Red Rooster Group Launches The Nonprofit Brand Institute

To help nonprofits improve their brands, Red Rooster Group has launched the  Nonprofit Brand Institute, the premiere source for news, information and service about nonprofit brands. We’re here to help you build a stronger brand so that you can be more effective in your fundraising and in achieving your mission. When nonprofits are able to clearly articulate their message, they are able to reach donors more effectively and raise more money. And when they do, we all win.

> NPBrandIt.com

Purpose

  • Provide a national clearinghouse about nonprofit branding to help nonprofits understand the importance of having a strong brand and how to develop one.
  • Establish best practices and case studies to share what strategies work and standards for boards to consider in establishing brand valuation and guidelines for nonprofits.
  • Provide a national outlet for channelling design talent to work on behalf of the nonprofit sector on a paid basis.
  • To develop the nonprofit sector as a viable career choice for designers.

Nonprofits’ Need for Branding

With increased competition, shifting funding sources and more sophisticated donors and shrinking attention span, nonprofits face severe marketing challenges that can impede their success and even threaten their existence. Branding experts can help nonprofits to:

  • Explain their message clearly to gain more supporters, raise more money  and be more effective with their programs.
  • Adapt from a loss of government funding to a “marketing mindset”that helps attract clients and donors.
  • Present a professional message to appeal to diverse funding sources.
  • Position organizations to take a leadership role on issues.
  • Advocate effectively for legislative change and mobile its members into action.
  • Clarify their message update their look so that they can remain relevant to younger donors.
  • Take advantage of the social media and new technology to raise money, engage donors and fulfill their mission.
  • Promote fundraising events more effectively.
  • Inspire people to behavioral change.
  • Solve societal problems through education, entertainment and persuasion.

Need for the Nonprofit Brand Institute

  1. Approximately 1 million nonprofit organizations in the United States, most of them (about 80%) are below $200,000 in annual revenue. Faced with increasing competition and dwindling donor base, nonprofits need to work harder at differentiating themselves, and don’t know where to turn for help to answer questions such as: “How can my organization benefit from having a strong brand? How much does it cost? How can we find the right help? What’s involved in the process? What results can I expect? What have other organizations done?”
  2. There are a plethora of design firms offering services to nonprofits, but no single, trusted source to turn to which provides best practices and resources, and links to appropriate professional help.
  3. There are 286,000 designers in the country working independently or for small design firms. Designers want to help, but are unaware of the opportunity to help nonprofits, and don’t know how to connect with them. (Statistic source: US Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Objectives

This initiative aims to have far-reaching effects on the nonprofit sector and the design profession.

  1. To change the landscape of the nonprofit sector to provide more nonprofits with professional design and so they can remain competitive and  attract more funding and be sustainable for the long-term. We aim for nothing less than a fundamental shift in nonprofits embracing marketing techniques of the business world as a means to remain relevant to a highly sophisticated audience.
  2. To change funding expectations and practices to support the essential investment in marketing at the foundation and individual donor levels (as part of the movement to shift emphasis from fundraising expenses to organizational impact).
  3. To create a market that pays designers for creating a better world so that their only other option is not promoting goods and services that may be detrimental to our long-term sustainability. Channeling talent into the nonprofit sector can help to pre-empt many of the problems that the nonprofit sector is trying to address. Let’s put our nation’s creative talent to work for the nonprofit sector.
  4. To solve more social problems. Designers are trained to look at issues critically, apply a process and develop solutions. The nonprofit sector will be all the stronger working in tandem with designers to motivate behavioral changes, and inspire people to action and see problems through a fresh lens.

The Nonprofit Brand Institute In the News

The Nonprofit Brand Institute site debuted at the New Jersey Center for Nonprofit’s conference in December 2009. We are pleased that the site is being very well received by nonprofits as well as organizations such as the Foundation Center and National Council of Nonprofits.

In March, 2009,  The Nonprofit Brand Institute was featured in BoardSource’s email newsletter.

BoardSource Newsletter

Red Rooster Group Co-Produces Successful Ask the Experts Event

For the second year in a row, participants in the 2010 New Jersey Non-Profit Conference were able to take tap into advice from experts in various areas of nonprofit consulting thanks to Red Rooster Group and Nonprofit Central. Through the Ask the Experts segment, conference attendees were able to schedule one-on-one meetings with up to three different consultants in area including Marketing & Branding, Publicity, Fundraising & Grants, Fiscal and Financial Management, Strategic Planning, Working With Volunteers, Board Development, and Collaborations.

We are proud to be able to provide nonprofits with the needed advice to drive their organizations forward. Red Rooster Group has been co-producing Ask the Experts events (formerly Advice-Link) for four years. If you would like to bring Ask the Experts to your conference or organization, please contact Howard Adam Levy. For more information, visit Ask the Experts.

Howard Adam Levy gives advice to a nonprofit at the Ask the Experts session

See what else Red Rooster Group is up to.

Make Yourself Memorable Workshop

Red Rooster Group principal and nonprofit marketing expert, Howard Adam Levy conducted a session called Make Yourself Memorable! at the 2010 NJ Non-Profit Annual Conference on December 8, 2010. The presentation provides an overview of nonprofit branding, gives 2 case studies showing effective fundraising event promotion, and provides 20 tips for improving the overall visibility and fundraising effectiveness including brochures, websites, social media and tips on writing and design and presentation.

Click on the image to download the PDF (17.1 MB).

Free Fundraising Panel Discussion

Join us for a a free panel discussion on developing your organization’s fundraising capacity. This session brings together 3 points of view about what it takes to succeed in today’s economy. Learn about key fundraising take-aways on the state of fundraising with the Giving USA report on philanthropic trends, learn about the importance of building your nonprofit’s brand and positioning your organization for success, and the role of planned giving programs as an essential part of your fundraising strategy. This crucial session combines big picture thinking with tactical ideas to impact your 2011 fundraising program.

DATE

  • Tuesday, December 7  / 5:30 to 7:30 pm

LOCATION

  • The Support Center for Nonprofit Management
  • 305 Seventh Avenue at 27th & 28th Streets, 11th Floor, New York City

Full description of Free Fundraising Panel Discussion.