“What makes our institution different or distinctive?”
This question dominates most every nonprofit marketing and branding conversation.
And, in a world in which competition seemingly continues to escalate – for students, patients, donors, and volunteers – each institution wants to differentiate themselves from the others. We want others to view our brand based on unique or special attributes. We want our reputation to be positive, clearly understood, and relevant.
But, when most people answer the, “what makes us different or distinctive?” question, the vast majority of responses focus on the what of our offerings.
“We are distinctive because we offer this program.” Or, “we are different because we provide this service.”
What if, though, we decided to be known for the most pleasing, frictionless, joyful, and meaningful experiences for our students, our patients, our donors, and our volunteers?
What if the business office on a campus wasn’t closed over the lunch hour?
What if a patient didn’t need to complete the same personal information on 3 separate forms before being seen by a healthcare provider?
What if a donor met the maintenance personnel who would be responsible for maintaining the newly-renovated facility their gift supported?
What if a regular observation made by visitors to your institution was that your grounds were some of the most well kept and clean they had seen?
What if the attribute that made us distinctive wasn’t a service, or program, or offering at all?
What if, in details both large and small, we made people feel notably special?
What if we truly showed we cared?
In today’s isolated, noisy, and somber world, living into that attribute might just make us distinctive.
