Building Your Volunteer Network: Make Your Group Memorable

 This is the fourth and final post in a series about how any organization with 501(c)(3) status can build a grassroots advocacy network and do lobbying within the confines of the law.

Step Four: Make Your Group Memorable

It’s essential to have a simple logo or a short phrase or slogan that sums up your organization and its message. The idea is to have a “brand,” or an easily recognizable image that volunteers and legislators will associate with the cause.

The American Heart Association’s “You’re the Cure” slogan is a good example. The Kentucky Homeless and Housing Coalition made up stickers with the phrase “Open the Door” and a simple logo – a keyhole on a bright yellow door – to summarize its message. When volunteer advocates crowded into legislative committee rooms, the stickers they wore were an easy, quick way to make their presence known. They didn’t need to say a word.