filter by tag: nonprofitpowerbrand100
Nonprofits Turn to Social Media and PR to Guard Against Government Cuts
The economy may be slowly turning the corner, but there’s a bump in the road that has some nonprofit organizations backed into a corner. According to The Washington Post, Congress wants to cut about $30 billion from the budget – much to come from support to nonprofit organizations.
Government funding doesn’t benefit all 1.5 million nonprofits in the country, yet more than half (58%) of the organizations listed on The Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 receive at least some financial contributions from the government. Budget cuts will force many nonprofits to turn to cost-effective and efficient ways to get messages out that will resonate with supporters and lawmakers in an effort to retain full funding for their missions.
Planned Parenthood mobilized a social media campaign to fight back against proposed cuts to its government support called “I Stand with Planned Parenthood.” The organization asks supporters to take actions, such as signing an online petition (with more than 800,000 signatures to date), calling local legislators and texting, Tweeting and posting their support on social networks to build grassroots buzz.
Other organizations, including Children’s Leadership Council (CLC), a coalition of about 60 advocacy groups, are turning to public relations as a strategy to earn public attention without the need for large-scale paid media purchases to get messages out to constituents and lawmakers.
Budget squeezes for nonprofit organizations are nothing new. Many learn to operate on a shoestring budget from the outset. But for those that rely heavily on government support, the proposed cuts could be a tragic blow to their social missions. Hopefully, with large-scale public support rallied in advance of the cuts passing, Washington will hear the voices of citizens who rely on these leading nonprofits and will choose to soften the budgetary blow.
Posts under the Knowledge Leadership byline come from Knowledge Leadership team members Sarah Kerkian and Casey Brennan. Follow us on Twitter: @ConeLLC, @SarahKerkian, @CaseyB
Tags: nonprofitcausebranding awareness campaigns fundraising engagement nonprofitpowerbrand100
Did you like this post? Please share it:
 |  |  |  |
Email Post
Comments (0)
Imitation: Compliment or Cause for Confusion?
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But Susan G. Komen for the Cure isn’t taking such compliments lightly. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Komen is taking legal action against several nonprofit organizations that have mirrored its brand attributes, including the “for the cure” term popularized by the breast cancer power brand. Nasty or necessary?
With more than 1.5 million nonprofits in the U.S. alone, nonprofit power brands must work harder than ever to protect their brand positions and assets. At the same time, small nonprofits are leveraging the recognizable branding to break through for similar causes. Some may see Komen’s actions as “picking on the little guys,” however others, including Komen, note that brand-borrowing leads to donor confusion. The article depicted one such case where two veteran-focused nonprofits engaged in a three-year legal battle over $2.2 million in donations thought to be misguided. Millions in erroneous donations is nothing to sneeze at. Consumers are often confused by cause messages, and at times may pull out their checkbooks for the wrong nonprofit.
But can any one nonprofit claim ownership of a color, symbol or phrase broadly associated with a cause movement? Think of the pink ribbon – it has become synonymous with breast cancer support thanks to pioneers Avon and Komen. And although 79% of Americans believe a memorable color, logo or icon helps the cause stand out, overuse has led to the pinking of October, watering down any individual efforts and leading to consumer confusion about whether a pink ribbon equals a financial contribution to the cause.
But imitation is not unique to cause brands or nonprofits. Corporations protect their brands all the time through trademarks and often trademark infringement lawsuits. Are the rules any different for nonprofits, which are focused on benefiting an issue rather than satisfying shareholders? We often expect nonprofits to act more like businesses, so they can maximize reach and impact for the cause, yet are also taken aback when they exert control over their brands like a company would. How can Komen strike the balance of protecting its brand without coming across as a nonprofit bully? Tell us what you think by sharing your comments.
Tags: causebranding nonprofitcausebranding transparency nonprofitpowerbrand100
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (2)
YMCA Rebrands: Say Hello to the Y
The YMCA of the USA’s announcement that it will now be known as “the Y” has received widespread coverage, including the requisite quote from the Village People. (Let’s get this out of the way: The Village People said they will continue to perform their hit song with the full four letters.) The launch of the new brand, the organization’s first in more than 40 years, was developed to better reflect the work it does and more clearly organize its programming, according to a June 12 YMCA of the USA press release.
But does “the Y” really do a better job of representing an organization that has traditionally been known as the neighborhood “swim and gym”? Other nonprofits have changed their names (Christian Children’s Fund became Child Fund in 2008) and refreshed their brands (Girl Scouts of the USA launched its new brand strategy July 7). These updates have been, at least in part, an effort to broaden donor appeal, boost membership and compete for corporate dollars in the increasingly marketing-savvy nonprofit industry.
For other organizations, updating the external brand – perhaps adding a new visual cue or making a change to the name – is only part of the story. In the Y’s case, the new brand also includes a reorganization of programs and services, so that everything they offer rolls up to one of three focus areas: youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. This realignment will help the Y concisely define what it stands for, a critical piece of organizational DNA and yet also a daunting challenge to identify for nonprofits, like the Y, who seem to do everything.
- Kate Dyer, Account Executive
Tags: marketing nonprofitcausebranding campaigns nonprofitpowerbrand100
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (0)
Goodwill Gets an A+ in Social Math
- 1 jacket = 11 minutes of career counseling
- 1 working computer = 8.1 hours of on-the-job training
Demonstrate Tangible Impact: By using social math, the Donation Impact Calculator makes it easy for donors to understand the social impact of their donations. The site also keeps a running tally of how many pounds of usable goods Goodwill has diverted from landfills for the year (note: at the time of this post, the tally was at nearly 1 billion pounds).
Align with Meaningful Partners: Levi Strauss & Co. launched “A Care Tag for Our Planet” in partnership with Goodwill, which includes messaging on product care tags encouraging people to wash their clothes in cold water, line dry and donate to Goodwill. In addition, Goodwill partnered with Lorie Marrero, best-selling author of The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life, to show people that cleaning out their closets and donating is one way to live simply, live green and have community impact.
Provide A Visual Cue: Goodwill drew inspiration from the iconic recycle triangle-and-arrows symbol in creating its “D” for Donate logo. Soon to appear on everyday products, it serves as a universal reminder to “recycle” through responsible donation, helping provide opportunities for others while diverting usable items from landfills.
Activate Consumers: Goodwill is encouraging donors to flaunt badges of honor for their good deeds by providing Donate flair for Facebook, Twitter and personal blogs – showing their networks that they support donating responsibly and making an impact on the community and the environment.
Issue a Rallying Cry: The campaign issued The Donate Challenge, encouraging people to visit the site, use the calculator and learn more about how to donate with purpose. The effort looks to educate and inspire people and shift their perceptions about the effects their contributions can have within local communities and on the environment.
Goodwill is already a household name for many Americans. Through its creative use of online tools and strategic partnerships, the nonprofit is sure to help re-energize support for donating and ensure it will stay a household name for generations to come.
This week, Cone is pleased to announce the formal launch of its Nonprofit Marketing discipline, with services designed to help nonprofit organizations strengthen their brands and raise funds. This is Cone’s fifth discipline; the agency also helps organizations build trusted brands through the execution of Cause Branding, Brand Marketing, Corporate Responsibility and Crisis Prevention and Management. For more information, visit www.coneinc.com/nonprofit-marketing.
Tags: nonprofitcausebranding corporatepartnerships campaigns newmedia bestpractices nonprofitpowerbrand100
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (0)
Go Red or Go Home
The country is awash in red today as millions support the fight against heart disease by uniting for National Wear Red Day. This icon day is a cornerstone event of the American Heart Association’s (Cone client) year-round Go Red For Women initiative and has helped raise millions of dollars - and supporters - for the cause.
The Cone team goes red for National Wear Red Day 2010
Go Red For Women has transformed the issue of heart disease - the number one killer of women in America – to be more approachable and engaging through a multi-faceted program. Today’s sweeping support of National Wear Red Day on TV, in the news, on the Internet and in the workplace is evidence of the immense passion supporters have for this cause.
Its ability to capture the hearts and attention of the public makes it no surprise that the American Heart Association (AHA) came out as one of the top nonprofits on The Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100. The organization serves as a beacon for others in its ability to engage the public and create an army of supporters for the cause. Here are just a few of the reasons the AHA resonates with the public:
Strong corporate partnerships – Macy’s, Merck, Campbell’s and Jiffy Lube (Cone client), among others, are supporters of the Go Red For Women campaign, offering additional resources to help drive awareness of the cause.
Celebrity endorsement – Actress Jennie Garth joined the Go Red movement as a celebrity spokesperson for 2010, helping drive additional attention to the issue. Past spokespersons have included Marie Osmond and Andie MacDowell, who continue to engage in and drive awareness of the cause.
Iconic color – The AHA has created a movement around the color red and the red dress, establishing it as a symbol for the fight against heart disease.
Multi-channel engagement – Go Red For Women has penetrated the communications landscape, with messaging for the cause in print and broadcast channels, through social media, in the workplace and even on mobile phones.
Brand ambassadors – Go Red For Women owes its success to the millions of passionate supporters who rally for the cause by fundraising, advocating and educating others about the disease.
All of these, and more, contributed to the AHA Go Red For Women's honor as one of the top Public Relations Campaigns of the Decade by the Holmes Report. To learn more about Go Red For Women or National Wear Red Day, visit www.goredforwomen.org.
Tags: nonprofitcausebranding campaigns celebrityengagement nonprofitpowerbrand100 corporatepartnerships
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (2)
Warming Up to Causes Online
Temperatures are dropping and the holiday season is approaching, causing an outbreak of the “warm and fuzzies.” Yes, the giving season is upon us, and this year is already proving to be the most digitally driven to-date. Nearly every holiday cause campaign underway has an online component, thanks, in part, to growing consumer comfort interacting with brands via new media – up 32 percent from 2008.
Despite all the glittery online promotions, it’s important to recognize consumers are still hesitant to donate online. The 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study showed some American new media users are concerned whether their donations will have an impact and others would rather donate offline. But that’s not to say online donations cannot be powerful. A leading holiday fundraiser and one of Cone’s Nonprofit Power Brands, the Salvation Army overcame the odds when, in 2008, online fundraising for its iconic Red Kettle campaign contributed an additional $10 million to annual revenues. However, the nonprofit was savvy enough to use new media fundraising as a complement to its offline efforts, ensuring donor comfort and convenience whatever the medium.
To help build confidence and trust among your online supporters this holiday season, keep in mind some best practices for new media fundraising:
-
Demonstrate tangible impact: illustrate for consumers how their donation is being put to work by showcasing goals achieved in real-time
-
Tap emotion: demonstrate why your cause is important to donors through emotionally compelling storytelling
-
Provide value to contributors: don’t leave your donors hanging once they open their wallets – make them feel special by providing a badge of honor to display on their social networks or offer additional opportunities to support the cause
-
Make it social: incorporate tools that make your campaign easy to share and pass along
The Big Warm Up installation, Boston
Doing its part to warm communities, Land’s End recently launched the Big Warm Up to encourage winter coat donations to the country’s homeless. The campaign embodies many of the best practices, having a robust online campaign that marries with its offline efforts - and, it just happens to be installed right outside our office windows.
Tags: causebranding donation campaigns nonprofitpowerbrand100 research top10 fundraising newmedia
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (6)
Nonprofit Taglines Enhance Brand Power
Last week, 13 winners of the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards were announced, giving due credit to this often-overlooked but powerful marketing element.
Over 4,800 nonprofit professionals voted for taglines that best delivered the vision and mission of the organization, putting power in the hands of practitioners who live and breathe nonprofit branding. Winners spanned a range of issues and represented organizations that focus on local, national and international causes, indicating that any nonprofit can benefit from a clearly communicated brand.
A theme among the winners is a clear connection to the organization’s mission. Essentially, the winners followed the simple yet often disregarded best practice of “say what you do.” In fact, Cone’s research showed nonprofits who clearly state their issue focus in their brand names reaped the benefit of stronger consumer relevance – a key component to strong reputation. For more tips on how to foster a strong nonprofit brand, check out the "10 Essentials for Enhancing Brand Power," part of The 2009 Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 report.
For the full list of tagline winners, check out the Getting Attention blog.
Tags: nonprofitcausebranding nonprofitpowerbrand100 research cone nonprofit awards
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (1)
Utilizing New Currencies for Cause
In Cone’s recent nonprofit brand report, we encouraged organizations to consider adopting “New Currencies” as an essential element to help boost their brands. These alternative forms of philanthropy include non-cash support such as in-kind donations, pro bono service and skilled volunteerism. Every organization needs dollars-in-hand to fulfill its mission, but when the financial resources of companies and consumers are dwindling, savvy nonprofits recognize the value to be found in more creative tender. These currencies allow organizations to expand the scope of sponsorships and engagement opportunities, and foster relationships even when traditional financial contributions are waning. At a time when the nation is flush with volunteers – according to a new study from the Corporation for National and Community Service, Americans donated 8 billion hours of volunteer time in 2008 – this trend likely won’t reverse even when the economy recovers.
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University found these philanthropy vehicles to resonate particularly well with Gen X donors. Citizens in their 20s and 30s are more interested in social advocacy and engagement philanthropy and are more likely to want to work directly with organizations instead of just donating money.
The future landscape of philanthropy will include the next generation of not only high net-worth donors, but high-engagement contributors who want to offer their skills and engage in a more meaningful way. As this shift occurs, nonprofits will need to prepare to accommodate this influx, including establishing the necessary space, guidance and structure for eager volunteers, a challenge many organizations are already experiencing. Yet, for this effort comes the reward: the valuable assets skilled volunteers can provide include legal advice, IT support and consulting services, to name a few.
Tags: economy research donation nonprofitpowerbrand100 corporategiving
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (0)
Brand Power Essential: Say What You Do
Want to build a brand relevant to your supporters? Then say what you do in a crisp and clear way.
The Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 found that organizations who clearly state their issue focus in their brand names are perceived by consumers as more familiar and personally relevant. For example, the National Cancer Coalition captured higher consumer relevancy ratings than organizations whose names were more ambiguous. Clever or creative branding is good, but clarity makes communication easy - donors, volunteers, clients and potential advocates can easily understand who you are and what you stand for.
Another brand element to consider: your organization or program tagline. Does it support the mission of your organization? Does it say what you do? To explore this topic, nonprofits and foundations of all sizes can enter their taglines in the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards. Visit Nancy Schwartz’s blog for more details about the friendly competition and to submit an entry.
Tags: nonprofitcausebranding nonprofit awards nonprofitpowerbrand100
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (1)
For Top 10 Nonprofit Power Brands, Engagement is Key
Since yesterday’s launch of The Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100, we’ve had many great discussions about the research. Every conversation starts with the same question. “What is it about the Top 10 that makes them the Top 10?” The answer, in a word, is ENGAGEMENT.
Whether 100+ years old, or newer kids on the block, these nonprofits are experts at leveraging multiple points of consumer engagement. Many have bricks-and-mortar facilities (YMCA, The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Goodwill, Boys & Girls Clubs) or in-your-face marketing (Habitat, American Cancer Society) that keep them top-of-mind with consumers, donors and other stakeholders.
Other common threads include:
-
Their services have broad appeal to an array of stakeholders
-
They are entrenched in hundreds or even thousands of local communities across the country with extensive consumer touch points
-
They provide a credible voice and are a sought-after resource to help in difficult times
-
They have successfully partnered with companies to reach a broader array of constituents with a clear call-to-action
-
They have derived significant revenue through cause commerce (selling goods or services that help fund their cause)
It’s also notable that six of the Top 10 Nonprofit Power Brands are domestic social needs organizations (The Salvation Army, United Way of America, American Red Cross, Goodwill Industries International, Catholic Charities USA and Habitat for Humanity International). This sector is thriving as Americans turn their attention homeward since the devastating disasters of September 11 and the 2005 hurricane season. And, in these tough economic times, individual support of nonprofits providing life’s basic necessities has actually increased, and we expect this sector and its organizations will only sustain their upward momentum.
Visit our Web site to get branding insights straight from the Top 10, or to hear from the CEOs of the United Way, Catholic Charities and the American Cancer Society.
Tags: research top10 cone nonprofit engagement nonprofitpowerbrand100
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (0)
What Organizations are Missing From The Cone 100?
The Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 is officially in the marketplace, and not surprisingly, amid all the chatter about who is ON the list, there is some about who is NOT. So, how did we choose the 100 leading organizations to evaluate? The answer is quite simple- we used Forbes 200 Largest Nonprofits list to give us a starting point. Check out additional info on the filter criteria.
We looked at 100 impressive organizations, but in the end that’s a fraction of the 1.5 million total nonprofits in the U.S., so there are bound to be some favorites that aren’t on the list. To the right, on our blog poll, we’ve listed a few notable absences. Who did you miss?
Tags: research cone nonprofit nonprofitpowerbrand100
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (4)
Cone Releases the Nonprofit Power Brand 100
- The YMCA of the USA’s brand is worth almost $6.4 billion, making it the nation’s most valuable nonprofit brand.
- The American Cancer Society is the single most relevant nonprofit among American consumers.
- The domestic social needs sector is the most valuable nonprofit sector in the nation.
- Yet, by not fully leveraging their powerful brands, some nonprofit organizations may be leaving millions of dollars in potential unearned revenue on the table.
Intrigued? Then check out Cone’s latest research – The Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 – released today. In collaboration with Intangible Business, Cone valued the brands of some of America’s leading social, environmental and animal organizations. We’re excited to share with you this first-of-its-kind research that explores the unique relationship between nonprofit brand image and financial performance, which culminates in the nation’s first complete list of the top 100 nonprofit brands.
On the Cone Research and Insights page, we share the complete list and accompanying report, as well as much more, including insightful commentary from the CEOs and executives of many of the Top 10 organizations (for a sneak peak at the Top 10 list, see below).
We’ll discuss the research in greater detail right here in the coming days, but first we encourage you to take a look. Feel free to share your thoughts with us here – we’re looking forward to a robust discussion around nonprofit brand value.
Tags: research cone nonprofitpowerbrand100
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (3)
