Rebranding Is Rocket Fuel for Fundraising
Nothing gives you momentum for development campaigns like a brand update.
By Deroy Peraza, Partner at Hyperakt
If donations are the lifeblood of your nonprofit, your brand is the heart that keeps them circulating. Weak fundraising is often the first indicator that your brand isn’t healthy.
A strong brand is table stakes for your organization to go out and raise donations. Most sophisticated nonprofits have development teams, but smaller organizations rely on their boards. When your team and board can’t confidently tell your story—or when your brand no longer reflects your ambition—fundraising stalls. When your people aren’t proud or even comfortable to share your organization’s work widely to their networks, that’s a real problem.
Illustration by Merit Myers
Rebrands Empower Your Team to Attract Funds
To better understand the real link between branding and fundraising, we gathered data from nonprofits we’ve collaborated with on rebranding initiatives. A close look at the numbers reveals that a well-executed rebrand can be a game-changer that unlocks substantial returns.
We looked at 10 rebrands we completed between 2016 and 2021, and then collected funding data from GuideStar. We compared donations raised in the few years prior to a rebrand vs. donations raised in the few years after a rebrand.
The average net gain in donations for these 10 clients was $43M after rebranding compared with the same period before. The average gain in donations was 46%.
Now, we understand the rebrand in itself can’t take all the credit here. But brands are the foundation all development campaigns are built on. The results are clear — every organization we worked with experienced a significant growth in donations post rebrand. These results were not just a continuation of an upward trend line; the trajectory of their fundraising success actually changed.
An Investment That’s Hard to Argue With
The impact or ROI of branding can be measured in many ways: internal alignment, inspiring pride among staff, attracting talent, simplifying decision-making, increasing efficiency, elevating the brand’s public profile, earning trust, strengthening reputation, etc. But few metrics are more concrete than fundraising.
For nonprofits considering whether a rebrand is worth the investment, the data is clear: Rebranding is one of the most effective ways to boost visibility, deepen relationships with donors, and open up new funding opportunities. It’s a transformative investment that, when done right, can take an organization’s impact to the next level. What’s more, it’s an investment that pays dividends over time, helping the organization navigate change, build partnerships, tell its story, and maximize its impact.
You might spend $100K–$200K on a brand that returns tens of millions. If a rebrand can significantly increase an organization’s ability to attract donations, the investment is a no-brainer.
Ready to see what a rebrand can unlock for your organization? Let’s talk about how we can help you build a brand that inspires, unites, and fuels your next chapter of impact.
