Basics of brand building

• Published date: 01 September 2020
• Date: 01 September 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/ban.31156

September 2020 • Volume 37, Number 1 5

DOI 10.1002/ban© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC • All rights reserved

be a better fit than an emotionally charged story

of one individual helped through the organiza-

tion’s work.

“You want to be able to meet people where they

are at, emotionally and mentally,” Sametz said.

Board members need to be able to accurately read

the context and “head space” of the audience, and

pivot to effective and appropriate stories accord-

ingly, he said.

Sametz said that nonprofits should collect sto-

ries of impact and curate them in print or digital

“mini-libraries”—including any pictures, video

and other media—so that boards and staff can

keep their repertoire of compelling stories fresh

and timely.

Overcome resistance

Another tool Sametz draws upon in his work-

shops is directed at overcoming resistance—the

various reasons why an individual might not

want to support an organization. According to

Sametz, each nonprofit has its own unique roster

of reasons for resistance, based upon what they

do and how they do it, many of which are rooted

in misperceptions about the organization and/

or the field it works in. They need to be able to

refute these notions effectively, just as many of

them have learned over the years to overcome the

concerns of potential new clients in the business

world.

Role-playing exercises are helpful here, he said,

as board members can hash out the often off-the-

wall reasons for resistance and collectively craft

responses.

According to Sametz, these activities should be

undertaken at least annually, if not quarterly, by

nonprofit boards.

“It’s a process, not an event,” he said. “They

should incorporate them into regular board meet-

ings, and at organization retreats and other spe-

cial functions.”

“That way board members will become fluent

and comfortable enough with this material and

these roles to do this effectively,” he said. ■

Basics of brand building

According to Roger Sametz, board mem-

bers need to understand the basic tenets of

nonprofit brand building, which include the

following:

• Understanding the different constituen-

cies that support the organization. What do

each of them care about? Which parts of the

organization’s mission and activities are most

important to them? Most groups will find that

their supporters are not monolithic, Sametz

said—they likely have a variety of constituen-

cies, each with their own interests and values

reflected in specific areas of the organization’s

doings.

• Being clear on the organization’s core

areas of focus, and the products and services

it provides. Where are the key “contact points”

between the organization and the people it

serves and those who support it? Boards should

be familiar with all areas of engagement that

the organization is involved with, Sametz said,

so they can easily pivot to different stories and

pitches that resonate most with their specific

audience.

• Knowing the attributes that best describe

the organization. Of these, Sametz said, there

are three kinds to consider:

1. Those that are owned by the organization—

they apply and the boards and leadership are

happy to have them.

2. Those the group aspires to own—they don’t

apply as yet, but the organization wants them

to, and is moving in that direction.

3. Those they want to manage away—negative

attributes that the group is taking steps to ad-

dress through organizational changes.

While some of this material is touched on dur-

ing the orientation process for new board mem-

bers, often times the coverage is cursory at best,

Sametz said. Having a deep and thorough under-

standing of this information, he said, is vital to

being an effective brand advocate and organiza-

tional ambassador—and reaping the fundraising

rewards that entails. ■