Addendum, 7/22/10: Here’s the YWCA’s response to the Y’s name change.
In case you haven’t heard, the YMCA is now the Y. And believe it or not, the story is covered in the first section of today’s New York Times. Nonprofit marketing news doesn’t usually make the grade!
According to Kate Coleman, the Y’s chief marketing officer, this name change is motivated by the Y’s desire to use a name more closely matched with its mission and emphasizes the impact its programs have on youth, healthy living and communities. This is definitely a critical focus to reflect in the Y’s branding but I’m not convinced that a single letter can do all that!
“It’s a way of being warmer, more genuine, more welcoming, when you call yourself what everyone else calls you,“ is the second reason for the change Coleman cites. I don’t agree with that one either.
It is indeed important to know what your organization’s base thinks and what’s important to them. That’s the only way to identify the intersection of your organization’s needs and those of your base – the nexus of your brand. But that doesn’t mean your brand should be what your base is using as your name.
Already, the Y is set up to confuse audiences by asking that while affiliates should be referred to overall by the new name, a specific branch should be referred to the “South Mountain YMCA.” That’s a mess in the making.
I certainly understand the Y’s motivation to have its name more clearly reflect its current mission. That’s good marketing. And the same valid reasoning that moved the United Negro College Fund to change its name to UNCF – because it was serving more than students of a single race.
And the Y does a fantastic job of using the new brand to highlight what’s really important – its current programmatic focus. No one cares that your branding is different but announcing your new focus is a great way to (implicitly) introduce your new brand. Take a look at this webcast of the Y’s press conference on the change.
But I envision the Y will face some real challenges with this name change, including:
- What about the YWCA?
- And the YMHA/YWHA (the Jewish Y)? New York City’s affiliate is already known as the 92nd Street Y.
- The name “Y” makes me ask “why not?”
What are your thoughts on this name change? Does it work? Should a nonprofit’s name be whatever it’s called by its base? Please share your comments below. Thanks!
P.S. Enter today - The 2010 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards (a.k.a. The Taggies) close on July 28! Please enter today. And this year, for the first time, you can submit your organization’s program, fundraising campaign and/or and special event taglines, in addition to your organizational tagline.
Nancy Schwartz on July 12, 2010 in Branding and Messages
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10 comments
Tags:case study, Kate Coleman, naming, nonprofit branding, Y, YMCA
Rosemary Roussil, Development Officer at the Metropolitan Washington Ear, emailed me yesterday. She was eager to know if we were running a 2010 Nonprofit Tagline Awards Program.
Rosemary had perfect timing, as I was just finalizing the 2010 awards program and report schedule… I’m pleased to tell you that we’ll be opening up this year’s awards for entry in late June. It’s an annual program now, especially because in these times your tagline is more important than ever — it’s the hands-down briefest and most effective way to communicate your organization’s identity and value.
Last year’s 1,350 award entries were a bounty of skillful messaging and I expect these year’s entries to be equally strong. Take a look at the 2009 nonprofit tagline award winners; they are powerful models for your organization’s tagline (and overall messaging).
I’m excited about this year’s awards program. We’ll be introducing a couple of new award categories – to be announced at awards launch – and welcoming a stellar panel of judges who will select the tagline finalists to be voted on.
To ensure you hear when the awards are open for business, join the Getting Attention e-update list today. I’m looking forward to opening day – just a few weeks away.
P.S. Thanks Rosemary, for nudging me to set the stage!
Nancy Schwartz on June 8, 2010 in Branding and Messages, Taglines
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0 comments
Tags:branding, message development, messaging, nonprofit branding, nonprofit tagline report, tagline, tagline awards, tagline awards program
I just delivered a new message platform (positioning statement, tagline and talking points) to the passionate team at the Environmental Health Coalition (EHC).
The passionate EHC team builds grassroots campaigns to combat the unjust consequences of toxic pollution, discriminatory land use, and unsustainable energy policies. Through leader development, organizing and advocacy, EHC improves the health of children, families, neighborhoods and the natural environment in the San Diego/Tijuana region. (That’s the positioning statement).
These folks do an incredible job with few staff members and a tight budget, even as the scope of their work grows to encompass a larger region. So when communications director Jason Baker asked me how to make the most of the messaging, I recommended that his first step be to train his colleagues, board members and large volunteer base as effective messengers.
Training your staff and supporters is a highly-effective, low- investment nonprofit marketing tactic, but one simply overlooked by most organizations. Here’s how to do it:
- Make sure you have a clear, relevant message platform that’s been approved and is in use (or about to be).
- Craft an email to each group (colleagues, leadership, volunteers/donors if relevant) emphasizing their potential impact as organizational messengers and what it’ll take to make that work – training, practice and feedback. Include the message platform and context such as why these new (if new) messages were developed and what colleague organizations are doing. Also, share a summary of your marketing strategy. It’s hard to be an effective messenger without an understanding of the larger framework. Post everything on your website.
- Invite colleagues and leadership to join you for an in-person messenger training. At that meeting, review the message platform, inspire your messengers with examples of how this can work (e.g., next time you’re at a conference and are asked what you do, here’s what you’ll say and how it’ll make a difference), and train them. Role playing demos and break-outs are effective techniques for increasing comfort level and effectiveness.
- Make it easy for them to succeed by providing takeaways (email to their smartphones – or 3×5 cards for non-smartphone-users – with the message platform. Also, have a messenger hotline (or email address) for ongoing questions and guidance. Monthly email outreach sharing success stories is a great way to keep your corps of messengers focused and confident.
Another boost to nonprofit messaging impact is a style guide, a blueprint to ensure staff, leadership and consultants talk about and visually portray the organization in a consistent way — to ensure a recognizable, rather than confusing, identity. And here are a few other ways to build your colleagues’ support and understanding of your communications work.
P.S. Get more in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit marketing (and video) success — all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.
Photo-Flickr: LiveatJ&R
Nancy Schwartz on June 4, 2010 in Branding and Messages, People
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2 comments
Tags:environmental health coalition, jason baker, message development, messaging, messengers, nonprofit branding, training
Update: May 25, 3pm: TNC’s CEO and director of external affairs did an excellent job facilitating their live chat with supporters and critics. They answered some very hard questions.
But my core question remains — is TNC fulfilling its brand promise in accepting BP funding? If not, that brand is busted. They’ll need to reach out to their base to take their pulse.
Update: May 25, 2pm. Good listening on TNC’s part, which is a crucial component of crisis communications. I received an email from a staffer on TNC’s digital media team at 12:13pm– just over an hour after this post went live–making himself and colleagues available for additional questions. We’re deep in conversation and I’ll keep you posted.
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Just when I thought I was done writing on how vital it is for every organization to stay true to its mission and values and the brand that conveys them in its actions, The Washington Post blows the cover on BP’s funding of top environmental organizations.
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) was highlighted in the article but the Post also reported that other leaders in the field–from Environmental Defense Fund to Conservation International–have benefited from BP dollars as well. And although TNC responded quickly with a blog post from chief scientist Peter Kariva, and invited supporters and others to participate in an online chat this afternoon with CEO Mark Tercek, the comments on Kariva’s post (accumulated in just 24 hours at this point) showcase the anger felt on the part of TNC supporters.
This is brand gone bust big-time; far bigger even than the Komen-KFC cause marketing debacle since it’s all-organization and long-term rather than a single campaign.
There’s simply no way an environmental organization should be funded by a natural resources mining company–their key principles are radically opposed. Yes to pragmatic consultation as a productive partnership. No to taking funding and participating in BP’s greenwashing campaign. Not that it’s black and white at all, but on these fronts — I think it should be. At least if TNC sticks to its mission and values, as expressed by its tagline Protecting Nature. Preserving Life.
Conversation on this mess is passionate, with emotions running high. Because all of us who’ve supported the environmental movement don’t understand how or why these organizations we’ve supported in multiple ways have betrayed us. And betrayal is exactly what it feels like when an organization we’ve supported and counted on for years (never more than now, with the oil spill tragedy underway) proves to be something other than what we thought (and it said-via its brand) it was.
The web is full of conversation on this story. Twitter friend Pam McAllister, a former TNC staffer, is deep in conversation with me and asserts that TNC has integrity, supporting its definition of its relationship with BP as “constructive engagement.” Katya Andresen asked me what TNC’s PR folks should be doing and blogged on it.
What’s your take on TNC’s (and the other organization’s) funding relationship with BP? Please comment below or email me to share your thoughts. I’ll share the conversation out with the GettingAttention.org community.
Thanks!
P.S. TNC should have followed these guidelines for guarding its brand and developing the right partnerships. Hindsight.
Nancy Schwartz on May 25, 2010 in Branding and Messages, Crisis Communications, Partnerships
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11 comments
Tags:bp, branding, Crisis Communications, funding, nature conservancy, Partnerships
Q: Can we use both a tagline and slogan for our nonprofit?
Our organization uses a three-word slogan (Access. Acquire. Empower.) and a tagline (Using Technology to Narrow Societal Gaps). And I have two questions for you.
1. Is it overkill to use a slogan and a tagline? Is that a nonprofit marketing don’t?
- The slogan is important for our mission statement, which is based on those three words.
- The tagline gives a better idea of what we do.
2. What’s the solution?
- We’ve been toying with the idea of getting rid of one or the other, or making a “mish-mash” of the two: Access to technology. Acquire knowledge/skills. Empower people.
- We know this isn’t very powerful.
–Ephraim Geffen, Machshava Tova, Israel
A: Dear Ephraim, using two taglines is confusing. Stop!
Your instinct that something is off with your nonprofit messaging approach is correct.
There’s really no difference between a slogan and a tagline. So your nonprofit is currently using two taglines, which is incredibly confusing to your target audience. It’s tops the list of nonprofit marketing don’ts.
The last thing any nonprofit communicator wants to do is to confuse his audience. Because confusion makes people want to flee; the absolute opposite of engagement.
Instead, take the time to develop a single, clear tagline — eight words or less–they conveys the essence of your organization’s value. I don’t know the meaning of your organizational name, but if the name doesn’t say what you do, the tagline should include some description.
It is NOT important that your tagline mirrors the words in your mission statement (which is internally oriented). What you can do to convey those ideas is to integrate the language and concepts into your positioning statement — the one to three sentences you use to convey your organization’s focus, impact and unique value to the communities you serve.
But start with your tagline. You’ll find all the guidance you need to shape a powerful one in the Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Report (download link below).
P.S. Messages that connect are a priority for all organizations and the prerequisite for motivating your base to act. Learn how to craft the most essential message — your tagline. Download the Nonprofit Tagline Report, filled with must-dos, don’t dos, case studies and 2,500+ nonprofit tagline examples!
Nancy Schwartz on May 20, 2010 in Branding and Messages, Case Studies, Taglines
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0 comments
Tags:branding, case study, messaging, nonprofit marketing, nonprofit tagline awards, nonprofit tagline report, tagline
Thanks for your intense interest in the Komen-KFC busted brand case study.
You jumped into the conversation on a critical issue in nonprofit marketing–what Komen should do next and ongoing standards for choosing partners, with an unprecedented level of participation. The 100 plus comments and emails submitted by Getting Attention e-update and blog readers indicate the strong feelings about this deal.
What’s so compelling here is the range of issues the story raises for nonprofits of all foci, size and budget, including:
- The impact a bad decision makes on your organization, now and in the future—Komen and KFC forever?
- The importance of being poised for effective crisis communications—Komen has kept very quiet about the KFC partnership, letting others fill the space with their perspectives on the deal, and the issue.
- The necessity to define standards for partner selection—Standards are key baselines for decision making on partnerships of all kinds, although in general corporate partnerships require even more scrutiny.
Read the full article to learn how to handle these challenges to strengthen your nonprofit marketing now and in the long-term.
P.S. Messages that connect are a priority for all organizations and the prerequisite for motivating your base to act. Learn how to craft the most essential message — your tagline. Download the Nonprofit Tagline Report, filled with must-dos, don’t dos, case studies and 2,500+ nonprofit tagline examples!
Nancy Schwartz on May 18, 2010 in Branding and Messages, cause marketing
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0 comments
Tags:branding, Crisis Communications, KFC, Komen, nonrprofit branding, partnership, reputation
As the nonprofit landscape gets increasingly complex and your org reaches out and is discussed on infinite communications channels, it’s more important than ever to brand your organization, programs and campaigns.
But with the way nonprofit communications is expanding at lightning speed, how can you ensure everyone in your organization is speaking with the same voice? When you do so – conveying credibility and value in a way that’s easy to remember and repeat – you’ll build long-lasting relationships with donors, volunteers, members, the media, clients, and more. But it’s more challenging than ever in our 2.0 world.
Please register right now to join me and Big Duck’s Sarah Durham, author of Brandraising, Tuesday, May 18th, 1pm eastern to learn how to tackle this challenge. Thanks much to Network for Good for sponsoring this no-charge discussion.
You’ll…
- Build your understanding of what a brand is, what branding takes and how it helps your build strong relationships.
- Sharpen your brand outline to ensure you stand out, generating action and building loyalty and express it consistently across channels.
- Learn how to train your staff, volunteers and base to carry your brand forward in their own social networking, activism or just plain socializing via charity badge
P.S. Don’t worry if you can’t participate live or if you’re reading this way past the live call: Register here to receive an mp3 recording and text transcript. Find out more here.
Nancy Schwartz on May 17, 2010 in Branding and Messages
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0 comments
Tags:branding, Brandraising, fundraising, Network for Good, nonprofit marketing, Sarah Durham, tagline
Your feedback by May 7 please!
Choosing a corporate sponsor for your nonprofit has tremendous potential to either help or harm your organization and its mission. And there are many great examples where such sponsorship has proven to be a genuine win-win.
But it can be a slippery slope once you step out. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been watching, sometimes mouth agape, an ill-conceived and poorly handled corporate partnership.
If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know I’m talking about Buckets for the Cure, Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s® cause partnership with with Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), launched via a huge TV advertising campaign. The campaign came on the heels of KFC introducing its mammoth-scale, heart-stopping Double Down sandwich. I first blogged the Komen-KFC news here.
As I see it, Komen has undermined its own brand by partnering with KFC to market one of the unhealthiest foods there is — fried chicken in a pink bucket. And this to a nation struggling with a wide-spread obesity problem, a key precursor to breast cancer. The Colonel going pink? That’s absurd.
Read the complete Komen-KFC case study to learn how to stay out of this kind of mess when selecting corporate partners and how not to fail crisis communications 101.
Your feedback please: What’s your take on the Komen-KFC deal? What should be the standards for partnerships, particularly with corporate partners? And what should Komen do now to pull itself out of this hole?
Please share your thoughts by May 7. Just comment below or email me, and I’ll share your perspectives out with the Getting Attention community next week.
Some compelling recommendations have come in already, on both issues, and I’d like to add yours. You can get an idea of the range of perspectives from reviewing these comments on the initial blog post. Thanks.
P.S. To follow the story as it develops, subscribe to the Getting Attention e-update.
Nancy Schwartz on May 4, 2010 in Branding and Messages, cause marketing
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7 comments
Tags:branding, corporate, KFC, Komen, nonprofit branding, sponsorship
This simple marketing strategy on the part of the SVDP thrift shop — building business and awareness (and a corps of messengers) by motivating customers to learn its tagline in exchange for a discount — is brilliant.
SVDP (the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of St. Louis) reached out via Facebook and Twitter to make this no-risk special offer. At the very least, the shop would gain customers and increase sales volume (albeit at a lower price point). Anything more than that would be a bonus –building relationships with its network that weren’t buying and increasing customers’ understanding that shop profits support the human services provided by SVDP. And this was a perfect time for the promotion, as SVDP just opened its third store.
The campaign is still very new so results aren’t in yet, but I’ll let you know what they are in a month or so.
Take SVDP’s coup as a challenge to come up with a low-cost, low-effort but highly creative marketing campaign, then share it with me and the Getting Attention community.
P.S. Messages that connect are a priority for all organizations and the prerequisite for motivating your base to act. Learn how to craft the most essential message — your tagline. Download the Nonprofit Tagline Report, filled with must-dos, don’t dos, case studies and 2,500+ nonprofit tagline examples!
Nancy Schwartz on May 3, 2010 in Branding and Messages, Taglines
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0 comments
Tags:branding, nonprofit tagline report, tagline, tagline awards
