Rebranding
In fundraising, your brand is defined by the experience you create for donors. How your actions shape their feelings about you, their giving, and their connection to your cause.
How you treat them – and what you stand for – matters far more than your logo or your visual identity.
How does a rebrand land with donors?
Donors rarely get excited about rebrands. Research shows that many charity supporters see them as unnecessary, costly, and more about looking corporate than serving the cause. For long-term supporters whose relationship is built on trust and familiarity they can be highly disruptive. When a charity suddenly changes its logo, typeface, or tone, the result can be confusion – some donors simply don’t recognise the organisation they’ve supported for years. That loss of recognition often shows up in lower response rates and reduced giving.
What donors really value is the experience of supporting the cause: being thanked, feeling part of something, and seeing their impact. A new strapline or visual identity won’t strengthen that connection – in fact, it can damage it if the rollout isn’t carefully handled. Income analysis following rebrands shows that revenue often falls, largely because charities underestimate how strongly donors value the familiar. The lesson is simple: before changing your appearance, consider the impact it will have on how donors feel.
Do you really need to rebrand?
Rebranding can sometimes make sense. if your organisation has gone through a merger, or if a serious reputational crisis means the name itself is a barrier to trust. In those cases, a fresh identity can help you draw a line under the past. But too often, charities rush to change their look or their name in the hope that it will fix deeper problems. For donors, this can be confusing, even alienating. They may no longer recognise the organisation they’ve supported for years – and that emotional disconnect can quickly show up as a fall in income.
That’s why the first question to ask isn’t what should our new logo look like? but what do we want our donors to feel and do differently? Often, the challenges that leaders hope a rebrand will solve – from stagnant income, to disengaged mid-value donors, to underperforming appeals – are better addressed by improving the donor experience, sharpening the fundraising strategy, or investing in stronger creative.
I can help you work out whether a rebrand is needed, or whether your programme would grow faster by focusing on the areas that actually change donor behaviour.
Your rebrand hasn’t boosted income
So, you’ve rebranded. You’ve unveiled a new visual identity, set fresh rules about how to speak about your work, chosen a new typeface and colour palette – but your appeals are struggling. Income isn’t rising. In fact, it may be falling faster than before. What can you do? You might be told that you simply need to “wait for the impact,” that donors are adjusting, or that new supporters will come in to replace the old ones. The hard truth is that growth is unlikely to follow. Most branding agencies don’t understand fundraising — or the deeper reasons why people choose to give.
If your rebrand has landed flat, or if you want to make sure a new identity is introduced in a way that actually strengthens donor connection, there are steps you can take. With the right approach, you can avoid alienating your most loyal supporters and instead use the change as an opportunity to deepen their sense of belonging and value. That’s where I can help. Get in touch and let’s ensure you get the best from your rebrand – not just a new look, but a stronger, more effective fundraising programme.