Cone LLC and Intangible business did an analysis of the brand value of nonprofits and found that environmental ngos that emphasize personal benefits will have the edge. The report states, "Although individuals today can easily express their support for
the environment via recycling or shopping for more environmentally responsible products, we anticipate the organizations
that make environmental issues more tangible, with an urgent
call-to-action for both consumers and companies, will break away from
the pack and raise significant funds over the next few years." Check out the article below and read the full report here.
Posted June 23, 2009
By Stephanie Strom , NYTimes
The Y.M.C.A. has the most valuable brand in the nonprofit field, according to an analysis by two marketing companies.
The second-most-valuable brand belongs to the Salvation Army, followed by the United Way of America.
The analysis, by the marketing firm Cone LLC and Intangible Business, a British brand-valuation company, used financial data, projected growth in revenues and a survey of 1,000 Americans to determine the top 100 most valuable nonprofit brand names among organizations providing social, environmental and animal-related services.
“We hope to show what a powerful asset a brand can be to a nonprofit, if it is leveraged properly,” said Alison DaSilva, executive vice president of Cone.
Nonprofits like the United Way and the American Red Cross, whose name was the fourth most valuable on Cone’s list, have made efforts to value their brand names in the past, but the new analysis appears to be the first that applies the same method of measuring that value across many different nonprofits.
The list is likely to interest companies as well as nonprofits and donors, Ms. DaSilva said. Businesses support nonprofits as a way of enhancing their own brands, and nonprofits with the best brand names will have a greater halo effect.
The analysis spotted some interesting things. Environmental groups are the darlings of donors right now and their revenues are among the fastest growing in the sector — but their brand names scored lower values in the Cone research.
“They have spent a lot of time raising awareness of the issues through things like calls to action — put a brick in your toilet, turn out the lights — but not for their brands,” Ms. DaSilva said.
Conversely, she said, the Make-A-Wish Foundation enjoys widespread recognition, but its revenues do not reflect that. “They can capitalize on the brand recognition to increase revenues,” Ms. DaSilva said.
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