Where does Brand fit?

Hard to believe that we are treading on the last days of August... campfires burning low and the echo of blackberry email notifications swirling us between vacation and reality.
Time to focus on our strategy, executing well in the September to December period is often the strength of revenue growth.
So let's talk a bit about brand.
We all know the strength of a brand -- Coke, Mazda,Wallmart... and the list goes on... Brand engages customers.
But where does brand fit in the non-profit world?
Without a question, brand differentiates non-profits.
But how does it work?
Here are 4 foundational insights:
1.Brand is built on the uniqueness of the organization and works to differentiate organizations in a crowded marketplace.
2. Brand is not an icon, a colour, a font type or a product. It is the underlying personality expressed by various communication components.
3. Brand must permeate all aspects of the organization, re-affirming the core personality.
4. Brand and fundraising strategies work in synergy to increase revenue.
Stay tuned.... I'm going to engage with each of these four points over the next couple of weeks... if you have some insights -- don't be shy. There is a lot of chatter about brand, effectiveness and fundraising.