When it comes to nonprofit fundraising, one thing is clear: Your mission is the heart of your organization. But while your cause drives everything you do, a strong, memorable brand is what helps you stand out and attract the major gifts that will take your work to the next level.

Whether you’re at a large, established institution or running a smaller startup nonprofit, your brand should reflect who you are, what you stand for, and how people can get involved. A polished brand boosts credibility and builds trust, but a memorable one moves people to action.

Before thinking about logos, colors, or marketing campaigns, start with the foundation of your nonprofit brand: your mission. What drives your organization? What problem(s) are you solving? What’s your CEO’s vision for the future? These aren’t just feel-good statements – they should be at the core of every message you share.

Example: The Monson Free Library

This small library in Maine has embraced its fun and quirky side by creating TikTok videos that showcase the staff’s personality while highlighting their programs. By tapping into the creativity and passion of their team, they’ve built a brand that’s as unique and welcoming as their services. The community now sees the Monson Free Library as more than a place for books – it’s a place to have fun, get involved, and support something bigger than themselves. Learn more.

Actionable Tip: Start by asking yourself these questions:

• What do we stand for?
• How do we create positive change in people’s lives?
• What kind of emotional connection do we want to build with our audience?​

Answer these clearly, and you’ve got the heart of your brand. Everything else builds from there.

When you think of branding, visual elements like logos, color palettes, and fonts come to mind. These are crucial for creating a consistent, professional presence. But let’s be real – sometimes, nonprofits get so caught up in the “rules” of branding that they lose the ability to stay nimble. There’s a balance between maintaining brand integrity and being flexible enough to seize opportunities in the moment.

Many nonprofits create brand guides with rigid rules for logos, colors, and language. And while I love a good style guide, if these guidelines slow you down or make it harder to engage donors, it’s time to rethink them. A major gift might hinge on a timely, heartfelt social media post or a quick thank-you email. If your guidelines require three layers of approval for every little thing, you could miss your moment.

Example: The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project underwent a major rebrand in 2019, replacing a formal font and muted colors with a bolder typeface and a vibrant, colorful design. The updated branding, along with fresh messaging and visuals, emphasized inclusivity, hope, and support for LGBTQ+ youth. The change strengthened their identity as a safe, approachable, and supportive organization while making them more visually appealing to young people. See their rebrand.

Actionable Tip: If your branding guidelines feel like red tape, ask yourself:

• Does this branding choice serve our mission, or is it just a formality?
• Can we be more flexible in how we communicate without losing integrity?

​Now, let’s talk about the most important aspect of branding – your story. Whether you’re crafting an email appeal, a social media post, or a campaign landing page, your messaging should inspire action. Major donors don’t just give to organizations; they give to stories they believe in. That’s why it’s essential to center your messaging around the people you serve and the change you’re driving in the world.

People want to feel emotionally connected to your cause. Show them the impact they can have through the eyes of those you help.

Example: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude’s branding and messaging revolve around powerful, emotional stories of families whose lives have been transformed by their medical care. These stories create a deep personal connection, inspiring donors to give and stay engaged. Explore their storytelling approach.

Actionable Tip: Incorporate donor-centered language into your messaging:

• Focus on what the donor’s gift makes possible.
• Share authentic stories of people whose lives have been impacted by your work.
• Use visuals (photos, videos) to bring your cause to life.

A memorable nonprofit brand is more than a logo or a catchy slogan – it’s a vehicle for connection. It drives donor engagement, cultivates long-term support, and inspires major gifts. To build a brand that resonates, focus on three key principles:

1. Be flexible enough to adjust messaging and tactics based on current events, donor feedback, or unexpected opportunities. Don’t let rigid branding guidelines hinder meaningful engagement.
2. Be authentic in your communications. People give to organizations that feel genuine and trustworthy, so let your mission shine through every touchpoint.
3. Be consistent in your message and visual identity across all channels – your website, social media, and email appeals. Consistency builds recognition and trust over time.

Branding isn’t about flashy logos or catchy taglines – it’s about making an emotional connection with your supporters. When your brand reflects your mission, values, and unique story, it becomes a powerful tool for attracting major gifts and building lasting relationships.

Your nonprofit’s story is powerful. Make it memorable. Make it matter. And don’t be afraid to let your passion shine through.

Now – it’s your turn. Have you been through a rebrand? Was the process the transformation you hoped for? Do you feel your branding guidelines and processes support your fundraising work or hold you back? Let me know in the comments!

​Cheers!

PS - I hope you’ll continue the conversation by subscribing to Real Deal Fundraising. When you subscribe, you’ll get my e-newsletter, which includes the best articles on fundraising, productivity, and cool stuff every week. The whole thing is curated awesomeness as well as freebies like webinars, instructional videos, and whatever else I can put together to be helpful to you!

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I made a post some time recently about using Etsy to reduce graphic design costs. It's a great option for some shops but after writing that post, a friend and colleague pointed me to Canva.com. It is by-far the best tools for amateurs to produce quality graphic design that I've seen. In just a few weeks, it has become indispensable to me, both personally and professionally. 

For example, we are using Canva at the school I currently work for to produce graphics for a social media campaign around a challenge grant. We update the numbers regularly. This would be something we might have to pay a graphic designers for each image but we do all of this in-house now. Not only are we saving money but we can produce top-quality images fast and have the ability to produce more in quantity and variety than ever before. (And Canva isn't just for digital images. You can download print-quality images and send those to the print shop.)

I also use Canva to produce images for my blog and the cover of my e-book. It's been fun learning this tool and everything it can do. Best of all, Canva is largely free to use. There are some valuable features available via their paid product: Canva for Work. If you want to share images and work on them with colleagues or save your brand fonts and colors, Canva for Work is only $19 or so per month. 

Canva makes money by selling the images on their site for $1 each. I've used a few but not many. I find it equally easy to snap pictures of things that would make interesting backgrounds on my phone and then use those. I don't make any money in recommending Canva. I just felt that as a follow-up to my previous article, I should alert my readership to this amazing resource that makes our work so much easier.

PS - Canva has a great app that makes it seamless to move images on and off your phone. So, if you use instagram quite a bit for fundraising, this a big advantage.

In my current job, I have to be very budget conscious and protective of my own time. I am pretty much a one person shop but we do a number of events of various size throughout the year. I was spending too much money ordering invitations online from sites like Paperless Post. I would have to wait 10 days to get the materials before I could stuff envelopes and the designs were not customizable enough for my taste.

I knew we could do better. I searched for "corporate invitations" on Etsy and after a bit of searching I found Eden Creative Studios. I liked the style of her print-your-own invitations. I sent her a message letting her know I needed 8 different custom versions of her templates. She customized them and gave me a 20% discount for paying for them all at once.

Four custom save-the-dates and four custom invitations cost my organization only $144! We did a few drafts back and forth, getting it exactly how I liked it and then she sent me PDFs (for sending to the print shop) and JPEGs (for use in HTML emails).

I sent the designs to a local print shop and starting stuffing within 2 days of sending the invitations to print. I've gotten lots of compliments on how the cards look from donors and friends of the school. If you are a small shop with graphic design needs, you can get beautiful work done on Etsy and save your institution some money.

You can see redacted versions of some of the invitations and save-the-dates that Eden did for my organization in the slideshow above.