A fairly thorough literature review has been undertaken concerning the topic of brand building for Not-For-Profit organisations.
I am attempting to bring together a couple of principles which will explain our approach to the Pro Bono Campaign.
PRINCIPLE ONE: BRAND IDEALS
Ogilvy are proponents of the idea of Brand Ideals. Millward Brown, also part of WPP, have initiated a measurement tool for Brand Ideals which is said to the “the engine of business growth.” A Brand Ideal is defined as “a higher purpose of a brand or an organisation which goes beyond the product or service that they sell. The ideal is the brand’s inspirational reason for being. It explains why the brand exists and the impact it seeks to make in the world. A brand ideal actively aims to improve the quality of people’s lives.”
Here is how the concept of brand ideals is applied in the For Profits sector: * Dove believes that the world would be better if women were allowed to feel good about themselves. * Fanta believes that the world would be a better place if we grew up less and played more. * Scrabble believes that the world would be a better place if we loved words more. * Adidas believes that the world would be better place if people went beyond their normal boundaries. * Coca-Cola believes that the world would be a better place if we saw the glass as half full – not half empty.
PRINCIPLE TWO: APPLICATION OF BRANDING IN NON-PROFITS
Several Universities, including Stanford and Harvard, have investigated the role, or application of, branding in the Not-For-Profit (NFP) sector. They have found an increasing number of NFPs are using branding principles and are developing a broader, more strategic approach in managing their brands to create a greater social impact.
The starting point, they say, is that the NFP organisation needs to be clear about their mission and their values i.e. their purpose for existence and why anyone should care. The internal mission and values need to align with the non-profit’s external identity.
BrandChannel confirm this finding: “not-for-profits must have clarity in what they stand for, with a clear vision and a focused cause. They must answer the questions, Why do we exist? What is our picture of an ideal world?”
It may seem simpler for a non-profit to articulate their purpose and vision of an ideal world than a conventional, For-Profit brand but in reality there is evidence to the contrary. According to BrandChannel, many NFPs feel emotionally attached to their causes and end up investing too much money in short-term fundraising. “The problem with many non-profits is that they are so busy beating the drum of what they do, loudly proclaiming the value of what they provide, that they don’t hear the needs and desires of their audiences.”
Douglas Holt, Professor of Marketing at the University of Oxford, and author of How Brands Become Icons and Cultural Strategy, supports this finding. Holt investigated why many social enterprises fail to scale. He found that many of these organisations either mimic conventional businesses or else they wear their ideology on their sleeve as a sermon to a narrow group of activists. As a result, they usually fail to scale. Holt recommends that social enterprises “put ideology at the centre of strategy development. While mass market consumers aren’t activists, they are voracious consumers of ideology.”
The more successful non-profits – those that have scaled – seem to do just what is recommended above and to apply the principles of Brand Ideals. In their communication these brands do not speak about what they do, nor how they do it. Instead they paint a pictuire of what the world would look like when they are successful, getting their stakeholders to buy-in to their ideology.
Examples are:
Acumen:
Our mission is to change the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders and ideas. It’s a bold new way of tackling poverty that’s about dignity, not dependence, and choice, not charity.

South African Guide Dogs Association:
Our mission is to : * Enhance the mobility, independence and dignity of blind and partially sighted people * To advocate the recognition and protection of the rights of all persons with disabilities

Amnesty International:
Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.

Smile Foundation:
Smile Foundation is dedicated to transforming the lives of children with facial conditions, in South Africa.
Johannesburg Child Welfare
Jo’burg Child Welfare (JWC) is driven by the belief that every human being deserves a childhood free from abuse and neglect.
Princess Alice Adoption Home (part of JWC) has the slogan “Caring for our Children.”
What is obvious from the above is that these organisations focus on the end result rather than on their role in achieving the end result. They paint a picture of the ideal world. The S A Guide Dog Association in reality breed the guide dogs and train them and the blind handler. That is the means to achieving their mission of ‘enhancing mobility …’ etc..
Similarly, the Smile Foundation does not focus on Smile Week when the operations take place, these of their focus is on the transformation of the lives of children with facial conditions.
PRINCIPLE THREE: APPEALING TO THE TARGET MARKET
The target markets for not-for-profits are donors (individuals and corporates) and volunteers. When their values are closely aligned to the NFP’s organisation’s values, then they are willing to give of their money and time achieving these. The NFP has to attract like-minded people and corporate donors who buy in to their ideology and values. In a way, the donors need to become a tribe of followers, united by their like-mindedness.

APPLICATION OF THESE PRINCIPLES TO THE PRINCESS ALICE ADOPTION HOME
To be an effective brand that creates bonded relationships with its target markets, PAAH must apply the branding principles as detailed above. It must articulate its higher purpose beyond its day to day activities.
Caring for the babies for 6 – 24 months is what PAAH does. But its higher purpose, and richer emotional territory for communication, is to transform the lives from orphaned babies to a children in families where their potential can be realised. The PAAH exists because they believe that this is every child’s right.
It is on this principle that the 8 briefs have been developed and I remain convinced about their relevance.