These days, more and more nonprofits are deliberately developing their brand. In a time when budgets are stretched and there are so many competing priorities within organizations, how are they finding the financial resources to invest in branding? While a full-scale branding process may not be possible for everyone, the good news is that branding on a budget is do-able.

Why invest in branding?

Even though his organization is small in comparison to others, Bob Braaten knows the importance of investing in branding. He’s the local coordinator for the Penticton branch of the British Columbia Special Olympics. “There are so many organizations clamouring for dollars to run their programs,” says Braaten. “So, whatever resources you can dedicate to ensure you are always in the public’s eye is important. We think of the Salvation Army and their kettles or look at other organizations and their symbols to show what they are about.” Braaten’s group decided to show what they are about by providing t-shirts with their logo to every athlete. They chose this route because ads in newspapers and flyers get thrown in the trash. This way, there’s a connection between the athlete and the message, plus it’s affordable.

Upfront work saves money

Lynn Gran also has experience with branding on a budget. She is the vice president of philanthropy and marketing at The Nature Conservancy of Canada, an organization that is in the final stages of an extensive branding process. She believes that nonprofits need to do a lot of the upfront work on their own before enlisting outside services. It’s important that an organization examines its own beliefs and values, defines why it exists, and what it wants to achieve. Doing this initial work on your own definitely saves money, but according to Gran, it’s also the correct way to go about things. She explains, “You can’t leave that up to anyone else. A lot of time and money can be spent having people play back to you what they think are your beliefs and values, your role in the world, but I think you really need to have this straight before you go into the branding process, and you really shouldn’t be asking someone else to do this for you.”

According to Gran, another important reason to do your own work in the early stages is that the branding process can take you in many different directions and creative people can have many different ideas. By being clear about your goals upfront, you won’t end up paying out a lot of money for things you don’t use in the end.

Talk it up!

Susan Sommers is a marketing expert who believes that lots can be accomplished on limited dollars. She is a big proponent of making the most of speaking opportunities because they are a low cost way to raise awareness. “If you have limited dollars, sign up for Toastmasters to learn how to speak. For me, educating and gaining credibility is about being out there, doing speaking engagements, going to networking events, getting a booth.” She adds, “In the Chamber of Commerce that I used to belong to, there was only one nonprofit member. They used to come to every meeting every month. What happened was they got everything – sponsors, volunteers, clients, new employees. Go outside your box and find opportunities to raise your profile where you will be the only nonprofit that’s out there.”

That’s the tact taken by Lorne Simon, chair of the board of the Toronto chapter of Crime Stoppers. The most cost effective method for his organization is “to roll up our sleeves and get out there talking about what we do. I call it grassroots marketing. It’s about going out into the community, speaking to people, putting a face to your organization and then leaving them with something.” That “something” might be a flashlight or an ice scraper, a T-shirt or a pen with the Crime Stoppers name and logo. Simon thinks of it as a thank-you in exchange for listening.

Tips for keeping costs low when purchasing branded items

Jody Steinhauer’s company, The Bargain Group, provides organizations across Canada with these types of branded items. She’s worked with countless nonprofits and has a few tips for saving money.

For one, make sure the branded item will be used. For example, fleece blankets are a hot product these days. But instead of paying extra to have your logo embroidered on each blanket, which increases the cost, Steinhauer suggests taking a trip to the dollar store to buy some ribbon. Hand write your message (or generate on the computer) and tie it around the blanket. As she points out, “It’s still all about branding [but] it’s not just the logo. It’s the experience and how they feel about your organization.”

And don’t forget to consider how you will distribute the items. Will you have to ship them? What will the cost be? Will the item fit into a Canada Post standard envelope?

The flipside: what can’t be accomplished

Obviously, you can do more with more money and there are some aspects of branding that just aren’t possible on a limited budget. Gran points out that most organizations aren’t going to be able to do the creative strategy. “We all think we can come up with great taglines, perfect visuals, but I don’t think you can do that internally; that’s the stuff you should pay for…after you do the upfront work.” Plus, sometimes it takes much longer for staff to complete these projects when you are handling parts of the branding process in-house. Sommers concurs and advises that it often makes more sense to find the money and hire someone. It’s important to realistically assess the skills you have internally. Otherwise, in the long run it could cost you more to do it internally (under the guise of saving money).

“There’s a lot of hit and miss in the nonprofit sector,” admits Sommer. That’s why it’s so important for any organization – regardless of the branding budget – to have a marketing plan for the brand. There are lots of low cost ways to develop and promote your organization’s brand, but the biggest bang for the buck is devoting the time to build a branding strategy.

Louise Chatterton Luchuk is a freelance writer and consultant who combines her love of writing with experience at the local, provincial and national levels of volunteer-involving organizations. For more information, visit www.luchuk.com.