Marketing and Advertising for Non-Profit Organizations in Edmonton

by Donovan Creative in BRANDING, DONOVAN WORLD

28

Sep
2011

FILED UNDER

Why It Matters And Why DONOVAN Nails It

There is something special about non-profit organizations. They function entirely on need, not greed. These types of organizations, ones that seem to operate outside the simple – yet vital – principle of supply and demand, are certainly not exclusive to Edmonton. But through working with a number of non-profit organizations ranging from arts to government and charity groups, DONOVAN has learned the key to marketing, advertising and branding with groups that put profit second: the message still matters most.

There is a difference, slight as it may be, between the drive to make profit for the sake of profit, and needing to raise more money for the sake of a cause. Yet, either way, it’s the power of a strong brand and a differentiating creative platform that will carry the message and bring awareness to the cause, whatever it may be.

It’s the message that needs to cut through the clutter. Whether we’re talking about non-profit or consumer-based companies, they’re all vying for your attention, and either way, they’re leveraging their brands to create effective advertising.

With a non-profit, the difference comes in the reason for the message, and making that reason important enough for you to pay attention and act.

Improving the quality of Edmonton’s North Saskatchewan River, getting Edmontonians to recycle more, raising money for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, supporting Edmononton-based arts groups, is the action these groups ask you to take really that different than one a business might ask? They’re imploring you to get out of your seat and take action.

Help! Buy! Is it the same thing?

All of them need to leverage a strong brand up front, and need a message strong enough and clever enough to get people to pay attention.

Too often, non-profit advertising and marketing takes a back seat to creativity and uniqueness because of the nature of the message and the nature of the budgets. Even more often than usual, the handcuffs get slapped on the creative process.

“We can’t look expensive,” is a common fear. But what you’re really saying is, “We want to look valueless.” It can’t look too expensive or glossy because we’re dealing with public funds (most of the time). There is a fine line between “non” and “profit” and through our experience, DONOVAN has learned that the rules of good branding still apply to non-profits.

The lesson? Profit or non, the message matters more than anything.

And who better to craft and deliver that message than a branding, marketing and advertising agency that wins a host of awards for each of its clients. Check out The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation’s 2011 Summit International Award for Marketing Effectiveness and visit Our Work page for a full case study.