Climb the brand comms ladder.

Rise steadily up the rungs to maximize your funding

Portrait of Kevin Brown, Co-founder & CEO of Mighty Ally

KEVIN L. BROWN

90% of nonprofit brands make this same mistake: they try to climb too fast in communications.

However, in reality, many leaders are stuck on the floor.

So here’s a helpful mental model.

Brand communications is like a ladder with 10 steps. And the higher rungs help nonprofits (and foundations!) maximize their funding.

But if you’re not even at step one yet — a clear mission — don’t think about progressing up the marketing ladder. Instead, go back to your theory of change.

Solve for clarity there.

Next, hit positioning strategy.

Then better marketing communications will emerge. Naturally.

Read on to understand the 10 steps — from Beginner to Influencer. Then learn how to level up your communications.

And boost your fundraising, rung by rung.

“Doers: until proven otherwise, your first priority is to learn to clearly, concisely, and compellingly communicate what it is that you do.”

KEVIN STARR, MULAGO FOUNDATION

10 steps on the brand ladder.

Remember: bold brands are built from the inside out. So don’t climb too fast.

STEP #1 — BEGINNER

You say clearly what you do.

STEP #2 — COMPETENT

You can describe how you’re different.

STEP #3 — INTERMEDIATE

You articulate unique value propositions.

STEP #4 — SKILLED

You tell a compelling story with statistics.

STEP #5 — ADVANCED

You have customized messages for each audience.

STEP #6 — MASTER

You’re reaching different donors on different channels.

STEP #7 — EXPERT

Your team measures, A/B tests, and optimizes performance.

STEP #8 — AUTHORITY

You integrate internal language and external communications.

STEP #9 — INNOVATOR

You’re spreading creative ideas to question the status quo.

STEP #10 — INFLUENCER

You use your platform to motivate others into action.

“Brilliant experts can write compelling policy papers filled with breakthrough ideas to make our society better. But they can’t influence and shape the debate if no one is reading and digesting their work.”

DANIELLA LEGER

Think the first step on the ladder is too easy?

We once sat across the lunch table from a conversation at a funder’s annual conference. Two nonprofit leaders were pitching a foundation.

They rambled on and on with incoherent buzzwords. Empowerment this, holistic that, transformation, community-led, scalable, systems change.

She kindly kept asking, “Can you please tell me what you actually do?” Then she finally gave up and said: “Check out our foundation’s website. If you think what you do matches what we fund, get in touch.”

Ouch.

Again, don’t skip the first rung.

Start low, aim high.

Clarity leads the climb.

Climb the brand comms ladder.

“Doers: until proven otherwise, your first priority is to learn to clearly, concisely, and compellingly communicate what it is that you do.”

10 steps on the brand ladder.

“Brilliant experts can write compelling policy papers filled with breakthrough ideas to make our society better. But they can’t influence and shape the debate if no one is reading and digesting their work.”

Read more articles