2. Marketing on a Dime Mentoring Children of Prisoners Event Kansas City, Missouri January 20-21, 2011 Welcome to

3. Our Objective: To create a blueprinttailored for your respective needsto help you inexpensively market your mentoring programs.

4. Your name & title Your organization An interesting fact about you Introductions:

5. Larry Checco, President, Checco Communications CC helps organizations define who they are, what they do, how they do itand why anyone should care enough to support them! I once spent three months working in a salt mine in Western Australia.

6. G ood marketing helps your audiences better understand: Who you are What you do How you do it And why they should care

7. The answers to these can help you: Fundraise Attract quality board members Market your mentoring programs Recruit and retain mentors and staff Tell your story or narrative

8. Trust Relationship building Cooperative, collaborative opportunities to advance your goals and objectives Good marketing equals:

9. Quickly list 4 things you trust your orgs name to convey: 1. _____________ 2. _____________ 3. _____________ 4. _____________

10. Now lets talk about marketing your organizations brand, or reputation. A good brand answers the same questions as a good marketing plan, namely….

11. Who are you? We are __[name of your program]__, a nonprofit organization.

12. What do you do? We are volunteers who mentor children whose parents are in prison.

13. How do you do it? By providing these children with culturally relevant services based on the principles of positive youth development.

14. Why should I care? Because we all benefit when children feel safe, nurtured and cared for, especially those children whose parents cant readily provide for them.

15. Possible positioning statement: XYZ is a nonprofit volunteer organization that mentors children whose parents are in prison. By providing culturally relevant, age- appropriate services we help these children feel safe, nurtured and cared forthings that their parents cant readily give themand something we, as a community and a society all benefit from. Its your elevator speech

16. What is a brand, anyway? McDonalds versus Franks Home-Style Cooking

17. Branding myth #1 Marketing and branding are one and the same.

18. Marketing/advertising sells products and services. Your brand is a reflection of everything associated with your organization…

19. The quality of your work Your reputation/how people view you The quality of your staff and mentors The quality of your leadership Your organizations core cultural values, including your passion for mentoring children of people in prison. Why your work is so important, not only for the children you serve, but for the community at large. Including (but not limited to)…

20. A brand screams out: TRUST ME! A good brand quietlyand always fulfills that pledge.

21. Branding myth #2 Once we have an attractive logo and catchy tagline, we have our brand.

22. Your logo and tagline are the banners for your brand. Your brand drills much deeper into your organizations core values.

23. Truth is, logos dont really do much of anything…. They dont make you cooler. They dont make the product better. In fact a logo means nothing. Unless, of course, the company behind it means something. --Hyundai auto ad in Time magazine

24. Branding myth #3 Branding is the responsibility of our communications/marketing folks.

25. Branding is the responsibility ofEVERYONE in your organization, from board members to support staff to volunteers and clients.

26. If it helps, consider yourselfand everyone affiliated with your organization… Directors of First Impressions

27. FACT: Amazon.com, Google and Trader Joes rely almost exclusively on word of mouth to promote themselves!

28. Branding myth #4 We dont have a budget for marketing or promoting our organizations brand.

29. If you effectively leverage your current resourcesnamely your staff, board members, volunteers and clientsyou wont need much of a budget to better market your organization.

30. 1. Clearly define your brand 2. Actively promote your brand 3. Diligently protect your brand Keys to marketing on a dime:

31. Step #1 Defining your brand: A reality check

32. Reality check: Has your mentoring program come to consensus on what it is, what it does, how it does itand why anyone should care enough to support its efforts? Is there internal consensus on your mission, positioning and communications strategies? If so, do your current communication materials including logo, editorial content, graphic design, and other materials, including business cardsreflect consistent brand messages and images regarding your mentoring programs?

33. Reality check: Is your program structured to send out clear, consistent messages to your target audiences, as well as to staff? Have you created a messaging packagei.e. positioning statement, supporting statements, etc.to help everyone stay on message? Are you aware of how others currently perceive your program? Is the programs current perceptions of itself positive and healthy?

34. Why concern ourselves with defining a clear, consistent brand? Because it doesnt matter how good the choir is… …If everyone is singing from different song sheets… Its just noise!

35. Define your brand by: Internal consensus (SWOT analysis) External input (what do your audiences want to know?) Creating a messaging package to keep everyone on message

36. Internal Research SWOT Analysis Strengths (promote) Weaknesses (address) Opportunities (leverage) Threats (prepare for)

37. External Research 1. On-line or off-line surveys 2. Client exit interviews 3. Informal focus groups

38. Combine internal and external research to create your Messaging Package: Tagline Mission statement Positioning statement Supporting statement Logo

39. Tagline: Catchy, quick-identifying reference Usually five to seven words in length. Designed to capture the imagination and interest of your target audiences.

40. Examples of good taglines: General ElectricWe bring good things to life NikeJust Do it American Red CrossTogether we can save a life National Endowment for the ArtsA great nation deserves great art

41. Mission Statement: Describes core goals and objectives Answers the question: Why do we exist?

42. Mission Statement: The mission of XYZ is to mentor children whose parents are in prison.

43. Positioning statement: Builds on mission statement Briefly states how you achieve your goals Not meant to tell your entire story

44. Possible positioning statement: XYZ is a nonprofit volunteer organization that mentors children whose parents are in prison. By providing culturally relevant, age- appropriate services we help these children feel safe, nurtured and cared forthings that their parents cant readily give themand something we, as a community and a society all benefit from. Its your elevator speech

45. Supporting statements: Support your brand Provide additional information about your organization Can be targeted to different audiences

46. Supporting statements may reflect: Core values Range of programs and services Facts about your org Who currently supports you, and how Your impact on the community Innovations and initiatives

47. Draft five (5) statements that support your brand: (Hint: think talking points) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

48. Logo: Helps people identify quickly with your organization Cornerstone for your look and style Attractive and representative of org. Used consistently on all your materials

50. Peer-review each others material

51. Step #2 Actively promote your brand! A reality check

52. When it comes to promoting your brand… …Start from the inside out

53. Brand from the inside out: Start with your board, staff & volunteers Make them educated Ambassadors for your brand Make branding part of performance review

54. Reality check: Does everyone in your mentoring programfrom leadership to support staff to volunteersknow what the brand is? Are they educated, motivated Ambassadors of the brand? Is branding included as part of your strategic planning process? Is understanding the programs brand part of your employee and volunteer orientation process, as well as part of your annual performance review?

55. Reality check: Are your promotional materials up-to-date, attractive and compelling? Have you tested your messages? Does your website accurately reflect your brand, and is it easy to navigate and updated regularly? Are you out in your respective communities promoting and reinforcing your brand? Are you aware of the morale of your current workforce and volunteers?

56. You and your staff need to get out from behind your desks and actively promote the brand!

57. You and your staff need to: Attract media attention, including smaller media outlets (dont overlook company newsletters) Be recognized as experts in the field, especially by the media Engage in civic activities Become effective Brand Ambassadors so others can become Brand Advocates for your organization Use social networking technologiesi.e. FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, etc.especially if youre seeking to reach a younger audience.

58. List ways to cost-effectively promote your brand: 1. 2. 3.

59. Step #3 Diligently protect your brand! A reality check

60. Protect your brand… …by living your brand.

61. Reality check: Does everyone in your program understand what it means to protector livethe brand, namely how to keep its reputation positive, strong and trustworthy? Do leadership, staff and volunteers take advantage of training opportunities in leadership, finance and ethics? Is there transparency with respect to finances? Is the workplace culture open to speaking truth to authority?

62. Reality check: Is there awareness that your funders are seeking ever greater accountability and clearer outcomes from the work that you perform? Do your decision-makers understand the difference between doing what is legal versus what is ethical? Do you consciously strive to meet all of the expectationsi.e. promisesyour brand represents?

63. Protector liveyour brand: Hire/recruit well (affluence and influence are worthless w/out integrity and wisdom!) Educate (whats at risk?) Be transparent with your finances Speak truth to authority Legal is not the litmus test Expectations…expectations…expectations

64. List all the things you can possibly imagine that could tarnish your organizations reputation: 1. 2. 3.

65. Three take-home messages for Marketing on a Dime! 1. Clearly define your brand identity It will help reduce the noise and clarify the message 2. Create good Brand Ambassadors It requires good leadership 3. Legal is not the litmus test for doing the right thing Rather, what would your mother think if your decisions were to be aired publicly?

66. The very good news is: You Can Do This!

67. Thank you! Larry Checco Checco Communications Branding consultant Motivational speaker Workshop presenter Helping organizations clearly define who they are, what they do, how they do itand why anyone should care! www.checcocomm.net www.checcocomm.net