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Wouldn’t it be nice if…

 

…when you mention Soroptimist, people instantly recognise the name and don’t say, “sorop what?”

 

…our organisation was often asked to appoint speakers and panellists for international conferences?

 

…our work was cited and regularly mentioned in the news?

 

How would you feel? Extremely proud and “soroptimistic”, we guess.

 

Back to reality

 

We have many good reasons to be proud: our track record of successful projects, funds raised, women and girls helped. Although we are the largest service organisation of professional women worldwide, others, such as Zonta, are far better known.

 

Our membership is ageing, and many Unions have difficulties recruiting younger members and are regularly losing members. Just a few years ago, SI had 90,000 members, now the number is 75,000. Extension and retention therefore continue to be top priorities, but what can be done?

 

Better branding can help

 

Branding serves many purposes, including building awareness, showcasing the services offered, creating positive perceptions, humanising the organisation and evoking emotion for identification. The idea is to stand out. In today’s world where more and more services and products are alike, your unique selling point is key. SIE is no exception, especially in view of the increased competition among service organisations to attract new members. After much research and extensive brainstorming with SIE communicators and experts from our organisation, we defined a clear branding objective:

 

Present ourselves as the service organisation

that young professional women

would choose to join.

 

First Branding deliverable launched

 

We presented the very first deliverable of our branding efforts a few weeks ago at the Governors’ Meeting in Lucerne, an animated video, which illustrates who we are and what we do in very simple pictures. It was posted on Facebook and YouTube with the request to share it widely. Sadly, the response among Soroptimists was limited. Sharing helps amplify our messages. Please continue to promote this type of content. The video can also be downloaded from the Member Area.

 

This autumn we will launch the emotive video produced with the help of an agency experienced in branding. Its purpose is to catch attention, evoke emotion and trigger a reaction by telling a universal story all women can identify with. In the meantime, we will deliver additional tools you can use to promote the Soroptimist vision and work. Stay tuned for more news.

 

The video itself is only one element of the SIE branding initiatives. Its impact depends to a large extent on how it is distributed and marketed, which is why we have engaged professional help. But our biggest asset, a wide and strong network of dedicated Soroptimists, will also be crucial.

 

Successful branding – and then what?

 

Once our target audience of professional women between the ages of 35-45 is reached, and the idea of Soroptimist is sold, we have to be prepared for their interest. All our combined efforts in branding are undertaken to create a momentum for potential new members to contact clubs and unions throughout the Federation.

 

Are you ready to welcome them? Are you willing to help share the message? Why are we asking?

 

The answer is simple: the success of our branding initiatives depends on your support!