Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2019 and updated most recently in October 2026.
What is a brand messaging platform? Does your nonprofit organization need one?
Do any of the following comments sound familiar?
“We need better brand recognition.”
“We need to raise our profile.”
“We have to be clearer about our work.”
“We need to raise awareness of what we do.”
“We need a common narrative.”
These comments come directly from emails I’ve received from nonprofit communicators and leaders who want “to get the word out” but aren’t clear about what those “words” are. This is where a strong brand messaging platform comes in.
Elements of a nonprofit brand messaging platform
A brand messaging platform is the messaging and content complement to your brand’s visual identity (though there may be some overlap). The following elements of a brand messaging platform are essential because they guide all of your content development:
- Positioning statement: A distillation of your organization’s identity and how you want to be perceived, including what makes your organization unique. Your positioning statement should be used as an internal benchmark against which to align all communications.
- Brand personality: Attributes describing the character of your organization that must be reflected in your communications. (See why — and how — I think you should limit your brand personality to three traits.) Your personality informs graphic design choices, the voice and tone of your content, and your overall communications approach.
- Brand narrative/key messages: Your nonprofit’s narrative is your overarching story, broken down into the key messages you need to convey in your content. I think of key messages as a breakdown of your positioning into supporting points.
Establishing these elements will help you move past your primary messaging problems. From there, you can build the following additional elements of your brand messaging platform:
- Boilerplate copy: A concise (50-100 words) paragraph of standardized copy that expresses your brand personality and positioning while communicating key messages. Boilerplate copy is a brief description of the identity, role and impact of your organization, how the work is delivered, incorporating select keywords and a call to action. Commonly used at the bottom of press releases, it may also be useful in your online newsroom or About Us web page, proposals, presentations, brochures and other documents. (Learn more about the value of boilerplate copy in SEO, GEO and AI Search Visibility.)
- Tagline: A short phrase that telegraphs the essence of your organization’s brand, differentiating it from others. Your tagline appears alongside your organization’s logo and name in marketing materials. A note about taglines vs. slogans: taglines are tied to your brand and are more permanent (your organization should have only one at a time), whereas slogans are temporary and used in individual campaigns.
- Messaging guide: Once completed, your brand messaging platform should be consolidated into a messaging guide that outlines all of the elements in your brand messaging platform. It should include explanations and examples to support any team members developing communications on your organization’s behalf.
Your brand messaging platform can be an invaluable guide to connecting all of your marketing communications content.
Signs that your nonprofit organization needs a new messaging platform
Here are some signs that you need to revisit, sharpen or create a messaging framework for your nonprofit:
- Members of your team don’t know what to say when explaining your work – or they aren’t consistent in the way they describe it.
- You have difficulty communicating the unique value your organization provides.
- Your communications are not compelling.
- Your messaging is not well aligned with your organization’s strategic goals, mission, and vision.
- Your organization’s content is complicated and unclear.
- You struggle with knowing what content to feature, where (for example, how to structure your website content or which stories to tell through content marketing or public relations).
- Your existing messaging platform is out-of-date, incorrect, or ineffective, OR you don’t have one!
As a nonprofit communicator, you probably know whether or not you need to build or strengthen your brand messaging platforms. But if you aren’t sure, check out this helpful article by Farah Trompeter on the Big Duck blog: Is your brand healthy? Four steps to give it a check-up.
Examples of great nonprofit brand messaging
- Winnipeg Foundation unveiled a new brand platform, “Generosity Forever,” that strongly translates defined positioning into messaging. You can see the spirit and supporting messaging of this platform in their new brand announcement. And they have reflected their positioning as the city’s “forever fund,” built by Winnipeggers for Winnipeg, across their website content.
- The Covenant House Toronto website shows a narrative built on key messages. The home page reflects a structured story divided into four messaging pillars: The Problem, Our Solution, Our Impact and How to Help — which also appears elsewhere, such as in their website navigation and individual pages for each message.
- Also recently announced, the “Care Hard brand platform from UNICEF Canada is an example of a tagline and brand messaging reflected in website content. Check out their explanation of the data informing the tagline and national call to action, and the messaging pillars reflected on their About page.
- The YMCA of the USA Brand Messaging Guide [PDF] is a great example of a fully fleshed-out brand messaging platform with comprehensive messaging guidance. And it goes a step further with practical examples and exercises.
Finally, here’s a case study exploring how the brand messaging platform I co-created with a client supports their communications implementation.
Brand messaging during an age of widespread AI content creation
Because I’m updating this post in 2026, let’s address the relationship between your brand messaging platform and using AI to create content deliverables. First, I want to discourage you from using AI to create first drafts. Here’s an alternative: my formula and worksheet for getting past the blank page.
However, I know that many nonprofit communicators are experimenting with or using AI tools in your content development (e.g., to develop ideas, as a thought partner, or as an editor). You can use your brand messaging platform to train your AI tool; it can be the guardrail that keeps your voice, tone, and messages on strategy and on track — in alignment with your organization’s policies and directives on AI use, of course!
When should you create or refresh your brand messaging platform?
Most nonprofits I’ve worked with exist in a state of continuous growth or evolution — which means your brand messaging will need to be refreshed or revisited periodically. I recommend a light review of your messaging every two to three years to determine any areas in need of a refresh, and a thorough review and potentially an overhaul every five to seven years.
The right frequency for a brand messaging platform review, refresh, or overhaul will depend on a number of considerations, including the age of your current brand, your organization’s complexity, and how stale, scattered or misaligned your communications have become. For organizations needing a refresh, new messaging can provide the update you need without investing in creating and rolling out a new logo and visual identity. If your nonprofit is undertaking a full rebrand, including visual identity, start with messaging to explore and articulate your new brand strategy.
Create your nonprofit brand messaging platform
If you’re ready to start developing your nonprofit brand messaging platform and plan to do the work in-house, you’ll find two of my favourite branding books useful:
- Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communications by Sarah Durham
- Building Better Brands: A comprehensive guide to brand strategy and identity development by Scott Lerman.
If you’d like my help with developing your brand messaging platform, check out my Brand messaging package and get in touch with me.
