Don’t be the best. Be the only.
Which apple gets the donor’s attention?
🍏🍏🍏🍏🍎🍏🍏🍏🍏🍏🍏🍏
Easy.
Now, which one will the funder think is the best?
Debatable.
That’s why in fundraising communications, different beats better.
✔️ Being a unique brand is objective.
↳ It’s hard to argue.
✖️ But being a superior brand is subjective.
↳ It’s in the eye of the beholder.
✔️ Being distinct from competitors speaks for itself.
↳ You can use short, punchy communications.
✖️ But being greater than competitors requires explanation.
↳ You need lengthy messaging and marketing.
Ideally, you’re both: different in your brand and better at impact.
Especially in the social sector (where lives are on the line), accountable products and programs are paramount for the communities we serve.
Although I’m talking about fundraising here.
And assuming you’re already creating impact — donors will never know you’re the best or better if you don’t first stand out in the crowd.
If you’re the 🍎 red apple, you get a foot in the door. You get that funder meeting.
Sure, it’s not guaranteed you will land the investment. But at least you have a shot to tell your story. Unlike the many green apples — they’re lost in the noise. Because many nonprofit leaders only talk about how they’re better.
So how do you position your brand differently, in ways that matter?
A few ideas. ⤵
Embody a disruptive brand personality.
Use provocative messaging and storytelling.
Name a secret sauce in your theory of change.
Serve communities where others aren’t working.
Design eye-catching visuals that break the norm.
Share audacious, long-term strategic planning goals.
Foster unique partnerships outside traditional circles.
Adopt a counterintuitive stance on a mainstream issue.
Measure and communicate game-changing impact data.
Let this resonate:
“It’s not enough to be the best at what you do,” says Jerry Garcia. “You must be perceived as the only one who does what you do.”
So in a world with 10 million nonprofits, if many other organizations can say the same things — your brand is not unique enough.
You may be better.
Perhaps even the best.
But it’s not the same as different.
Strive to be first in class.
And in a class of your own.
💪🏽💛
(h/t Alex Llull for the apple inspiration and Kevin Kelly who similarly paraphrased the Jerry Garcia quote)
The daily bonus
I stumbled upon a (really popular) free book today about storytelling. I don’t know the guy, but it gets 4.6 stars with 1,000 reviews. So since it’s a limited-time offer, I figured some of you might want it too.
Remember: good stories always beat good spreadsheets.
Check it out. ⤵
Sneak peek
Coming up in tomorrow’s newsletter:
Fundraising alone can’t fix your money problems.
So stop asking fundraisers to turn water into wine.
And do this instead…