Why Branding Matters for Civil Society Organisations(CSOs)

The last couple of years, my colleagues and I at WACSI have initiated passionate discussions
about branding and its value added to strengthening the institute’s relevance, identity, cohesion
and capacity. We have shared a lot of ideas about this intriguing subject hitherto a lot of us
associated it with only for-profit businesses.

From our discussions, it is apparent that many of the successful CSOs we are associated with
continue to use their brands primarily as a fundraising tool. However, we also recognise that it is
important for CSOs to develop a broader and more strategic approach, managing their brands to
create greater social impact and resilient organisational cohesion.
We have become truly passionate about branding because we strongly believe that CSOs
especially community based organisations (CBOs) can benefit from having strong brands which
can help them to tell their stories so that development partners support their organisations in a
sustainable manner. An investment in branding can also stimulate a sense of trust from the
general public and the civil society sector and that is beneficial to all of us.

In contemporary African societies, brands have played an important role. There has been a
proliferation of choices and brands, which acts as a short cut to access those choices. For
example, when you purchase a product and you like it and go back and buy it again, the brand is
the way for you to know that you are getting the same quality and experience you would expect
from that product. The same example should be applied to your CSO where the idea is to create
a short cut for development partners to support your organisation’s vision, programmes and
interventions.
The basic premise for creating a strong CSO brand is your ability to express your message so
that development partners can understand what you do and why you do it effectively. Therefore
within the civil society sector branding may be defined as the capacity of an organisation to
educate and create emotional value that attracts loyal supporters and advocates to their cause.

Branding may also be described as telling your story to your audience and showing why the
work your organisation does matters.
So, what are the benefits of having a strong brand?
Strong brands articulate your message so people understand your mission: This is extremely
important because most CSOs emphasise their mission and not specifically their impact they
have achieved which is what donors want to see, the ultimate results of the problem that you are
solving.
Strong brands raise the level of professionalism and ensure consistency: This means that your
organisation’s newsletters, annual reports, brochures, programmes and how you use social
media should reflect a consistency in the values and brand personality you are expressing. This
helps to establish rapport with donors, your peers and beneficiaries and makes a connection that
is immediate and impactful. However, if you put out messages that are inconsistent it makes
your organisation look unprofessional and unorganised. This is something you would want to
avoid.


Strong brands distinguish your brand from other organisations: For example, in Ghana there
are over 65001 registered CSOs, therefore, it is important to distinguish your organisation so
that people know your uniqueness. This should be reflected in your service, the population you
serve, the impact you achieve, and the way you go about delivering your service and your
philosophy. Any of these measures can be differentiators that can help people understand what
you are doing differently, why you exist and why they need to support you.
Strong brands position your organisation as a leader in its field: It is important that your
organisation is at the forefront of the specific work you do. As funding is being refined, the
organisations that are going to be supported are the ones that have a leadership position in their
sector. A strong brand can help you project the quality of your leadership.
Strong brands foster repeat business and referrals: A strong brand would enable your
organisation to be highly recommended for partnerships and would also ensure that existing
partnerships are sustained.

Strong brands save money by streamlining activities and processes: Organisations with strong
brands have developed and invested in systems and processes that enable them to produce tools
and materials in a cost effective manner. They are cost-conscious and continuously seek to be
prudent without sacrificing quality.
Strong brands utilise technology effectively: Through your website, email and social media, an
organisation should communicate to their development partners, establish a rapport and appeal
to the specific target audiences that are relevant for their work. Organisations should also
explore using technology that improves the efficiency and effectiveness of their operational and
programme delivery.

Strong brands provide a strong foundation for growth: A CSO with a strong brand is poised for
growth. Having a strong message, visual identity, and tools to communicate compellingly allows
you to have brand advocates that support you in telling your story and facilitates your ability to
be innovative and future oriented.

Every CSO is a sales outlet and its products and/or services are a reflection of the organisation’s
brand identity. Therefore, CSO branding is being conscious of the continual nature of
deliberately selling the organisation.
*The Author, Charles Kojo Vandyck is WACSI’s Head of Capacity
Development
1
Source: NGO Desk, Social Welfare Department, 2015