Jasmin Mouflard, founder of Instant Aid, and Abb-d Taiyo, CCO and Co-founder at Driftime®, define how rebranding can grow a charity’s donor base and enhance reputation for social impact.

Rebranding is often an overlooked tactic in a charity’s fight for donor engagement, brand visibility and organisational growth. But, just like any other commercial business or organisation that strives to reinforce its relevance and credibility in a world of constant change and competition, charities, too, must reappraise their entire brand world to determine whether it remains fit for purpose.

Effective brand identity reassures and builds trust in a climate where trust is scarce; it tells a story that intrigues and compels while distilling principles and values in an impactful, concise manner. When these elements align, it can meaningfully impact brand perception and realise organisational and business goals.

Rationale for reinvention

Of course, rebranding is a big investment and firmly remains a business decision. The case for it arises when there have been significant shifts in product or a pivot in proposition; when there are structural changes within an organisation that have resulted in a shift in values and mission or when existing brand narratives are no longer relevant to modern audiences and are quickly losing engagement.

Unique points of difference must stand out and every element must be primed to achieve resonance. It was precisely this need to be distinguishable and reinforce its positioning as a reliable leader within the third sector that prompted Instant Aid – the disaster relief non-profit, which operates in war zones like Ukraine and Gaza to deliver essential resources including hygiene kits and food within 48 hours of a conflict’s onset – to undertake a transformative rebrand. This meant overhauling its logo, website design and tone of voice to more readily reflect the impact of its vital work and its commitment to its cause.

The aesthetics of impact

The rebranding process requires a carnal, fundamental understanding of an organisation's core values and beliefs, which should inform all vital elements that will shape the brand identity. It requires an analysis of how similar organisations present themselves and how successful they are at communicating ‘what’s on the tin’. To a degree, it also requires an appreciation of behavioural economics – that is an understanding of the unconscious design codes (from colourways to symbols) we assimilate and, thus, associate with particular products, services and directives. Take the colour palette of yellow and black which can signify danger or the colours green and blue to convey serenity and nature: these elements can be leveraged and reinvented to underline purpose for impact.

It was observed that intricate logos and light blue colour palettes are commonly employed by many legacy NGOs and that, to achieve distinction, Instant Aid needed to depart from that aesthetic to a colourway that underscored its positioning as an early responder within a crisis. Thus, the incumbent light blue colour crest was replaced by a six-pointed ‘medicinal star’ delineated in a vibrant orange-red hue to convey urgency; the emphasis on the third spoke of the star symbolising ‘early response’.

The strategic imperative

Founded in 2022 in response to the conflict outbreak in Afghanistan, Instant Aid is quite a new entity for rebranding when you consider that the obligation often falls on heritage organisations whose brand identity has become dusty and outdated and are losing market share against fresher disruptors. Yet Instant Aid’s decision to rebrand is underpinned by a wider strategy to accelerate its growth and broaden its impact quickly. Rebranding provides a unique opportunity to convince future stakeholders about why, as an organisation, they matter. Rebranding gives provisions for better storytelling, improves public perception, broadens audience engagement and wins donor trust. In short, it is a growth tool that can help fully realise a charity’s global aspirations; it’s not exclusively about an aesthetic refresh.

Charities are increasingly taking heed of the business potential that comes with rebranding, especially at a time of economic and geopolitical instability when, as vital institutions, they are needed the most. This elevates the importance of strong branding to achieve organisational goals. Perhaps this signifies the advent of a wider shift in non-profit strategy to behave more like challengers – that is agile, responsive and in touch with the present as well as the future.

Instant Aid

Explore Driftime®'s rebrand of Instant Aid over on their website

We partnered with vital non-profit Instant Aid to level up their brand and accelerate their impact.