Branding is often associated with huge corporations but a powerful brand is important to nonprofits as well. In addition, your brand is your identity and the way people feel about your nonprofit, what they talk about when you come up in conversation and your overall reputation in the nonprofit world. As the nonprofit landscape gets increasingly competitive, it is essential to brand yourself by clearly communicating your nonprofit's focus, credibility and unique contributions. Here are 4 ways to brand your nonprofit:

1. Build a positioning statement and tagline First of all, decide what your message is

Why are you passionate about what you do, what do you stand for and what makes you unique? For a local recreation center, it could be: Creating brighter futures for children of Phoenix, AZ. With each communication, ask yourself: does this show how we create brighter futures? Next determine your tagline which is a catchy phrase that creates emotion and captures your mission. An example could be:

Happy Futures

Consistent tagline use helps your audience connect with your message. Here are some guidelines for creating a strong nonprofit tagline. Our nonprofit partner,

Pace Center for Girls, uses this tagline: "Changing lives, one girl at a time. "

2. Visual consistency Make sure that your logo and brand colors are used across all marketing channels including social media, website, newsletters, emails and press releases.

3. Get everyone on board Make sure that your staff, board members and volunteers know your message and share it with others. Your staff and board of directors must reflect your value at all times and be willing to stand behind your brand.

4. Develop your key messages Create messages that your audience connect with and recognize

Share what you do and why it is special, and give your audience a clear understanding of your story. Most importantly,

be personable and compelling. As you create your key messages it is also helpful to go back to your positioning statement. It is more important than ever to brand your organization by clearly communicating your organization's story and to establish your credibility. A brand is you, your mission and the impact you hope to make on the world. How are some ways you brand your nonprofit? Let us know!