The Art of Branding
Join this interactive workshop to get an overview of what really matters when it comes to building a brand and what tweaks you can make for your message to land
For social entrepreneurs, changeworkers, and aspiring systems change leaders who are aware that branding matters but find it tricky
Save your seat!
Register for the workshop which is happening live on Wednesday, 1st of April from 16:00 to 17:30 CEST.
Pay what you can. Lifetime replay access!
Why this workshop
Branding is an obvious step in the process of creating an organisation, whether it’s an NGO, social enterprise or business. But how many of us actually know how to do it well? What really makes a difference?
A good brand helps the project and its core message stand out, and land with its intended audience. Whether we like it or not, this is an essential part of the work, if we want our change strategies to get results.
Social media content should resonate with your audience. The speech you give should click with those in the room you’re hoping to reach. Your calls to action should resonate with the community you’re mobilising.
Branding is the essential building block for all of the above, and marketing the other. In this workshop, we’ll cover the essentials. In language people who built their expertise in changework rather than sales understand.
In the Art of Branding, our branding and marketing expert James Odene (whose agency exclusively supports organisation working towards solving the world's biggest challenges) will give us an introduction to what really works in this space.
No fluff, fillers or sales pitches - just a solid roadmap shared by an expert who knows what it’s like to do changework.
In the Art of Branding workshop, you’ll learn:
- What makes a ‘brand’ and which aspects are actually the most memorable to people (spoiler: it’s not what you think)
- The difference between segmentation, targeting and positioning
- What ‘relative differentiation’ is, and how to do it well
- Why focusing on one core strategic message is the starting point of branding
- How to answer the question: is this a good logo?
- The ABCs of building a brief for a designer or agency (in case you might be going through a branding process soon)
- And more!
Because if your message is important, it deserves to be heard.
We can’t work towards a more just and regenerative future without strategic communication. Without storytelling.
Good branding does a lot of the heavy lifting. Equally, if you don’t get the basics right, you’ll spend the next years trying to compensate, investing way too much time into communications compared to your actual work.
We want people to take one look at your website, social media profile, or publication and feel - this is for me. Whether you challenge your audience or make them feel cosy, that’s entirely up to you. But your brand should communicate this, and lay the groundwork for all future interactions.
None of us are here because we want to be the center of attention. Most likely, you got into this work because you care deeply about it. And eventually you realised how much work around the work needs to be done… Comms is one such area. Luckily, branding is powerful and a little can go a long way if you do that first part well.
Join this workshop and, in just 1.5h hours, learn not only why branding is important and what it is, but also how to do it well. Our expert James will give you a roadmap of things to consider to explore in your own time, should you wish to.
Our ‘pay what you can’ approach means you can join for whatever amount works for you right now, including as little as 2€!
Sign me up!
This is for you if…
- You kind of know branding is important but it’s not your field of expertise
- You're a changemaker, activist, or social entrepreneur who knows your why but struggles to communicate it clearly
- You're building or rebuilding a brand for a cause-driven project or organisation
- You feel like your current messaging doesn't quite capture the depth of what you do
- There are things you need to reach, e.g. funding, and you are aware that strong communication and positioning are key
- You want branding guidance that actually understands the world you're working in
- You're ready to show up more visibly - without compromising your values
Here’s the thing:
There is no magic solution. But there are best practices, backed by research and years of experience. Best practices that changeworkers who don’t feel like becoming marketing experts but want their messages to land can build on. We’ll cover those in this workshop.
I’m Nora, your workshop co-host
Founder of Parayma, the well change atelier, and collaboratio helvetica, and mentor for changeworkers who want to work with and learn from someone who understands the unique struggles of this work.
Since 2010, after I awoke to the state of the world, I’ve dedicated my life and career towards shifting paradigms for a more just, regenerative, and beautiful future for everyone. I didn’t study marketing, branding or sales, but I had to learn that those things are important.
No matter how great the offer is or how important the cause, without strong communications unfortunately our work doesn’t go far. For this workshop, I knew I needed to invite a real expert!
For this workshop, I knew I needed to invite a real expert!
Meet James Odene
Our branding expert
James is a senior marketer and strategic consultant with extensive marketing experience in both commercial and non-profit companies. James has an MA; Master of Sciences in International Marketing as well as a Mini MBA in Marketing, and a Cert BEco Foundational Degree in Behavioural Economics.
James has worked for and with a number of international charities alongside his work within the commercial sector, building up a firm understanding of how behavioural science and marketing can work together to optimise campaign performance.
He is the Creative Director of User-Friendly, an agency specialised in providing marketing & campaigning services to non-profits working towards solving the world's biggest challenges. From award-winning campaigns to brand overhauls, James brings sharp strategic thinking and a deep belief that good causes deserve great communication. And guess what, he advised Parayma in the branding process!
We’re lucky to have him!
In the workshop, we’ll cover:
- How to build a brand that is true to who you are and compelling to the people you most need to reach.
- What branding actually is, and why so many changemakers get it wrong (hint: it's not just your colour palette or logo)
- How to articulate what makes you and your work distinctive: clearly, compellingly, and without feeling like you're selling out
- The strategic decisions behind a strong brand - the ones that determine whether your message lands or gets lost
- How to communicate your mission in a way that resonates with funders, collaborators, communities, and beyond
- Practical tools you can start using straight away. No expensive agency required.
“To say I am impressed with User-Friendly is an understatement. The quality of their work is amazing. They are my first port of call for any project of this nature.”
Kathryn Mecrow-Flynn, Magnify Mentoring
“Not only did UF create a redesign that we're truly excited by, they also helped us refine our overall brand and better understand how to position ourselves as an organization.”
Anna Beth Lane, Probably Good
“User-Friendly is outstanding to work with. We are excited to continue working together and don't hesitate to recommend to others.”
Luke Freeman, Giving What We Can
“We are so happy with the rebrand that User-Friendly helped us to do! Within and outside of our community people recognised us from the day we rebranded, which was a huge success.
During the process we have learned a lot from User-Friendly and we will recommend anyone who wants a high-quality recognisable brand to work with them!”
Sofia Balderson, Co-founder of Hive
Your cause deserves to be heard.
You're doing important work. Work that matters, that you've poured yourself into.
But if the people who need to hear about it (funders, collaborators, communities) can't immediately feel why it matters, the work gets harder than it needs to be.
That's not a values problem. It's a branding problem.
And branding, when done right, isn't about logos or aesthetics. It's about clarity. About knowing who you are, what you stand for, and how to communicate that in a way that moves people.
That's exactly what we're here to help you with.
Sign up to the workshop now!
Giving What We Can
User-Friendly created Giving what We Can's most successful brand campaign to date, resulting in 48x more views than any previous campaigns on Instagram
Leaf
A website re-work, a fresh marketing strategy and an ad campaign leading to a 2'581% increase in fellowship applications.
Hive
Following a re-work of their positioning, resulting in a re-brand, Hive’s branding now speaks directly to their most important audiences and was found to be more memorable.
What to expect
- When: 1st of April, 4 pm to 5:30 pm CEST.
Check your timezone → - Format: Live 90-minute online workshop (via Zoom)
- Cost: Pay what you can sliding scale
- Replay: Yes - all registrants will receive the replay
This is a rare opportunity to get branding guidance that truly gets your world.
Most branding advice is built for businesses selling products. This workshop is built for people working on change and transformation.
Come as you are. Leave with clarity.
For maximum benefit, including the opportunity to ask questions, join us live.
See you there <3
We are offering this workshop on a sliding scale, to allow everyone to access it by paying what they currently can contribute.
Minimum: €2.00 EUR | Average: €30.00 EUR | Supporter: €40.00 EUR
