What makes you so special?
It’s a question that implies entitlement, like you think you should be treated differently from everyone else.
But it’s actually one of the first things I want to know when I start working with a new client.
What’s different about you from all the other organizations doing similar work?
Is it what you do?
How you do it?
Why you do it?
Who you serve?
The results you get?
Most (all?) nonprofits these days face stiff competition for donor dollars.
Which makes it imperative for an organization to create a unique identity so it stands out from everyone else.
The Big Life Foundation is a highly effective conservation organization working on the ground in Africa.
Its About page says (boldface is Big Life's):
Protecting over 1.6 million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem of East Africa, Big Life partners with local communities to protect nature for the benefit of all.
Sounds good, if a little general.
But the page goes on to say:
Using innovative conservation strategies and collaborating closely with local communities, partner NGOs, national parks, and government agencies, Big Life seeks to protect and sustain East Africa’s wildlife and wild lands...
The first organization in East Africa with coordinated anti-poaching teams operating on both sides of the Kenya-Tanzania border, Big Life recognizes that sustainable conservation can only be achieved through a community-based collaborative approach. This approach is at the heart of Big Life’s philosophy that conservation supports the people and people support conservation.
Yes. Now we’re talking.
It’s easy for any nonprofit or organization with a mission to fall into chanting mantras about who they are and what they do.
But the mantras can obscure the nuances and details that make them unique.
Contrary to popular opinion, communications isn’t the cherry you put on top of an ice cream sundae just before serving.
Done right, communications goes to the heart of what an organization is and does.
Done badly, your great work blends into a crowded field of do-gooders.
As always, thanks for reading!