Does your nonprofit have an original name and tagline? Do you provide unique services? Is your website nicely formatted and user-friendly? Are you effectively interacting with your audience? To be a leading nonprofit, you must confidently check off all of these questions to ensure you are the go-to organization for your cause.

As a new marketing intern for Red Rooster Group, one of my tasks was to conduct a competitive analysis for a prospective client. For each organization, I put myself in the shoes of someone who would heavily rely on the site for information, services, and programs.  With this third-party perspective, I saw “blind spots” in marketing that the organization, donors, and partners missed. Below are the key points I observed.

Memorable Taglines Are a Must

Many of the organization’s names were similar and their taglines didn’t help to differentiate them. In our blog post, “How a Competitive Review Can Give Your Nonprofit an Edge,” we emphasize the importance of a catchy tagline. One, “Transforming Lives Today!” can relate to almost anything, so it’s imperative to include your organization’s cause and/or mission (along with an eye-catching logo).

Choose Quality Over Quantity

An organization that offers many services and programs may waste time and money by implementing them poorly. If donors feel that the nonprofit isn’t utilizing its resources well, they won’t donate to the organization again. In this case, no one benefits. I noticed that when an organization had one or two very helpful programs, it was more “successful” in my eyes than an organization that had many, less useful programs. Providing unique services in an efficient manner will help you stay ahead of your competition.

Websites Shouldn’t Be Mazes

Your website can make or break a person’s decision about using your organization as a resource or donating to it.  Every organization should be mindful of their viewer’s time, and make searching as easy as 1, 2, 3. It is extremely frustrating to feel like you’re trapped in a maze trying to navigate through a website. I felt as if I couldn’t rely on the organization, which is extremely detrimental to an organization that actually has the capacity to provide resources, time and information to people in need. Nonprofits whose websites are easy to navigate and up to date have a competitive advantage over others.

Bigger Doesn’t Always Mean Better

When researching our client’s competitors, one large organization stood out. However, the more research I did, I noticed that it was less engaged with its audience. In fact, almost everyone who had questions or comments for it were left unanswered. One smaller organization resonated with me because it responded to any questions or comments on its website and social media platforms in less than 24 hours, with helpful information and links to resources.

No matter the cause, all nonprofit organizations want to make the world a better place. Following these tips and knowing where your nonprofit fits is a huge short- and long-term advantage to the growth and sustainability of your organization.

By Natalie Glaser, a marketing intern at Red Rooster Group, working with clients on marketing strategies.

A tagline expands the meaning and memorability of an organization’s name. It helps identify the organization and can be as important in your organization’s identity as its name.

The name of an organization is usually accompanied by a tagline, a kind of motto that expands the meaning and memorability of the name. It also helps identify and connect different parts of the organization. The tagline finishes the thought or emotion started by the name.

Taglines can be changed more easily than names to reflect evolving programs or attract new demographics. But, because they are an important component of brand identity, they should not be changed lightly. Keep your organization’s overall tagline in place at least for several years, in order to give it time to become recognized. Really good taglines can be used for decades and become as important in your organization’s identity as its name.

Factors that Affect Tagline Choices

Organization’s Name: If the name is descriptive and tells what the organization does, the tagline can be expressive or evocative. If the name does not indicate what the organization does, the tagline needs to do that job. Consider these combinations for a nonprofit business network:

• Descriptive name with Evocative tagline: Enterprise Connection | Never stop growing.
• Evocative name with Descriptive tagline: Envigor | Energizing your business with advice.
• Descriptive name with Descriptive tagline: Business Alliance Network | The network to grow your business.

Some names don’t require the help of tagline. The name “Feeding America” tells it all.

Complexity of Your Organization: An organization with many programs may have a name and tagline that give an overall feel for what it does rather than trying to describe any specific program. The Salvation Army’s tagline,“Doing the most good,” states the overall mission the organization but does not focus on any particular program.

If an organization that offers many services has secondary taglines to identify specific programs or fundraising campaign, each must retain the colors, typeface, and personality of the organizational logo. This consistency ensures that the program is easily identifiable as part of the overall organization.

Brand Visibility and Marketing Clout: A well-known organization can have both an abstract name and an abstract tagline. This luxury is enjoyed by corporations that can spend a lot of money and get a lot of attention. Apple doesn’t have a tagline that tells people it makes computers. “Think different” positions Apple as distinct from PCs while complimenting their customers for their individuality. Nonprofits usually often don’t have the money to create this kind of instant recognition but many achieve it over time.

Purpose: In addition to identifying the organization, a tagline may also be used as a fundraising theme and a domain name. With a memorable tagline, it becomes easy for people to find you on the web and donate. The United Way uses “Live United” as a campaign theme and its domain name (liveunited.org), which makes it easy for people to remember and donate.

Tagline Do’s and Don’ts

• Avoid generic phrases such as “Helping children” or “Transforming lives.” They don’t distinguish your organization from the thousands of other organizations that help children and transform lives.
• Avoid using trios of attributes, such as “caring, collaborative, committed.” The words usually are cliches that can be applied to many nonprofits, have been overused, and don’t help your organization stand out from the crowd.
• Use active verbs whenever possible.
• Keep it short so that it is easy to say and remember.
• Aim for catchy or emotional impact.
• Focus on your vision and the positive outcomes your organization brings, not just what it does.
• Use your tagline to distinguish your organization from others doing similar things.
• A twist on a common phrase or a surprise in the wording can make a tagline more memorable, as in the Maryland SPCA Tagline: Feel the Warmth of a Cold Nose

Be adventuresome! You want to capture attention.