6 Things Your Nonprofit Board Can Do to Support Your Organization

In speaking with my nonprofit clients, skimming nonprofit Facebook groups, and generally keeping tabs on nonprofit concerns, one topic emerges quite a bit: the board of directors. Who should you recruit? What are their responsibilities? How do you engage them? And, um, how do you replace them? Those are just a few of the many questions people have about their board members.

And while we can’t answer all of these questions here today, I’d love to introduce to Terri Theisen, who will answer at least one of them for you. Terri is a nonprofit board consultant who partners with my friends over at the Atlanta Women’s Foundation for their Women on Board program.

I’ve asked her to share about some common board member responsibilities and best practices. Specifically, she’s going to explain six things your nonprofit board can do to support your organization—even if the board is already doing great work. Her advice will give you a good idea of what your next step can be to keep your board active, engaged, and supportive.

The nonprofit sector is filled with generous, giving, and smart people who spend countless hours of their time and donate their hard-earned, personal financial resources to nonprofit organizations. We refer to these people as “volunteers,” and a certain subset of these volunteers take on the legal and fiduciary responsibilities of being part of the board of directors for nonprofit organizations that they care so deeply about.

Since 2000, the Women on Board program of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation has been training and supporting these volunteers who are interested in serving on—and are already serving on—the boards of nonprofit organizations and preparing them for positions of leadership. And, to date, more than 3,500 women have been trained in board governance and leadership skills.

Below you’ll find a few of the principles we teach for making the best use of your nonprofit board of directors.

WHAT DOES A NONPROFIT BOARD MEMBER DO?

The position of “nonprofit board member” is more complex than ever before. The roles of “board member” and “professional staff” continue to evolve and change. The pace of learning and knowledge within the nonprofit sector is moving at lightning speed, too, making it difficult for board members to keep up with trends.

There are regulatory requirements for board members to understand, policy requirements for board members to know about, and funding competition for board members to strategize around. It takes a lot of dedication and diligence to be a nonprofit board member!

But there are a few things that board members can do, even in already-high-functioning organizations, that will make a difference for their board colleagues, for the staff, and most of all, for the nonprofit whose mission they care so deeply about.

WHAT ARE SOME NONPROFIT BOARD MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES AND BEST PRACTICES?

This is not a complete list, but here are six things to start your board’s conversation.

1) Work from facts.

Insist that this is the starting point for conversation in the organization. What is true about where we are at this point in time? How does it compare to a previous point in time, e.g. last month, last quarter, last year? 

If the nonprofit doesn’t yet have the capability of working in this way, board members can be ideally suited to supporting the set-up of such a structured way of thinking and working over time. And if the nonprofit isn’t yet capturing information that can be turned into data, that is another opportunity board members can assist with or champion.

2) Take the time to understand the finances—even if you aren’t a “financial person.”

As a board member, an obligation to understand the nonprofit’s financial condition comes with the job title.

The most important things to understand are:

• How much cash do we have in the bank?

• How much cash do we need to meet our obligations?

• Are we in danger of not being able to meet those obligations? If yes, when will that happen, and what can be done about that? 

• What does “optimal” look like for our organization? What would it take for us to get to THAT state of being?

3) Understand what the nonprofit actually does every day to deliver the mission of the organization.

Set aside 10-15 minutes of every board meeting for an overview and discussion about at least one program or service so that real learning takes place. Board members need to hear and see facts and stories about the programs the organization delivers to the community.

This point is especially true if the organization is engaged in public policy or advocacy work that can impact large numbers of people, but that work can be difficult to describe. Something like this: “As an organization, we do “x” so “y” happens, and then the improvement in people’s lives is “z.”

4) Establish performance objectives for the organization’s chief executive each year.

In partnership with your chief executive and fellow board members, performance objectives that are measurable should be developed for your chief executive’s performance for the organization’s fiscal year. The measurable objectives should be tied to the organization’s strategic plan.

Normally, a committee of the board would take the lead in working with the chief executive on this, but considering that this is one of the things that nonprofit boards traditionally don’t do well, one board member can make a difference in taking the lead on this and say, “Let’s get this done.”

It’s an important step and sets the tone throughout the entire organization for measurement, accountability, and evaluation.

5) Fulfill the obligations you committed to when you joined the nonprofit board, including the personal financial contribution.

Every board member should be a donor to the organization. The personal financial contributions of board members are critical to the organization’s ability to attract other financial support.

6) Make sure that the nonprofit has a plan—a “roadmap”—to guide its direction for the next several years.

The board, in partnership with the chief executive, can provide the structure (if needed) and support to develop high-level vision and goals, with an understanding of what success looks like, so that the chief executive and the staff can then build the plan for the organization at a more detailed level.

Many resources exist for nonprofit boards to utilize in their quest for excellence, and one of my favorites is BoardSource. I also recommend programs like Women on Board that support boards in being their best.

A nonprofit organization’s board of directors is there to govern the organization, but it is also a resource for the organization and can be an asset in a myriad of ways when properly organized and engaged.

---

Terri Theisen is the founder and principal consultant of Theisen Consulting, a national management consulting firm providing strategic counsel and consulting to nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, grantmaking foundations, coalitions and collaboratives, corporate civic engagement and social responsibility programs, and government agencies throughout the United States.

She also created and teaches the Women on Board curriculum, a program of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation designed to increase the number of women on nonprofit boards in metro Atlanta by providing effective board governance training and connecting participants to nonprofits.

Facebook I Twitter I LinkedIn I Instagram

---

---

PIN THIS POST FOR LATER:

---

I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

---

11 Simple Ways to Improve Your Year-End Giving Campaign

We’re headed into the final weeks of the year, which means nonprofit fundraising is in overdrive. About 30% of nonprofit donations occur during the month of December, so yes—it’s go time! And whether you’re late to the party or have been planning for months, I know you’re all about maximizing your time and effort. So, I’ve outlined 11 simple ways to improve your year-end giving campaign.

Notice I said “simple,” not “easy,” because we all know there’s a big difference! Simple is focused, minimal, or straight-forward. Easy is typically done in a short time period and with little work.

Simple is Joanna Gaines decorating a room effortlessly and beautifully because it’s what she does every day. Easy is me picking up her decor at Target rather than me trying to design a room on my own. (Thanks, Jo!)

So, while some of these ideas take more energy and planning than others, all are time-tested and proven to help increase your donations. Think about what you’ve already got planned, and then take a peek below to see what you can include in your upcoming fundraising campaign. It’s likely that at least one of these ideas can enhance your current strategy.

People are feeling charitable (and tax-deductible) this time of year, so let’s make sure your cause gets their attention.

1. Ask For Only One Thing in your year-end giving campaign

Chances are, you’re going to be asking for donations. If that’s the case, ask your tribe to show you the money.

Don’t also ask them to follow you on social media, watch an unrelated video, join your Facebook Group, register for something . . . and, well, you get the point. Keep your emails and communication focused on the one, main thing you want them to do. Any other asks can come later. The exceptions to this rule would be something like a contest where they have to take multiple actions for an entry.

Additionally, you can leave some of these smaller asks such as social media links in secondary spaces like footers. You can also still make some of these requests occasionally on your platforms. Just be sure that you’re creating more content than you are asking for something because it shows that you want to build a relationship.

However, when you are sending an email, posting about your year-end giving campaign, or presenting to a group of people, keep it simple. Ask for only one thing and don’t clutter your message.

Remember, Nonprofits Source says that “30% of annual giving occurs in December.” So, this is no time to confuse people on what you want them to do! Giving them too many options or actions may result in them taking no action at all. Yikes.

2. Evaluate Your NONPROFIT’S Website For Optimal Giving

Even if people typically donate to your nonprofit through social media, text, or an app, you need get your website’s house in order to optimize year-end giving. Many people still give through websites, and if someone is new to you or your cause, they may check out your site before donating through another avenue like texting.

Make sure your campaign is front-and-center on your homepage, your donate button is easy to see and ideally in the top right corner, and evaluate any other pages where giving should be mentioned.

No need to only designate one or two pages for fundraising efforts. Of course, you don’t want to bombard people, but it may be appropriate to create an “event” for your campaign on your calendar page, add a pop up, or even include it on your About page. Additionally, you can create a banner at the top of your site that will display on all pages. (See mine in red at the top?) This is done through the “Hello Bar” plug-in on Wordpress and the “Announcement Bar” in Squarespace.

Want more of an explanation? Take a look at my video on how your website is less like IKEA and more like a mall.

3. Increase Your Promotion Frequency

There’s a tricky balance to this, and I explain it more in this video, but you definitely want to increase your email/social media/video/promotion frequency leading into year-end giving. This practice holds true anytime you launch something new, but especially because you’ll be dealing with a lot of competition during the holidays. Other nonprofits will be combing the interwebs for more donations, too, and lest we forget about all of those unbelievable sales at your favorite retail stores.

The takeaway here is that you shouldn’t send an email in November and December, post the campaign on social media a couple of times, and call it a day. You are going to have to work hard for that money, as the song goes. And you’re going to have to see it through until the end. Give Back Nation states that 12% of annual giving occurs during the last three days of December! So, send those reminders!

The caveat here is for my friends who’ve been so busy working that they let all their marketing and communications efforts fall by the wayside. Is that you? No judgement, but now’s the time to rev up those engines. Start now by sending your audience an email on what’s been happening, posting the latest on social media, and having general update conversations with people. This way you aren’t only going to send them a bunch of requests for money. That’s no bueno.

4. Offer Multiple Ways to Give to your nonprofit

Give your people multiple ways to give. This goes back to the basics of knowing your audience. If you have a younger audience, consider adding the ability to donate via text. Check out these compelling stats from Mobile Cause, including the one that says, “96% of donors use a mobile phone as their primary device.”

If you have an older audience, you might want to consider hopping back on the snail mail wagon. There is no perfect answer here. The right answer is the one that works for your tribe.

Again, you always want to make it easy for them to donate by removing any barriers in their path.

5. Add a Bonus

If you’ve got merchandise on your hands, you may want to give donors a gift in exchange for their contribution. You could even have something created just for this purpose, like a mug, tumbler, t-shirt, or jewelry. What do your people love?

People who are invested in your organization and your cause will be delighted to receive swag for their support. Plus, then they’re carrying your message around with them in public. (<— good marketing!)

6. Get Up Close and Personal with your donors

I don’t need to go in-depth on this one, but a face-to-face interaction will always be your best bet when it comes to fundraising. It works better than any sponsor presentation, email, video, or social media post. Get on the calendar of your biggest donors to date, or potential big givers, and make your case over lunch or coffee. Maybe even pay for it!

Another option here is to at least email people personally and start a conversation. Don’t rely on the mass emails that come from your nonprofit. Write specifically to that one person, and make sure they know it’s coming straight from you. (For the right people, phone calls or video chats are also a good option here.)

Don’t have time? This is potentially the most powerful of all the ideas you’ll read here today, so if you don’t have time, I suggest you make it.

7. Get Everyone on Board

Year-end fundraising is an all hands on deck situation! Make sure your board, employees, volunteers, and any other key stakeholders are carrying the banner.

I talk about this topic a lot on the blog and elsewhere as it relates to launching (<— the creation and promotion of something new), but this is a big deal, so it shouldn’t be left to the development or communications department. Everyone needs to be involved!

(For more on this topic, read this post.)

8. Go Out and network

Yes, it’s getting chilly outside, but this may be the prime time to get out there and start cultivating more donors at events, whether you’re hosting them or not. There’s already plenty happening this season!

It’s easy to leave all of the fundraising to your digital marketing strategy, but shaking hands has a powerful impact on people. In fact, this study shows that “a handshake preceding social interaction enhanced the positive impact of approach and diminished the negative impact of avoidance behavior on the evaluation of social interaction.”

A handshake and a smile can put people at ease, and give you an open door for talking about your cause. Someone may not be ready to donate during that first interaction, but you’re paving the way to a future relationship, which is a big win overall.

9. Participate in #GivingTuesday (At Least to Some Extent)

Some of you probably love #GivingTuesday, and some of you could care less. Some of you may even be new to the “holiday” as a whole, since it’s been around less than a decade.

Now in its eighth year, this unofficial holiday occurs the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and celebrates ways people can contribute to causes, whether monetary, through volunteering, or some other type of involvement.

A few of my clients have participated in #GivingTuesday in the past, but most haven’t. What I suggest to them all, however, is to jump into the mix in some way or another. There are tens of thousands of charities participating each year, so why not be a part of the conversation?

You don’t have to come up with a specific #GivingTuesday campaign, but I think it’s a great idea to send an email on this day or the day before, post on social media about your year-end fundraising campaign, and anything else that keeps you in front of your audience while numerous other nonprofits are out there seeking donations.

Even the most generous of us still only have so much money to go around, so make sure you’re getting a piece of that pie.

10. Ask Partners to Promote your year-end giving campaign

If you are lucky enough to have influencers, partners, sponsors, and the like who rally around your cause, it may be time to call in a favor. You may, of course, need to do something for them in return (or at least offer), but if there’s someone who can help you get your message out in the world, this could be a great time to rally the troops.

Let me sing my song again, though: Make it easy for them. Don’t just say thanks, and leave them to put together their own social media promotions and emails. It’s less likely to get done, or the messaging may not be what you want.

Always offer to create whatever resources they may need to share about your nonprofit. If they don’t need anything, great! But if they do, you’ll be the hero!

11. Recruit Someone to Match Gifts

I’ve left this one for last because it’s potentially the hardest. In fact, because we’re already in November, it may even be too late. But depending on your network and resources, maybe not! I’d certainly give it a try. If it’s an option you need to table for now, make it one of your top priorities for next year.

And let me clarify. This idea could include workplace charitable giving with a matching option, or one of those, “Give by December 15th and all donations will be matched up to $50,000” kind of campaigns that is instigated by one generous donor.

According to Double the Donation, “Mentioning matching gifts in fundraising appeals results in a 71% increase in the response rate and a 51% increase in the average donation amount (and that’s prior to receiving matching gift funds).” That stat makes it a big deal!

So, determine your heavy-hitters as well as your corporate partners, and see what it will take to move the needle in your direction. This could be a huge win for your nonprofit!

What else has helped you haul in those end of year donations?

---

---

PIN THIS POST FOR LATER:

---

I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

---

How To Overcome Scarcity Mindset As A Social Impact Leader

The last time Daron Dickens appeared on this blog, it was to talk about how to make self-care regular and intentional. Today, I’m calling on his expertise as a marriage and family counselor to talk to us (me included!) about how to overcome scarcity mindset as a social impact leader.

I was chatting with a friend the other day about the fact that entrepreneurship, and leadership in general, magnifies our strengths and weaknesses, confidence and insecurities, gifts and shortcomings. It can be the highest of highs and lowest of lows. And it’s hard enough for an individual, but then throw a team into the mix, and you’ve got a constant mirror for self-reflection.

And here’s the reality: Your scarcity mindset affects your social impact.

There’s a direct correlation because our organizations reflect us as leaders.

Hopefully, you’re constantly trying to improve yourself as you improve your nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business. That includes sharpening your skills and your thinking patterns. As you evolve, so does your organization.

So, if you also struggle with a scarcity mindset, but strive for a growth mindset, I think you can learn something from Daron’s advice. I know you probably feel like there’s never enough time, money, and resources, but if that’s where you focus your thinking, that may always be the case.

There are already enough challenges in your work. Don’t let your mindset be one of them.

What is a Scarcity Mindset?

“Only two left.”

“Act now—supplies are limited!”

“You don’t want to miss out! This opportunity won’t last long.”

These are just a few common messages we hear every day in the world of sales; a world that is perfectly designed to elicit thoughts and feelings of scarcity.

Scarcity is the idea that there’s a limited amount of resources. If we don’t act quickly, we will be on the outside looking in, unable to access valuable resources, money, deals, or opportunities.

In short, we will miss out.

These are a few common (and sometimes silly) examples, but they can still cause us to have real feelings of anxiety. They can cause us to spend money that we don’t have, and buy things that we don’t need. If you’re like most people, you’ve experienced this sometime in your life—and have some object in your house as a reminder.

As harmless as these situations may often be, they are just small examples of a greater mindset that can cause a much larger struggle when it comes to trying to live a healthy, connected life. And isn’t that what we’re all striving for?

Forms of these messages can show up, not only at Walmart, Amazon, or on eBay, but in our politics, our global economy, our societal interactions, or even in our social impact organizations. Certainly in us as leaders.

The scarcity mindset can erode the very things that we hold so dear, and keep us from living out who we really are.

our brains in a Scarcity Mindset

The mindset of scarcity, or the feeling that there’s not enough, especially when it comes to resources, registers in the brain as a threat.

Often when our brain identifies a threat, we slide from the frontal lobe to the lizard brain. The frontal lobe is the area that allows us to problem solve, to access creativity, to connect relationally, and to see things from many different sides.

The lizard brain, as you probably know, is only concerned with eliminating the threat, usually through flight, fight, or freezing. Most of the time, this comes in the form of a ”us versus THEM” mentality.

Essentially, the lizard brain skews data and causes perception to overtake reality.

Meaning, it may have you thinking things that simply aren’t true. (But they feel true.)

Abundance and Scarcity: A Complicated Relationship

Here’s the truth; the reality of things, if you will: In the United States, we live in a time where abundance is at an all-time high.

We live in a time where you can buy almost anything you could ever imagine cheaply, and with a click of a button. If that weren’t enough, strolling through the aisles of your neighborhood megamart can satisfy almost any whim you might ever experience. Not only that, but the things that we have are bigger, faster, and more sophisticated than ever before.

So what’s the problem?

Why aren’t we satisfied? And worse, why do we seem to be struggling with accumulating more and more because we feel that we have less and less?

You can blame it on marketing, or the need to create a market for things that should last much longer in a quickly-changing technological society, or a political scheme to get people more malleable, or even an overarching alien conspiracy.

The truth is more complex, though. A mix of many things from many sources. We may never find out for sure, and we certainly don’t have control over a lot of these areas.

One thing we do have control over is what we do despite the messages.

When we give in to the scarcity mindset, we tend to become more suspicious, less likely to share the resources that we have, and more likely to live a life of discontent.

• Being aware that this mindset doesn’t align with our reality can help.

• Making decisions based on your values rather than the emotional reaction of these messages you hear every day will allow you to live out who you are.

• Focusing less on where the messages are coming from, and more how to live according to your values regardless of the messages will, in turn, erode the credibility and effectiveness of the messages.

3 Tips for Beating the Scarcity Mindset as a Social Impact Leader

Here are a few helpful suggestions for living out your values rather than through the fear and anxiety of scarcity mindset.

1. Work from a realistic budget.

By using a budget you can see what you actually have and don’t have. You will be able to see what is coming in and out so that you don’t get caught up in fear and anxiety. Likewise, it will allow you to know what spending is frivolous and what spending is necessary.

Make a plan for how to scale and save when times are good, and how to cut back when times are tough. Having a plan also allows you to feel more in control, and having a budget allows you to deal with facts rather than feelings.

Also consider your money mindset. How do you feel about money? Is it good, bad, just a tool to continue your work? The thoughts, emotions, and “power” you give to money will show up in many ways, both personally and professionally, and if you don’t start building a better relationship with money, it will always seem beyond your control.

2. Work with other nonprofits and social enterprises in the same area you are serving.

Scarcity mentality will cause you to see them as the enemy. However, if you’re really working towards a common cause, they are your allies not your enemies. There shouldn’t be a market share on goodness.

Find ways to collaborate so that each of you plays to your strengths and continues to serve the community as a whole. You probably do it a little bit differently anyway, and those differences may complement one another more than you realize.

Just like there’s room for more than one Mexican restaurant in your town, there’s room for multiple people serving the same cause!

3. Generosity begets generosity.

In a world where giving or buying is essential for the survival of your nonprofit or social impact company, a scarcity mentality has no place. Generosity isn’t just for the people that you’re asking to support you, or for the people you support, but also in the way you live out your mission as a leader.

You’ll find that your work is more fulfilling, both as an individual and as a team, because you feel more aligned with your purpose. (And increased satisfaction is a remedy for burnout.) It’s also quite possible that those who benefit from your work will notice a difference, and that your reputation in the community may become more positive as well.

Live intentionally. Live with value. Be aware. Act according to who you are inside regardless of what is happening outside. Remember, we are always better together than we are in isolation.

From KP: If you’d like to continue learning, here are a two resources on scarcity mindset that I’ve come across recently:

• How to Poverty Mindset Sabotages Your Fundraising

• Why the Scarcity Mindset is Hurting Our Financial Sustainability and Social Impact

---

Daron Dickens is a Marriage and Family Therapist who has practiced for 18 years. He also previously served as a pastor for 20 years. He lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, with his wife, Margaret, and his sons, Truman and Carter. He loves pie, reading, coffee, and everything baseball.

You can find him on:

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Instagram

---

---

PIN THIS POST FOR LATER:

---

I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

---

Ask the Experts: Design and Branding for Social Impact Organizations

As a copywriter, I love talking words. But, in order to serve you well, I can’t ignore the visual side of your marketing and communications. So, when it comes to design and branding for social impact organizations, I can dish out some pretty good advice, but my secret weapon is the company I keep.

I’m friends with some pretty terrific graphic designers, and Jaci Lund of Treebird Branding is one of my favs. Take a look at her site, and you’ll see what I mean.

Branding and design for your nonprofit, social enterprise, and social impact company can probably feel a little overwhelming at times because you know it’s important, but your mission comes first. So, not a lot of time and dollars usually get allocated to your visual identity. Or, you’re so busy juggling more important things that you have no idea what the latest design trends are that you should be keeping up with.

If you feel like you’re out of the loop on this topic, Jaci is going to clear some things up for you. And, better yet, she’ll tell you where should focus your efforts. Sound good?

Q. What are the latest trends in design and branding for social impact organizations?

A. I’d like to start with something a bit counterintuitive: Ignore trends! A trend, by definition, is fleeting. Mission-driven organizations like nonprofits and social enterprises that chase trends end up looking dated and out of touch within a year or two. Trends also are defined by the external zeitgeist, and your true north needs to be your own mission and vision.

So instead of chasing the latest trend, I’d say to focus on you and your target audience. You know what you stand for, you know what your audience responds to. Focus on that and ignore the noise.

Q. What is the biggest mistake you see people making in regard to design and branding?

A. I would say confusing a logo with a brand is something we encounter a lot. A logo or wordmark or tagline is essential to your brand, but it’s only a very small part of your brand.

The colors you choose also elicit very specific reactions. Your photographic style tells your story in the way you want it to be perceived. Your fonts, your website’s information architecture, all of these align with your brand.

When you only give power to your logo to carry your brand, you’re missing out on a truly holistic experience. And your donors, customers, and prospects will notice.

Q. What is your best piece of advice to those wanting to improve their social impact organization’s visual identity?

A. I’m going to roll with the counterintuitive again. You should be bored with your brand. That’s to say, your brand needs to be so consistent that it becomes ho-hum in your life.

Do you think the Nike designers love putting the swoosh on every sneaker, day after day, year after year? Probably not. But they get to design the sneaker around the swoosh. Those are the parameters.

You have to put your brand within a box, and then true creativity emerges within that box. But if Nike did a swoosh one year, a chevron the next, and then a representation of the Greek goddess of victory, how would you even know they were Nike? This also relates to the chasing trends fallacy. Be true to yourself, and your best-fit audiences will find you and stick with you.

Also, you are not your audience. You have to stare at your brand every day. But your audience has fleeting experiences with your brand. You need to always remind them of who you are and what you stand for. And that means consistency, consistency, consistency.

Q. What is one thing readers can do this week to improve their nonprofit or social enterprise’s design and branding?

A. We can all do a brand self-audit. I liken this to the Konmari method: If any of your collateral doesn’t spark brand, get rid of it.

There are a few great quotes from writers about this. Hemingway talked about having a “built-in, shock-proof shit detector” when it came to editing. Faulkner famously said “you have to kill your darlings.” All of that means you need to take an objective, dispassionate look at what you’re presenting to the world and make hard choices to edit what’s not on-brand.

Get rid of the precious and keep the essential.

Q. Anything else we should keep in mind?

A. Do less and remain consistent rather than do more and risk inconsistency. Branding is about focus and sacrifice more than about expansion and add-ons. A tight brand is a memorable brand. An expanded brand almost always gets diluted and confused in the minds of prospects.

Q. Do you have any resources that would be helpful so people can learn more?

A. It’s a bit of a dinosaur at this point, but The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al and Laura Ries is a standard for a reason. Also Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath has very sage and actionable advice.

Thanks, Jaci! Excellent info!

---

Jaci’s quick wit, intent listening, and native intelligence come across as soon as you meet her—and carry over to her branding and graphic identity solutions at Treebird Branding, where she fuses strategy and sophistication, daring and restraint in just the right doses. With a dual focus on creating original branding for new concepts and revitalizing the look and feel of even the most-established brands, Jaci approaches each project with a fresh, thoughtful, and insightful perspective.

Facebook I Instagram

---

---

PIN THIS POST FOR LATER:

---

I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

---