Having a positive brand image is essential across any sector. But in the charity sector it is vital. Donations rely on trust. Whereas a typical consumer may buy a product on a whim and even with an expectation that it may not suit their purposes, they will not give to a charity unless they know the money will be put to good use.
To ensure your charities brand is strong, you need to measure it and compare it to a benchmark. There are a number tools available to do this including: nfpSynergy’s Charity Awareness Monitor, YouGov’s Charity Index and, the Charity Brand Index published by ThirdSector and Harris Interactive.
The YouGov Charities Index measures the public’s perception of charities across a wide range of areas, having looked at the data, they have identified five things that help make a strong charity brand:
Know your audience – Clearly there are different target audiences for different charities, an Oxfam supporter may not have the same profile as a Friends of the Earth supporter. But there can also be big differences in supporter profiles for charities working in the same or similar sectors. The key is to build a profile target of the supporter who is most likely to donate and then focus on that group.
Watch out for ‘viral’ fundraising opportunities – Like it or not we live in an on-line world. Information flows quickly and occasionally things go ‘viral’. That is, they take on a life of their own, information is spread by individuals (rather than companies) and the world starts ‘buzzing’. A good example was the twitter #nomakeupselfie last year. Cancer Research quickly got behind it with an associated a marketing campaign leading directly to donations.
Think local with your supporters – Your supporters live somewhere, they have a local community. They work somewhere, in a different community, they relax somewhere in yet another community. RNLI is a great example of a charity working with local communities to raise awareness and support. They have no need for big advertising campaigns, their local supporters do the work for them.
Be prepared for associated events – There are times during the year when things happen. Christmas, Easter, Bank Holidays, Shrove Tuesday. In fact every day of the year has some sort of label! Get the calendar out and check it to see what regular calendar event can be associated to your charity. The Royal British Legion prepares for Remembrance Day, which day ‘belongs’ to your charity?
Think like a business – This may be an anathema, but the reality is that in an overcrowded market, charities are not only competing against other charities. They are competing against other businesses as well. Thinking like a business does not mean throwing out your value system, but it does mean structuring your approach and using the tools available to business.
