Glossary
Audiences
Audiences are the people your organization needs to communicate with in order to achieve its objectives. They could be program participants, volunteers, policymakers, donors, advocates, and anyone in between.
Boilerplate
Boilerplate is a brief statement (typically, one to three paragraphs) or two that summarizes your nonprofit’s key messages and can be used together with your mission statement to provide a quick overview of your organization. It should include a call to action, to encourage your audiences to learn more about your organization.
Brandraising
Brandraising is the process of developing a clear, cohesive organizational identity and communications framework that supports your mission. Brandraising helps your organization communicate clearly and consistently, to help raise money and increase visibility more effectively.
Elevator pitch
An elevator pitch is one or two sentences that serve as an introduction to your organization in general terms that anyone can understand. Ideally, staff and board memorize your elevator pitch, so they can describe your organization clearly and consistently to anyone.
Experiential level
The experiential level of brandraising defines the channels and tools through which your audiences will usually connect with your organization. It includes online (e.g. your website and social media), in print (e.g. a brochure), on air (e.g. radio, video, podcasts), in person (e.g. at events or in your offices), or mobile phone communications.
Identity level
The identity level of brandraising includes what most people think of as branding: your organization’s unique look and voice. Specifically, it includes your visual identity (logo, color palette, typefaces, use of imagery, etc.) and messaging platform (name, tagline, key messages, boilerplate, elevator pitch, etc.).
Key messages
Key messages are the central ideas that your organization must communicate to establish its positioning in the minds of your audiences. Key messages serve as the foundation for anything you write about your organization.
Logo
Your logo is the emblem, mark or other graphic that represents your organization.
Messaging platform
Your messaging platform is your organization’s written and spoken brand—it includes elements such as your organization’s name and tagline, written vision, mission and values statements, key messages, boilerplate, and elevator pitch.
Mission
Your mission is what your organization exists to do. If your vision of changing the world is a pie, your mission is the slice of work your organization has carved out specifically for itself. A mission statement should express what you do to the public in everyday language they can easily understand.
Objectives
Objectives are the specific goals your organization must achieve to fulfill its mission. Clear objectives help you plan, prioritize, and assess the success of your work, and should be set or updated every few years as part of strategic planning.
Organizational level
The organizational level of brandraising expresses why you exist. The organizational level includes your organization's vision, mission, values, objectives, audiences, positioning, and personality.
Personality
Personality is the list of adjectives that describe the unique tone, style, and attitude of your organization. These traits should set the tone for all of your communications, to help keep them consistent and memorable.
Positioning
Positioning is the one big idea you want your audiences to associate with your organization. Positioning should differentiate your organization from peer and competitor organizations working in the same space. For example, many people associate the big idea of “disaster relief” with the Red Cross. What big idea can your organization own in the minds of your audiences?
Strategic planning
Strategic planning is a process through which your organization’s leadership and staff review and agree your organization’s goals and direction. It should take place every few years, especially before you make major changes to your communications.
Tagline
A tagline is a short, succinct phrase (usually no more than eight words) that communicates your positioning and expresses your personality. Typically, a tagline appears with the organization’s name or logo alongside it.
Values
Values are the deeply held beliefs that guide how your organization approaches its work and operates on a day-to-day level. A values statement expresses those values to the public.
Vision
Your organization’s vision is how you imagine the world should be and the why that drives your organization’s work. It’s your articulation of the better world you’re working to help achieve—often the idea that sparked the creation of the organization. A vision statement expresses your vision to the public, in clear, simple language.
Visual identity
Your organization’s visual identity includes the visual aspects of your brand—the logos, colors, typefaces (fonts), and images your organization uses to communicate.
Audiences are the people your organization needs to communicate with in order to achieve its objectives. They could be program participants, volunteers, policymakers, donors, advocates, and anyone in between.
Boilerplate
Boilerplate is a brief statement (typically, one to three paragraphs) or two that summarizes your nonprofit’s key messages and can be used together with your mission statement to provide a quick overview of your organization. It should include a call to action, to encourage your audiences to learn more about your organization.
Brandraising
Brandraising is the process of developing a clear, cohesive organizational identity and communications framework that supports your mission. Brandraising helps your organization communicate clearly and consistently, to help raise money and increase visibility more effectively.
Elevator pitch
An elevator pitch is one or two sentences that serve as an introduction to your organization in general terms that anyone can understand. Ideally, staff and board memorize your elevator pitch, so they can describe your organization clearly and consistently to anyone.
Experiential level
The experiential level of brandraising defines the channels and tools through which your audiences will usually connect with your organization. It includes online (e.g. your website and social media), in print (e.g. a brochure), on air (e.g. radio, video, podcasts), in person (e.g. at events or in your offices), or mobile phone communications.
Identity level
The identity level of brandraising includes what most people think of as branding: your organization’s unique look and voice. Specifically, it includes your visual identity (logo, color palette, typefaces, use of imagery, etc.) and messaging platform (name, tagline, key messages, boilerplate, elevator pitch, etc.).
Key messages
Key messages are the central ideas that your organization must communicate to establish its positioning in the minds of your audiences. Key messages serve as the foundation for anything you write about your organization.
Logo
Your logo is the emblem, mark or other graphic that represents your organization.
Messaging platform
Your messaging platform is your organization’s written and spoken brand—it includes elements such as your organization’s name and tagline, written vision, mission and values statements, key messages, boilerplate, and elevator pitch.
Mission
Your mission is what your organization exists to do. If your vision of changing the world is a pie, your mission is the slice of work your organization has carved out specifically for itself. A mission statement should express what you do to the public in everyday language they can easily understand.
Objectives
Objectives are the specific goals your organization must achieve to fulfill its mission. Clear objectives help you plan, prioritize, and assess the success of your work, and should be set or updated every few years as part of strategic planning.
Organizational level
The organizational level of brandraising expresses why you exist. The organizational level includes your organization's vision, mission, values, objectives, audiences, positioning, and personality.
Personality
Personality is the list of adjectives that describe the unique tone, style, and attitude of your organization. These traits should set the tone for all of your communications, to help keep them consistent and memorable.
Positioning
Positioning is the one big idea you want your audiences to associate with your organization. Positioning should differentiate your organization from peer and competitor organizations working in the same space. For example, many people associate the big idea of “disaster relief” with the Red Cross. What big idea can your organization own in the minds of your audiences?
Strategic planning
Strategic planning is a process through which your organization’s leadership and staff review and agree your organization’s goals and direction. It should take place every few years, especially before you make major changes to your communications.
Tagline
A tagline is a short, succinct phrase (usually no more than eight words) that communicates your positioning and expresses your personality. Typically, a tagline appears with the organization’s name or logo alongside it.
Values
Values are the deeply held beliefs that guide how your organization approaches its work and operates on a day-to-day level. A values statement expresses those values to the public.
Vision
Your organization’s vision is how you imagine the world should be and the why that drives your organization’s work. It’s your articulation of the better world you’re working to help achieve—often the idea that sparked the creation of the organization. A vision statement expresses your vision to the public, in clear, simple language.
Visual identity
Your organization’s visual identity includes the visual aspects of your brand—the logos, colors, typefaces (fonts), and images your organization uses to communicate.
