An equation of both the physical (name, tagline, logo, color) and the mental (attributes, personality), branding must extend across all customer/audience touch points. When the public hears about the organization in the news, sees an advertisement, goes to the association's Web site or notes that it is a cosponsor of an event, it expects a consistent message with the overall brand. When thinking about branding in the nonprofit world, it's the "visual," the "feeling" and the "remembrance" of an organization that are important. For nonprofits, these factors influence the look of the organization (What do people visualize when they think about asthma or allergies?); the appeal of the cause (What are the organization’s core messages? Who does it support?); and the reputation of the organization (Does it live the brand?). A solid brand image and brand experience strengthens an organization both internally, from a volunteer and donor perspective, and externally. Good branding should translate into good design, because, often, it's the organization's logo, brochure or Web site that are noticed and remembered.

Nonprofit organizations require a much softer sales touch than their business world counterparts, and finding that right approach can make branding difficult. EAI can help your organization pull together its branding campaign using the five Ps of branding: position, promise, permission, personality and permanence.

• Position. An association’s position refers to what is unique about the organization. What does your association offer that is different? Are you for a specific cause like stem cell transplantation, which gives desperate children with leukemia hope for a brighter future?
• Promise. Communicate the benefits and true attributes of your organization. For example, The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology is the global leader in improving the quality of patient care in allergy and immunology, as spelled out in its tagline, "Follow the Leader into the Future." This is the brand promise.

• Permission. Permission refers to the do's and don'ts of an organization. For instance, a hospital’s brand should not have a harsh and aggressive tone. Its brand should display warmth, sympathy and hospitality.
• Personality. What is the voice and attitude of the organization? If your association helps children fight cancer, your branding should reflect warmth and nurturing.
• Permanence. Permanence speaks to the enduring qualities of the brand. In the case of asthma or leukemia, after hardship is relieved and a cure is found, what is the long-standing quality of the organization? What driving cause will always be there and remain unchanged?