If you missed the introduction or part one of this series, How to Define Your Brand, you may want to check those out.  The intro lays out the framework we are operating within as we walk through a “diy branding” process and part one discusses who should be on your team.  As always, it is recommended that you get some help in this process.

Talk!

It sounds simple, right?  But your team has a lot of ideas.  If this is a first time brand they will be all over the map, if this is a rebrand you will be dealing with lots of past ideas and petty arguments and all sorts of other distractions.  Get it all out and then focus.

From an organization standpoint talk about your values. Your hopes, dreams, goals.  Who is your organization?  Who are you becoming?  Who do you want to be?

At this stage it is vital to keep asking more questions.  Probe.  Challenge ideas, not to be antagonistic, but to get to the root and fully flesh thoughts out.  Point out apparent contradictions.  Highlight recurring themes.  This stage is best done in longer blocks of time a couple different times so people have a chance to really think things through, especially in the context of ongoing dialogue.

Take meticulous notes during this stage.  Maybe invest in a white board to help people visualize their thoughts.  You want every idea and value and goal, etc explored thoroughly.

At some point one of two things will happen, either you will run out of time, or you will run out of ideas.  At this point is when the fun begins (some would substitute the word fun with torture, pain, arguing, hurt feelings, etc.)  Depending on the size and scope of your project you will narrow this massive brain dump into three to ten short phrases that sum up your values.  The more succinct both the list and the individual points, the better.  This list will frame all future discussions and form a foundation that you will build your brand upon.

Once you have finished this stage, take your completed and firm list and move on the the next step.

If you missed the introduction to this series, How to Define Your Brand, you may want to check it out.  It lays out the framework we are operating within as we walk through a “diy branding” process.  As always, it is recommended that you get some help in this process.

Develop Your Team

Your team can contain anyone from your mom and and sister, to your board and top VP’s.  Just make sure it is a good cross section of your organization.   Aim for diversity.  Aim to bring in ideas that might not line up 100% with your own. Let them know of what is expected and INVITE them to join.  Make sure this is not a forced endeavor.  These should be people who care about the future of the brand.

Two cautionary points here:

There may be a temptation to “stack the deck in your favor” by bringing in only yes men and people who already are 100% sold out on the new direction.  Avoid this as it can kill buy in later and may not obtain great results either as without some conflict you may not actually fully flesh out your thoughts.

The second temptation that crops in is the extreme opposite end.  Some people, in an attempt to win over all the detractors and “scared of change” folks, will fill their team with haters.  The problem here becomes one of actually accomplishing anything.

Fill your team with bright people.  Make sure they are open and willing to participate.  Find people who are committed to the process.  Nothing will derail the process faster than constantly having to catch up people who have missed meetings.  Things come up for sure, but start with people who are generally reliable. The team is like a choir.  When one voice is there one moment and gone the next, it stands out, even if you cannot quite place it.

Above all find a team of people who will work through the potential hurt feelings as ideas get shut down, be willing to fight for their ideas rationally and logically but also be willing to let go when the time comes.

Once your team is set, then its time to get down to the fun (some might say, hard, painful, awkward or uncomfortable) stuff!

Vision statements, mission statements, purpose statements, mantras, motto’s, tag lines, it seems like in our consulting work we get asked about defining brands a lot.

It is such a vital part of any organization to really have a solid foundation of who you are and what you do, especially as you venture out into more creative marketing strategies.  It is very easy to be busy and not actually accomplish anything.  Knowing who you are and who you want to be makes decision making a simple two step process.  Is it a good idea?  Is it inline with our vision and mission?

This is not an easy process.  It is rarely a fun process.  But it is vital.  Below we will outline a quick guide to defining your brand.  If you would like help with this process feel free to invite us out to walk you through the process.  It helps to avoid hurt feelings when there is someone else to blame for someone’s idea being excluded (;

Over the next week or two, we will walk you through the process of defining your brand.  There are a lot of different models here, but we tend to follow this one.

*note: the following process differs slightly from the one we lead due to the nature of having it run internally versus having it run by a third party.

The huge irony of working in a consulting firm, is that often we are so busy helping other organizations get started with consulting, social media, web development, branding, etc. that we often neglect our own.  That said, we are going to be redesigning this site over the next month or two, adding in a portfolio, expanding our services listings to better reflect the work we have been doing lately.

We saw Ben Keesey speak at !deation a few weeks ago.  He is the CEO of Invisible Children.   He shared his story of how he came to be involved with the organization. One theme that he touched on, that was repeated by many speakers and we have noticed first hand with many of our clients, is that it is paradigm shifting when you see injustice first hand.

Across the board, executives with successful non profits and social enterprise organizations point to a specific moment where they witnessed pain first hand that was transformational and led them to where they are today.

He shared with us some of the ways that Invisible Children has been able to accomplish so much in such a short time.  They believe that relationship is more powerful than any issue.  Their goals are to

1. Talk about the issue

2. Find ways to use the mobilized support

3. Rebuild what is lost

He shared some strategies for creating a movement.

1. Be focused

2. Move away from how bad it is. Dont lead with negative stats.

3. You can do it

We have partnered with 511 and some incredible artists from Orange County California to produce a very unique art show.

It is occurring on May 15th and will be an amazing gathering of urban, street and gallery artists with a portion of all proceeds supporting local non profits of the artists choosing.

We have been canvasing our clients and friends in the non profit world inviting them to be a part so they can meet the artists and guests at the event and share a little of what they are working on.  The hope is that this will be the start of an ongoing project to provide a showcase for the arts, a fundraising opportunity for organizations and of course…

In keeping with our vision, it will be an incredible intersection point with members of the community, the artists, the non profits, art collectors and business people all gathered together.  We are proud to be a part of it.

Check out the website we built for the event for more details.

Greg Russinger is tough.  He looks like RP McMurphy from One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.   He has tattoos and big muscles.  He certainly stood out at !deation.  At the same time he speaks of ideals. Of everyday ideas for human care. Of how to make the world a better place by helping just one.

He mostly shared about some of the Just One initiatives.  For those who have spent much time here you know we are fans.  The cool stuff they are working on speaks for itself.

The really cool thing though is that simple things like detergent, trashcans and bicycles are being used as catalysts for radical change and community development. These are things we all have access to.

So often we reinvent the wheel.  What simple things can your organization do or implement to engage your clients, volunteers, etc. in new and creative ways.  What resources do you have that you are not utilizing?

One of the best parts of the !deation Conference was the number of leaders who we got the impression lead with their head to impact the heart.  Often in the non profit world leaders are all heart, all compassion but have little business savvy to pull of the mission.

Jake Harriman is not one of these leaders.  Mind numbingly smart, with a vision of a better world, he challenged us all to work smarter in an effort to change the world.

He founded Nuru International after his experiences in the battle field as a Marine exposed him firsthand to the consequences of extreme poverty.  He said that extreme poverty is the leading cause of terrorism and extremism.  The swahili word for light and hope is Nuru.

Right off the bat they focused on organization development for significance and scalability.  They focus a lot on collaboration.   At Nuru they aggressively recruit the best of the best for the poorest of the poor.  The results speak for themselves.  By putting together a top notch team, they are able to deliver top notch outcomes in the areas in which they serve.

One concept that especially stood out was the idea of unleashing potential in those you serve.  The poor are not stupid. They do not need hand holding.  What they need is to have their potential unleashed.  Through Holistic Sustainable Development in the areas of agriculture. small business development and education they give locals the opportunity to fully realize that potential.  Nuru remains in an area for just 5 years. After that all development is sustained by the local partners themselves. Currently 1.4 billion people waiting for their potential to be unleashed.

To facilitate sustainability they set up an exit strategy from day one.  They set up a business model that establishes a revenue source from day one.  By focusing on revenue the project is able to survive long after Nuru has left.   A good business model + Passion = Greater results than the world has ever seen.

If you are planning on starting a new initiative Jake recommended the following:

1.  Research — Do not duplicate others efforts.  Learn from others successes and failures.

2.  People — Invest in people.  Build a high impact team.  Recruit the best.  Do not settle for those who are not at least as driven and passionate as you.  Set high expectations.  Evaluate performance.  Be hard on your team.  Mistakes cost people their lives.  Find good leaders and learn from them.  Professional development. Teach leadership.

3.  Operational Efficiency — Investors not donors.  Investors demand return.  How do you measure impact?  Define your success metrics.  Build it into your model. Baseline measurements are critical.

4.  Marketing — Storytelling.  Added value.  Find your niche.

He then said that you must have a SOLID business plan.  When filing for your 501(c)(3) or starting a new business it is generally required to do something like this, but so often folks do the bare minimum.  Really investing time, energy even money if this is not a strength of yours, can yield far better results in terms of investment, buy in and success long term.  A good business plan communicates value and adds credibility.

Here is a framework for a good business plan.

1. Executive summary.

2. Market analysis.

• Who is doing what in your space?

3. Product and Service

4. Organizational Structure

• Hit by the bus test.  If you were hit by a bus today, would your org survive tomorrow? If not, this area needs help.

5. Limitations and Liabilities

6. Product and Service Vision

• How is your model different?

7. Summary Financials

8. Milestones

9. Team

Some final thoughts from Jake regarding a GREAT organization:

1. Exit Strategy

2. Understand Need

3.  Define Success

4.  Leadership Capacity Building

So we talked about the dreamy Jeff Shinabarger the other day.  !deation gave us the chance to connect with lots of great people.  Today we turn our attention to Scott Harrison, whose eyes alone could have raised at least half the money his organization Charity:Water has raised so far.

Whenever any of us have seen Scott speak its always been inspiring and eye opening.  His personal story is intense.  His passion for clean water is moving.  His results are amazing.  His goals are audacious.  We like this combo.

One-sixth of the planet does not have access to clean water.  88% of disease is based on lack of clean water and sanitation.  Africans currently spend 40billion hours collecting water.  In the United States, we consume 150 gallons of water per day.

Scott shared the importance of creativity and design.  The Jerry Can has become a huge part of their story telling.  It is commonly used in all of their marketing collateral.  He and his team are constantly on the lookout for ways to connect the clean water struggle in third world countries with things we understand here in the urban and suburban areas of the United States.  They tell simple stories through great design in photo, video and graphic.

Jennifer Connelly in charity: water Public Service Announcement from charity: water on Vimeo.

He also said that the way to get there is to pay for it.  The way to inspire people the way they have is to have great storytellers working with you and getting those stories out.

We of course, very much appreciated that.

While at !deation Conference, I had a chance to catch up with my friend, Jeff Shinabarger.  He also spoke and I attended one of his breakouts.   Jeff is an amazing guy who launches creative ideas like I go to the bathroom (frequently and with ease).

He spoke about one of his projects, Gift Card Giver, which is currently in the running for a $25k Pepsi Refresh Grant (go VOTE NOW).

Ok, now that you are back from voting, here is a bit of what he shared regarding Gift Card Giver.

$8b of giftcards go unused.  Nearly 60% of bday gifts are gift cards. Home depot makes $450m a year on unused gift cards.  So he and his wife collect as many unused gift cards as they can, sort them and distribute them to non profits who can use them to advance their mission.  A simple, tangible and reproducible way to save the world.  Genius.

He also spoke about his project Plywood People.  Its essentially an online magazine about the restoration of the broken.  Plywood does just that as do many of the organizations that we work with.  Its a great illustration of what so many of you do.  They tell stories of great organizations and let folks know how they can connect everyday, as well as have a small social enterprise store that sells products whose profits, in part, benefit various causes.

Lastly, he spoke about how to launch new ideas.  This of course is what we were REALLY excited to hear. We constantly strive to learn from the best so that we can help more.

He spoke of the need to have a sounding board.  You need people around you to tell your ideas to.  Realists are necessary.  You need someone who can ask, “how do you do this after the next project?”  Will you be able to maintain and sustain this? Strategically he said he prefers to localize, then replicate nationally.

A vital and often overlooked point he touched on was how to retain GREAT volunteers.  Volunteers need a framework for success.  They need to walk away with a feeling that what they do matters.

He ended with a common refrain around here.  Leaders need courage.  Try things. The possibility of failure is a prerequisite to success.  Give something new a try.