A strong brand identity has multiple benefits for both you and the people who support your nonprofit mission. Use these 7 tips to elevate yours.

1. 7
ESSENTIAL TIPS
FOR BUILDING
A STRONG
NONPROFIT
BRAND

2. BRANDING
Sound like something that’s strictly reserved
for large for-profit enterprises
Branding is as important for nonprofit
organizations as it is for businesses

3. Why is
Nonprofit
Branding
Important?
STANDING OUT
Branding can help
your organization become
memorable
INCREASED TRUST AND
LOYALTY
Creates a sense of
organizational unity within
the organization
FUNDRAISING AND INCREASED
ENGAGEMENT
Branding can help
your organization become
memorable

4. WHAT IS
BRANDING?
A brand is more than its visual
identity: the name, the logo, and
graphic design

5. NONPROFIT BRANDING
Essential Tips for Building a Strong
Nonprofit Brand
 See the Big Picture and Know Your Audience
 Create a Nonprofit Branding Guide
 Design an Impressive Logo
 Use Storytelling as a Tool
 Don’t Forget the Community Outreach
 Personalize Your Organization
 Don’t be Afraid to Innovate

6. 1
SEE THE BIG
PICTURE AND
KNOW YOUR
AUDIENCE

7. TAKE A STEP BACK
Take some time, ideally together with your
team, to
 Review your mission and vision statement.
 Reflect on your successes and learnings.
 Brainstorm with your team about what your
organization means to each one of you.
 Get in touch with donors, volunteers, Board,
and other stakeholders and gather their
inputs too.
 Review your goals and any organizational
strategy documents you have.

8. 2
CREATE A
NONPROFIT
BRANDING
GUIDE

9. CONSISTENCY IS KEY
An organization can only build a strong
brand if its voice, visuals, and approach are
congruous
 Keep Your Branding And Logo Consistent On
Your Website
 Media Channels (Whichever One You Use)
 Infographics
 Newsletters
 Brochures
 Flyers
 Emails And More

10. Review your current print and
digital content. If your branding is
not cohesive, make it a plan to
make adjustments

11. 3
DESIGN AN
IMPRESSIVE
LOGO

12. BRANDING IS NOT ABOUT THE LOGO
People remember and recognize you
 Recall what your nonprofit’s mission and
vision are
 Summarize your goals in a couple of words
 Brainstorm colors, symbols, images, or words
that best represent your organization
 Use white/negative space to create a balance
of elements
 Your logo can also be typographic

13. 4
USE
STORYTELLING
AS A TOOL

14. CONVINCES THE HEAD AND
TOUCHES THE HEART
Nonprofit is transparent, clear, and
communicative with your supporters and donors
 You can build your brand
 Help your audience understand the context
 Help you build meaningful relationships with
your audience
 Creates trust and credibility, and helps your
nonprofit stand out

15. Three quick
storytelling
tips
TELL AUTHENTIC STORIES
Today’s audience can easily
differentiate between a sales
pitch and a genuine story
ALL SHAPES AND
FORMS
Don’t forget about visual
storytelling, particularly the
video
ALWAYS HAVE A CENTRAL
CHARACTER
A central character (the hero) is
usually a beneficiary of your
organizatio
X

16. 5
DON’T FORGET
THE
COMMUNITY
OUTREACH

17. COST-EFFECTIVE WAYS
Personalization has been the go-to
strategy for organizations
 Personalization within the nonprofit sector
can take many forms
 Personalize your appeal as much as possible
 Don’t just write a check to the school
 Use peer-to-peer fundraising
 Personalize and humanize their organizations

18. 6
PERSONALIZE
YOUR
ORGANIZATION

19. PERSONALIZING
Reach a lot of people and spread the word about
your nonprofit
 Investing in physical community outreach
activities
 Make it come ‘alive’ with your supporters,
donors, and community
 Show a commitment to the community
 Attract supporters and donors who care
deeply

20. 7
DON’T BE
AFRAID TO
INNOVATE

21. DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Want your brand to be recognizable, talked
about, and in people’s minds
 Submit thought pieces, editorials, and letters to
the editor of a local newspaper;
 Adopt new technologies and strategies;
 Drive conversations on social media platforms;
 Conduct research related to your mission;
 Create great content and disseminate it widely;
 Encourage ideas sharing and conversations
within your nonprofit.

22. CREATING
STRONG
NONPROFIT
BRANDING IS
HARD WORK
Check out our Nonprofit Blog for more
ideas, and don’t forget to try
out Donorbox as your online fundraising
software

23. www.donorbox.org/non
profit-blog/building-a-
strong-nonprofit-brand/
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