"How can you tell if your organization needs a brand refresh or a website update?" This question has been on my mind since meeting with a fellow consultant a few weeks ago, First name / friend. While many nonprofit leaders have a good sense of what they need, I realized it’s important to pinpoint the specific signs that signal whether it’s time to refresh your brand or update your website. Here are some ways these needs might surface within your organization: Fundraising: - Shape-shifting mission: You tweak your mission for each grant application or donor meeting.
- Event engagement: Donations and attendance have flatlined or declined. Most of the same people come to your events and give the same as they have for the past 2-3 years.
- Online donations: Your donation process feels cumbersome, and connecting donors to impact isn’t as clear as it could be.
- Partnership struggles: Explaining your work to external partners is difficult, and corporate sponsorships have dwindled.
Marketing & Communications: - Outdated visuals: Your logo or website feels dated, and you’re constantly searching Canva for fresh design ideas.
- Message confusion: Your team struggles to explain what your nonprofit does, and donors seem confused when they hear it, too.
- Brand relevance: Your brand feels out of touch with social, cultural, or sector trends.
- High bounce rate: Website traffic is growing, but so is your bounce rate. According to Dot Org Solutions, a good bounce rate is less than 40%.
- No brand guidelines: Your team doesn’t have a central document or Canva Brand Kit to ensure consistency.
Programming: - Merging or expanding: You’ve introduced new programs that aren’t clearly articulated or shared in the community yet.
- New audiences: Your brand doesn’t align with or resemble the new people you serve.
- Measurable impact: You’re unsure of key metrics like volunteer sign-ups, registrations, or email inquiries.
Operations: - No onboarding structure: There’s no clear onboarding process or branded swag for employees and volunteers.
- Jumbled mission: Your mission and vision statements are full of jargon and hard to remember.
- Employee turnover: You’re losing top talent to “cooler” organizations with a seemingly more attractive internal culture.
Unsure if your brand or website needs an update? Explore more indicators and find out how a fresh look could boost your mission. |
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Branding won’t solve everything at once, First name / friend, but it can help align these areas and remove barriers to consistency. If you need a second opinion, let’s chat! I’ll keep everything confidential and provide actionable steps to move forward. Every week in October (starting next week!), I'm sharing spine-chilling tales of design projects gone wrong and the lessons we can learn from them. From patchwork designs to drifting missions, this series will be quirky and fun, while also giving you practical tips to avoid nightmare projects. Grab your flashlights and join me as we explore the dark side of design—and how to keep your brand from turning into a horror story, First name / too! |
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P.S. If you’re wondering whether you need a brand update or a website refresh, look for signs across your organization, like outdated visuals, confusing messaging, or trouble engaging with your donors. A clear brand helps align your mission and improves consistency across the board. |
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