Branding Tips for Civil Society Organisations
There is no gainsaying that branding plays a central role in ensuring the success of any corporate organ, its product(s) and/or service(s) in any market milieu, notwithstanding the challenges. When done properly, branding not only creates instant recognition for an organisation in a given niche or industry, it also builds irresistible loyalty in the minds of clients, and thus amplifies community influence, social impact, and income of the said organisation. Branding may be defined in our context as, an organisation’s ability to tell its story in a manner that creates positive experiences, attracts loyalty to its mission, fosters corporate philosophy and assures stakeholders about the significance of its interventions. Branding is therefore an active rather than passive exercise. It requires a conscious and consistent effort by the organisation. In recent years, corporate branding seems to be predominantly undertaken by for-profit business entities; with little or no effort being invested in the branding of not-for-profit businesses. Nonetheless, if what is good for the goose is also good for the gander, then corporate branding is as essential for civil society organisations (CSOs) as it is for profitmaking entities. It is essential for CSOs because it is a vital means to get development stakeholders to be more informed about their work. This would enable informed development stakeholders to support an organisation’s mission, programmes, and interventions.
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