Opportunities can be hard to turn down, especially for new start-up charities that rely on the help of others to make their organization run. With her mother, Emily-anne King started Backpack Buddies, a charity aimed at fighting child hunger outside of the classroom. In the early years of Backpack Buddies, King was eager to make a difference and partnered with an organization without a lot of regard for what effect it would ultimately have on the organization.
“The biggest mistake I’ve made is saying yes to every opportunity without really considering the implications for our brand,” King said. “I’ve mistakenly not done enough research and put our name out there with things that may have not represented our brand as well as I had hoped.”
In the beginning stages of the organization, King was just excited that someone wanted to help its cause. This led to Backpack Buddies being associated with events and organizations that were not a good match for the charity.
Last year, King said, she worked with an event that misrepresented the values and mission of Backpack Buddies.
“It was very unsettling to me and it was something that myself and my mom had a discussion about,” King said. “[We] just said, ‘We need to be more protective.’”
While she understood the importance of brand, she didn’t realize the effect one event could have on public perception. The problem was that the event gave the impression that her organization was associated with school-related lunch and snack programs, but Backpack Buddies actually focuses on the lesser-known problem of “weekend hunger,” she said.
Not having a clear brand message meant that people didn’t truly understand what the organization did.
Raising public awareness about her organization and the problem it is trying to solve is necessary for the success of the charity, and clear, concise and informative branding will help achieve that, she said.
Part of branding is understanding who you are partnering with and understanding the impact that other institutions have on the way your product or service is perceived, King said, adding that it is important to know how the public perceives your partners and determine whether their brand image matches the one you are trying to convey.
On finding the right fit for your business | “You don’t always have to say yes to opportunity. If it doesn’t feel like a right fit, it probably isn’t. It’s OK to say ‘no.’”•
