October 10, 2011

Nonprofits: Beware Free Branding

Nonprofits understand the power of branding. Nonprofits also understand the struggle of developing messaging and graphics on a shoestring budget. Messaging and graphics are time consuming and expensive to create. It makes sense to be wary of the offer of a free branding from the distant relative of a board member. What happens when you receive the offer from a legitimate design or PR firm? It’s a no-brainer to accept, right?

Be careful. Clever ideas are cheap. We all have them. The real work lies in consistent execution. You can have a beautiful package developed for you, but where will you be when you’re left with the package? Do you have a brand transition plan in mind? Can you eliminate your old branding swiftly and in a way that won’t confuse your public? Do you have staff available to apply that look-and-feel to your current website and future marketing materials? What happens if the free offer provides you a group of six logo choices and none of them work? Are you permitted to critique or required to accept? Are they completing the research required to truly understand your organization?

If you received a personal makeover and a stylist put you in clothes you couldn’t afford, shoes you couldn’t walk in, a hairstyle you could never reproduce and makeup that took 45 minutes to apply, you would soon return to your own well-worn but trusted style. If you’re faced with the decision to accept a pro-bono re-branding offer, make sure you understand what you’re getting, what you’re not, and how feasible it is for your organization to execute it.