Your donors can't explain what you do
They love you, but the words change every time, and the appeal reads like a report.
Brand strategy
A brand people believe in, and support.
Brand strategy for nonprofits and mission-minded businesses: the position, the story and the words that move your audience from no thought to thought, and from thought to action.
Since 1992
Building brands
You need this if
Most organizations lecture when they should tell stories
Most organizations lecture when they should tell stories, and defend when they should invite. If any of these sound familiar, that's the fix.
A sponsor season or campaign is coming
You need one story, one set of messages and a reason for sponsors to be proud before the asks go out.
You've outgrown your look
Your organization has changed and your brand hasn't, and it shows in every pitch.
What you get
The platform, the story and the words
01
Brand positioning and messaging platform
Who you're for, what you stand for and the one sentence your whole team can say.
02
Brand story and key messages by audience
Donors, sponsors, board, buyers and press each hear the version that moves them.
03
Naming, taglines and visual identity direction
The words and the look that carry your position.
04
Brand refresh
For organizations that have grown past their brand.
05
Rollout
Website copy, sponsor kit, campaign messaging and coaching, so the strategy shows up everywhere, not just in a slide deck.
Donor & Sponsor Development
Sponsors don't buy logo placement
Sponsors don't buy logo placement. They buy an audience, a story and a reason to be proud. Your sponsor and donor programs get built on two decades of watching what makes people give.
- Sponsorship strategy, tiers and packages
- Sponsor prospect lists, pitch decks and proposals
- Donor messaging, appeals and campaign strategy
- Gala and event fundraising strategy, from the planning side
- Sponsor recognition and renewal plans
- Gift entry, coding and acknowledgment practices that turn first gifts into second ones
Marketing & Content
Strategy only matters if it reaches people
Strategy only matters if it reaches people. Your website, campaigns and content carry your story to the right ones.
- Website strategy, copy and structure
- Search and AI-search visibility
- Campaign planning and content calendars
- Brochures, sponsor kits, videos and social content
Presentation & Pitch Coaching
Your leaders are your most important marketing tool
Your executive director, board chair or founder is often your most important marketing tool. Your leaders learn to tell the story with confidence in high-stakes moments, whether the stage is a boardroom, a ballroom, a funder meeting or a Zoom call.
- Sponsor and funder pitch coaching
- Gala and event speaking preparation
- Keynote and talk development
WHY THIS WORKS
Built on 34 years of watching people decide.
Most brand strategists have never watched a room decide whether to give. Primary Objective has built brands since 1992, and through The Auction Divas, Shelly St John stood in front of hundreds of those rooms. You get what those years showed: what makes a donor lean in, what makes a sponsor proud and what makes people act together.
Since 1992
Building brands
How it works
How we'll work together
01
Listen
A working session to understand your goals, your audience and what you've already tried.
02
Strategy
A clear plan: who you're moving, what you'll say and how you'll measure it.
03
Build
Messaging, materials and campaigns, created with your team.
04
Launch and coach
Support stays close through rollout, so the work performs.
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK
What you're probably wondering
01
How long does brand strategy take?
Most engagements run six to ten weeks from the first working session to a finished platform, with rollout after that.
02
Do you do the design too?
The strategy sets the visual direction. Design is done with your designer or one of the specialists Primary Objective works with, so the look follows the position instead of the other way around.
03
What does it cost?
Every proposal is scoped to your organization. The first 30-minute conversation is free, and you'll leave with an honest answer about what to do first.
04
Do you still work as an auctioneer?
Yes, for a few organizations each year that are the right fit. See The Auction Divas page.
05
Do you only work with nonprofits?
While most clients are nonprofits and mission-minded businesses, we also work with select experiential for-profits.
Speaking on Emotional Authorship
A messaging framework rooted in psychology and story design, built from 35 years behind the scenes and on stage.
Emotional Authorship is the messaging framework behind all of my work. It’s rooted in psychology and story design, and it came out of my 35 years behind the scenes and on stage. It maps how your audience moves from no thought to thought, and from thought to action. Then it writes the story and the messages that carry them there. If your audience needs a messaging reset or a storytelling roadmap, let’s talk.
01No thought
02Thought
03Action
Not sure where to start?
Tell me what you're trying to accomplish, and you'll get an honest answer about what to do first.