In this episode of the Nonprofit Ally Podcast I talk with Amanda Babine from Evaluate for Change. We talk...
Archive for category: Podcast
Listen to interviews with nonprofit directors, consultants, grant writers and fundraisers. Get practical tips and advice from experts in nonprofit development.
NPA 055: Practical Content Marketing for Nonprofits
Steve Vick, , Marketing, Podcast, Uncategorized, 1In this episode I talk with Robert McGuire about how to use content marketing for your nonprofit. Robert is...
In this episode I talk with Carolyn Appleton about grant writing. Carolyn is a grant writing and fundraising specialist...
NPA 053: Special Crowdfunding Edition
Steve Vick, , Crowdfunding, Fundraising, Podcast, crowdfunding, 1Crowdfunding can seem overly simple and, at the same time, overly complex. It's pretty easy to start a crowdfunding...
NPA 052: How to Avoid Mission Creep and Achieve your Nonprofit Goals
Steve Vick, , Board Governance, Podcast, 1Nonprofit organizations obviously have a mission they follow. Sometimes they are lofty ones and other times they are vague...
NPA 051: Build a Sustainable Nonprofit Board
Steve Vick, , Board Governance, Nonprofit Management, Podcast, 1Building your nonprofit board of directors is some of the most important work you should. A strong board can...
NPA 050: How to be a Nonprofit Outreach Super Hero
Steve Vick, , Marketing, Nonprofit 101, Podcast, 2It is one thing to have a great idea to serve your community, it is another to go out...
Do you have a website? Do you post to a blog? Do you use a newsletter? How about social...
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Recent Posts
How to Start a Nonprofit
Free Nonprofit Branding Course
Other Important Impression Makers
GET A WEBSITE
This should be one of the first things you do. A website that has your information on it is invaluable. You can put your mission, your contact information, your forms, your board meetings, your volunteer calendar, your donation page, your staff information and so much more online.
A professional looking website is easy to set up and very affordable (less than $100, really!). And it is a great way to build the capacity of your organization.
GET A LOGO
The number of new nonprofits that get created each year keeps rising. Separating your organization from the rest is an important part of establishing yourself in your community. No matter what your mission is, it will have more impact if it is branded with a recognizable logo.
Some Tips & Resources
Type in "free logo" in Google. You’ll be surprised how many decent choices there are.
If you are having trouble deciding on a logo, you can opt to have "text" logo. There are many organizations that simply use text as their logo. If you choose to do this, learn all you can about the subtleties of fonts, colors, balance, line height, font-weight and line spacing.
Pre-made logos are professional and inexpensive. GraphicRiver.com has over 25,000 logo designs. And it is easy to search for what you want. Their pre-made logos start at $29.
Hire a pro. I use 99designs.com*. All you have to do is post your project on their website and dozens of professional designers submit their ideas. Then you pick the one you like best. This cost about $300. They also have pre-made logos for $100.
Learn more:
Pre-made logos: GraphicRiver.net, 99designs.com
Custom Logos: 99designs.com
Word of Caution
Watch out for volunteer logo makers. I have rarely seen a volunteer make a logo that I would want for my organization. This is not saying that they didn’t have artistic talent. But that is usually the problem. They are artist.
Logos are not art. Let me repeat that. Logos are not art. A logo is a simple, clean, easily digestible symbol. Your logo should not have more than three colors, two fonts and two distinct objects/shapes.
Designing a logo is the one thing I suggest getting a professional designer to do from the get-go. Having said that, there are actually some good "free" logos available. They can be a bit generic, but better than having "art" as your logo.
One last thing about logos. A logo does not define your business. Your nonprofit logo starts with no meaning. The logo acquires the meaning from the product and/or services you provide.
(Here’s a little secret: The Nonprofit Ally logo is a free one I found on the web. But the logo for the nonprofit I started I had custom made at 99designs).
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