The NonprofitBrand IDEA:

Driving Mission Impact

Background to Research

18 month study by the Hauser Center funded by the Rockefeller Foundation Interviews with 73 individuals in 41 organizations What is the role of brand in the nonprofit sector

and how is it evolving? Article in the SSIR Spring 2012, “The Role of Brand

in the Nonprofit Sector”

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

Next Steps - 2013

Book to be published by Jossey-Bass in 2013 Take the Brand IDEA framework further

Additional examples of nonprofit brand

management

Brand Building and Brand Management guidelines

and recommendations

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

Initial Findings: Brand and the Role of Brands

Across sectors: Brand as a psychological construct

Promise, short cut, the what and why

Strong brands enable

Gain resources, access, partnerships and trust

Difference in the Nonprofit Sector: Role: long term social goals; multiplicity of audiences; and

internal role of the brand http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

Brand Skeptics and Sources of Pride

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

Skepticism Sources of Pride

Commercial pursuit Mission

Top down enforcement of brand Participatory process

Reflect leadership’s vanity or counter organizational values

Values and Culture

Bully Brands Partnerships

Brand plays key internal and external roles (Identity and image)

Clear brands build cohesion internally and trust externally

Cohesive, highly trusted brands result in greater capacity and impact

Capacity and impact reinforce identity and image

Nonprofit brand reflects and serves the organization’s mission and strategy

Nonprofit Brand Cycle

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

MISSION AND VALUES

ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY

ROLE OF BRAND CYCLE

IDENTITY IMAGE

COHESION TRUST CAPACITY IMPACT

Integrity Aligns mission, identity, and image

Democracy Trusts stakeholders to participate in building brand identity

and communicate the brand Ethics

Reflects core values of the organization Affinity

Attracts partners and shares credit and space, rallying around a bigger goal

Brand IDEA Framework

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

• One of WWF challenges is how to convey the breadth of the organization’s work in a way that is coherent with the powerful image it holds with the public

• To address this WWF simplified its vision and mission statements and introduced a set of story themes that helps aligns the organization’s identity with its image

Brand Integrity

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

• In 2006, Amnesty International took on the challenge of developing a clear, global identity.

• The outcome is captured in a Little Yellow Book which articulates a unity of purpose across Amnesty International, while encouraging translation and adaptation to suit a variety of contexts

Brand Democracy

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

• Publish What You Pay (PWYP) global campaigning coalition of many diverse NGOs whose mission is to increase revenue transparency in the extractive industries

• Creating equitable, transparent governance procedures and establishing common membership standards across the broad coalition help protect and uphold the credibility, legitimacy and values of the overall PWYP brand and network

Brand Ethics

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

• The Girl Effect brand seeks to create a platform for all girl champions to use — from passionate citizens to NGO partners like CARE and BRAC to the World Bank to girls in developing countries

• A variety of “open-source” tools and resources are freely available for use on the Girl Effect web-platform, and partners are highlighted in order to encourage and reinforce the inter-connectivity of this initiative

Brand Affinity

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

The Brand IDEA in Practice

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

Thinking differently about the role and potential of brands (not just fundraising or communications)

Assessing the role of brand at each step in the theory of change and making it explicit

Using brand democracy to manage internal brand identity (rooted in ethics and values) and external brand image

Embracing brand affinity and the role brands can play in collaborations and partnerships

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

“An anarchy of information was reflected in both the mission statement and the visual identity.”

~ Angha Childress, Executive Director

Helping Communities Shape Their Own Future Through EducationDonate

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

Niger Delta Women’s Movement for Peace and Development

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

Concluding Thoughts

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ hauser

Thank you! Obrigada!! Merci! Gracias!

This is a work in progress…We invite your questions,

suggestions and feedback!

“Everything we do and the decisions we make, depend on our brand positioning. In order to deliver on our mission, we need a clear, strong, well managed brand.”

Meghan Reddick, Vice President, Communications YMCA Canada