Jan. 22
February 5, 2025
KidGlov + BraveBe: A Purpose-Driven Branding Story Featured in ANA Magazine
While it’s easy to reduce rebranding to logos and colors, at KidGlov, we know at its core, a rebrand is about heart, purpose, and the power to drive lasting change. Time and time again, we’ve seen how the right brand can boost a nonprofit’s voice, deepen the impact it’s making, and bring more people in need to its mission.
That’s why we’re honored to see our rebranding of BraveBe Child Advocacy Center featured in ANA Magazine! When we took on rebranding BraveBe three years ago, we knew the end goal needed to be about more than a new name or look, but about creating an identity that reflects the strength and resilience of the kids BraveBe serves. Because when branding is done right, it doesn’t just tell a story—it fuels a movement.
Check out the full article below. You can also check it out directly on ANA Magazine.
Can Nonprofits Explain Their Brand Purpose?
Organizations need a strong identity to connect with donors these days
Originally reported by Chuck Kapelke
The Girl Scout Cookie program is the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world, and more than 1 million members participate every year. The sales are a fundraiser for local troops, but also support the mission of ANA member Girl Scouts of the USA by teaching lessons about goal-setting, money management, decision-making, people skills, and business ethics, all while supporting scouts’ local communities. “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place,” says Rebeca Vargas, CMO at the nonprofit organization, which has nearly 2 million members. “Our brand positioning is the expression of that mission. It’s our promise to the community, and to the girls in particular. It’s the reason why we exist. We try to deliver on that brand positioning and mission in everything that we do.”
How Girl Scouts connects its brand to mission is an example of “brand purpose,” a term widely used to describe an organization’s raison d’etre beyond generating profits.
Patagonia, for example, markets outdoor apparel and gear, but the company’s purpose is to save our home planet.
But there is a distinction between a company’s long-bandied mission and brand purpose, even though they are closely aligned. “Your company’s purpose is about why you exist beyond making money, and its mission describes what your company does to realize its purpose,” wrote Scott Goodson, founder and CEO of creative agency StrawberryFrog, and Chip Walker, head of strategy at StrawberryFrog, in a 2021 article for Inc. “The world needs more companies that are both purpose and mission driven. It’s the surest way to create positive change for your stakeholders and society at large. Having said this, purpose should be your higher order strategy, it sits above mission.”
The rise of brand purpose in the last few years comes amid a shift in the marketplace, as donors increasingly fund organizations that align with their values.
Being able to articulate brand purpose also helps companies and organizations attract new talent. According to “Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey,” based on a survey of more than 22,800 respondents from 44 countries, the vast majority of gen Z (86 percent) and millennials (89 percent) say that having a sense of purpose is important to their overall job satisfaction and well-being. Partnering with nonprofits, meanwhile, can be an effective way for companies to promote their brand purpose.
“At its core, a brand purpose is a guide for why your company exists, what it stands for, and how it comes to life,” says Audrey Chee-Read, principal analyst at Forrester. “When a company or nonprofit embraces their brand purpose, they are not only clear about who they are for, but more importantly who they are not for. It is not only reflected in what their CEO might say, but also how they act.”
Despite myriad benefits, many nonprofits do not focus on “brand purpose” per se because such organizations are inherently defined by their purpose rather than making money. Dedicating funding for brand-building can also be a tough sell. But with changes in the donor landscape, nonprofits now ignore brand purpose art their own peril.
“A brand is a nonprofit organization’s most important strategic asset, and is as equally important as in the for-profit space,” says Nathalie Laidler-Kylander, program chair for senior executive fellows and adjunct lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University and co-author of The Brand IDEA: Managing Nonprofit Brands with Integrity, Democracy, and Affinity. “It plays many different functions, including not only fundraising but also attracting the right employees and board members. You need to invest the energy and money to make sure that you are working toward aligning brand identity and brand image.”
Align Mission with Overall Values
Being able to clearly articulate a brand purpose requires clarifying the “cause and effect” of mission and vision, says Eric Ryan, co-founder and co-owner of Mission Met, a strategic planning business for nonprofits whose clients include Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) and YWCA. “The brand is a feeling, an energy,” Ryan says. “It’s a combination of mission, vision, values working together to give a sense of direction and clarity around what you believe in. When those three things are dialed in, organizations generate more revenue because they’re attractive to donors, who say, ‘These people have their act together, their team is aligned, and they know where they’re going.’”
Having a brand purpose provides nonprofits with a kind of clarity when it comes to strategic direction. But the ability to home in on purpose sometimes requires an outsider’s perspectives. In 2022, for instance, the organization then known as the Lincoln/Lancaster County Child Advocacy Center, a Nebraska-based nonprofit that supports children who are victims of abuse and/or crimes, enlisted KidGlov, a nonprofit-focused advertising agency, to overhaul its brand and strengthen its identity.
The organization conducted a survey of staffers, donors, and other stakeholders to determine their perceptions of the current brand, the organization, and the impact of their work. The nonprofit also integrated other sources of inspiration, such as a wall in its office on which children in need penned messages of hope. The nonprofit then identified the word “brave” as core to its function.
With a new identify in tow, the organization adopted a new name, BraveBe Child Advocacy Center, and a new tagline, “Where truth speaks,” to combat the stereotype that children lie about being the victims of abuse. “Since our rebrand, we’ve seen a pretty dramatic increase in fundraising, and people recognize our name in the community,” says Paige Piper, executive director at BraveBe Child Advocacy Center.
Lyn Wineman, president and chief strategist at KidGlov, says: “A common mistake is just staying too generic. If you’re going to go to the trouble of refreshing a brand, you should lean in and make a long-term decision that will make a big impact, versus changing a couple words or a color. You really need to stand out in the marketplace.”
Key takeaway: As the ability to communicate a brand purpose becomes even more important, agencies and/or consultancies can help nonprofits to identify their distinguishing characteristics and develop a brand purpose that stakeholders can easily understand. “Work with the experts,” Piper says. “Those of us who run nonprofits are not necessarily experts in branding or marketing, so it’s important to find somebody who’s going to take the time to understand your organization and care about it like it’s their own.”
Words of inspiration on the wall of the Lincoln, Neb. office of BraveBe Child Advocacy Center, a nonprofit organization that supports children who are victims of abuse and/or crimes in Nebraska. Encouraging people to inscribe their hopes and aspirations helped the nonprofit in its rebranding efforts. Courtesy of BraveBe Child Advocacy Center.
About Chuck Kapelke
Chuck Kapelke has more than 20 years of experience as a communications professional. His writing has appeared in publications such as Fortune, Boston Magazine, Continental Inflight, and Rolling Stone. He has also written articles and produced videos for a wide range of companies.