Nonprofit Brand Strength: What Is It? How Is It Measured? What Are Its Outcomes?
Abstract
Nonprofit brand strength is conceptualized as the degree to which a nonprofit brand is well known to a target group, is perceived favorably by a target group, and is perceived to be remarkable by a target group. Hence, the authors conceptualize nonprofit brand strength as a priori having three dimensions: familiarity, remarkability, and attitude. The authors report the development of a nonprofit brand strength scale, using a series of charity brands, in three separate studies, supporting the scale’s reliability and validity. The scale’s ability to differentiate charities based on their respective nonprofit brand strength levels is demonstrated. Moreover, nonprofit brand strength is shown to be antecedent to a target group’s affective dispositions and behavioral intentions toward the nonprofit brand. © 2015 International Society for Third-Sector Research and The Johns Hopkins University
Supplementary resources (2)
... Meanwhile, sector-wide funding cuts (du Bois and Langley-Cook 2022;Michaelidou et al. 2015a) make it all the more important to achieve differentiation and relevance and, in turn, attract donations. To survive this downturn, NPOs have a history of borrowing branding strategies from the commercial sector-for example, by crafting a desirable brand image (Wymer et al. 2016), adopting a strong brand orientation (Da Silva et al. 2020;Lee 2013;Napoli 2006) and communicating a credible brand purpose (Mirzaei et al. 2021). Most recently, this has been attempted with the rise of brand activism in the non-profit sector, as a strategic avenue to adapt and survive. ...
Empirical evidence concerning the effects of brand activism on brand equity is growing but remains mixed at best. Although non-profit brands increasingly implement activism initiatives, there are not yet any studies that look outside the commercial sector. Non-profit brands are well placed to step up and engage in political dialogue—social change is at their core. Yet, the risks of neglecting a warm charitable image are considerable in terms of alienating current supporters and losing donations. Our research contributes to this debate by employing signalling theory to examine the effects of non-profit brand activism on brand equity in the ‘third sector’. The mediating roles of brand bravery and brand hypocrisy in this central relationship are also explored. Survey data were obtained from 518 British respondents and analysed using structural equation modelling. Our results show evidence of partial serial mediation, where the direct negative effect of non-profit brand activism on brand equity is eliminated in the presence of brand bravery and brand hypocrisy. Interestingly, in studying the mediated-moderation links, we also find the strengthening effects of a donor’s moral foundations at play. Our study suggests that there are equity gains for non-profit brands that shed traditional ‘warmth’ positioning and embrace activism and bravery.
Purpose
Literature on the relationship between social performance and economic performance of social enterprises has long been inconclusive. This paper aims to investigate whether and, if so, how social performance contributes to economic performance of social enterprises. Specifically, drawing from the resource-based view and signalling theory, the study examines how the development of reputation, which enables social enterprises to signal the enterprises' stakeholders' commitment towards social causes, mediates the relationship between the two.
Design/methodology/approach
Employing a quantitative research design, data were collected from a sample of 164 social enterprises in the UK and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings
The results illustrate that whilst the direct relationship between social and economic performance is inconclusive, social performance contributes indirectly to improve economic performance through improving social enterprise reputation.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first of this kind in the context of social enterprises which sheds light on the long-standing conflicting literature on the relationship between the dual objectives (i.e. social and economic) by providing reputation as the mediating variable.
There has been a growth in online fundraising from crowdfunding apps, like GoFundMe, that propagate fundraising appeals on social networking sites. In the online space, these crowdfunding apps pose a potential threat to the traditional intermediation role of charities. The disintermediation threat is that donors choose crowdfunding intermediaries instead of charities to channel their giving. In this article, we discuss what makes crowdsourced fundraising effective and how charities can adapt to this new dynamic for more effective online fundraising emphasizing two key success factors: brand strength/reputation and managing the donor experience. In addition, we explain the advantages and disadvantages of social media fundraising and giving and propose ways charities can leverage their good reputations and public trust to stimulate reintermediation. Finally, we propose a landscape for future research based on model that emphases the fundraising campaign's ability to stimulate viral sharing within and between online social networks.
Den Ausgangspunkt von Kapitel 5 bildet eine Darstellung des Fachkräftemangels, von dem zahlreiche Non-Profit-Organisationen betroffen sind. Die Risiken dieses Fachkräftemangels werden beschrieben und verdeutlichen die Notwendigkeit einer Positionierung als attraktiver Arbeitgeber auf dem Arbeitsmarkt. Employer Branding und Personalmarketing sowie Instrumente der Personalauswahl werden vorgestellt. Das Kapitel geht auf die arbeitsrechtlichen Besonderheiten für Non-Profit-Organisationen ein. Zudem wird auf den Aspekt der Gewinnung und Bindung von freiwillig Engagierten eingegangen.
Although the brand equity concept has been validated in the nonprofit organization (NPO) context, little is known about its applicability to religion-affiliated NPOs, especially those in East Asia. Religion-affiliated NPOs’ unique characteristics and objectives require a bespoke brand equity analytical tool. In response, this study develops and validates a brand equity questionnaire for religion-affiliated NPOs. The questionnaire items are adapted from previous studies of for-profit and nonprofit organizations. By controlling gender and participation status, the questionnaire is consistent and reliable when tested with a stratified sample of noninvolved female respondents in Taiwan (N = 600). Results show both brand awareness and brand trust are critical to brand equity from the perspective of noninvolved consumers. Marketing goals, such as creating a consistent image or choosing a narrow cause/campaign that is relatable and aligned with noninvolved consumers’ perceptions of the affiliated religion’s philosophy, may increase brand awareness and brand trust for religion-affiliated NPOs.
Nonprofit organizations have gradually embraced the brand-oriented approach to
deliver value for their stakeholders. The anthropomorphism of nonprofit brands is
a promising strategy to attract more attention and support. This study attempted
to examine the effects of brand anthropomorphism and other brand-related factors
on charity support intention. Based on the theory of anthropomorphism and literature
on the customer-brand relationship, this study proposed a research framework
explaining the causal relationships between brand anthropomorphism, brand trust,
brand familiarity, and charity support intention. Data from a survey of 325 respondents
were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares technique. The findings revealed
that brand-related factors have significant effects on behavioral intention under the
context of the charity sector. Specifically, brand anthropomorphism, brand trust,
and brand familiarity had significantly positive impacts on charity support intention.
Moreover, brand trust and brand familiarity were found to mediate the effects of
brand anthropomorphism on charity support intention. These exploratory findings
provided several implications for both theory and practice.
This fictitious case focuses on the decision processes of a local business in developing a cause-related marketing program (CRM). The case is written from the perspective of the business owner. It examines a variety of issues businesses consider when developing a CRM program. The purpose of this case study is to put students into a position to better understand the practical decisions common in developing a CRM program. The current knowledge about CRM from the research literature on major issues is embedded in this case to enhance students’ knowledge of CRM and to help to inform their decisions. Furthermore, this case features the decisions common to small businesses rather than a large corporation, which is more common in case studies. In summary, this case incorporates the latest research on cause-related marketing in a practical setting to enhance applied learning. The case is designed to help students analyze and solve typical problems a small business experiences when developing a CRM program.
Expressive and instrumental functions provide a way to classify activities that take place in the nonprofit sector. These functions also provide a way to better understand individual's philanthropic involvement with certain types of nonprofit organizations. Despite the usefulness of these classifications, only a few studies have explored demographic, social, and ideological differences in individuals' philanthropic involvement along expressive and instrumental dimensions; and, no studies have explored differences in public awareness of nonprofits along these dimensions. Such awareness, though, could likely be an important precursor to an individual's philanthropic involvement. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore whether variables known to be associated with variation in philanthropic involvement are also associated with variation in awareness of, what we categorize as, expressive and instrumental nonprofit brands. Using data from a survey of public awareness of, and attitudes toward, nonprofit organizations in San Diego County (n = 1002), our findings show that individuals are more aware of instrumental nonprofit brands than they are of expressive nonprofit brands. However, there are important individual differences to consider. We discuss the theoretical relevance of our findings and offer several practical recommendations for nonprofit administrators.
Responding to a call for research into storytelling within the nonprofit context, the paper contributes to an emerging research conversation about communicating organizational strategy through storytelling. The research analyses one hundred stories across 10 leading organizations to identify how they are being deployed and what that tells us about the underpinning strategy. Through bringing story character , classification, and content together for the first time, the paper presents a holistic perspective on the story construct. It identifies that, when viewed as a whole, the stories told by organizations can be a powerful communication tool for reaching external audiences. However, the research also identifies that their ability to convey strategic purpose through storytelling is moderated by storytelling capability. It finds that organizations with stronger storytelling capability use this craft to differentiate themselves more effectively. It concludes with contributing a new conceptual model for understanding organizational storytelling and a roadmap for practitioners to strengthen storytelling capability. K E Y W O R D S brand story, charity appeals, emotional brand attachment, engagement, marketing
Many non-profit organisations (NPOs) deliver their services and mission through volunteers. Brand has been shown to be a powerful influence on the decision to volunteer. What was not known was the role that brand plays in volunteer choice between NPOs. Understanding this enables NPOs to be more effective at attracting the volunteers they need, particularly given limited budgets. Using Framework Analysis with a large qualitative sample, this paper contributes to that gap in knowledge. The research identifies three constructs driving volunteer choice of NPOs, sources of Brand Knowledge, level of Brand Engagement, and the behavioural process of choice, labelled Brand Discovery. Through exploring the relationship between these constructs, the study points to significant implications for NPOs for volunteer recruitment, importance of brand presence, and competitive set.
The study makes several contributions to theory and practice. It extends volunteer motivation theory to examine non-profit brand choice. It builds on Symbolic Consumption Theory and Decision-Making Theory to define patterns of volunteer decision-making behaviour. It describes automatic, explicit, or considered decision-making despite high-involvement behaviour. As a result, the research calls for a new perspective on non-profit brands when seen through a volunteer lens, described as Business to Volunteer (B2V).
The statistical tests used in the analysis of structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error are examined. A drawback of the commonly applied chi square test, in addition to the known problems related to sample size and power, is that it may indicate an increasing correspondence between the hypothesized model and the observed data as both the measurement properties and the relationship between constructs decline. Further, and contrary to common assertion, the risk of making a Type II error can be substantial even when the sample size is large. Moreover, the present testing methods are unable to assess a model's explanatory power. To overcome these problems, the authors develop and apply a testing system based on measures of shared variance within the structural model, measurement model, and overall model.
Brand equity has been criticized by some for an alleged lack of managerial relevance. This paper reports a study which operationalizes brand equity and empirically tests a conceptual model adapted from the work of Aaker (1991) and Keller (1993) considering the effect of brand attitude and brand image on brand equity. The results indicate that brand equity can be manipulated at the independent construct level by providing specific brand associations or signals to consumers and that these associations will result in images and attitudes that influence brand equity. The results suggest that focusing on the constructs that create brand equity is more relevant to managers than trying to measure it as an aggregated financial performance outcome.
Confirmatory factor analysis in two large samples (N = 411 and N = 1,235) was conducted to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the 74-item (revised) and 41-item (reduced) versions of the substitutes for leadership scales recently developed by Podsakoff, Niehoff, MacKenzie, and Williams (1993), and Podsakoff, MacKenzie, and Fetter (1993). Following this, the reliabilities and subscale intercorrelations of the two versions of the scale were compared in order to determine how faithfully the 41-item version represents the 74-item scale. Next, the reliabilities of both versions were compared with the reliability of Kerr and Jermier's (1978) original scale, and their nomological validity was evaluated. The overall pattern of results indicated that both versions were reasonably reliable and valid, and both were better than Kerr and Jermier's original scale.
A growing number of brands are becoming associated with a portfolio of different product categories. Although concerns have been raised that adding products to a brand may weaken it, there is a paucity of research exploring the effects of brand portfolio characteristics on brand strength. Using two laboratory experiments and a survey, the authors examine the effects of several brand portfolio characteristics on consumers' confidence in and favorability of their evaluations of subsequent brand extensions. The experiment-based findings reveal a positive relationship between the number of products affiliated with a brand and consumers' confidence in and favorability of their evaluations of extension quality. These results were not replicated in the survey. However, in both methods, the authors found that as portfolio quality variance decreases, a positive relationship between number of products affiliated with a brand and consumers' confidence in their extension evaluations emerges. Implications of these and other findings for both the theory and practice of brand management are discussed.
The author presents a conceptual model of brand equity from the perspective of the individual consumer. Customer-based brand equity is defined as the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer response to the marketing of the brand. A brand is said to have positive (negative) customer-based brand equity when consumers react more (less) favorably to an element of the marketing mix for the brand than they do to the same marketing mix element when it is attributed to a fictitiously named or unnamed version of the product or service. Brand knowledge is conceptualized according to an associative network memory model in terms of two components, brand awareness and brand image (i. e., a set of brand associations). Customer-based brand equity occurs when the consumer is familiar with the brand and holds some favorable, strong, and unique brand associations in memory. Issues in building, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity are discussed, as well as areas for future research.