Plan Before BrandBuilding a Branding Blueprint

Krista Bryson, Owner Write Good www.writegoodco.com

How to use this Workbook

This workbook is meant to guide you through the process of developing a strategic plan.

New ideas dont come from sitting down and writing a perfect sentence on the first try. In fact, that will limit your creativity, so dont waste your time making your strategic plan outside-reader ready from the start. This workbook is for brainstorming and drafting.

And just to reiterate that point, please know that writing is generative. Writing doesnt just capture your ideas, it helps you come up with them. So allow yourself to be messy, use imperfect language, and spend five sentences explaining what you could explain in one.

Once you get to the last page, you will be able to articulate those perfectly worded descriptions of your organizations vision, mission, and values.

Why Plan before Brand?

Branding may be an unfamiliar concept or, at the very least, an obscure one. Typically when we start our own business or nonprofit, were so concerned with perfectly executing our product, service, or mission that we take very little time to consider how we present ourselves to our potential clients and supporters. It acts as a blueprint for your organization or company.

You may realize that you at least need a logo, a website, and a brochure. And thats all true, but branding begins and is successful because of work that occurs long before breaking out Adobe Illustrator or hiring a graphic designer.

The first step to defining your nonprofit or business organization to others is to define it for yourself. If you dont already have a strategic plan or business plan, its time to make one. If you already have a strategic plan but it hasnt been updated in the last year, then its time to start revising.

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2If you are a new organization or business it is, of course, extremely important to know what your objectives and strategies will be, but since were focusing on branding (for now), this workbook will take you through the first three parts of your strategic plan, which are most relevant to jump starting the branding process.

Elements of a Strategic Plan

Your 6-Part Strategic Plan

1. Vision Statement2. Mission Statement3. Core Values4. Objectives5. Strategies6. Action Plan

Vision StatementA vision statement communicates what you believe are the ideal conditions for your community how things would look if the issues youre working on were perfectly addressed.

Vision statements are normally one or more short phrases.

Qualities of a Good Vision statement

Understood and shared by members of the community

Broad enough to include adiverse variety of local perspectives

Inspiring and uplifting to everyone involved in your effort

Easy to communicate, i.e. generally short enough to fit on a T-shirt

This is your chance to dream.Sample vision statements for a nonprofit concerned with urban revitalization

A thriving downtown full of locally-owned businesses

A free communiy garden in every neighborhood

Cleaner air and water

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Generative Questions

What is your dream for your community?

What would you like to see change?

What kind of community do you want to create? Use adjectives and action phrases to describe how your community functions, feels, and what it values.

What do you see as the communitys major strengths and assets?

What different issues or needs should your organization address and why?

What would success look like?

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Draft Your Vision Statement

Getting Feedback on Your VisionToday you envisioned your perfect world in terms of the needs your organization addresses.

Once you develop these visions, ask for feedback from the community by engaging them in the following actvities to ensure youre representing their needs and desires:

Public forums and listening sessions to gather their ideas about how they would like to see the community transformed Focus groups with people interested in addressing the issues, including community leaders, people most affected by the issues, businesses, church leaders, teachers, etc. Interviews with people in leadership and service positions about what problems or needs they believe exist in your community Online surveys to targeted market or community about your service, product, or mission

Refining Your Vision Statement

1. Review the possible vision statements you created. What would you add, change, or delete and why? How do each of these vision statements fit with the needs of the community? If they dont, how should they change?2. Share your vision statement(s) with the rest of the board, business partners, or staff. Then decide together which vision statements to include in your new strategic plan. If youre going it solo, let your vision statement sit for a few days and return to it with fresh eyes before finalizing it.

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Mission StatementMission statements are similar to vision statements but are more concrete and action-oriented.

They might refer to a problem, such as inadequate housing, or a goal, such as providing access to health care for everyone. Although they dont go into a lot of detail, they broadly outline how your organization might address the problems or goals stated.

By continually updating and refining your mission statement, your organization can address new problems, issues, and needs that arise within the community as well as changes in your service model.

Formulating a strong, clear, and concise mission statement will clarify your messaging on your website, social media, print advertisements, and more.

Qualities of a good mission statement

Concise: should be no longer than one sentence Outcome-oriented: must explain the overarching outcomes you seek Inclusive: should be broad and not limit the strategies used to achieve your outcomes

Your vision + how you will achieve it

Mission statements should guide how your vision statement can be fulfilled in specific and tangible outcomes and list what broad strategies can achieve those outcomes.

Give careful consideration to language, as your mission statement will be used not only in your external communications but will guide your organizations strategies.

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Brainstorming

Sample Mission StatementWrite Good strives to help small nonprofits and businesses improve their

communications and development strategies, creating stronger community engagement, a wider donor base, and a more lucrative grant portfolio.

Draft Your Mission Statement

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8Core ValuesCore values are the ethical standards by which your organization measures itself and by which you invite the community to measure you. They also guide your organizations culture, give you clear and concise measures for your objectives, as well as guide every-thing from the small day-to-day to the large programmatic decisions.

Values are not esoteric. Values are practical. Knowing and reflecting your values in your branding, marketing, and public relations will draw your ideal clients, donors, and supporters to your organization.

Empathy Advocacy Teamwork Integrity RecognitionDedication Passion Security Respect Adaptability Innovation Excitement Resourceful Responsive FearlessnessResearch Humility Eager Disciplined Balance Creativity Experience Purposeful Responsive OrganizationHealth Community Competitive Daring LeadershipEnvironental Impact Generous Peace Joystewardship Curiosity Excellence Perserverance VitalitySimplification Detail-oriented Growth Family-oriented SagacityEfficiency Honesty Education Progressive ProfessionalismOpen-mindedness Work Ethic Sustainability Honesty ZealCommunication Fun Accountability Commitment Solidarity

Sample Core Values

9Brainstorm Your Core ValuesThis is an activity ideally done with your staff and board of directors to capture their desires and experience with the organization. If its just you, then imagine the company culture you want to create for yourself, your clients, and your future employees.

Refine to 10-15

1. 6. 11.2. 7. 12.3. 8. 13.4. 9. 14.5. 10. 15.

Rank Top 6-8 1. 4. 7. 2. 5. 8. 3. 6.

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Vision Statement

Mission Statement

Core Values