Thursday, August 26, 2010

Brandraising



I'm involved in various capacities with a few non-profits. I had seen this book recommended but after reading it, I'm not sure why. The author, Sarah Durham, runs an organization in New York City called Big Duck that helps create brand awareness for non-profits. Perhaps non-profits in New York City could use a firm like hers and have the money to do so. The majority of non-profits, especially those in smaller communities, can't begin to utilize the services of a Big Duck or, for that matter, the copywriters, ad executives or other professional communications staff. Her suggestion that organizations need to plan long-term and budget for such expenses seems more self-serving than useful.

If you are part of a large non-profit with money to burn, but are struggling (and struggling non-profits always have money to burn, right?), then this book might be of some value. Otherwise, I think their are multitudes of books on branding, communications and marketing that are so much more useful than this.

1 comment:

Sarah Durham said...

Thanks for your candid feedback about Brandraising. While it's true that my firm, Big Duck, does work with mid-size and larger nonprofits generally, I wrote the book with smaller orgs in mind, and with insights gleaned from talking to dozens of them. We've also worked with many of them through foundation-funded initiatives.
If you have any suggestions on how the ideas might be better adapted or adjusted for smaller orgs, I'm all ears! Please feel free to contact me at Sarah@bigducknyc.com. Like you, my goal is to help the sector grow stronger. I'd welcome your insights.