Increasing Your Brand Passion

Making Brand Passion a Reality

Here are some practical examples (many from Power of Moments) to try to build your relevance, resonance, relationships, reliability, and rivetability (not a real word but it should be).

Ask more questions: these create engagement more than statements.
Create elevated moments: Make major donor events fun and meaningful for participants, not just glorified infomercials with an ask at the end. How could you make the event powerful and memorable from their perspective, not yours? An example: a surprise party for a guest at a homeless shelter.
Build in opportunities or accomplishments such as doing a task together, making something (quilting or packing gift boxes), scavenger hunts, marathons/runs, ST missions, building projects, etc. The key is to make it about the participant and to celebrate their accomplishments. Give people ONE thing they can accomplish in the next week.
Build deeper relationships: Not just between your org and the donor, but between donors themselves. Example: Org where they created opportunities for older donors to mentor younger ones, etc.

Spark surprising insights: Create ways in which donors “discover for themselves” new insights about your organization. Example: SDNA for ABS
Connect to deeper emotions: Use of documentary-style storytelling, compelling music, surprising stories, nostalgia, shared experiences, etc. Offer a live event/webinar with a person in the field whose story was recently told in a newsletter
Foster accountability: Not in a legalistic sense, but create opportunities for pairs or group involvement. Peer-to-peer opportunities, young/old partnerships, etc.
Gamify your opportunities: Not to manipulate or make it cheesy, but what could you do to add gamification principles like levels (for a fun competition), rewards (for premiums or merch sponsored by others), status (beyond a donor recognition plaque), access (to the president or some celebrity), etc.

To make it even more practical, here are just a few of the many things you can do to build brand passion. Don’t just look at the item. Consider what you could do in a fresh, surprising way (e.g. a donor care package put together with items created in your programs combined with some very nice, useful purchased items).

Referral Challenges: Reward referrals to get additional newsletter signups or petition signatures. Use modern referral platforms to make this automated and effective.

Coupon books: both or local businesses, but also fun ideas such as gifts to beneficiaries, merch offerings, events, etc.
Exclusive/surprise branded merch: Provide donors with special merchandise or gifts as a token of appreciation for their support, such as branded apparel or custom-made items. Don’t do this for acquisition but for major milestone gifts. Even better is to separate the giving with surprise gifts to make sure the relationship doesn’t become overtly transactional.
Brand storytelling workshops for donors: Host workshops to teach donors storytelling techniques, enabling them to share their experiences and advocate for your cause.
A “give it up” challenge or other social media challenge: We all have our guilty pleasures — be it fast food, expensive coffee drinks, or a weekly movie night. Have them take the give up money for a short period and pledge their savings toward your cause. The best way to do this is if they were already wanting to give it up anyway. Most people don’t want to give something up they love, so don’t force it. Just make their habit change even more positive by adding a cause behind it.
Collaborative projects with donors and beneficiaries: Engage donors in collaborative projects where they can contribute their skills, expertise, or networks to advance your organization's mission.
VIP experiences: Offer donors VIP access to special events, performances, or experiences as a way to thank them for their generosity.
Social media shoutouts: Acknowledge donors on your organization's social media platforms, highlighting their generosity and thanking them publicly.

Virtual volunteer opportunities: Offer virtual volunteer opportunities that allow donors to contribute their time and skills remotely to support your organization's mission.
Donor care packages: Send curated care packages to donors, including items related to your cause or organization, as a tangible expression of appreciation.
Social media takeovers: Allow donors to take over your organization's social media accounts for a day, sharing their perspectives and experiences with your audience.
Interactive Events: Virtual coffee gatherings, auctions, fun town hall meetings, scavenger hunts, gaming tournaments.
Donor advisory boards: Establish donor advisory boards where contributors can provide input on the organization's strategies and initiatives.
Surprise gifts: Send unexpected gifts or tokens of appreciation to donors, such as branded merchandise or handwritten notes. The best ones are things from the field or ministry recipients. Thank hand-crafted vs mass.
Exclusive webinars: Offer donors access to exclusive educational sessions or workshops related to your cause, providing them with valuable insights and information.
Personalized milestones: Celebrate significant milestones, anniversaries, or achievements of your organization, showcasing progress and inspiring donors to continue their support.
Making of/BTS tour: Offer exclusive tours of your organization's facilities or projects to donors, giving them a firsthand look at the impact of their contributions.
Donor appreciation videos and events (with a twist): Don’t go for the obvious events or videos, twist it to elevate the experience.