Role of Brand Project Overview

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February 2012

The Role of Brand inthe Nonprofit Sector

Produced for discussion at the Role of Brand in the Nonprofit Sector conference on December 8, 2011, with the generous support

and vision of the Rockefeller Foundation.


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Preface

We congratulate the Hauser Center on their success in researching the role of brands in

the nonprofit sector and are proud to be their partner in initiating this very compelling

dialogue. The Rockefeller Foundation, on the verge of celebrating 100 years of global

innovation, continually seeks to improve the ways in which we attempt to realize our

mission to promote the well-being of people around the world. While brand management

is a well-developed discipline in the private sector, it is still a nascent, and sometimes

controversial, undertaking in the nonprofit sectorone which requires bold, new thinking

beyond the simple application of frameworks developed in the private sector. Through this

research and the contributions of many other collaborators and partners, we have taken

an important collective step forward in using brand to achieve real impact.

Dr. Zia Khan

Vice President Strategy and Evaluation

The Rockefeller Foundation


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Introduction

The perceived role of brands, and attitudes towards branding in

the nonprofit sector, appear to be at an inflection point. While

some in the sector are skeptical about brands, believing that

the brand is essentially a fundraising tool, many are embracinga more strategic role for their brands in driving long term social

goals and building internal cohesion and capacity. This 18

month study conducted by the Hauser Center, with the support

of the Rockefeller Foundation, seeks to develop a deeper under-

standing of the current and potential role of brand in the

nonprofit sector, and to propose a framework to help nonprofit

practitioners more effectively leverage their brands to advance

their social missions. The research is based on 73 interviews

with practitioners, consultants, donors and academics in 41

organizations and reflects both current attitudes and practices,

and insights into the future role brands might play in strength-ening organizations in the sector.

Our key findings are summarized in three sets of documents:

an article published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review

in Spring 2012, entitled the Role of Brand in the Nonprofit

Sector; a collection of four case studieson the World Wildlife

Fund, Amnesty International, Publish What You Pay, and The

Girl Effect; and a brief summary of the conference held at the

Rockefeller Foundation in New York in December 2011.

The Role of Brand in the Nonprofit Sector

The article explores the sources of skepticism towards brand in

the nonprofit sector and proposes an expanded strategic role

for brand that both addresses these skepticisms and builds on

the corresponding sources of pride in the sector. The role of

brand in the sector is seen as cyclical and nested within the

mission and strategy of an organization. An alignment between

the internal identity and external image of a nonprofit creates

internal cohesion and external trust, resulting in increased

organizational capacity and impact. This, in turn, influences the

organizations identity and image, thereby closing the cycle.

The proposed framework emanating from this understanding of

the cyclical role of brand and the sources of pride in the sector,

comprises four principles captured in the Brand IDEA, where

Istands for brand Integrity, Dfor brand Democracy, Efor brand

Ethics and Afor brand Affinity.

What People Are Saying

Emily Brew, Brand Creative Director, The Nike Foundation

This Hauser Center work and the ideas it contains

are rebranding brand for nonprofits. It shows that

brand thinking can drive a theory of change, rather

than just support fundraising. No one will argue

against the power of a simple shorthand99%,

Arab Springto capture emotions, spread ideas and inspire

participation. Thats what a democratic brand can do. It can

coalesce supporters and give them an avenue to make the

movement their own. There are real tensions in that, but also

real opportunity. This work delves into both, and has started a

dialogue that I believe will make positive change in the world

happen faster.

David Fenton, CEO and Founder, Fenton

This report is a sign of a great deal of progress.Thirty years ago I could barely convince nonprofit

groups to hire press secretaries or focus on

communications. Even today many groups and

philanthropists are uncomfortable with the

concepts of marketing and branding. They understandably

fear that simplifying messages means distorting thembut

this need not, and should never be true. In the modern world,

being opposed to branding is being opposed to contemporary

forms of effective action. In the public interest world, we want

everything to be so detailed, literal and specific. This is a big

problem, as people do not learn from facts alone. Until we

understand that facts, if not embedded in moral frames and

narratives, have little impact and almost no stickiness, we are

not going to succeed. I applaud this effort to help the public

interest world be more effective.

Ingrid Srinath, Secretary General, CIVICUS: World Alliance

for Citizen Participation

The truth consistently well told has always seemed

to me to be the secret of powerful, durable brands.

Achieving that has never been easy. Today, when

trust is in short supply, negative news travels at

the speed of light, and brands are required to

be present across more platforms than ever before even asresources dry up, the challenges are greater than ever before.

The brand whose purpose and values are inspiring to, and

shared and championed by, all its stakeholders in a world

where norms of legitimacy, transparency, accountability and

collaboration are being radically redefined, is now the holy grail

of marketers and communicators in business and government as

much as in civil society. The IDEA framework could not be more

relevant or timely in this context.


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Brand Integritymeans that the brand is aligned with, and

bonded to, the mission of the organization and that the brand

identity is aligned with the brand image. The word integrity

here is used in the sense of structural integrity, not moral

integrity. Internally, a brand with high structural integrity

connects the mission to the identity of the organization, giving

members, staff, volunteers, trustees, and others a common

sense of why the organization does what it does, and why it

matters in the world. Externally, a brand with high structural

integrity captures the mission in its public image, and deploys

that image in service of its mission at every step of a clearly

articulated strategy.

Brand Democracymeans that the nonprofit organization trusts

its members, staff, participants, and volunteers to communicate

their own clear understanding of the organizations core identity

and be its brand advocates. The need to exert control on how the

brand is presented and portrayed in order to exercise consistency,

is largely eliminated and replaced with brand democracy inwhich every employee and volunteer becomes an effective brand

ambassador. With the rise in social media, brand control becomes

increasingly difficult, if not impossible. The concept of brand

democracy extends beyond the traditional boundaries of the

organization, which become increasingly porous, to include

anyone blogging or tweeting about a particular organization.

Brand Ethicsmeans that the brand itself and the way in which

the brand is deployed, reflects the core values of the organiza-

tion. Just as brand integrity aligns and cements the brand with

mission, brand ethics aligns both the brand identity and thebrand image with the core values and culture of the organiza-

tion. Brand ethics appear in a double role: the establishment

of an ethical brand, and the ethical use of brand.

Finally, Brand Affinitymeans that the brand is a good team

player. It works well alongside other brands, sharing space and

credit generously, promoting collective, over individual inter-

ests. Such a brand attracts partners and collaborators, for it

lends value to the partnerships without exploiting them. An

organization with high brand affinity has shaped and managed

its brand so that it combines smoothly and generously withits partners, collaborators, and coalition members. Indeed,

nonprofit organizations with the highest brand affinity actually

promote the brands of their partners as much or more than

they promote their own brands. Although the concept here

is focused principally on organization brands, brand affinity

appears to be at work especially clearly in coalition and move-

ment brands, where multiple organizations join in a common

cause that has its own image and identity.


Marinke van Riet, International Director, Publish What You Pay

For Publish What You Pay (PWYP), this study

could not have come at a more opportune time.

It coincided with the launch of a global strategy

development process and provided a clear and

thorough external analysis of brand issues related

to our mission and identity which internally we already

suspected but wanted to see confirmed. The IDEA framework

provides a great framework against which PWYP will be able to

design our brand management to take the coalition to the next

phase of growth and evolution. I strongly encourage the team

at the Hauser Center to come back to PWYP in two to three

years to assess how the IDEA has moved beyond an idea and

theory to a true practical framework for brand governance and

wider accountability.

Kate Roberts, Vice President of Corporate Marketing and

Communications, PSI

In bringing together this multi-focused group of

branding agencies, academics and non-profits,

the Hauser Center has helped us place the

power of brands back on the agenda. We need

to sustain the momentum of our time together,

share our brand promises, visions and plans with each other,

maybe even visit each other and tell our stories to our internal

teams so we all feel less alone! The truth in brands has always

been straightforwardthey must be real, evolve with their

audience, yet remain strong. Just like them, our organizationsview of brands needs to be realistic, evolve thorough insight

and knowledge, yet stand steadfast. Whether you work at a

for profit or a not for profit, the same issues and concerns

are raised time and time again: we need coherent brands

understood by our people internally and our customers

externally. We must define tangible brand visions that enable

our people to do their jobs smarter and more effectively. Global

organizations require simple brand packages that allow for

freedom of local expression but ensure consistency of voice

wherever their brand may reach.


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Case Studies

The case study on the World Wildlife Fund(WWF) brand con-

siders a fifty year old organization with an iconic brand

embodied by its panda logotrying to understand how best to

leverage that brand to deliver on the organizations bold ambi-

tions. WWF is faced with an uncomfortable reality: while

awareness of WWF is high (the brand is well recognized),understanding of what the organization does is low. When

information is provided on the breadth of WWFs work, people

feel even more positively about WWF. This confronts the WWF

brand with this challenge: how to convey WWFs breadth of

work without losing its identity. This dilemma highlights the

importance of Brand Integrity. To confront this challenge, WWF

has simplified its vision and mission statement, is building a

cadre of master communicators, has introduced a set of story

themes to bring clarity to its external communications and is

adopting an umbrella message Be the Voice for Those Who

Have No Voice. The organizations approach in building exter-nal communication is an example of Brand Democracy at work.

The case study on the Amnesty Internationalbrand explores

how the organization has sought to develop a single, global

identity and revitalize the Amnesty brand to coincide with its

fiftieth anniversary. Human rights and campaigning have

evolved in various ways in different countries and Amnestys

many national identities have mirrored this diversity. At the

global level, however, this diversity of identities had become a

source of confusion. Since 2006, against the backdrop of a

complex international governance structure, deep ambivalenceabout branding (the B-word), and changing leadership at the

Secretary-General level, a global identity project has taken on

the challenge of developing a clear, global identity for Amnesty

International. The outcome is captured in a Little Yellow

Book which articulates a unity of purpose across Amnesty

International, while encouraging translation to suit a variety of

contexts. The case highlights issues of Brand Democracyand

Brand Ethics.

The Publish What You Paycase study examines the brand of a

global NGO coalition campaigning to increase revenue trans-parency in the extractive industries. After ten years, the coali-

tions efforts have resulted in concrete policy gains at the local,

regional and international level, as well as in exponential

membership growth and the mobilization of a diverse and

growing number of civil society actors. By 2012, the expansion

of the coalitions membership and its aspirations calls for a

reassessment of the coalitions brand, including its internal

identity, external image, logo, name and new protocols for


Asif Saleh, Director of Communications and Head of the

Social Innovation Lab at BRAC and BRAC International

I found the conference very timely and relevant.

As the director of communication for the largest

development organization in the word, I often

have to struggle internally to articulate the

need for branding. However, I found from the

conference that I was not the only one. It was refreshing to see

that there is a fresh approach with a framework shift towards

highlighting values, theory of change and mission impact

in the field of nonprofit branding. While setting this years

communication strategyboth internal and externalI kept

that heavily in mind.

Terry Macko, Senior Vice President for Communications and

Marketing, WWF

With an iconic logo like the WWF panda, World

Wildlife Fund shoulders enormous responsibility

for reinforcing the trust and values built over its

50 years of operating each time we communicate.

People around the world love the panda and

they hold us to the highest standards. Working with the

Hauser Center, WWF learned important lessons in how critical

authenticity is for all NGOs who rely on the power of their

brands to amplify their message and aim for it to resonate

with key constituencies. Working collaboratively on this case

study was an extremely helpful exercise for all of us at WWF

as it helped us to crystallize our own thinking on how weshould manage our brand going forward as we strive to engage

hundreds of millions of people in the cause of conservation of

the planet.

Bradford K. Smith, President, The Foundation Center

If nonprofits are still in the 20th century,

nonprofit accounting is in the 19thcentury.

The way nonprofits are audited keeps them in

a straightjacket, forced to categorize branding

expenses as non-program, which is on a collision

course with a lot of the metrics being developed for online

giving. The IDEA principles could be particularly useful in re-

conceptualizing nonprofit accounting, to find a creative way

for nonprofits to stop being so limited by their percentage of

overhead, so they can put effort toward branding in a way that

ultimately furthers their mission.


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brand management that can help maximize mission impact and

mitigate risk. Building the capacity and strategies to project

and manage the Publish What You Pay brand effectively along-

side the existing brands of member NGOs, has been a

continuing challenge that has yielded many lessons and

provides insights into the concept of Brand Affinity.

The case study on The Girl Effectbrand outlines how theNike Foundation sought to place investment in girls on the

global agenda by creating the Girl Effect brand, which is now

taking on a life and trajectory of its own. In 2008, the Nike

Foundation, with the input and participation of a network of

partners, launched the Girl Effect website, which was designed

as an open source platform that provided videos, logos, photo-

graphs and data that anyone could download and use to

spread the word about the effectiveness and importance of

investing in girls. This case study highlights the role of Brand

Democracyin building a powerful movement. The Girl Effect

brand seeks to become a banner under which a variety of girl

champions come togetherfrom NGO partners like CARE and

BRAC to the World Bank to girls organizations in developing

countries. This is an example of the power and importance of

Brand Affinity.

Conference Summary

In December 2011, close to fifty participants, including academ-

ics, consultants and practitioners from the nonprofit sector,

gathered to discuss and build upon the Hauser Centers

research on the role of brand in the nonprofit sector. Theenergy and enthusiasm for the subject, and a general recogni-

tion of the importance and relevance of brand in the nonprofit

sector were evident. Key issues that were identified included:

the role of brand in creating simplicity, clarity, identity and

alignment; campaigns and movements as brands; the use of

brand as a decision making tool; and brands within partner-

ships and at different points in an organizations life-cycle.

Additional themes that were discussed were: the importance

of alignment, both internally and with other brands; defining

brands as relationships; issues of brands and organizational

scale; and brand partnerships and competition. In terms of the

brand IDEA framework, two areas were considered particularly

salient: the difficulty of implementing brand democracy, yet its

necessity to achieve scale and impact; and the role of ethics

and values in ensuring alignment between internal identity and

external image. Three potential next steps for future research

might include: a closer examination of how brand is related to

theory of change; how the brand IDEA might be relevant for

smaller nonprofit organizations; and the development of tools

to help organizations implement the brand IDEA.

Thanks and Acknowledgements

This research was an important collaborative project and would

not have been possible without the financial and intellectual

support of individuals from the Rockefeller Foundation. The

Hauser Centers research team consisted of Christopher Stone,

Nathalie Kylander, Johanna Chao Kreilick, Sherine Jayawickrama

and Alexandra Pittman, with Rahim Kanani, Natasha Sunderji

and Sonali Sharma providing invaluable insight and research

support in the first phase of the project. The Hauser Center team

is also deeply thankful to the nearly one hundred participants of

the study and conference, whose passion, vision and generosityin terms of time and keen insights has resulted in a body of work

that we are proud to present.

Documents

Role of Brand Project Overview