connection. If your key audiences have changed, your brand should keep up. For instance, if your donors are older than they once were, it’s time to evaluate how you connect with them.
The role of a brand is to keep your audience engaged in conversation with you. Programs and services evolve in response to need, and similarly, nonprofit brands should evolve in response to changes in their audience.
Your brand uses outdated language
Times change. It’s important to be aware of social and cultural changes that affect your organization and the communities you serve.
Your organization should reflect the communities it serves, and that often means updating language to be relevant, responsive, and inclusive.
Other organizations are doing similar work and the marketplace is getting crowded
Many nonprofits serve in similar spaces but may not be duplicating services. However, that doesn’t mean the general population understands the distinction between your nonprofit and others.
In short, if it’s getting hard for donors or the community to distinguish your organization from others, it may be time to consider rebranding your nonprofit.
There is a significant transition approaching, underway, or in the recent past
Many times, a larger change within the organization drives a rebrand. Whether that is a leadership change, new strategic plan, or merger, transition is an ideal time to consider a rebrand.
If you’ve recently developed a new strategic plan for your nonprofit, rebranding can play a key role in supporting the new objectives.
When the time is right, a nonprofit rebrand can transform your organization, making it easier to connect with donors and stakeholders, reach target populations, and make an impact on the community. Find out more about how to time your rebrand, gather organizational support, and execute seamlessly by contacting NüPOINT Marketing.
About NüPOINT Marketing
NüPOINT is a full-service marketing agency with offices in Wilmington, Delaware and Tucson, Arizona. Our nonprofit rebranding and marketing team offers comprehensive marketing and advertising services, produced in-house, by a diverse team of highly experienced professionals whose work has won awards in multiple states. NüPOINT’s job is to help you tell your story well, no matter your size, industry, or zip code. We’ve managed thousands of campaigns. The common thread is always the same: NüPOINT generates results by moving people to take action.