NPO 042: Branding for Nonprofits with Stakeholder Input (Julia Gatten, AfricAid) - Part 2 of 2

Today's Guest: Julia Gatten
     Julia is committed to bringing AfricAid’s story to life in creative ways to connect US supporters to our incredible mentoring programs in Tanzania. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in History from Furman University, Julia made her way to the University of Denver for a master’s degree in International Human Rights and has worked in nonprofit communications since graduating in 2012.

She loves animals, tea, sunshine, and the Oxford comma but is most passionate about seeing girls reach their full potential as leaders of their own lives and in their communities. Julia joined the AfricAid team in 2016 as the External Relations and Operations Coordinator and was promoted to Communications Director in 2017. When she isn’t designing reports, updating content, or editing videos, you’ll find her playing rugby, rock climbing, reading, or exploring Colorado.

Nonprofit Spotlight: AfricAid
AfricAid mentors secondary school girls in Tanzania to complete their education, develop into confident leaders, and transform their own lives and their communities. They equip girls to overcome challenges and reach their full potential because educated girls create lasting positive change. The outcome of their work is proactive, resilient, and socially-responsible girls who secure better jobs, raise healthier families, and increase the standing of women in society. AfricAid accomplishes their mission through two extracurricular mentoring programs: Kisa Project and Binti Shupavu.

Lessons Learned:
In this episode (the second half of our conversation started in episode NPO 041), Julia shared her experience as the Director of Communications for AfricAid. (More detail to come on this page.) Some of the key lessons they has learned are outlined below: 

  1. When branding (or rebranding) engaging all key stakeholders is key, but can slow down the process immensely.

    1. Utilize Google Forms

    2. Anticipate lots of rounds of asking for feedback.

    3. Start with asking everyone for input before whittling it down.

    4. Be sure to acknowledge what has already been decided or determined as you move forward so that you don’t backslide.

  2. Identify the committee of people (before you start) that will ultimately make the decisions.

    1. This group should have reps from all major stakeholders.

    2. Have representatives from this group be prepared to share your end results out to the larger community. (It can be more powerful when it is not shared by the Communications Director.)

Find AfricAid online:

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41-60Molly MacCreadyFundraising, Youth, Afri, CommunicationComment