The most expensive line item in your budget is the rebrand you won't approve.

I get it. It's hard to prioritize an investment in branding when there's always something that feels more urgent. It's also hard to measure how much an outdated brand is costing your mission in lost partnerships and donations.

But the impact is almost certainly greater than most leaders realize.

A poor brand experience or outdated brand visuals are often silently stealing from your ministry and your mission.

Potential partners quietly ghost your organization when they don't want to affiliate with a brand that doesn't align with their own.

Say it with me, people: Your vibe attracts your tribe.

That's why I think marketing and development leaders should frequently advocate for a brand refresh.

You're not competing with other nonprofits.

Your audiences are used to interacting with billion-dollar brands every single day — on the apps on their phone and everywhere they go. You're competing with everything else on their screen.

So when people interact with a nonprofit brand that hasn't been touched since the Bush administration, don't be surprised if they bounce.

When's the last time your brand got a real refresh? And how hard did you have to fight for it?