Cristina Ferreri takes her dog, Gracie, to PetSmart’s doggy day camp. And every single phone call ends the same way: “Tell Gracie I said hi.” It makes her smile every time. It’s also, as she and her business partner Cheryl Farr explained on an episode of RelishTHIS, a masterclass in branding – because nobody ever wins by simply putting “we care” on a wall. They win by designing and delivering a small behavior that proves it.
That’s the heart of what SignalCSK does: help organizations show what they stand for instead of just saying it. Their positioning lens stems from three questions – what is uniquely TRUE about you, what is most MEANINGFUL to your audiences, and what makes you dramatically DIFFERENT from the alternatives (including people doing nothing at all). The overlap is the space that’s yours to own. And yes, nonprofits have competition – for mind share, wallet share, and heart share.
But the most actionable idea that arose for me during our conversation was the Bond-phase move hiding in that “Say hi to Gracie for me” sign-off. Pick the one value you most want to be known for, then design one small, repeatable behavior at a real touchpoint that proves it – a naming detail in your thank-you notes, a specific follow-up ritual, a sign-off that makes someone feel seen. Bake this into your process so it happens every time. Marketing is a promise; these little signals are how the promise gets kept.
Cheryl added a truth nonprofits skip too often: your staff and volunteers are the earliest adopters of your brand. In SignalCSK brand trainings, the facilities team often turned out to be the most powerful advocates – because they’re who a visitor actually interacts with. If your people can’t say the “why,” your audience never will. Brand from the inside out.
One more concept (and it’s a little contrarian): lead with the need, reveal the mission. SignalCSK’s Logic Everyday Community doesn’t market its umbrella purpose – it markets the restaurant, the childcare, the coworking, because people find you through a felt need. The purpose is the “cherry on top” that keeps your stakeholders coming back time and time again.
Want help finding what’s yours to own? Mission Uncomfortable is free at missionuncomfortablebook.com, and your Purpose-Driven Marketing Score can be calculated at relishstudio.com/purpose-driven-marketing-scorecard. And, as always, if you need some help, give us a shout.
