Why Social Impact Brands Under Invest in Brand and Marketing

Social impact orgs aren’t known for being great at branding and marketing.

But it's NOT just about limited resources — there's a deeper story here.

There’s some big obstacles in the way, like:

→ The "overhead myth" that just won't die (KILL IT WITH FIRE)

→ A false dichotomy between choosing to invest in fundraising OR marketing (you need both)

→ The "scrappiness fallacy" worn as a badge of honor (you don’t look more “authentic” because your brand sucks, sorry!)

→ Challenges connecting the ROI to the mission (not always easy!)

→ A cultural zeitgeist that views marketing as "dirty" (bad marketing ruining it for all of us)

But the culture around this is changing, and it’s happening fast. More organizations are recognizing the power of strategic brand building and storytelling. And the ones that are investing accordingly are outpacing their peers massively. 

In this week’s episode Jonathan and Eric dive into all of this, and:

• Why marketing should be considered a program cost, not overhead

• How fundraising and marketing can (and should) work synergistically

• The importance of internal champions for brand/marketing efforts

• Why "staying hidden" rarely serves your mission

For leaders in the space: If you're struggling to get buy-in or funding for this work, you might be pitching it wrong. We discuss how to make a bulletproof case that connects to your impact and financial sustainability.

The social impact sector needs to embrace brand and marketing as important tools that help us reach more people, tell better stories, and ultimately, create more impact.

Episode Highlights

• [02:07] Prioritizing Marketing
• [03:32] The Internal Champion
• [04:33] Breaking the Overhead Myth
• [06:40] Marketing's ROI is Misunderstood
• [07:33] Branding Beyond the Visual Identity
• [09:09] The Synergy of Marketing and Fundraising
• [11:06] Examples of Successful Brand Building
• [13:31] Overcoming Your Resistance to Marketing
• [15:41] The Role of Digital Tools in Brand Building
• [17:11] Final Thoughts

Quotes

• “The overhead myth that is apparently never going to fully die in the space [and it] is partially responsible for this.” - Eric Ressler [05:37]
• “The minute we sit down [with a donor], we’re having a different kind of conversation... How can we accelerate this?” - Jonathan Hicken [12:31]

Resources:

• Dan Pallotta’s website
• Beyond Aesthetics: The ROI of Brand Building
• Rethinking Your Unhealthy Relationship with Social Impact Marketing
• Is Your Social Impact Marketing Strategy Built on a Strong Foundation or a House of Cards

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Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.