1. What do you think are the strengths of your brand?
   Think about all the things that make your brand different and why you have established your organisation in the first place.
2. What is it that you are most proud of?
   These might include soft and hard factors, for example
   • the passion / expertise / knowledge of you / your people
   • how you have made a difference to people / places / sectors etc
   • the type of work you do – maybe doing things that no other organisation is doing / can do
   • quantifiable training and skills
   • quantifiable results
   • attitudes to your beneficiaries / staff / funders etc
   • how you / your people behave.

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For example, if you are a charity looking after the victims of domestic abuse, your list might look something like this:

Beneficiaries of the charity’s work: victims of domestic abuse. People looking for a safe refuge and help in getting their lives back on track. They are looking for support and help. You are offering them a service – somewhere they feel safe and can begin to sort out the problems inflicted on them. You are providing a critical service.

Donors: want to feel that they are donating to the right cause, a cause which they believe in and see as valuable. They want reassurance that their money is going to the right place and making a difference. You need their support and must demonstrate how you are different from the rest of the possible charities to which they could donate. You need them more than they need you, so you need to show how effective and worthwhile your brand / organisation is.

Local Authorities / Government Bodies / Foundations / Grant giving authorities: Such bodies may have significant funds to give away but they will also have many organisations, other than your own, competing for their funds. You need to stand out, which means being able to communicate succinctly what your brand will achieve, why it stands out and what it hopes to achieve. In other words, you need to be able to communicate your brand definition (Vision, Mission, Values, Personality, Proposition and Reasons-to-believe) effectively and persuasively (which is exactly what this Toolkit will help you achieve).

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Next, identify your key competitors – which are the three or four who you believe are your closest or most important?

Take each of these (3-4) key competitors in turn and identify the following:

• What you admire most about them – ie what are they particularly good at?
• What are the things that you do not think that they do so well / is not so good about them?
• Having identified the positive and negative aspects, now capture how your organisation will be different – what will you do better?

Raising (financial) support is a highly competitive task. Identifying how you can do something better will help your brand stand out in a positive way.

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