Five ways to strengthen your charity's brand
For the second year running, Macmillan Cancer Support has been named the YouGov CharityIndex top brand. Through daily surveys on the YouGov website the CharityIndex tool measures the public’s perception of charities across a wide range of areas – from whether people have noticed a brand in the news to whether they would donate to it. So, what makes a strong charity brand? We have looked at our data from the CharityIndex and other research to identify five things that help make a strong charity brand.
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1. Know your audience
Different charities within the same area have very distinct audiences and it is important to make sure your brand resonates with the right people. A good example is the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals. With a mission to care for the pets of people in need by providing free veterinary services, the charity speaks loudest to those on the lowest incomes. Not only is its reputation score highest among those earning less than £25,000 but the lowest earners are also the group most likely to donate to it.
2. Foster a relationship with your local supporters
The RNLI’s profile is maintained by the unique work it does and the way it communicates with its supporters and the public. The charity tends not to use hard-hitting campaigns, and it doesn’t have to. Instead, the RNLI focuses on talking to the local communities it serves about what it does. Barely a day goes past when the charity is not in the local news for a rescue, fundraising drive or the launch of a new vessel. This shows how the charity serves the local community and also the work local supporters do for the organisation.
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3. Be prepared for viral fundraising opportunities
Viral fundraising is a relatively new phenomenon and – for the lucky charities involved – can lead to unexpected windfalls, both financially and in terms of brand strength. The key for a charity brand is to be prepared and react in the right way at the right time. Even though last year’s #nomakeupselfie campaign was not instigated by Cancer Research UK, the organisation realised almost immediately what it could do for the brand and got behind the campaign at an early stage, making sure that online buzz led directly to donations. Data shows that #nomakeupselfie crossed over to the mainstream and made an impact even among those who do not use social media. Non-Twitter and Facebook users’ consideration scores (how likely they would be to donate) rose from 40% at the start of the campaign to 47% in the two weeks after. This increased the campaign’s momentum and further boosted the charity’s brand profile.
4. Think like a brand
Although charities are altruistic in nature, the biggest and most high-profiles ones view themselves as brands and approach all their marketing efforts as any other business would. Around its World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, Macmillan used all the tools of the modern marketer, with great success. The organisation linked a social media campaign to print and digital efforts to both drive donations and awareness, all the while showcasing the grassroots efforts. Macmillan’s word of mouth exposure score shows that while 11% of people were discussing Macmillan before the event, in the two weeks after the event this figure rose to 17%.
5. Make the most of your time in the spotlight
Charity campaigns often take ownership of a particular day or event and it is important that organisations get everything they can out of their time in the spotlight. A good example of this is the Royal British Legion, which stages its major fundraising drive and awareness campaign around Remembrance Day. While its CharityIndex scores are always positive, the organisation has a pronounced spike around the anniversary of the Armistice. At the start of October its buzz score – which measures whether people have heard or seen anything about a brand in the previous two weeks – stood at 7.0 on 17 October, a figure that increased to 25.9 by 25 November.
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Briony Gunstone is an associate director at YouGov.
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