Thoughts on Branding for Social Impact Organizations — An Intro

I've worked with at least four different social impact nonprofits on rebrand initiatives since launching Further Up Co. three years ago, and just kicked off a fifth yesterday.

Two of these are current clients that are nonprofits with significant roles in my community, but in very different ways.

I’ve been working with each of them on holistic rebrands that were launched essentially toward the end of last year and have continued working with each of them throughout this year on projects to infuse the brand across touch points, initiatives, and events.

These organizations work in different categories.

‍Lighthouse Mission Ministries is a social impact organization focused on homelessness and recovery.

‍Paper Whale is a social impact organization focused on community development and creative placemaking.

I had some time to slow down and think about this work this week as we just launched the brand new website for The Lighthouse Mission.

It just felt different than some of the corporate and consumer-focused work I’ve been used to in my career.

And this is also true of some of the work I’ve done with Paper Whale. There’s something about the way the work as a whole is being used and the way it’s being received.

I think brand is powerful and exciting in all contexts really, but I think it's an interesting and important exercise to think about how to apply similar principles to specific scenarios and outcomes.

Launching certain elements of the brand or seeing it come to life in a physical space or event with very clear goals around attendance, engagement, or fundraising is really fascinating.

Maybe some of it just feels more tactile.

I’m not sure.I’d like to start to unpack this a bit in a series of posts and would be really interested in your thoughts, feedback, and experiences. Especially if you're a designer or strategist working in this space, or a working as a director, board member, or staff member for an organization like this.

Stay tuned…