About 30% of a Fortune company’s value comes from brand equity.  For nonprofits, the figure is usually …

two to three times higher.  As stewards of the brand, nonprofit leaders must embrace the notion that when done properly, marketing and ministry are not mutually exclusive.  Effective advertising creates awareness of ministry opportunities for those interested in your cause.  Well crafted marketing communications ensure your ministry message resonates with people interested in your cause.  Strategic marketing facilitates the exchange of value between supporters and your organization.  That value may be increased attention, word-of-mouth, community involvement, volunteered time, or financial support.

Next comes brand planning, which orchestrates touch points between the organization and current or potential supporters.

The end goal is to facilitate the development of tangential interest into an increasingly deeper interest that culminates in brand advocacy.  So brand building efforts should be more focused on the journey than on the destination or tactical execution.  Making sure the approved colors described in the brand style guide  is important, but how it helps visually support the brand promise is far more important.  Ensuring that verbal messages work together in a cumulative harmonious fashion is the key to driving brand value.