For NGOs & Non-Profits Building Brand Requires Three Actions, Not Words

“You have to be able to describe your brand in three words,” some idiot said.

Not so. NGOs and not for profits must earn their brand. Three words don’t do it. Three words are a tag line, not a brand.

There are three ways to build a brand: Action, Achievement, Accomplishments.

In public perception of NGOs an organization that does represent Action, Achievement and Accomplishments is Médecins Sans Frontières.

Granted they are on site with the news reporters at the bleeding edge of disaster, but arriving first is part of there mission.

A terrific example of doing it wrong in the States is/was The United Way. They had everything:

• Fortune 100 corporate sponsorship
• Approved corporate withdrawal from paychecks
• Free advertising agency support
• Good three word tag line: Your Fair Share

What the never produced was accountability.  Then over time they became self centric, the campaign, not the clients became the center or the organization.

So here’s today’s free advice: Don’t sit around the table with the interns and the guys in suede shoes to figure out your brand. If you are an organization into Action, Achievement and Accomplishments, ask your clients, they know your brand best.