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Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communications
In the current economic climate, nonprofits need to focus on ways to stand out from the crowd, win charitable dollars, and survive the downturn. Effective, mission-focused communications can help organizations build strong identities, heightened reputations, and increased fundraising capability. Brandraising outlines a mission-driven approach to communications and marketing, specifically designed to boost fundraising efforts. This book provides tools and guidance for nonprofits seeking to transform their communications and marketing through smart positioning, branding, campaigns, and materials that leverage solid strategy and great creative, with a unique focus on the intersection of communications and fundraising.
- GenresBusinessNonfiction
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
22 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 21, 2013
This is an absolutely fantastic guide to building your communications strategy. At first, I was turned off by the name "Brandraising," as it immediately made me think of smarmy marketing schemes. But this is a very smart, savvy guide to ensuring that nonprofit communications are consistent across the board, and that nonprofit leaders can be successful in their endeavors.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
January 3, 2017
Great crash course for nonprofits that may not understand how to approach the branding process.
June 10, 2013
"Brandraising is the process of developing a clear, cohesive organizational identity and communications system that ... makes it easier to express the organization's mission effectively and consistently." While companies know their survival depends upon thoughtfully coordinated marketing and communications, many nonprofits do not. If charities took the time to absorb the knowledge packed into Sarah Durham's "Brandraising," they would understand the value of building a strong framework for communicating. By taking a "long-view strategy," they would waste less time and money. In fact, they would raise more money and improve their effectiveness throughout their operations. This book is concise, clear, and easy to digest. It presents a thorough picture of "brandraising," from taking the long view to considering each step at the organizational, identity, and experiential levels. Leadership, measurement, and implementation are thoughtfully discussed. I recommend this book highly!
March 18, 2022
Though people have complained about this being dated, it offers a lot of foundational, timeless insights into marketing. Are Twitter and texting referred to as “new� media? Yes. But this isn’t a social media marketing book, it’s a guide to establishing a brand as a nonprofit with the basic tenets of communications and marketing, which many involved in the nonprofit don’t have in-depth experience with. Many of the points are ones I’ve learned in my professional career, not things that were taught in any of my undergraduate or graduate communications or marketing courses. Four stars because I’d love to see a new edition, and some of the intros and conclusions were a bit repetitive, like an academic paper.
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October 12, 2013When you create your communications strategy, Sarah Durham says, it's like raising a barn. You need a lot of people working together. You're better off with the whole picture in mind before you hand out those hammers and saws. And you're better off building from the ground up.
In Brandraising, Durham recommends that nonprofit organizations trying to make their communications more effective take time and take the long view. Begin by examining your organization. Is everyone clear about:
Vision: the future you are crying to create
Mission: the role you are playing in creating that future--as distinct from the roles other worthy organizations are playing
Values: what you believe and care about, so that if they changed, you would be a very different organization
Objectives: what you will do this year toward achieving your mission
Audiences: who you are trying to reach, for what purpose
Positioning: "the single idea we hope to own in the minds of our target audiences" (for example the March of Dimes = fighting birth defects)
Personality: how you want your audiences to experience your organization.
How much time do you spend at your nonprofit talking about these things? Probably not much. So, does everybody at the organization understand them the same way? If you're really fortunate, perhaps. But taking the time now to make them explicit--and make sure they're shared--will pay off sooner rather than later.
Getting these "organizational level" pieces strong and sturdy lets you come up with logos, colors, taglines, and key messages that truly express who you are. The more your staff, Board members, and committed supporters are involved in putting the pieces in place, the better they will be at using them consistently when they write, talk, post, tweet, blog, or take photos or video about the organization.
Knowing your agency will only take you so far. Durham insists that nonprofit organizations must know your audiences and how they experience you. That means knowing a) the touch points where you come into contact, b) what your audiences (clients, donors, media, policymakers) expect from you...and c) what they actually find when they turn to you (or you turn to them) for help. Don't guess at this. Do the research to find out.
When you have put all these pieces into place, you're ready to choose your media and your messages and create a calendar and (crucially) a budget. Durham's final chapter gives good advice on how to make sure you keep reinforcing the brand you have built. Even when new staff and Board members join, you can build an understanding of your organizational identity right into the orientation process.
Durham recognizes that not every nonprofit has the means to do a complete brandraising, especially all at once. She includes a section on "When You Can't Do It All." She also offers cheaper alternatives throughout the book, including sending surveys to your audiences instead of shadowing them in the field, or developing certain items in house and saving your consultant budget for where you need an expert or outside perspective. Smaller nonprofits may have to be creative to apply some of her advice. But there's a lot of good advice in these 170 pages. Some of it will be useful to everyone.
In Brandraising, Durham recommends that nonprofit organizations trying to make their communications more effective take time and take the long view. Begin by examining your organization. Is everyone clear about:
Vision: the future you are crying to create
Mission: the role you are playing in creating that future--as distinct from the roles other worthy organizations are playing
Values: what you believe and care about, so that if they changed, you would be a very different organization
Objectives: what you will do this year toward achieving your mission
Audiences: who you are trying to reach, for what purpose
Positioning: "the single idea we hope to own in the minds of our target audiences" (for example the March of Dimes = fighting birth defects)
Personality: how you want your audiences to experience your organization.
How much time do you spend at your nonprofit talking about these things? Probably not much. So, does everybody at the organization understand them the same way? If you're really fortunate, perhaps. But taking the time now to make them explicit--and make sure they're shared--will pay off sooner rather than later.
Getting these "organizational level" pieces strong and sturdy lets you come up with logos, colors, taglines, and key messages that truly express who you are. The more your staff, Board members, and committed supporters are involved in putting the pieces in place, the better they will be at using them consistently when they write, talk, post, tweet, blog, or take photos or video about the organization.
Knowing your agency will only take you so far. Durham insists that nonprofit organizations must know your audiences and how they experience you. That means knowing a) the touch points where you come into contact, b) what your audiences (clients, donors, media, policymakers) expect from you...and c) what they actually find when they turn to you (or you turn to them) for help. Don't guess at this. Do the research to find out.
When you have put all these pieces into place, you're ready to choose your media and your messages and create a calendar and (crucially) a budget. Durham's final chapter gives good advice on how to make sure you keep reinforcing the brand you have built. Even when new staff and Board members join, you can build an understanding of your organizational identity right into the orientation process.
Durham recognizes that not every nonprofit has the means to do a complete brandraising, especially all at once. She includes a section on "When You Can't Do It All." She also offers cheaper alternatives throughout the book, including sending surveys to your audiences instead of shadowing them in the field, or developing certain items in house and saving your consultant budget for where you need an expert or outside perspective. Smaller nonprofits may have to be creative to apply some of her advice. But there's a lot of good advice in these 170 pages. Some of it will be useful to everyone.
March 9, 2011
Great overview for articulating and making branding decisions. Particularly good chapters on logos and taglines. A good guide for "brandraising," but perhaps not enough to thoroughly understand each facet. Buy it and shelve it, though.
December 4, 2011
This is a good resource for non-profits who have not had the time or money to really think about their public persona/ brand.
May 16, 2012
Good basic overview of branding at a non-profit.
February 22, 2017
Great overview! A bit dated now though so beware for that.
April 4, 2024
Maybe I knew a lot of this stuff but I didn't find this book that useful I tabbed some pages otherwise I skimmed most of it.
July 30, 2011
Sarah Durham encourages non-profits to take advantage of social media to communicate their needs. With the tough economic times it is increasingly harder to develop a brand. Marketing traditionally comes with a price, as the old saying goes “it takes money to make money.�
With Durham, "brandraising" means bringing awareness about your fundraising needs. Facebook and Twitter are becoming more and more popular for businesses and organizations as a way to share news and events as well as solicit funding. By communicating in an online world non-profits can gain an edge in competition for funding.
With Durham, "brandraising" means bringing awareness about your fundraising needs. Facebook and Twitter are becoming more and more popular for businesses and organizations as a way to share news and events as well as solicit funding. By communicating in an online world non-profits can gain an edge in competition for funding.
November 13, 2011
I found this book to be exceptionally helpful to the reformation of my organization's brand identity. As a novice to branding, I needed a guide to help me structure my ideas for my org, and this book fit the bill.
Brandraising is definitely written for the nonprofit branding novice. I would imagine that a branding professional might find it a bit thin.
Brandraising is definitely written for the nonprofit branding novice. I would imagine that a branding professional might find it a bit thin.
September 7, 2016
Excellent book! I've read it through once and am working through it again referentially. I generally try to offer some constructive criticism when I write reviews, but I don't have much to say—I have learned a lot from it!
January 2, 2015
Inspiring stuff, I've learnt a lot and look forward to putting this in to practice
June 17, 2013
Great book from an author who really seems to understand both branding and nonprofits of all sizes
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