Sooner or later someone in your organization, totally devoid of fundraising knowledge (likely a board member or the spouse of one), is going to come back from their summer break with a ‘brilliant idea’. In fact, over many summers, many ‘brilliant’ ideas have crossed The Agitator’s desks.

So, we’ve gone back through the archives and will share some of them with you between now and summer’s end under the label, ‘Summer Doldrum Threats’.

One of the most common ideas that occur in the sun and sand is that perhaps your organization should be changing your name. Or your logo. Or your tagline. Or your graphics and copy style.

Heaven help you. Because if they succeed your organization’s likely to be out of business or at least headed for a fire sale.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, is a more certain pathway to organizational suicide than an ill-thought-out expedition to the Land of Re-branding.

You might as well just shoot yourself now and save the time and money.

It’s an old scenario, but one that seems to be occurring with greater frequency. Someone high up in the organization becomes enamored by the ‘branding consultant’. After all, the consultant’s done it for soap, deodorant and even some Silicon Valley whiz bangs.

Spare me.

Better yet, spare yourself and rush online and buy everyone in the front office, on the board and members of the ‘branding task force’ copies of Jeff Brooks’ latest: The Money-Raising Nonprofit Brand – Motivating Donors to Give, Give Happily, and Keep on Giving.

Jeff has produced an extraordinarily sensible survive-and-thrive guide for nonprofits intent on transforming their fundraising without torpedoing their future.

The Money-Raising Nonprofit Brand is so much more than a rant against commercial-style branding. In clear, often charming and humorous ways, Jeff explains how and why the commercial approach to branding can damage your organization …

“Some top-branded nonprofits have names that don’t reveal what they do: The Salvation Army, United Way, and Red Cross, to name three gold-plated brands.

“You might draw the conclusion that an opaque, non-literal name is an important brand asset. That’s what some Brand Experts seem to believe.

“The Brand Experts are missing something important. It’s as if they’re standing in a parking lot next to the Grand Canyon and concluding that the excellent pavement on the lot is what attracts so many cars to this remote spot.”

If you can’t afford books for the whole board and ‘branding taskforce’, I definitely recommend you highlight and share Jeff’s analysis in Chapter 3 — What Branding Work Can Do to Fundraising Revenue. Here he shares why the results of a new commercial-style brand effort are usually a huge disappointment:

• IF YOU CHANGE YOUR LOGO. Impact on revenue: None.

• IF YOU CHANGE YOUR GRAPHIC STANDARDS. Impact on revenue: Negative, but small.

• IF YOU CHANGE YOUR COPY STANDARDS. Impact on revenue: Usually negative, but small; potentially worse.
  

• IF YOU CHANGE YOUR ORGANIZATION’S NAME: Impact on revenue: 25 to 50 percent less.

You read that right. Changing your name could drive your fundraising into the ground according to Jeff. His experience matches mine when it comes to name changes.

Beyond sounding the warning and giving examples of ‘Brandjacking’ (Jeff defines this as “when Brand Experts remake a nonprofit brand and render it ineffective for fundraising”), the bulk of this unique book focuses on how to ensure your cause connects with donors and brings your brand into their lives.

Part Four of The Money-Raising Nonprofit Brand should be compulsory reading for every novice and veteran CEO, Board member and fundraiser.

Here are Jeff’s Eleven Commandments we all should live by:

• A Well-Run Nonprofit is Aligned around Fundraising Goals
• A Well-Run Nonprofit is not Run by Committees
• A Well-Run Nonprofit Doesn’t Have a Marketing Department
• A Well-Run Nonprofit Has a Plan for Every Donor
• A Well-Run Nonprofit Has Its Donor Data Act Together
• A Well-Run Nonprofit Is Donor-Connected.
• A Donor-Focused Nonprofit Is Investment Oriented
• A Donor-Focused Nonprofit Has a Fact-based Culture
• A Donor-Focused Nonprofit Doesn’t Treat All Donors the Same
• A Donor-Focused Nonprofit Has a Culture of Thankfulness
• A Donor-Focused Nonprofit Sees Fundraising as Part of Its Mission.

This ain’t beach reading. But use part of your slower summer time to immerse yourself in The Money-Raising Nonprofit Brand. I guarantee you’ll find it one of the most valuable fundraising books you’ll ever read or I’ll personally send you back your purchase price.

Roger

P.S. As Amazon would say, “If you like The Money-Raising Brand you’ll also like Jeff’s The Fundraiser’s Guide to Irresistible Communications.

P.P.S. Since this has rightly turned into a “Celebrate Jeff Brooks Post”, make sure you sign up for his daily Future Fundraising Now for terrific insights on donor-focused fundraising.