Confession: I’m a slut when it comes to words. I believe, too much so, that they matter more than any other symbol of human communication.

Understandable, because I once made a living as a copywriter. But this doesn’t forgive my sins of omission in highlighting other forms of communications that make a real and important difference.

For months I’ve had on my “write a post” list the remarkable collection assembled by one of the most brilliant and yet unknown nonprofit strategic thinkers in our world. Listen up.

His name is Tom Peterson. This gentle, decent, quiet guy has done more for our trade than all the lifetime achievement, professionals of the year, laddy da da awards can ever chronicle. Although, frankly, he’s also won a bunch of those.

Tom puts forth a remarkable website called Thunderheadworks that we’ve listed on The Agitator’s Blogroll for a long time. It’s simply a ‘must’ read/listen/view piece of work if you’re really interested in what can change the world.

Tom’s the inventor/chief proponent/defender of the Heifer Project’s famous catalog, where you can contribute money for a goat, ducks, cow, pigs, whatever, to save and feed humanity.

Significant as that is — and it’s so significant that no other organization, try as they may, has been able to successfully imitate it – Tom has now moved on. Heifer’s loss is our community’s gain, thanks to Thunderheadworks.com.

You’ll want to browse this remarkable site for sample after sample of effective advocacy and action.  Bookmark it and return frequently.

Today, I’m specifically recommending you take a look at Tom’s post on Branding. Lots and lots is written on the subject of branding, but most of it is expensive wasteful nonsense.

Here Tom raises a point we should all take to heart. In Tom’s words:

“Brand” used to mean logo, typeface, color, packaging, jingles and ads. Today it’s better thought of as the overall experience anyone — a supporter, customer, passerby — has when they brush against your organization.

“Each year thousands, if not millions, will come into contact with your group. They may catch 60 seconds on the local news, see a magazine article or a friend’s Facebook like. They may glimpse it on a brochure or t-shirt, or talk with a staff person or volunteer. The cumulative effect of these visits forms the experience that person has of your organization. Whether they sought you out or stumbled upon you, they will judge you; if the experience is bad or mediocre, an opportunity is lost. But if it’s positive — moves the person toward confidence and loyalty — you may gain a lifetime friend.”

Please read and heed.

Roger

P.S. I keep a side file of ‘angels’ in our biz. Tom’s one of them. And he has some educational creds in the Angel Department. He not only holds a degree with honors in Philosophy from the University of Texas, he topped it off with a Master of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Belford, who hasn’t darkened a church door in generations, and I are giving Tom Peterson an Agitator Raise. However, we do remind him that only a flag decal and CFRE certification will get him into heaven.