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Who is managing your enterprise’s brand. Stanford Social Innovation Review looks at some of the leading brand campaigns with in the social sector orchestrated by highly visible nonprofits.
Who is managing your brand? Is it purely to leverage fundraising or to maximize impact?
David Letterman on his Late Show television program introduced a segment that was sponsored by the Nissan Juke. The audience roared with laughter. Turns out that the car model actually exists. Dave spent the next four minutes trying to save the sponsor by talking about the vehicle’s features. It was a very public reminder that the messenger matters.
Take a moment to visit Wikitravel. Checkout what social sector enterprise programs or services are offered under the “See” or “Do” sections. Consider adding your program or organization where appropriate. Wikitravel offers a great chance to co-brand with the power of a recognized travel resource.
Has your organization created an image that draws people from beyond the inner circle? Some place draw an audience just to take-in the vision and majesty of the environment. Remember, you are competing for attention- how are you going to capture it?
Who keeps your cause’s stories? Most organizations keep the required record of minutes, financial documents, corporate filings and IRS Letter of Determination in a secure location. But where do you house the stories about how your organization was founded? Who recalls the how the original board members were added? What critical adversity was overcome? Which community members saw the relevance of the organization’s mission and provided essential funding? What early graduate of the enterprise’s programs has become a remarkable member of the community? How was the idea for a key partnership hatched? Who brought the idea for the fundraising event that was originally dismissed but now a treasured part of the community calendar?
How do keep these important stories accessible and alive? Does your organization stay in-touch with past staff and board members? Is there a volunteer or intern who has a passion for cataloging the organization’s narratives. Have you considered a digital library such as the one used by StoryCorps? As Daniel Blink points out in A Whole New Mind, “the hero’s journey has three main parts: Departure, Initiation, and Return.” Who is transcribing the critical events that form your enterprise’s hero story?
Huddled around the Campfire, watching the reflected fire light dance on each others faces, feeling warmth on our feet and hands and seeing stars dance overhead is an iconic image of wilderness travel. It enhances a group experience. One person tells a ghost story and everyone is scared. A marshmallow dropped into the fire while roasting brings a collective sigh. You look around and see the faces of friends and feel great. It is a special time precisely because it is unique. Most of us get this campfire experience only a few times a year if we are lucky. We depart the fire ring and head our different directions in the morning.
When we try to stay for too long we become stagnate. Yet that is what many causes do far too often. They attend a training for the latest fundraising system and implement it tomorrow. When all the other local social sector enterprises take the same approach we all find ourselves back around the same campfire. We recruit the same board members, trying to get them to serve our organization along with three other causes, stretching many of them too thin. One group throws an party during the Oscars and then next year there are parties for the every award show.
Sometimes we need to remember that each cause has a unique approach and personality, otherwise they should have partnered or merged. Gather at the campfire for conferences, breakfast meetings, shared-retreats and community gatherings. Then walk-away and return to the wilderness. Those that stay at the fire ring for too long start to look alike as there clothing and faces become caked with ash and smoke. Bring back your stories from the frontier, take pictures and share never seen before techniques on survival.
Head to open spaces, you will stand out and define your world.
Photo credit: eHow.com
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