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TheRebrandEffect How Significant

Communications Changes HelpNonprofits Raise More Money

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© 2014 Big Duck www.bigducknyc.com

Can rebranding really help an organization fundraise?

To build relationships with supporters in an increasingly noisy and

competitive world, today’s nonprofits are developing new tools and

skills, and many are rebranding. But can communications changes

like a new logo and messaging really help an organization raise more

money? That’s the primary question we set out to answer with The

Rebrand Effect, a candid look at the results of rebranding based on an

online study with nonprofit decision-makers from across the country.

Has your nonprofit changed its communications significantly in recent

years? Join us in conversation on Facebook and Twitter using the

hashtag #RebrandEffect or email your questions and comments to

[email protected].

Sarah Durham, President, Big [email protected], @bigducksarah

Ann Duffett, President, FDR [email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/bigduck

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Table of Contents

Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

What does a “rebrand” include? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1. Nonprofits that have rebranded raise more money

and reach other key audiences more effectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2. Rebranding strengthens an organization’s

internal culture and capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

3. Nonprofits don’t have to wait long

to feel the benefits of a rebrand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

4. Several key factors influence a rebrand’s success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

5. Rebranding works—but it’s not a panacea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

So does this mean your nonprofit should rebrand? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

About us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

4The Rebrand Effect


Context

In the past decade, two variables have dramatically changed the communications

and fundraising landscape for nonprofits .

More than eight in ten nonprofits made branding or communications changes because they wanted to improve capacity to raise money or to recruit new members, clients, or other program-oriented audiences.

The Rebrand Effect

First, it’s harder than ever to get through to people. The popularity

of social media, email, texting, apps, and other real-time media require

people who work at nonprofits to build a stronger set of communi-

cations skills to get their message across in this noisy environment.

Secondly, the pool of available funding has shrunk in recent years.

According to the 2013 edition of Giving USA: The Annual Report

on Philanthropy, giving by individuals, corporations, and foundations

declined by about 15% in 2008 and 2009 combined (adjusted for

inflation). Four years later, giving was still well below pre-recession

levels, which means that for many nonprofits, there’s a greater need

to build a stronger, more resilient fundraising program.

Big Duck (www.bigducknyc.com) is a communications firm founded

in 1994 that works exclusively with nonprofits to help them raise

money and reach supporters and participants. During previous eras

of belt-tightening, we found that communications-related projects

often got cut first. But not this time. Over the past five or so years,

we’ve seen many nonprofits prioritize communications changes,

particularly rebranding.

More than half of the nonprofits participating in our survey made

most of their communications-related changes within the last two

years (44%) or are still in the process of making them (15%).

Virtually all respondents say their organization made these branding

and communications changes in an effort to explain their work

http://store.givingusareports.org/Giving-USA-2013-Report-Highlights-P98.aspx

http://store.givingusareports.org/Giving-USA-2013-Report-Highlights-P98.aspx


5The Rebrand Effect


better. Along the same lines, large

majorities rebrand because they

want to be more professional in

their communications or stand out

from the field. More than eight in

ten nonprofits rebrand because

they want to improve their capacity to raise money or to recruit

new members, clients, or other program-oriented audiences.

Although the organizations that participated in this survey are not

clients of Big Duck, the reasons they’ve rebranded echo what we

regularly hear from nonprofits that we work with. “Rebranding

gave us the tools we needed to get our message out, and to the

right people,” says our client Nancy Reidl, Director of Development

and Communications, at Phipps Neighborhood.

Nonprofits communicate externally for three primary reasons: to

raise money, engage clients or other programmatic audiences, and

advocate for changes in policy and/or behavior. But branding alone

can’t do all of those things. Changing your organization’s name, logo,

or messaging doesn’t, in and of itself, mean that donors will flock to

your door. It’s a first step—a foundation—that has to be built upon.

92%of nonprofits rebranded

to explain their work better

6The Rebrand Effect


But what hard evidence is there that changing key aspects of a nonprofit’s

communications actually achieves anything tangible? We’ve wanted to research

this topic more formally and objectively for a long time. To make sure our own

perspective didn’t unduly influence the results, we commissioned the FDR Group,

a nonpartisan public opinion research firm, to help us take an unbiased look at the

true impact of rebranding. The complete research methodology can be found at

the end of this report.

Stronger understanding of the organization’s mission and value, enhanced credibility

Better ability to reach and engage the right people

Greater ability for staff and board to represent the organization well

Greater speed, clarity, and consistency when producing fundraising/communications materials, writing, or speaking

Greater ability for the organization to differentiate itself and represent itself well

Changes to the brand or other core communications

Increased support and confidence from external audiences

http://www.thefdrgroup.com

7The Rebrand Effect


FDR Group helped us craft and implement a research process

to get honest answers to our biggest questions, including:

• When an organization changes its brand, what is the likely

impact of those changes?

• Are there other variables that an organization must consider

to make the rebranding effective?

• Are communications with certain audiences (donors, program

participants, activists, etc.) likely to change after rebranding?

• Can donor retention, or number of donors, be influenced by

branding?

THE GOOD NEWS

The findings from our survey completed by 351 nonprofit

decision-makers from across the country in early 2014 show

a clear link between rebranding and fundraising. Organizations

that made communications changes experienced many positive

outcomes, including improved fundraising, donor retention, and

recruitment. Pages 10 through 16 highlight the benefits we found.

BUT KEEP IN MIND…

Many nonprofits that experienced the greatest benefits from

rebranding had other variables in motion, too—like a new

strategic plan, or a staff committed to moving forward with

branding and communications changes. Other organizations

didn’t see significant benefits from rebranding, or feel it’s too

soon to tell because they are still making changes or just recently

completed this work. Pages 23 through 27 explore some of the

complexities we found.

“Our identity helped us attract exciting partners and passionate donors. It also put the ‘fun’ and ‘community’ parts of our personality front and center.”R I N A G O L D B E R G

Former Director of Communications, Foundation for Jewish Camp

8The Rebrand Effect


What does a “rebrand” include?

In years past, people thought of rebranding as just a logo change . Today, people

understand we’re really talking about changing perceptions and growing reputations .

Deep shifts in how people work, culture, and more may be in order

when rebranding. Rebranding is more commonly described today

as a change in how you look, sound, and write. But your visuals and

messaging—your name, logo, and tagline, for example—are only as

powerful as the strategy that drives them, the ways you communicate

them, and how they are perceived.

In recent years, different models have emerged to help businesses

understand and approach changes in the way they communicate.

Study branding and you’ll hear terms like “brand essence” or “brand connector” bandied

about. To be included in this research, an organization had to have made at least one of

eleven branding or communications changes within the last ten years or so. The vast majority

made many more than that—in fact, 90% of the nonprofits in our study reported doing four

or more of these rebranding activities:

Over the past ten years, nonprofits have made significant changes in how they communicate, particularly online.

• changing or developing a brand strategy

• changing a name

• changing or developing a tagline or slogan

• changing a logo

• changing or developing key messages

• changing or developing an elevator pitch

• significantly changing/building a website

• refining/developing a social media presence

• implementing a new communications plan

• training staff or board members on key messages or elevator pitch

• conducting market research

As you might expect, some changes are more impactful than others. We define a “comprehensive

rebrand” as one that includes some combination of these six key rebranding activities:

9The Rebrand Effect


“The creation of a tagline helped keep a central focus in our messaging.”S U R V E Y R E S P O N D E N T


• changing a name


• changing a logo



In the next section, we’ll delve into the beneficial outcomes that

result from a “comprehensive rebrand.”

“Brandraising” is a communications framework developed at Big Duck

that begins with a nonprofit’s vision, mission, and values, and threads its

way through everything the organization does, internally and externally,

to reach the people necessary to fundraise, run programs, advocate,

and more. [For more about brandraising, visit www.bigducknyc.com,

or read Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through

Smart Communications (Jossey-Bass 2010)]. But since most nonprofits

don’t go through a process exactly like ours, we surveyed our clients

separately, so that the definition of “rebranding” used here would be

more reflective of the average nonprofit’s experiences.

THE FINDINGS

The following findings are based on the responses to an online survey

completed in early 2014 by 351 nonprofit decision-makers (mainly

executive directors, communications directors, and development

directors) who receive email from either FundRaising Success magazine

or GuideStar.org, and whose nonprofit organization is more than five

years old. (For an overview of the survey’s methodology, see page 31.)


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http://www.guidestar.org

1Nonprofits that have rebranded raise more money and reach other key audiences more effectively.

11The Rebrand Effect


It’s working—organizations that change their brand increase their revenue, get

more donors, and improve donor retention .

Changes in revenue since rebranding

Rebranding can be a way of cleaning up “accidental

brands”—ways of communicating that haphazardly

sprung up over time, often without any real strategy

or rationale. Accidental brands might include organi-

zational or program names that were essentially

afterthoughts, logos designed by amateurs, mission

statements that read poorly, and so on. If these

elements undermine a nonprofit’s clarity or profes-

sionalism, the staff and board must work harder to

overcome these barriers, particularly when trying to

engage individual donors.

Fully half of the nonprofit decision-makers surveyed

say their organization’s revenue increased since they

made branding and communications changes, and

another 21% say it’s too soon to tell. Several survey

respondents who noticed a decline in their organiza-

tion’s revenue post-rebrand cite other factors (for

instance, the loss of major grants, or changes in their

external landscape).

We’ve seen many examples of organizations whose

new brands express their legitimacy and professionalism

much more effectively. Instead of looking and sounding

like small “mom and pop” organizations, they are now

communicating with authority and confidence, and

donors respond.

50%Increased

21%Too soon to tell

19%Stayed about the same

4%Decreased

7%Not sure



REBRANDING HELPS WITH DONOR RETENTION

According to Dr. Adrian Sargeant, Robert F. Hartsook Professor of Fundraising at the Lilly

Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, “Over 70% of people that we recruit

into organizations never come back and make another gift, so we’re caught on this treadmill

where we have to spend lots of money on acquisition which most nonprofits lose money on

anyway, just to stand still.” Turning a one-time donor into a loyal donor makes logical sense.

Donor retention is an important metric for evaluating the health of your fundraising program,

and it’s measured by dividing the number of donors who gave this year and last year (e.g.,

donors who returned and supported you again) by the number of donors who only gave last

year. Approximately one in three survey respondents say that changes they made in their

branding or other core communications improved their donor retention.

What does rebranding increase?

Revenue from individual donors

49%26%

Revenue from corporate donors

29%26%

Number of individual donors

42%27%

Revenue from foundation grants

28%26%

Revenue from government grants

15%15%

31%36%

Donor retention

Yes, has increased Too soon to tell



NONPROFITS THAT MAKE COMPREHENSIVE CHANGES SEE INCREASED RESULTS

Because so many nonprofits rebrand as a strategy to help reach fundraising-related goals,

this study took a close look at how rebranding impacts revenue-connected relationships

(e.g., with individuals, corporations, foundations, and the government). But we also looked

Organizations that comprehensively rebrand see greater revenue gains

at other relationships that rebranding can

help or hurt and found that it generally helps

elsewhere too. Nonprofits that rebranded

were more likely to see increased media

attention, program participation, and more

actions taken by activists.

How do we know if organizations that rebrand

are ultimately better off than they would have

been had they made no changes at all? Since

no two organizations are exactly alike, there

was no way to “control” this study. Instead,

we compared the results of organizations

who made more comprehensive changes in

our study to those who made fewer changes.

More specifically, there were six types of

changes we categorized under the term

“rebranding”:


• changing a name


• changing a logo



+15

56%

41%

Comprehensive rebrand (n=203)

Limited rebrand (n=148)

Difference in percentage points



Organizations that comprehensively rebrand are more likely to




53%

+10

43%

From individual donors

35%

+15

20%

From corporate donors

34%

+14

20%

From foundation grants

16%

+3

13%

From government grants

Organizations that comprehensively rebranded were defined as making

four to six of these changes to distinguish them from nonprofits that

made zero to three of these changes.

The data reveals that nonprofits making more comprehensive changes

experienced better outcomes ranging from increased revenue, to media

attention, to internal alignment and capacity.

Organizations that made comprehensive changes to their brands were

more likely to raise money and increase repeat giving from existing

donors than their peers who made less comprehensive communications-

related changes. While rebranding alone can’t be the solution for all of

your organization’s fundraising needs, it may be a useful strategy when

leveraged with other key variables we’ll discuss later in Section 5.

Increase their revenue



68%

+23

45%

Improved confidence in staff’s ability to communicate

58%

+33

25%

Find it easier to assess program alignment

47%

+13

34%

Produced materials more efficiently

38%

+12

26%

Recruited better board members

66%

+26

40%

Increased media attention

50%

+10

40%

Program registration

44%

+5

39%


40%

+18

22%

Engaged more activists

34%

+8

26%

Improved donor retention

Increase their audiences’ participation

Improve their internal capacity

See an uptick in media attention






If you’re struggling with fundraising and haven’t updated your brand in a while, consider:

Comparing your data with our data. Over the past two years, have you seen a change in

revenue from individual donors, corporate donors, foundation grants, and government grants?

Did you see an uptick in media attention? Were you able to attract new board members? How

do those numbers compare with the organizations in this survey that rebranded? (see pages 14,

15) You can also compare your donor retention rate and total donors, too.

Donating to your peers. There is more competition for your

supporters’ attention than ever before. Rebranding can help

your organization stand out, but it has to be supported by

positive experiences with the organization. To help you think

like your donor, make gifts to organizations that share a similar

mission. Pay attention to how they treat you as a donor and the

messages and images you see in all of their materials.

Connecting with your staff—and your community. Rebranding

makes a difference in the number of supporters, activists, and

program participants an organization can attract. It also helps

your staff and board represent you in ways that are stronger and

more efficient. If you are thinking about rebranding, survey your

staff, invite program participants in for an informal focus group,

or review your materials to begin to take a snapshot of how you’re

communicating now, and what gaps need to be addressed. The

more shared clarity and focus your team has before you rebrand,

the more effective the work will be. You’ll also be less likely to

pursue rebranding unnecessarily if it won’t really address the

issues you’re struggling with.

Do you have other ideas or questions? Share how you put this data to

work for your organization so others can learn from your experience.

Tweet your ideas, comments, and tips using #RebrandEffect.

“The brand set a vibrant tone for the Foundation’s public face and allows us to communicate with grantees, donors, and Brooklynites of all stripes.”D A R A L E H O N

Former Vice President of Communications, Brooklyn Community Foundation

2Rebranding strengthens an organization’s internal culture and capacity.



Rebranding changes what day-to-day work is like at a nonprofit—for the better .

A new brand boosts staff’s confidence in their own ability to communicate and

aligns the organization’s programs with its overall brand .

A majority of respondents have more confidence in their staff’s ability to represent their

organization well after making these changes. More than four in ten respondents say they

find it easier to assess program/brand alignment and to produce materials more effectively.

One in three respondents report they have recruited better board members.

58%17%

Have more confidence in staff’s ability to represent us well

44%20%

Find it easier to assess program and brand alignment

42%16%

Produce materials more efficiently

33%23%

Recruit better board members

Organizations that rebrand

Yes, has increased Too soon to tell



When done well, rebranding rallies staff and board members around a shared expression for

the organization that creates confidence. Staff no longer start with a blank piece of paper when

producing new materials or writing, which streamlines the work of day-to-day communicating.

If your team isn’t on the same page about your work and how to

communicate it, consider:

Comparing your experience with our data. How confident is your staff

that they can represent your organization well? How effectively do they

feel they are producing materials on your behalf? Are you recruiting better

board members? How do those numbers compare with those of organi-

zations that rebranded?

Opening up a candid dialogue with your staff and board. Conversations

dedicated to discussing an organization’s communications are rare in most

organizations. Consider inviting staff and/or board members to a meeting

where you review your own materials and the websites of your peers. How

effectively do your materials stack up? Are your perspectives similar about

what’s working well and what isn’t?

Revisiting your strategic plan. Some nonprofits confuse an organizational

development problem with a branding problem. If your team can’t get on

the same page around communications, be sure that everyone is clearly

aligned about the organization’s vision, mission, and values before any

changes are made.

What else works? Share how you put this data to work for your organi-

zation so others can learn from your experience. Tweet your ideas,

comments, and tips using #RebrandEffect.

“Our internal messaging is now consistent. All staff know and are passionate about the brand and have memorized key brand messaging.”S U R V E Y R E S P O N D E N T

3Nonprofits don’t have to wait long to feel the benefits of a rebrand.



Many nonprofits experience the effects of rebranding faster than you might expect .

It takes time to fully implement branding-related changes, so it’s easy to assume that the

results of those changes will unfold gradually—but our research suggests that the benefits

of rebranding may actually be realized in a relatively

short timeframe. 44% of survey respondents said they

had completed most of their rebranding in the past

two years, and they are already reporting the benefits.

Big Duck’s clients tell us they feel the positive effects

of changes they’ve made in a matter of months.

Typically, staff members benefit first. They find it

easier to communicate “on message” with clear visual

and messaging guidelines to work from. For many, this

results in an ability to produce better materials faster,

often without as much help from external writers or

designers.

As online, printed, and other communications materials

become more consistent, outside audiences are more

likely to recognize and connect materials or events

coming from one organization. After rebranding or

other significant communications changes, organizations

are less likely to feel they are “best kept secrets” and

more likely to see increases in support, recognition, and

participation.

When did your organization rebrand?

44%Within the past 2 years

15%Still in progress

38%3 to 9 years ago

3%10 or more years ago

1%Not sure



If your organization has rebranded recently or is in the process

now, consider:

Creating a brand guide and training your staff. A brand guide

that details your messaging, not just design-specific details, is

often most useful. Then make sure your staff understands the

new brand—the thinking behind it and how to use it—so they

can work independently more effectively.

Mapping out how you’ll launch your new brand. Your new

brand should come to life across a number of channels: online,

in print, and more. Plan for the materials you’ll need, and explain

the changes proactively to key external stakeholders like members,

major donors and funders, and peer organizations. Your new brand

will need to come to life across everything you do, internally and

externally, to be effective.

Appointing a person to manage. It’s useful if one person (or

department, if you work in a larger organization) has oversight

for the brand. They might be responsible for answering questions,

approving materials that staff create, and periodically coaching

or providing feedback where needed. Consider having them train

newly hired staff on how to communicate, too.

Big Duck’s blog and workshops offer great additional (and mostly

free) resources related to this topic. Tweet your ideas, comments,

and tips using #RebrandEffect.

“The same message repeated by multiple levels on a fairly regular basis really helps.”S U R V E Y R E S P O N D E N T

4Several key factors influence a rebrand’s success.



There are a few important variables that help make a rebrand stick . Organizations

with new leadership, a new strategic plan, and/or a new fundraising strategy see

stronger results after making major changes to their brand .

New Strategic Plan51%

Having a new focus of our work and/or new strategic plan was most influential

in pushing the process forward

We asked respondents to select up to

three items from a list of nine factors that

may have been “most influential” in moving

their overall branding and communications

changes forward. A new focus or strategic

plan topped this list, with more than half

pointing to it as a key variable.

This certainly aligns with Big Duck’s

experiences: a majority of nonprofits

we rebrand each year have completed a

strategic planning process within the last

12 months. Often, these strategic plans map

out significant communications changes the

organization intends to make to help it remain relevant. We believe

that getting everyone internally aligned around the organization’s

overall goals and strategy is a critical first step in a successful rebrand.

We asked survey participants about the factors that were most influential

in moving their process forward. After a new focus and/or new strategic

plan, the most influential factors were a new fundraising strategy (33%),

new CEO/Executive Director/President (32%), and new development

staff (25%). In fact, organizations that pointed to new staff leadership

as “most influential in moving their process forward” were more likely

to have positive outcomes than organizations without staff-related

transitions. Once again, this aligns with our experiences, too. When an

executive director, development director, or communications director



steers an organization through a period of significant change and continues to ensure those

changes take root deeply within the organization, these nonprofits appear to transform not

only their external communications, but their culture and infrastructure too.

To get the most benefit from any communications

changes your nonprofit might make, consider:

Bringing in the right staff beforehand. If your nonprofit

will likely be hiring a new CEO, development director, or

communications director, we strongly encourage you to

hire that person first so they can be involved in or direct

any significant communications changes you might make.

Starting with strategic planning. A strong strategic

planning process will help align your staff and board.

It will also define the organizational strategy that your

communications should reflect. Most organizations

undertake strategic planning exercises every three to

five years.

Examining how your culture impacts communications.

Silos, working reactively, or other behaviors that reflect

an organization’s culture have a profound effect on how

people communicate internally and externally. Honestly

examine what else might have to change for you to fully

benefit from a rebrand.

Big Duck’s blog and workshops offer great additional

(and mostly free) resources related to this topic. Tweet

your ideas, comments, and tips using #RebrandEffect.

Nonprofits see greater revenue gains with new leadership’s influence

+14

56%

42%

New leadership (n=204)

No new leadership (n=147)




51%

+12

39%

Program registration

48%

+14

34%


40%

+18

22%

Activists engaged

54%

+12

42%

From individual donors

36%

+18

18%

From corporate donors

34%

+14

20%

Foundation grants

18%

+7

11%

Government grants

31%

+2

29%

Donors retained

Differences between nonprofits who rebranded with new leadership versus those without




Increases in revenue

Gains in relationships



60%

+12

48%

Increased media attention

61%

+7

54%

Improved confidence in staff’s ability to communicate

46%

+4

42%

Easier to assess program alignment

49%

+17

32%

Produced materials more efficiently

34%

+3

31%

Recruited better board members

Improved internal capacity

Uptick in media attention




5Rebranding works— but it’s not a panacea.



Fundraising is still tough work . While communications changes can help, nonprofits

continue to operate in a difficult fundraising climate and an increasingly noisy world .

Rebranding and other changes are influential, but they can’t fix everything .

About one in four say that their organization’s ability to

fundraise has improved since implementing these branding

and communications changes. Virtually the same number

say it’s too soon to tell. For a plurality, things have “stayed

about the same” (36%).

While clear, effective branding and communications can

help, they aren’t the only ingredients needed to survive

a tough fundraising environment.

“(It’s) Easier to tell the story and gain brand recognition

but still a difficult challenge raising money in a down

economy,” says one survey respondent. Fundraising is

“not easier, just more effective.”

“(Our) entire budget has been cut by 50% including the

fundraising budget,” notes another respondent. “Direct

mail campaigns which were the backbone of our

fundraising are all but impossible now.”

Impact of rebranding on fundraising

26%Easier

27%Too soon to tell

36%Stayed about the same

6%Harder

6%Not sure



So does this mean your nonprofit should rebrand?

Nonprofits typically rebrand when they’re looking to communicate more clearly

and professionally, particularly with donors and program-related participants .

Before your organization embarks on a rebranding process, compare

your goals to the reasons why other organizations have rebranded

and to the likely outcomes defined on earlier pages. Engage in honest

conversations with your staff and board about the pros and cons of

making changes. What could your organization gain or lose? What

would help you ensure a successful outcome? Will it be worth the

time, effort, and expense you’ll put in? Lastly, before you begin, map

out a clear plan, including who’ll do what, and budget appropriately.

Big Duck has a number of resources you can use to advance your

internal conversations and your rebranding process, no matter

who you work with. Visit www.bigducknyc.com to read articles,

watch pre-recorded webinars, and participate in workshops. Read

Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart

Communications by Sarah Durham (Jossey-Bass, 2010) for more on

how to rebrand your nonprofit. You can also contact Big Duck at

718-237-9551 or [email protected] if you’d like to learn more

about how we might be able to help you.




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Methodology

The findings in this report are based on responses from an online survey conducted

with 351 nonprofit decision-makers . The survey was completed between February 5

and February 28, 2014 .

FIELDING THE SURVEY

There were two sources for survey participants:

1. FundRaising Success subscribers (n=328). Approximately 18,000 invitations were sent via

email to subscribers of FundRaising Success magazine. The original invitation was sent on

February 5, 2014, and a reminder sent on February 17, 2014. The magazine’s readership

targets development executives who work in national headquarters of a nonprofit,

or any individual who manages the organization’s development strategy. FundRaising

Success claims to have a strong draw for mid- to enterprise-level nonprofit executives

and reaches across many different missions and subsectors. The invitation was sent by

Associate Publisher Caroline Farley and included a description of the research, a link to

the survey, and assurance of confidentiality.

To buttress the response rate, an ad was shown to approximately 17,000 subscribers of

FundRaising Success’s daily e-newsletter over a one-week period between February 10

and 17, 2014.

2. GuideStar e-Newsletter (n=23). Approximately 346,000 subscribers to GuideStar.org’s

e-newsletter received an ad encouraging survey participation.

Potential respondents were screened to ensure that their nonprofit organization was more

than five years old (established in 2008 or earlier) and that it had undertaken at least one of

11 branding and communications changes in the past 10 years. A total of 351 qualified and

completed the survey.

To incentivize survey participation, potential respondents were offered the opportunity to

win a $100 amazon.com gift card.

http://www.guidestar.org



CRAFTING THE QUESTIONNAIRE

The questionnaire was crafted by the FDR Group with input from Big Duck. An early draft

was extensively pre-tested in a series of telephone interviews with nonprofit decision-makers

(e.g., executive directors, communications directors, and development directors) to ensure that

the language was accessible, relevant, and appropriate. The questionnaire was programmed

using SurveyGizmo, an online survey software tool that allows questions and answers to be

randomized and data to be collected and stored via a password-protected secure data center.

The final questionnaire included a total of 43 items, of which 37 were substantive and six were

demographic.

LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH

There are limitations to using a sample provided from a subscriber list like that of FundRaising

Success magazine. It is not based on a random probability sample where all members of a

population have an equal or known chance of being selected (in this case, decision-makers in

nonprofits in the U.S. that have been established for more than five years). For this reason, it is

not possible to calculate margins of error or to generalize the findings to the entire nonprofit

sector.

Along the same lines, the demographics of FundRaising Success magazine’s subscriber base,

by definition, would likely be more representative of the views of fundraisers than of other

nonprofit decision-makers.

Finally, it is important to remember that while correlations within the data are suggestive, they

do not necessarily mean causation. Nevertheless, these findings provide important information

about a subgroup of the population of nonprofit decision-makers and offer hints about the

prevalence of experiences and potential links between branding activities and improved

fundraising outcomes.

The FDR Group had complete freedom in designing and conducting this research, as well as

complete editorial freedom in formulating the survey findings. Please email rebrandeffect@

bigducknyc.com if you’d like to receive a PDF of the complete survey results.





DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SAMPLE

The following table provides the demographics of the sample of nonprofit decision-makers

who completed the online survey. A comparison of responses based on key answer categories

within “Title,” “Operating Budget 2013,” “Organizational Focus,” and “Geographic Scope”

indicated no substantive patterns of differences in opinions or experiences.

Note: May not total to 100 percent due to multiple or missing answer categories.

DEMOGRAPHICS % SAMPLE

Title

Development/Fundraising Director 43 Executive Director/President/CEO 24 Marketing/Communications Director 8 Programs Director 5 Board Member 5 Operations/COO 2 Finance/CFO 1

Operating Budget 2013

$99,000 or less 11 $100,000 to $999,999 26 $1,000,000 to $4,999,999 23 $5,000,000 to $24,999,999 23 $25,000,000 or more 12

Organizational Focus

Education 29 Health 20 Poverty/Social Justice 17



Organizational Focus, continued

Family and Community 16 Faith-connected 12 Arts and Culture 11 Women 8 Environment 6 International 5 Youth (vol) 5 Animal (vol) 4 Associations 3 Foundations 1

Geographic Scope

Local 49 Regional 38 National 24 International 21

Year Organization Founded

1809-1960 30 1961-1984 35 1985-2008 34



About us

Big Duck (www.bigducknyc.com) is a communications firm founded in

1994 that works exclusively with nonprofits to help them raise money,

reach supporters, and build awareness.

FDR Group (www.thefdrgroup.com) is a full-service opinion research

company founded in 2005 that uses the tools of public opinion

research to help foundations and other nonprofits succeed with their

programmatic, strategic planning, and communications efforts.


http://www.thefdrgroup.com

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