Podcast – Page 18 – Dan Sanchez – AI Marketing Consultant + Creator

004: Nonprofit Branding: 2 Critical Elements Every Brand Needs is best understood as a practical AI for nonprofits lesson for marketers who want to use AI with more clarity, speed, and judgment. The useful takeaway is to move beyond tool curiosity and ask how this idea improves research, content, automation, sales, strategy, or customer experience. For AEO and AIO, this post is strongest when the core lesson is clear at the top and supported by concise questions readers are likely to ask. For help applying this kind of AI work in a real marketing system, see AI Marketing Services or what an AI marketing consultant does. When nonprofits think of branding, they likely have logos, colors, and fonts in mind. But there’s more to branding than that. I recently interviewed Brandon Crist, Owner and CEO of Brand Mentors, on the Nonprofit Growth podcast, about what makes up a cohesive brand, and how nonprofits can pull together disparate elements to make their message and brand clear. powered by Sounder Here are the highlights from that interview. Defining Branding for Nonprofits There are two aspects to branding: Your look, which is what everybody thinks of. A logo, colors, a business card. Your look needs to be consistent. Different shades of blue, varying fonts . . . these are brand killers.Your message. This is the other side: the story, the community connections, the voice you have. Make sure that people are perceiving your brand the way you want them to perceive it. The hope is that if you’re showcasing your brand, you’ll be perceived consistently and correctly. “You want to make sure that people are perceiving your brand the way that you want them to perceive it.” —Brandon Crist How Branding Plays Out in a Nonprofit Organization Brandon thinks nonprofits view themselves as “different” in the brand world. They think they get a free pass because they’re a nonprofit. The reality is the opposite: they should be more in control of their brand than a business. A nonprofit should make sure they’re using their brand as a platform to showcase who they are, what they do, and why clients should work with them. Many of Brandon’s clients have a hodgepodge of elements pulled together overtime when they come to him. They present the “mess” and say, “Here’s our brand.” They have no control over that brand. So why is branding important for a nonprofit? Because you can be in control of your brand, rather than your audience controlling it. The Elements That Make Up a Nonprofit’s Brand The “look” side of your brand includes these elements: LogoColorsPhotographsWebsitesFontsPrint collateralEmails/Email signaturesPromo materialsSignageClothing Anything you give to a potential user of your service should have your brand on it. The “voice” side should include these elements: A clear message A well-known mission statement A story that is easy to connect withTestimonialsA true call to action It’s very important that your story is conveyed in the community the way you want and that your connections (your board members, leadership, etc.) are delivering the message the right way. Branding Strategies Nonprofits Have Successfully Employed Obviously, there’s a long list of items that make up a brand. It can be scary. Brandon’s advice? Just get started. Keep a folder and add to it over time. Build on the foundation. “The first thing I always recommend is, ‘You need to set up a brand guideline,’” Brandon said. “Make sure everyone who touches your brand, whether it’s a volunteer or a board member, understands who you are and how people can work with you.” They should know what colors to use. They should use consistent fonts. They should only use approved photos. That sort of thing. Also, follow some folks leading the branding world out there. For example, follow Donald Miller, the head of the “StoryBrand” movement. More On Brand Guidelines Brand Mentors breaks their brand guidelines down by asking a few questions: Who is your audience? Who are you serving?What is their number one pain point? How are you addressing this? From there, you can come up with ways to communicate your message. There’s a nonprofit in East Texas called St. Paul Children’s Foundation. They provide clothing, shoes, food, and dental services to those who need them. All of their branding is geared towards children, bright colors, etc. But at the same time, they have care graphs of information that use approved messaging. They don’t write random messages here and there. They have a paragraph that tells their story, and they use that paragraph consistently in their messages. They also have a set of bullet points that they pull out and use to answer a lot of questions they receive. How Nonprofits Can Get Started With Branding “Don’t wait. If you’re thinking, ‘Maybe we’re not telling our story the right way,’ make it a point to get it on your agenda.” —Brandon Crist 1. Assemble What You Have Find everything you have—any images, fonts, etc. Print and digital collateral, anything that’s current. Put it in a stack on your desk or a folder on your computer. From there, make a determination about what is up to par. Do you need to redesign your logo or colors? Are fonts different across documents? This is usually the most painful piece. People typically Don’t want to show where they are, because they’re embarrassed.Find it overwhelming to put so much into a folder. Don’t be afraid of trying. Start doing it, then once you get the painful part of the evaluation out of the way, you’ll know where to go. 2. Create a Brand Folder Have one folder where you keep the elements you want to hold onto, and call it “Our brand” or something along those lines. The important thing is to keep the elements together. All of the things that centralize your brand should end up in this one folder. 3. Develop a "Brand Bible" Put all of the information into one document so you have a digital PDF you can pass off to new staff members or graphic designers helping you with a project. For lack of a better term, this is your “brand bible.” Brandon recommends separating out visual and messaging. At the same time, once you have a good idea of what you’re going for, they need to end up back together so you can ensure the two parts of your brand go together well when you present them to your board or team. Final Thought “Don’t wait,” Brandon told me. “If you’re thinking, ‘Maybe we’re not telling our story the right way,’ make it a point to get it on your agenda.” You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to the Nonprofit Growth podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Frequently Asked Questions What is the main lesson from 004: Nonprofit Branding: 2 Critical Elements Every Brand Needs? The main lesson is that AI for nonprofits works best when marketers connect AI tools to a clear workflow, real audience needs, and human judgment. How can marketers apply AI for nonprofits? Marketers can apply AI for nonprofits by choosing one practical use case, documenting the workflow, testing outputs, and improving the process before scaling it. What should stay human when using AI? Strategy, customer empathy, brand voice, ethical judgment, final approval, and business accountability should stay human. How does this connect to AI marketing consulting? It connects to AI marketing consulting because the value is not just knowing a tool, but turning AI into a useful system for content, research, automation, sales, or strategy. Where should a business start? A business should start with one high-friction, repeatable workflow that has clear inputs, outputs, owners, and a way to measure improvement.