Understanding the concept of branding for AmeriCorps*VISTA members

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Abstract

Helping to reinforce positive images about the AmeriCorps* VISTA brand may be an unspoken but critical element of a member’s service. In this effective practice Michel Ward, an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Michigan Campus Compact at Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan, (2004-05) offers insights on how branding informs the role of a VISTA.

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Issue

Often associated with private enterprise, national and community-service members may lack experience with the concept of branding and its potential value — both for individuals and the group with which they are affiliated.

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Action

Tips about branding from a former Michigan Campus Compact (MCC) AmeriCorps*VISTA member include the following:

1. Recognize the value of branding.

Branding is about positive visibility — communicating information, reputation, and association.  A good brand conveys an expectation of excellence and a positive feeling about an organization or individual.  Actions by an individual or organization can build up or damage a brand.


2. Stand behind the AmeriCorps*VISTA brand.

Simple techniques, such as preparing an elevator speech (See “Resources”), and committing to being reliable and efficient, can help an MCC AmeriCorps* VISTA quickly develop a good reputation and ensure the AmeriCorps* VISTA brand remains intact.

An MCC AmeriCorps* VISTA should be aware that their professional behavior helps build the overall AmeriCorps brand. Do others understand their role at the institution?  Do co-workers and community partners think of them as reliable, intelligent, and industrious?  Are they generally well-liked and respected?

3. Be aware of the brand at the college or institution where you are serving.

Development offices at every college and university go to great lengths to build brands.  It is helpful for an MCC AmeriCorps* VISTA to recognize the brand of the college or university where they are serving, in order to identify with and work within that brand.  Understanding what an institution is trying to convey, and to whom (e.g., perspective students, alumni, the community) can help a VISTA contextualize their role at the institution. With this goal in mind, it may be worth discussing the concept of branding with appropriate administrators. It also may be of value to ask students what they think of when you mention the name of the community service center on campus — perhaps even take a survey to gather this information.

4. Familiarize yourself with the history of the AmeriCorps*VISTA project so as to proudly place oneself as part of a larger social movement.

AmeriCorps*VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years.

For more on the history of the program, see the website of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

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Context

Avoid the tendency to confuse brand with an organization’s logo or mission. A logo is a visual representation of a particular agency and a mission is what the organization attempts to do.

When thinking about the brand of a particular college or university, a key question to consider is whether the brand incorporates any reference to service. If there is a center for community service or service-learning, understanding their brand is important, as the role of a VISTA presupposes adding to the brand “power.”  If a center lacks the recognition that a brand could offer, perhaps building a brand would be helpful. 

Eastern Michigan’s, VISION, and the University of Michigan’s, Ginsberg Center, are two community service centers that have successfully built brands.  Students at each institution know more about the function and mission of each community service center, and have more positive feelings about the centers, than they would be likely to without branding.

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Outcome

AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) provides full-time members to nonprofit, faith-based and other community organizations, and public agencies to create and expand programs that bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty.

AmeriCorps*VISTA members leverage human, financial, and material resources to increase the capacity of thousands of low-income areas across the country to address challenges and improve the lives of the people in those communities.

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Posted On

February 11, 2009

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Resources

The EnCorps Collection includes a resource on how to create an "elevator speech." The resource was designed for trainers and supervisors but VISTA members can use it as well. Particularly helpful is a video of a member delivering an elevator speech and can found online at: http://snipurl.com/explainyourprogram.

For additional resources on branding, see Andy Goodman’s website:
http://thegoodmancenter.com.

Go to the “Downloads and Resources” section of the website. There you will be prompted to give some information about yourself and then you can access these free resources:

  • “Brand Opening,” in Currents: Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Robert Moore, April 2007.
  • Basics of Managing Your Brand, Nonprofit Conference, Lipman Hearne and the American Marketing Association, July 2007.
  • State of Nonprofit Marketing, A Report on Priorities, Spending, Measurement, and the Challenges Ahead, Lipman Hearne and the American Marketing Association, July 2008.

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