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The Nonprofit Toolkit series of CyberEssays.

(Before you read this Cyber-Essay, spend three minutes on The Relationship Between Quality and Price. It explains the roots within the promotional products industry that cause nonprofit vulnerability.)

 

UNIVERSAL REALITY: Logo-products are seen everywhere. At home, at work, at the mall, on TV - wherever people gather they display logos and see others do the same. The logos are a form of nonverbal shorthand that defines our personal affinities and interests. That shorthand is understood by other people just as the logos they display help us interpret their interests and affinities.

 

NONPROFIT REALITY: Properly used branding products are not an expense – they are an investment in an organization’s major assets. Those logos greatly enhance public visibility of the organizations they represent. At some subconscious level they also strengthen commitment and affinity of individuals that display them. Because of their impact on these institutional assets - imprinted logo-product have became essential to nonprofit marketing and development programs.[1]

 

NONPROFIT TRAP: It is common for nonprofit executives to think "because we’re a charity, we can’t afford top quality products." As financial stewards you must measure the cost and the return of acquisition mailings, outreach programs and similar strategies. Although tougher to measure, the risk of offending constituents and losing their support is also an aspect of financial stewardship. Imprinted affinity products are an investment in public image and constituent affinity – but only if their quality is appropriate to your organization and its constituents. When dealing with such powerful branding products, do not buy into the shortsighted and destructive concept that you cannot afford top quality because you are a nonprofit.

 

AVOIDING THAT TRAP: The proper mantra is actually the reverse of the above shortsighted approach: "We cannot risk the cost of putting our brand on lower quality products, specifically because we are a nonprofit organization."

Notice that phrase – specifically because. Specifically because your organization depends on the esteem of the general public and the loyalty of its individual supporters, it can not afford to be identified by or associated with lower quality products. As you review promotional items, you should keep asking, "Is this good enough for us?" rather than "Is this cheap enough?"

 

VisABILITY SUGGESTS: Don’t buy for price. To follow our advice and stay within budget, you may have to make some strategic adjustment in your approach to the promotional product marketplace. We’ll help you buy smarter by offering some techniques in our Cyber-Essays "Don't Spend More - Just Buy Better" and "Selecting and Training a Vendor."

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[1] - The tax-exempt nonprofit public service sector, including medical and educational organizations, is the largest user of promotional products. Industry records indicate that the second largest user is the financial services sector (banks, credit unions, investment services, etc). The ranks of users then include (in order) manufacturing, insurance, automotive, government (all levels combined), entertainment and sporting events and media – broadcast/print and advertising/public relations agencies.

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