There are a number of reasons why a nonprofit might wish to change their brand image. One obvious reason is if past events have led to a very negative impression of your organisation’s brand. For example, if a nonprofit has been a victim of internal theft or fraud, this can have a very negative impact on your brand. If a loss of reputation has made it more difficult for your organisation to reach its fundraising objectives, the board will likely want to change the direction of the nonprofit by changing its mission and creating a completely new brand image.

Other events can trigger the need for a rebrand. For example, if your nonprofit has changed the focus of its efforts, a rebrand can help organisations ensure that their messaging is in line with their new mission and values. Keeping messaging relevant and on target helps to create the brand image that you desire.

Consolidations and mergers are growing in the nonprofit world. If your NFP has recently merged with another charity or association, the number and types of services that are offered has likely changed. A rebrand is a good way to get the word out to stakeholders and others about what work you will do in the community going forward.

Whenever there is a substantial change in your mission, the services that you offer, or the personality and values of your NFP, a rebrand is a great way to ensure that your nonprofit is creating the image that it wants.

If your current brand isn’t quite working the way that you want it to, you may not need a complete rebrand at all. Taking steps to refresh your brand generate new interest in your organisation is a less drastic, but effective way to reach your target audience.

The following are a few strategies to help you get started on completely rebranding your nonprofit.

Audit Your Brand

Before you get started creating an entirely new brand for your organisation, it’s important to have a firm idea of the image that you want your new brand to convey. The following questions can help you gain insight into what it is about your current brand that’s not working as you intend, and what you need to change to get the results that you want.

• What image do you want your new brand to convey?
• What do you want to achieve with your brand?
• How is your current brand not working for your nonprofit?
• How will a rebrand help your organisation create a better impression on others?

Use the answers to these questions to help you design a new brand for your organisation.

Once you have the image of your new brand firmly in focus, make a list of everything that will need to be changed as a result of your rebrand. From logos to your tagline and other messaging, your brand impacts a lot of areas, so make a formal list of every single thing that must be changed so that you don’t leave anything out. Items that are missed will lead to mixed messaging which will dilute the impact of your new brand.

Set a Schedule

As soon as you have figured out what you need and want from your new brand, it’s time to get to work remaking your nonprofit’s image.

Using the list of things that will need to be changed as a result of the rebrand, create a formal schedule along with a timetable for completion. Use an online collaboration tool to map out each step, assign responsibility for completion, and set assignment deadlines for the work to be completed.

When creating the schedule, be realistic about the amount of work that is involved with changing your brand and create realistic assignments and deadlines for completion.

Create a Budget for Your Rebranding Project

It’s unlikely that you will have unlimited funding for a rebrand, so it’s important to create a budget at the outset of a rebrand to help you control expenses. Use the schedule and collaboration tool to track the expenditure of each item as it’s updated with your new brand to help you stay on track.