Brand expert Noah Manduke gave an eye-opening presentation about the intense competition in the nonprofit sector, and how imperative it is for nonprofits to differentiate themselves via strong branding strategies. He talked about the "commoditization" of giving, which simply means that there are a multitude of nonprofits in the charitable marketplace which offer a "product" (a reason to give) that appears to be the same as products offered by many other nonprofits. He gave the example of San Francisco, where donors have 125 alternatives to choose from if they want to help the city’s homeless!

To battle this trend of "sameness", nonprofits need to incorporate strong brand strategies into their fundraising efforts. The goal is to develop a brand that is known for something special that the donor will prefer over all other nonprofits in the marketplace. To achieve this, nonprofits need to:

• Develop a unique value that is clearly defined and understood by internal and external audiences.


• This unique value must fulfill the needs, desires and aspirations of its donors.


• The unique value must be dramatized in all donor touchpoints.

UNICEF was used as an example of a nonprofit that has strong awareness, but the public is unclear on its specific mission other than some vague connection with helping children. Habitat for Humanity was presented as an example with a clearly defined, unique brand. Its advantage is that donors see tangible results right away from their donations – they can physically see and touch the houses built in their own local areas.

Major George Hood of The Salvation Army described his challenge of developing a new brand strategy in a highly decentralized organization, and how getting buy-in at all levels of the organization and its affiliates was critical to its success. Instead of just dictating new branding guidelines and requirements, you must persuade all internal audiences that the new branding strategy will boost results to direct marketing, advertising and PR efforts, ultimately leading to more financial support for the organization’s programs.

Polly Papsadore, Director of Marketing, LW Robbins Associates