Answers to Your ? on 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards

 Yahoo! Just hit 300 entries (after just 1 day) in the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards.

Enter here right now, while it's on your mind. Deadline is July 31st. And please spread the word to your peers, grantees and other networks!

I received several great questions (thanks all) yesterday when I launched this year's awards, and wanted to share the answers with you:

• We use two taglines, or we use three taglines (one for our org, and one for each main program) . Can I enter both/all of them?
  • Yes, you can, each as a separate entry. If you enter a program tagline, add (program) at the end of it when you enter it in the form. You will have to have a colleague enter the second tagline, or clear your browser cookies, to enter a second tagline. BTW, I recommend against using two organizational taglines. It's confusing!

• We haven't launched out tagline formally yet, but still want to enter it. Is that ok?
  • Yes, do it!

• What's the timeline for the awards?
  • Deadline for entry: July 31st
  • Open poll for winners (among selected finalists) September
  • Winners announced: October
  • Release, fully-updated 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report: December 

• Who were last year's winners?
  • Here's the list of last year's winners. Great models if you're working on your tagline now!

• What are the prizes?
  • Winners get great recognition, lots of attention/publicity. But, the value of entering is best said by two of last year’s winners:
  • “We were very pleased to have our tagline recognized by our colleagues in the industry.  Our award has given the U.S. Fund extra visibility for its marketing and brand work!“       --> Kim Pucci,  Marketing Director, US Fund for UNICEF
  • "We were thrilled to be selected as the tagline award winner in the Human Services category. We leveraged the award as we rolled out our new brand and kicked off the public phase of our $5M capital campaign.  It was highlighted as an achievement in all of our capital campaign foundation grant requests and spotlighted in our agency newsletter and in the local media.  And, the media buzz that this award created helped JFCS maximize its marketing efforts without the need for allocating additional dollars in this difficult economy.”   Rose Chapman, LCSW, President/CEO of Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Sarasota-Manatee, Inc. (That's Rose at top left!)
    

But most importantly, please enter your nonprofit or foundation tagline today.

P. S. Follow the tagline award news on Twitter at @orgtaglines.

Wanted: Powerful Nonprofit Taglines -- Enter 2009 Tagline Awards Today

Your nonprofit or foundation could be one of this year's Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Award winners!  Enter today.

A strong tagline does double-duty -- working to extend your organization's name and mission, while delivering a focused, memorable and repeatable message to your base. It's one of your most effective marketing tools, but the 2008 GettingAttention.org survey showed that 72% of nonprofit organizations don't have a tagline or rate theirs as performing poorly.

I'm trying to change that with this annual award program, highlighting the best in nonprofit taglines.  

Take 3 minutes now to enter your nonprofit's tagline here.   All entrants will receive a free copy of the fully-updated 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report in late 2009. It's the only complete guide to building your org's brand in 8 words or less -- filled with how-tos, don't-dos and models.

Enter today, while it's on your mind. Deadline is July 3st.

BTW, here are the winners of the 2008 Nonprofit Tagline Awards (selected by nearly 4,000 voters in the field). This could be your org in 2009!

P. S. Follow the tagline award news on Twitter at @orgtaglines.

Sea What We're All Aboat -- A Tagline Don't

The effort is definitely there but this tagline packs all the cute without any of the punch.

You only have one tagline -- and confusing people with puns (particularly written puns, which add visual confusion to the mix) isn't the best way to use it.

A strong tagline complements your org's name to convey its unique value or impact with personality, passion and commitment. If you fail to make the most of your tagline, you throw that opportunity away.

Dig into the free Getting Attention Tagline Report to discover:

• The 10 Have-Tos for Successful Taglines – They'll put your nonprofit marketing into high gear.
• The 7 Deadly Sins – What not to do.
• What Makes a Winning Tagline – Winners of the 2008 Nonprofit Tagline Awards.
• Over 1,000 Nonprofit Tagline Examples (more than ever before in one place) ideal for tagline brainstorming.

Download the Nonprofit Tagline Report here. When you do, you'll automatically be added to the mailing list for info on the 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Award Program coming up later this spring.

Thanks to Dan Gunderson, chief copywriter at Big Duck, for passing this one along!

I'll Guide You to "Short & Sweet" Marketing: Webinar, Wed. 12/3, 1PM ET

Tired of getting blank stares when you describe what your organization does? Struggling to boil down your messages into few key words to use everywhere from fundraising pitches, press release headlines and e-news subject lines to business cards and billboard copy?

If so, here's a great opportunity for you: I'll be joining my good friend and colleague Kivi Leroux Miller — like me, she's a relentless advocate for cutting the jargon and speaking in words your supporters can easily understand — to guide you in creating brief, punchy taglines, slogans, headlines, email subject lines and more. And there’s no more essential skill is in our fast-paced, limited-attention world.

We'll be team-teaching this Wednesday, December 3rd, 1-2pm ET.

I hope you can join us for Short and Sweet: Boiling Down Your Message So Everyone Gets It. I promise you a huge ROI!

Register now, and we'll be talking on Wednesday.

P.S. Yes We Can! When a powerful tagline is joined to a compelling mission...nothing is impossible! Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Join Me Wed. 11/19, NYC: Learn How to Craft a Potent Tagline for Your Org, Program or Campaign

Yes We Can!  When a powerful tagline is joined to a compelling mission...nothing is impossible!

Learn how to tell your story -- of your organization, program or campaign --in 8 words or less in this hands-on workshop 9:30 - 12:30 this Wed. (11/19) at NYC's Support Center for Nonprofit Management. Just a couple of seats are left, so register now!

A tagline is a terrible thing to waste. Make sure you don’t by learning what makes a strong tagline work and the seven deadly sins to avoid like the plague, both richly illustrated by nonprofit examples. After you work on your tagline and run it through a new diagnostic tool, we’ll open the tagline clinic for Q&A. Hope to see you there!

P.S. Learn how to craft a compelling story for your org in 8 words or less. Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Tagline Success: New Zealand Children's Hospital Case Study

I just heard some great news from Esther Bruning, Direct Marketing Manager at the Starship Foundation (the charity of New Zealand's main children's hospital), and wanted to share her tagline success:

I just wanted to give you a quick word of thanks for your work on the tagline survey you published earlier this year. It really got us thinking here at Starship Foundation (the charity of New Zealand children’s hospital) about our tagline and I wanted to share the results with you:

Old tagline: “Caring for all that matters”

New tagline: “Giving is the best medicine”

And the coolest part is we came up with it ourselves after taking your tips into account – no ad agency fees involved!

Best regards,
Esther

P.S. Learn how you can craft a compelling story for your org in 8 words or less. Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Stronger Messages Here: Q&As from My Chronicle of Philanthropy Tagline Clinic

Scan this conversation on nonprofit market messages that matter (won't take you more than 15 minutes) to learn more about how to strengthen you org's tagline, and other marketing messages.

You'll see many examples (many participants served up their taglines for a productive critique) that'll help you strengthen your tagline, like this one:

Question from Angie, Large Non-profit:
Our tagline is "Organizing Resources for Social Change and Economic Independence" but we seem to do better marketing individual programs (most without specific taglines) rather than the agency as a whole. How can we tie in the "big draws" of the cause-specific programs" to get the agency on the radar of the private donor?

My Answer
Angie, you are facing a very common challenge.

Your organizational tagline is built around well-meaning language that is way too abstract. It's hard for anyone to grasp the value of "organizing resources" (sounds very removed), or even the realms in which you work (social change and economic independence) which are intangible and so long-term.

It works best to put imagery/content that conveys your org's impact or value -- how does your work change the life of an individual. Make it accessible, and memorable, and avoid jargon at all costs.

Start the revision process by taking the essence (impact is a great place to start) of the cause-specific programs, ID the common themes and convey them in a single, brief organizational tagline that is all about your org's value in the fields in which you work! That'll ensure you engage your base where it counts.

P.S. Learn how to craft a compelling story for your org in 8 words or less. Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Join Me to Talk Taglines: Free TeleConference at 1PM Eastern Today, 10/14

Join me today for "A Tagline is a Terrible Thing to Waste," a free one-hour teleconference sponsored by Network for Good. Register here.

In today's competitive marketing environment, is your nonprofit's tagline strong enough to get attention and provoke questions? Does it complement your org's name, convey the unique value you deliver to your community and differentiate you from the competition?

Or is your nonprofit's tagline vague, ambiguous, over-reaching, too abstract or simply non-existent? 72% of nonprofit organizations rate their taglines as poor, or don’t have one at all. But a tagline is a terrible thing to waste.

Call participants will learn about key findings from the just-released Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Report (free download). You’ll learn what makes a strong tagline work, and the seven deadly sins to avoid.

Then, we’ll open the tagline clinic for Q&A. It’s your chance to get some no-cost, no-risk advice on your organization’s current tagline, or trying to develop one on for the first time.

Don't forget to register now, and I'll see you at 1pm today. And remember to come with your burning tagline questions. I can't wait to answer them.

P.S. Learn how to craft a compelling story for your org in 8 words or less. Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Let Me Help You Shape a Powerful Tagline for Your Org: Chronicle Online Discussion, Tues. Oct 7, Noon Eastern

Ask me to help you craft a slogan for your org or program that's distinctive and memorable in the minds of donors and other supporters!

I'm behind the help desk tomorrow (Tues., October 7th, at Noon eastern), at the Chronicle of Philanthropy's online discussion -- Making Marketing Messages That Matter! Come on by: I'd love to answer your query on why taglines matter, how to improve your current tagline or craft one for a new program, or get the leadership buy-in you need to dive into the tagline or brand development process.

You know that I recently studied the tag lines of more than 1,900 organizations to identify some of the nonprofit world's most effective messages. And I found that seven in 10 nonprofit groups rate their tag lines as poor -- or do not have taglines at all. Yikes. (Guidance on how to fix that in the free Nonprofit Tagline Report.)

So what makes a winning tagline? Why are they important? And how do you create a tagline that makes others remember what you stand for? Let me answer your questions -- on these topics and more.

See you tomorrow (10/7) at noon eastern time. Looking forward to it!

P.S. Learn how to the marketing message that matters most -- your tagline. Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Take 30 Minutes to Learn a Powerful Response to "What Does Your Organization Do?"

It was a hoot guesting on Magic Keys Radio & Podcast last Friday. Thanks to Kivi Leroux Miller and Claire Meyerhoff for inviting me to talk taglines. Take 30 minutes to listen in here.

There's nothing like reading The Nonprofit Tagline Report (download here at no charge) to build your understanding of what to do, and what not to do, to create a pithy, punchy bite for your nonprofit, program or campaign. But this audio-cast is a great introduction, and far easier to digest while you're walking off the weekend ice cream or cleaning up the office.

P.S. I ran into a guy wearing a Pedals for Progress t-shirt while in Cape Cod this summer. Love the org's tagline -- Putting Used Bikes to Good Use.