I was thinking about the basics the other day, talking with a brand-new to associations communications manager at a small association. We talked about how different mission-driven organizations are from for-profit companies, and she asked me about building a brand. Below are three things I brought up and I thought I'd share here!

Three things that a chief marketing officer (CMO) should know about building a brand for a nonprofit association:

Understand the association's mission and values: A nonprofit association's mission and values should be at the core of its brand. The CMO should have a deep understanding of what the association stands for and what it hopes to achieve. This understanding will help the CMO develop messaging and visual elements that resonate with the association's target audience and effectively communicate the association's purpose.

We were talking about cause-driven marketing, and I shared some gems from the past of nonprofits that I thought had super-cool ways of working their mission into their brand - in every way possible. My favorite was from Greenpeace - the orangutan on a shopping bag. Its hand was reaching up to the hand holds of the shopping bag, so that when you hold the bag, you're holding its hand. Loved that!!

Identify the target audience: The CMO should identify the association's target audience and develop messaging and marketing strategies that speak directly to them. The target audience could include members of the association, potential members, donors, volunteers, or other stakeholders. Understanding their interests, concerns, and motivations will help the CMO develop a brand that is meaningful and engaging to them.

What's great about associations is that you're serving multiple markets, so have different stakeholders. You have your members, sometimes their customers or constituents, law makers, the media, the industry as a whole. It's important to use clear messaging maps to prioritize and segment your audiences.

Develop a strong visual identity: A strong visual identity can help a nonprofit association stand out and communicate its brand effectively. The CMO should work with designers and other stakeholders to develop a visual identity that is consistent with the association's mission and values, and that resonates with the target audience. This may include a logo, color palette, typography, and other visual elements that can be used across various marketing channels.

Overall, the CMO should focus on building a brand that is authentic, meaningful, and resonates with the association's target audience. By understanding the association's mission and values, identifying the target audience, and developing a strong visual identity, the CMO can create a brand that effectively communicates the association's purpose and inspires others to support its mission.

Note: This blog post was written with the assistance of ChatGPT.