When we talk about positioning or a branding strategy, we immediately think of brands and products, market and sales, result and profit. However, the nonprofit sector can and should take advantage of these concepts to better “sell” its projects and accomplish its mission in a permanent and growing way. 

The understanding of some marketing approaches can greatly help your organization to build a strong, recognized, and welcome brand within your ecosystem, including your donors. Note that here we refer to a brand as the image and the reputation of your organization.

1- Positioning

Let’s start at the beginning, in 1969, when Al Ries and Jack Trout, today considered the world’s best-known marketing strategists, coined the term Positioning in the article “Positioning is a game people play in today’s me-too marketplace”. Later, the concept was detailed into their ground-breaking first book, “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind”.

The authors have defined the term as something that happens in the minds of the target market. It is the aggregate perception that people have of a particular company, product, service, or organization in relation to their perception of the competitors in the same category. 

That said, positioning is not about creating something new or different. It’s about manipulating what’s already in the prospect’s mind. It’s about bridging the connections that already exist. According to the authors, these connections will happen anyway, which means that people will perceive your organization and will somehow position it in their minds. Therefore, it is very important to work on positioning your brand to positively influence the perceptions of your audience through conscious strategic actions.

So how to positively influence the perceptions of your audience? 

The first step is determining your uniqueness in comparison to your competitors, using benchmarking to analyze them, highlighting contrasts, and identifying opportunities and learnings. In the nonprofit sector, we translate competitors as similar organizations.
After having analyzed the ecosystem in which your organization operates, you will become aware of the potential position your organization occupies in the minds of your audience, as well as identify the position of your similar ones. Once this is done you can start to elaborate how you intend to communicate this positioning, this unique value that belongs only to your brand. At this moment you are going to prepare what we call a brand positioning statement.

2- Brand positioning statement

A brand positioning statement is a one or two sentence declaration that communicates your brand’s unique value to your audience in relation to your main competitors. Creating a brand positioning statement enables you to identify your core values to then translate it into deliverables. These deliverables are the elements of your communication and will reflect how you want your brand to be perceived by the audience.

The goal of a brand positioning statement should be to clarify what sort of product, services or even ideas we provide and who we are providing them to. The statement includes why it makes sense to choose our brand over others.

The brand positioning statement should be developed based on four key elements:

  1. Target Customer: The marketers say to write a concise summary of the attitudinal and demographic description of the group of customers your brand is attempting to appeal to and attract. For your organization, write a concise summary of your beneficiaries’ profile and what are the problems you are addressing to solve.
  2. Market Definition: What category is your brand competing in and in what context does your brand have relevance to your customers? Translating to the nonprofit sector: define the scope of your activities and how you intend to solve the essential needs.
  3. Brand Promise: Talk about what is the most compelling (emotional/rational) benefit to your target customers that your brand can own relative to your competition? For your organization, describe the impact that your core mission is attempting to create, and the outcomes you will reach with your activities.
  4. Reason to Believe: What is the most compelling evidence that your brand delivers on its brand promise? Here we can translate by describing the evidence and results of your performance track record.

Some examples:

  • Nikon: For (creative professionals with an eye for capturing and sharing beauty), (Nikon) is the (digital point and shoot) that delivers (a window to their world), so they can (experience deeper connections through a shared perspective), because (of Nikon’s 100 year history of developing new technologies that allow you to capture and share your experiences in their purest form, it’s as if you were there)
  • Apple: For (individuals who want the best personal computer or mobile device), (Apple) is the (leader of technology industry) that delivers (the most innovative products) so they can (enjoy seamless experiences across all Apple devices & be empowered with breakthrough services), because (Apple takes an innovative approach to business best practices, considering the impact our products have on customers & the planet).
  • Coca-Cola: For (individuals looking for high-quality drinks), (Coca-Cola) is a (wide range of the most refreshing beverages), that delivers (happiness unlike other beverage options), so they can (enjoy a Coca-Cola drink & make a positive difference in their lives), because (the brand is intensely focused on the needs of customers).

A brand positioning statement will give you clarity in deciding what precisely defines the chemistry between the brand and the audience and will help you to inspire your team and stakeholders.
Remember: a brand positioning statement is for internal purposes only. It is used to ensure that all elements of communication are aligned with the organization’s positioning.

3- Final thoughts

The growth of the nonprofit sector has made it more competitive in the demand for funding, which creates the need for organizations to differentiate themselves. A good brand positioning will generate and maintain the interest of the various target audiences with whom your organization relates: donors, beneficiaries, volunteers, government. Also, it has the power to establish relationships of trust between these audiences and your organization and engage them in your cause. 

A clear, coherent, and genuine positioning is not only a factor of differentiation, structuring and optimization, but also an element of empowerment for the team behind the organization, who will be aware and motivated about their role and mission. 

The way a brand is perceived affects its success, whether it’s a startup, a company, or a non-profit organization, and should always be considered when developing a strategy.

About the author

Christiane Leão Ferreira is a communication and marketing strategist, passionate for designing and managing projects, who is working as a consultant to help social entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations in creating impactful, coherent, and effective strategies.


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