Success Bulletin 2: Branding

Image is Everything: Branding for Today’s Woman

In today’s marketplace every organization needs to distinguish itself from the competition. In an age of infinite choices and an abundance of causes (but diminishing funds and limited time) an organization needs to stay current, vital and relevant. One of the best ways is to engender feelings of ownership among your members.

If they are going to invest their time and money, people need to know who you are, what you are, why you are. Corporations have huge departments dedicated to keeping their brand name out there. But even the smallest agency – or synagogue or sisterhood – needs to brand itself.

So what is branding? Branding is really about managing two factors:

1. What message do you want conveyed?
2. How is that message perceived by your members and potential members?

What do you need to be successful at branding your sisterhood? You need a committee of women who know your product: what your sisterhood is all about. Look for women who are:

• Creative
• Willing
• Computer savvy
• Internet/social media savvy

Where to start? There are five basics to marketing/branding:

1. Preparation: what do your members and potential members want and need? Set realistic goals.
2. Product: Determine what your sisterhood can do and develop programs that answer the needs of members and potential members
3. Logistics: Calendar, timing, costs, volunteers
4. Promotion: Target material to the appropriate internal/external audience
5. Satisfaction: How do you keep your members satisfied and loyal? Women’s League has several publications to help with preparation, product, and logistics. You can download these from our website:
   • New Directions & Directives: A Handbook for Sisterhood Presidents
   • Sisterhood Planner: A Year of Programs, Classes and More
   • The Z’havah Planner and addenda
   • Image Plus: Public Relations Handbook
   • Blueprint for Membership

Branding Campaign: Brand the look of your sisterhood

A consistent look and style identifies your sisterhood

• Decide on style (modern, cartoony, arty, art deco) and color palette (hot neons, cool blues).
• Design a logo that reflects your style or choose styles that suit your logo, if you already have one. Use the Women’s League logo as a starting point.
• Answer the question: Why is sisterhood good for the consumer? Keep that message front and center.
• Every flyer, newsletter, brochure that goes out from your sisterhood should have your logo and should be in the branding style.
• Be included in every flyer, newsletter, brochure, Shabbat announcement from the synagogue. This keeps sisterhood in everyone’s face, so to speak, and raises awareness in the community.
• Added value: include the Women’s League logo and the tag line: “XXX Sisterhood is affiliated with Women’s League for Conservative Judaism.” It is important for members to realize that they are also members of an international organization that networks all Conservative Jewish women.
• All messages need to come back to the consumer/user/member: Why is this good for me?

Pick a theme

Focus on one or two driving forces/themes for the year. Obviously not everything you do will be tied to the theme, but you can always add the information to whatever you’re doing.

Is this the year your sisterhood is going for membership numbers? Possible taglines:

• Have you joined us yet?
• Sisterhood: Agents for Change
• We Give Each Other the Power to Do More*
• Sisterhood: Join Us to Turn on the Power!*
• Sisterhood is a Million Things!*
• Find Yourself…at Sisterhood*

Is this the year your sisterhood is going green? Possible taglines:

• Sisterhood is green
• To Plant and To Preserve*

Is your sisterhood committed to social action? Possible tagline:

• Repairing our World with Sisterhood

Is your sisterhood stressing physical health? Possible tagline:

• Get Fit with Sisterhood*
• Wellness & Learning*

Is your sisterhood stressing intergenerational programming? Possible taglines:

• You’re never too old or too young for sisterhood
• Sisterhood Mi Dor l’Dor
• Mishpachah: Our Modern Jewish Family*

If you use the same tag line, similar color palette and fonts, logo, and Women’s League affiliation notice, you will have begun to brand your sisterhood. Members and potential members can identify what you do, feel allegiance to your cause, and strengthen your sisterhood’s impact in your community.

We aren’t corporate America, but we can learn from them. And we do have an important message to convey to our audience. You want members and potential members to know who you are, why you are, and what’s in it for them as often and as positively as possible.

*indicates graphics available from Women’s League

With great thanks to Karen Kaufman (Central Great Lakes Region), who designed the original Distance Workshop on branding.