7 ways to improve your charity’s first impression
When Maddie first came to Bristol, I wanted to impress her with an incredible first date.
We have this great landmark in Bristol which everyone knows is first-date material: Cabot Tower. It’s central to Bristol so you have easy access to everything the city has to offer, you can also get drinks or a bite to eat after the tower visit, depending on how things are going…
The tower itself is gorgeous, set in the middle of stunning gardens, built in 1897 to commemorate John Cabot’s voyage to North America in the 1400s.
After you’ve taken in the gardens, you can actually climb the towers spiral staircase, to reach one of Bristol’s best views. It’s over 100 steep steps, and it’ll take your breath away. Literally.
If there’s even a hint of wind, the staircase becomes a sort of wind-tunnel, making the journey even more physically demanding as you battle your way to the top.
It turns out Maddie has asthma.
It also turns out Maddie didn’t bring her inhaler, because she didn’t know she was going to be put through a physical examination on her first date.
So, halfway up the tower, in the middle of an asthma attack, Maddie and I ducked out onto a platform to sit down, giving Mads a chance to catch her breath.
She nearly died.
Okay, that’s a bit dramatic from me. But we never reached the top. We came back down the tower. We didn’t get anything to eat or drink, we went straight home. I had my tail well and truly between my legs.
Not a great first impression!
Thankfully, Maddie and I had been friends a long time, and this didn’t derail the relationship.
But the story reminds me how important a good first impression is.
Charities Often Struggle to Make Good First Impressions
And often the very best causes are immediately forgotten because they’re not memorable.
What I mean is that when someone encounters the charity ‘brand’ for the first time, often online, or by seeing a poster, or an email, or something on social media, they will make a judgement about that charity.
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, but the truth is that for humans to survive, we have to be able to make quick decisions and visuals are often the fastest way to decide if something is trustworthy or not.
The advice is that we shouldn’t do this. And if the moral here is that we should get to know people, books or organisations before making judgements then I think that’s a good recommendation.
However, I think it’s perfectly healthy, and often safer to judge books by their covers.
This has saved me from ordering at restaurants which I’m convinced would give me food poisoning after seeing what’s on their menu, and after not seeing a food hygiene certification!
It’s saved me from getting mugged when I’m deciding which street to walk down when I’m visiting friends in big cities.
It’s also helped me to decide whether an email asking for money is actually from a Prince struggling to access their inheritance, or if it’s a scam.
The bar for content and branding has been raised, and charities need to embrace this shift or risk being overlooked, ignored and ultimately, forgotten.
Many charities are doing incredible work, but don’t look or feel as impressive to people. And as it’s been said before: “if you look rubbish, people think you’re rubbish”.
Brand Gap
In the business, we describe this as a brand gap.
This happens when there is a disparity, a gap, between how you are currently perceived, and how you desire to be perceived.
It’s when you’re feeling a bit embarrassed by your current website, messaging or logo, and you know your brand could be working so much harder for you.
Choosing to invest in your brand can turn this around - and even small changes can give you confidence to reach out for that new corporate sponsor, explore that charitable partnership, run a new campaign or ask for regular donations.
There are 7 steps to guarantee you make the best impression, every time:
1. Messaging
Whether it’s done internally or with the help of a professional copywriter, spending time crafting a headline and introductory paragraph introducing your charity brand is always a strong investment.
This ‘hero copy’ should headline everywhere. It should be at the top of your website and social profiles, and it should be on the lips of every team member so they always say the right thing when their friend asks “what is it that you’re involved with, again?”
2. Logo
Your logo is the cornerstone of your visual brand. While it often takes up a small amount of space, over time it becomes the most important signal of the brand, the thing which identifies and summarises everything you’re about. You don’t need to invest £10,000 into a new logo, but you do need to make sure your current one doesn’t suck.
A quick metric to test this is the SMART method. Is the logo simple, memorable, appropriate (to your industry), resizable (works well whether it’s big or small) and timeless?
3. Photography
In an increasingly digital world, people are craving… well… people! That is, we don’t want to see stock images, or branded illustrations everywhere. We want real photos which give us a sense of who you are and the work you do. When did you last update your photo library
Again, this is a job you can keep in house if you’ve got someone with a half-decent camera phone and the willingness to give it a go. However, professional photographers will always have an edge for capturing authentic, natural feeling images which you can use for years to come. Consider booking in a half day, on-site visit and simulate your charity in action to get all the good shots.
4. Website hero section
Your website ‘hero section’ (also known as the area ‘above the fold’ - everything that is visible when you first open it on a new browser on a phone or desktop) is the most important digital asset you own.
Many donors, sponsors and potential partners will make snap decisions based on what they see here. Make sure that your hero section is super clear, not crowded, and contains a relevant photo or video, a headline and description, as well as a single, strong call to action.
5. Email
We get so, so many emails nowadays. One of the easiest ways to make a great first impression is to take care of your emails. Make sure they’re written in a kind, genuine and memorable way, and don’t forget to leverage your email signature.
This isn’t giving you clearance to add too much information here. But you should consider a good headshot, social media links, and one or two ‘optional’ actions - consider highlighting a current campaign or adding a ‘Find out more’ or ‘Donate’ call-to-action button into your email.
Also, at the risk of sounding trivial, put some effort into your out-of-office emails. When Bara team members take a break, we often use humour in our OOO emails, and almost always get people thanking us for them upon our return, saying it made them smile.
When was the last time you sent an email which made someone smile?
6. Colours and type
There’s plenty of free software out there to expand beyond your two fonts and three colours which aren’t allowing you any creative freedom.
Trying using Adobe Color to find some complementary colours for your brand, and Google Fonts to add some optional, secondary fonts for use on socials and in your creative assets.
7. Social media profiles
More than ever, supporters are doing their research about charities on their social media app of choice.
So wherever you appear, even if you have ‘parked’ (inactive) accounts, make sure that your header and profile images, bios and other features are up to date. Do a full audit of your social media presence and see which options you can utilise to make your account as engaging as possible. Many of the options are set-and-forget, meaning you can do this once and continue to make a great first impression for months to come.
Consider setting up a LinkeTreee to replace your ‘link in bio’. Pin the most important posts to the top of your Instagram profile, use featured posts on LinkedIn and get the bio correct in your profile section across all channels.
Ready to make a great first impression?
Incorporating these seven touchpoints into your own brand can have an immediate impact. Step by step, you’ll build more trust, clarity and connection with your audience. And if you’ve got the time and energy, you can make real progress on your own.
But if you’re ready to move faster, or you want to partner with a creative studio experience in charity growth, we’d love to help. At Bara, we work alongside charities like yours every day to sharpen your message, refresh your visuals, and strengthen your first impression, so you can get on with changing the world.
