A blurred profile always poses challenges, and all the more so for non-profit organisations. If their communications do not clearly express what their activities achieve, the support they need will not materialise. Organisations that see themselves as a brand can present their identity more clearly and enhance how they are perceived.

No matter what their activities, publicity is essential for non-profit organisations in securing the resources they need, tangible and intangible alike. While there has been a marked improvement in communications expertise in recent years, many NPOs are still underestimating the necessity of positioning their organisation as a brand, both internally and externally.

A brand provides guidance

The objectives of a NPO are not always easy to understand, and this creates a constant need for information. In communicating with their target groups, such organisations can use the same tools as the private sector, and a striking identity can help them set themselves apart from competitors. In the form of a brand, this identity represents the organisation’s values, as well as delivering a promise and providing orientation.

Content strategy enhances information value

Not every NPO has the budget to finance wide-ranging communication campaigns, but these days they certainly have the means of taking things into their own hands. Be it online or offline, every organisation now has options for publishing content via publications, websites, public relations and social media. The selection of the communication channels should be based on the preferences of the target groups, and a bespoke strategy can help deliver content that is varied and appropriate to the channel and audience.

Is online the future?

The digitalisation of the communication is multiplying the availability of ‘cheap’ data, and thus also the chances for harnessing this potential. And it doesn’t need to be about big data – simple analyses of click rates are already sufficient to improve the content strategy, leading to greater relevance, more attention, and more success in achieving goals.

With the future of print as yet unclear, it seems too early to be relying solely on online. That said, more than 90% of people in the 55 to 69 year-old age group in Switzerland already say the internet is their most important medium.

In August 2016 a more detailed German version of this article was published in the Swiss marketing magazine “persönlich”.