Successful marketing and fundraising efforts – events, mailings, phone solicitations – speak with a singular voice. This is why our initial service is often helping our clients articulate their brand strategy and key messages, which once created, drive and unite all of your communications. At its heart, your brand strategy addresses these questions:

• Who are our key target audiences?
• Who are we? Who do we serve?
• Why are we the best at what we do?
• What is our promise to funders, clients and the community?
• How do current and potential donors view our organization?
• Do our name and visual identity (logo) accurately convey what our organization does?

We ground our creative process in a deep understanding of your organization, similar organizations, and the ways that key stakeholders currently perceive you. Working with you, we craft unique brand positioning and tailored messages that resonate with your key stakeholders. Additionally, we will review your existing name, logo and communication materials and train and inspire your board to be more effective champions of the organization.

The impact of each project varies but many clients report these results:

• Stronger brand and positioning that better reflect the organization
• Consistent messaging and communications about the organization to clients, funders, volunteers, etc.
• Solid foundation for future marketing materials and decisions
• Board and staff with enhanced ability to communicate the organization’s key messages

• Interviews with a range of your key stakeholders
• Competitive audit to evaluate the visual identity and positioning of organizations that compete with your organization for funding and/or clients
• Recommendation regarding whether your organization should keep or change your name and/or visual identity
• Brand strategy, which includes positioning, core attributes, brand personality and key audiences
• Key messages, which extend the brand strategy into concise language for both general and specific audiences
• Audit of your organization’s current marketing/communications materials
• Requirements Brief for Name and Visual Identity which outlines the creative direction and goals for a new name and visual identity based on the brand strategy (as needed)
• Training for Board members on brand strategy and key messages

Our Key Messages & Brand Strategy Service Grant is most likely to be successful under certain circumstances. We recommend you apply if your organization has:

• An Executive Director and Board of Directors strongly committed to this project
• Staff that can invest the necessary time to make the project succeed:
  • Executive Director: 10-15 hours total
  • Day-to-Day Contact: 3-5 hours each week
  • Board of Directors Representative: 5-10 hours total
  • All Board Members: 1-2 hours total
• A current and complete Strategic Plan is required

Your Taproot Foundation team will be staffed by marketing experts who have made a personal commitment to strengthening the nonprofit sector. Visit our volunteer roles page for additional information about Marketing volunteer roles.

If this project appeals to your organization and you have the recommended items in place, please review our grant process and criteria, and then apply. If you have questions about the grant or your eligibility, please contact us.