Seven Benefits of Breakthrough Branding

Last month, we explored when and why to rebrand.  A revitalized brand  provides focus, differentiates an organization and helps them to stand out in a crowded marketplace.  What other benefits can an organization expect from a strategically developed and managed brand?   Here is my top seven benefits list:1. Drives direction and higher performance: A breakthrough brand articulates its mission in a way that is focused and relevant for the times.

”All In For Youth”: Partnership Transition Planning

All In for Youth” is a Calgary-based initiative and partnership focused on school completion. Facilitated by the United Way of Calgary, the five-year collective action initiative aims to reduce the high school dropout rate in Calgary by 50% by 2017 and to prototype a new way of working to drive social change. This exciting but complex cross-sector partnership was established with the intention that it would end in its current form in June 2017.

Brookfield Residential: Engaging with Key Stakeholders & Communities

For almost 60 years, Brookfield Residential has been crafting homes and communities for Albertans. Struggling to define a social purpose for their community investment program, Brookfield Residential engaged us to help them better define their role in the community, engage their key stakeholders and make a bigger overall impact.

MS Society & A&W Cause Marketing: Fostering Mutual Benefit & Impact

A&W and the MS Society of Canada’s “Cruisin’ to End MS” day is an extremely successful ongoing year partnership that has raised over $6.5 million for Multiple Sclerosis and increased awareness about this disease and its high incidence among Canadians.The initiative is driven by point of sale fundraising in each restaurant as well as a number of other creative, locally developed initiatives.

Math Minds Partners: Reviewing & Revising to Strengthen the Partnership’s Impact

Math Minds is an innovative form of collaboration, where alliances are forging unique outcomes, crossing boundaries, and building potential long-term solutions to improve numeracy in Canadian society.  In 2012, Canadian Oil Sands initiated a bold partnership with leadership organizations representing education, public library and children-serving agency to collaborate on how to promote deep, meaningful and significant improvements in early mathematics learning.

Volunteers Drive Breakthrough Nonprofits Brands

This June I was pleased to be the  keynote speaker at Volunteer Calgary’s 2011 Annual General Meeting.    Volunteer Calgary is one of North America’s outstanding volunteer centres with a history that dates back over 50 years.   Volunteers are a central element in building a breakthrough nonprofit brand.“The Value of One … The Power of Many” is at the heart of Volunteer Calgary’s brand.

Canadian Oil Sands: Fostering Partnership for Early Math Literacy

Canadian Oil Sands (COS) engaged JS Daw & Associates in efforts to simplify, and deepen the value and impact from their community investment program. Rather than making many small donations to a number of non-profits, COS realized that by concentrating their community investment dollars around a single cause, they could have a much more substantial impact on the community.

How “Fruit & Fiber” Cereal Changed My Life: My Cause Marketing Story

Recently I was asked, what book changed my life? I’m a reader, and a large number of books have influenced my thinking.  But a single book alone hasn’t changed my life.   Instead, it was reading Filthy Rich and Other Nonprofit Fantasies and the resulting cause marketing experience that did. This is the story of that transformation and what I learned along the way.