How to Show That Your Arts Organization is Critical
If you’re responsible for raising money for an arts organization, you know this challenge: your donor appreciates your mission and values what you do, but can’t rationalize making a gift when there are...
View ArticleWhy Your Foundation Needs a Brand
Let’s face it. Private Foundations don’t have the same reasons as nonprofits do to build a strong brand. Foundations already have money. What does it matter what anyone thinks about them? Plenty, it...
View ArticleChildren’s Museum Denver Demonstrates How to Employ the Minute Message Model
Mission Minded’s client, the Children’s Museum of Denver, announced the public phase of their capital campaign at a groundbreaking ceremony on April 8, 2014. In so doing, President and CEO Mike...
View ArticleSnow in May: The Value of Expectations in Branding
Also titled: Why I Refuse to Get Out My Snow Shovel Today is Monday, May 12, 2014, and I’m feeling a bit glum. I’m feeling glum because I expect certain things from May 12th: standing barefoot on my...
View ArticleBe Honest About Competition—It Might Just Make You a Better Collaborator
People don’t like to talk about competition in the nonprofit world. Competition suggests a dog-eat-dog fight to the finish where one valuable nonprofit edges another out of the marketplace. Instead,...
View ArticleYour Brand is a Shortcut. Where Does it Lead?
Strong brands lead to desired interactions. They quickly attract the audiences who align with their values, appreciate what the brands offer, and support the organizations with their resources. Does...
View ArticleShow Me What You’re Talking About: The Power of Visual Language
Recently, I attended a forum on education. I rose early, drove to the elegant downtown ballroom, poured myself a coffee with cream and two sugars, and took my seat, ready to listen. The session began,...
View ArticleWhat We’re Thankful for This Year
With 2014 coming to a close, we thought you’d enjoy these reflections on how our colleagues and clients inspired us this year and why these experiences make us feel grateful. What’s best about working...
View ArticleWhat “Wheel of Fortune” Can Teach You About Your Brand
I grew up watching the television show “Wheel of Fortune.” We didn’t spend every dinner in front of the TV, but when we did, I loved to solve the puzzle. I loved Pat Sayjak. I loved filling in the...
View ArticleWhy Your Nonprofit Needs an Enemy
A recent article in AdAge argues that every great story, and every great brand, has a strong, evident antagonist–someone to fight against. The author explains that Apple’s enemy was Microsoft, just as...
View ArticleIs Your Annual Report Telling the Right Story?
Recently one of our clients, a program officer at a private foundation, complained to me that so many of the stories she reads in annual reports sound the same. “Are stories really that important?” she...
View ArticleVolvo vs. VW: Brand at the Core
Brand is much more than your logo, name, or messages. Brand is at the core of who you are as an organization. It is not just what you say; it is what you do. When done right, brand should influence...
View ArticleAmplifying the Good from 2015
At Mission Minded, we try our best to live up to our brand promise and tagline—amplify the good—all year round. And once a year, we like to gather some of these amplifications and share them with you....
View Article20 Great Techniques for Writing the Perfect Nonprofit Tagline
A pitch-perfect tagline can be the foundation for all messages you create about your organization or program. A tagline is a punchy phrase consistently linked with your organization. It enhances your...
View ArticleWant to Write Better Messages? Look to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
If you’ve been tasked with improving the impact of your organization’s messages, one of the best teachers you can follow is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His intentional use of rhetorical devices adds...
View ArticleOffice Design with Brand in Mind
What does your office design say about your organization? Your brand is much more than your logo or name, and it can’t be summed up through a clever tagline or single message. Your brand is bigger than...
View ArticleHow to Maintain Your Brand in a Video Conference Call
Recently one of our clients, the executive director of a large membership organization, asked an important question: How do I conduct video conference calls from my home-office in a way that will...
View ArticleWhat We’re Thankful for This Year
With 2014 coming to a close, we thought you’d enjoy these reflections on how our colleagues and clients inspired us this year and why these experiences make us feel grateful. What’s best about working...
View ArticleWhat “Wheel of Fortune” Can Teach You About Your Brand
I grew up watching the television show “Wheel of Fortune.” We didn’t spend every dinner in front of the TV, but when we did, I loved to solve the puzzle. I loved Pat Sayjak. I loved filling in the...
View ArticleWhy Your Nonprofit Needs an Enemy
A recent article in AdAge argues that every great story, and every great brand, has a strong, evident antagonist–someone to fight against. The author explains that Apple’s enemy was Microsoft, just as...
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