Chief Executives play a vital role in creating awareness – yet all too often they are bystanders in the awareness process. It is interesting that in the commercial sector most CEOs would see themselves as the guardians of their brand (of which awareness-building is the first step) yet in the charity sector most CEOs are at best neutral and often hostile to branding and, by inference, to awareness-building.

“Fantastic opportunity for courageous charities to respond to this public plea”, rallies nfpSynergy’s Baker

The public are keener than ever for charities to be 'supportive', 'sympathetic' and 'responsive', now that the UK has entered recession, according to new data out today: demands that pose an interesting challenge to an already struggling third sector.

It is three years now since we published 'Polishing the Diamond' in the autumn of 2002, and it remains one of our most popular reports.For this reason we decided to pull together a series of branding case studies from across the sector.

This updated report is a must-read for everyone who is interested in charity branding. It looks at how to create a strong, belief-based brand for voluntary sector organisations. The report examines the hierarchy of motivations that affect charity donors, and sets out the three steps to creating and delivering strong brand values for your organisation.

Not for profit think-tank nfpSynergy has teamed up with The ImpACT Coalition to produce a free, short, practical report and guide that will empower charities to formulate and communicate simple messages, including pithy pub facts, needed to dispel a range of debilitating misperceptions their stakeholders may have, both about themselves and the wider third sector.

This report aims to help voluntary organisations better understand the nature of the current technological revolution and plan for the future accordingly. A key theme runs through the report; new communications technologies, including the internet, digital TV and mobile telephones, allow charities to do more with less, to punch above their weight, to reach new audiences, develop new services and to remorselessly achieve their goals more effectively.

Is the public falling out of love with charities? Those operating within the voluntary sector may feel concerned that today's public are growing increasingly sceptical about charitable activity. As a result, there is much discussion about the need for tighter regulation of charities in order to inspire greater public trust and confidence and therefore future financial success.