5 lessons to learn from the best nonprofit brands in the world

Branding is more than a nice logo and colors. It’s the combination of the consistency in your messaging and the emotions attached to it. It’s that overall unexplainable feeling your audience has when they come across any of your adverts, campaigns, stories, photos, or videos. 

When it comes to great branding, here are 5 lessons we can pick from some of our favourite nonprofit brands in the world right now. 

Social media marketing 

Charity: Water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Charity: water has proven that nonprofits can be sparkly brands too and there’s nothing wrong with that. 

What to learn from them?

Strong digital presence; nobody does it quite like them. Along with a superb website, Charity: Water is milking as much as they can on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube & Twitter. They use their platforms to stay engaged with their supporters and push powerful campaigns.

Facebook & Instagram. Charity: Water updates their Facebook page almost every day with image-heavy content. Most posts are photos or videos of people whose lives have been changed by a Charity: Water well. They also post various links to media articles about their organization, announcements for fundraising events, new products available in their store, and new posts on their blog.

YouTube. Charity: Water makes intriguing docu-series that showcase their work in different countries. You get to see the lives of the people they want to change, hear their views, including the locals they work with to drill these wells. 

The charity definitely has a spending budget to keep their socials so active but you too can strive to build community online & always engage people around your mission. 

Storytelling 

Charity: Water tells stories proving that donations lead to tangible, lasting, and meaningful results. They use storytelling that shows a problem, how Charity: Water helped solve it, and why your support can create another story of success.

They take time to create rich narratives about both recipients and donors. Their newsletters are a great example of their storytelling:

Emotive campaigns 

UNICEF is the world’s leading charity ensuring that all children’s rights are realized. It is a big and audacious vision that requires strong strategies.

UNICEF runs some of the most emotive & thought-provoking campaigns that often make the audience question their behaviour, prejudices, and world perspectives of children from different backgrounds. 

Here’s a great example.

Clear & powerful messaging

International Justice Mission is charity that works hard everyday to end modern slavery around the world. 

One second on their website and you’re hit by a powerful rescue story. Unlike other nonprofits who slap their missions on their homepage, IJM breakdown their mission into simple yet clear messages. 

Smart fundraising campaigns 

Charity Water has some of the most relatable campaigns.  They strategically involve their audience to think of original ideas and bring their own campaigns to light. This two-way communication is the reason behind the successful fundraisers. And of course, if you check their financial reports, the numbers are record-breaking each year.

Follow these accounts on social media and study how they manage to stand out from the crowd.