- Revenue: Presenting a brand consistently across all platforms can increase revenue (or donations) by up to 23%.
- Trust and Credibility: 81% of consumers need to trust a brand to buy from them. For nonprofits, trust is crucial for donor retention and volunteer engagement.
- Donor Retention: The average donor retention rate for nonprofits is declining. The overall donor retention rate for 2023 is estimated to be 41.54%, a 2.5% decrease from 2022. Maintaining a consistent brand can help improve this rate by fostering stronger relationships with donors.
It can’t be more clear. Brand consistency is essential to the sustainability and impact of any nonprofit.
When a brand is consistent in message, voice, tone, look, and mission across all communication channels, trust, credibility, and clear communication are nurtured. To make a positive impact, a strong, cohesive brand helps attract and retain donors, volunteers, and supporters, ensuring that your mission resonates clearly and powerfully with your audience.
Achieving and maintaining brand consistency can be a significant challenge.
Nonprofits often operate in lean and ever-changing environments, constantly responding to urgent needs and evolving priorities with less and less resources. As a result, it can be easy to inadvertently stray from core messaging or brand identity, leading to confusion and diluted impact. I know it may seem like a small problem, but I’m here to tell you different. The potential for severe consequences related to brand inconsistency is real.
In this blog, I’ll explore a few notable real-life case studies, showing how some nonprofits have navigated the challenges of maintaining a unified brand presence and the lessons learned from their experiences. By understanding these dynamics, hopefully you will understand why safeguarding your brand’s integrity ensures your organization remains viable and impactful today and well into the future.
Examples of Inconsistent Brand Messaging or Marketing in Nonprofits
These case studies will highlight the issues encountered when brand elements are not consistent, including the impacts on their operations and supporter engagement, and the steps taken to realign their brand strategies. Through these examples, we can gain valuable insights into the importance of cohesive branding and learn practical solutions for overcoming similar challenges.
UNICEF (Unclear Call-to-Action Campaigns)
- Issue: UNICEF has received criticism for going beyond its mission of helping children and providing support to programs that enable abortion, contraception, and LGBT advocacy.
- Impact: This inconsistency confused potential supporters about how they could effectively contribute to UNICEF’s mission, leading to lower engagement and donation rates.
- Outcome: To address this, UNICEF has since made efforts to align its messaging across all platforms, ensuring that each campaign has a clear and consistent call to action.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) (Environmental Campaigns):
- Issue: The World Wildlife Fund has been accused of “selling its soul” to corporations because it collaborated with businesses that destroy nature and use the WWF brand to “greenwash” operations.
- Impact: This created a negative and fragmented brand image and confused supporters about WWF’s core mission and priorities.
- Outcome: WWF now works with companies to assess their environmental impact and develop plans to reduce it.
March of Dimes (Campaign Focus Shift)
- Issue: Since its inception in 1939, March of Dimes had shifted its mission from polio prevention to premature birth and birth defects. In 1958, the group’s focus included preventing all forms of birth defects. However, there were periods where their messaging was unclear, leaving supporters confused about the organization’s current mission.
- Impact: This inconsistency led to a temporary decline in donations and volunteer engagement as supporters were unsure about the organization’s goals.
- Outcome: March of Dimes undertook a comprehensive rebranding in 2008 to clearly communicate its evolved mission and ensure consistent messaging across all platforms, which helped regain donor trust and support.
Lutheran Social Services (inconsistent visual identity)
- Issue: When I started working at LSS, we has 11 different websites, 4 Facebook pages, 3 Twitter accounts, and more logo versions that I could count. Every digital channel had its own look and feel and none of it matched. Layer in discordant signage, posters, flyers, uniforms, brochures, and other physical communication pieces and what we had was a mess.
- Impact: Donors, volunteers, employees and clients did not have a complete or accurate understanding of LSS’ mission and the breadth and depth of our services. There was a distinct disconnect that was damaging our brand awareness and credibility.
- Outcome: My team did a complete rebrand of the agency that included a new brand architecture, brand identity, and digital channels. The rebrand has reignited our supporters in the mission and values of the brand.
Steward Your Brand Like You Steward Your Donors
Maintaining brand consistency is essential to build trust, engage supporters, and drive impactful change. As demonstrated by the case studies, inconsistent brand messaging can lead to confusion, diluted impact, and hindered progress. However, these challenges also provide valuable lessons on the importance of cohesive branding.
To ensure your nonprofit maintains a strong, consistent brand, consider the following actionable steps:
- Develop Clear Brand Guidelines: Establish comprehensive brand guidelines that cover visual elements, messaging, tone, and communication strategies. Ensure all team members and partners understand and adhere to these guidelines.
- Conduct Regular Brand Audits: Periodically review your brand materials, communications, and public perception to identify inconsistencies. Use these audits to make necessary adjustments and maintain alignment with your mission and values.
- Invest in Staff Training: Provide ongoing training for staff and volunteers to ensure everyone understands the importance of brand consistency and how to implement it in their roles.
- Centralize Brand Management: Assign a dedicated team or person responsible for overseeing all branding efforts. This helps maintain a unified approach and quickly address inconsistencies.
- Engage Stakeholders: Regularly communicate with your stakeholders to gather feedback. Use this feedback to make informed adjustments and ensure your brand resonates with your target audience.
By taking these steps, you can strengthen its brand consistency, build greater trust with stakeholders, and achieve your mission more effectively. A cohesive and authentic brand not only enhances your organization’s credibility but also amplifies its impact in the communities you serve.
These stories of nonprofit branding successes and challenges highlight the crucial role of consistency in building trust, engaging stakeholders, and achieving mission-driven goals. By learning from both the missteps and triumphs of these organizations, you can take actionable steps to strengthen your brand identity, enhance credibility, and maximize your impact. Remember, maintaining cohesive branding isn’t just about visuals—it’s about aligning every aspect of your organization’s communication to authentically reflect your values and mission.
Want to talk about your brand? Schedule a discovery call with me today.
