Developing a brand voice and tone is essential for any company or organization…including nonprofits.
Your brand’s voice and tone is how you present yourself to your audience. How your audience perceives you, remembers you, and (hopefully) starts to trust you is all based on what you say and how you say it.
So how do you find your nonprofit’s unique voice and tone?
Keep reading to find out!
MVP Playbook Resource: Use our free Brand Voice & Tone Worksheet to walk you through the process shared in this blog.
Nonprofit Brand Voice and Tone: What Are They?
Your voice and tone should be at the heart of your nonprofit’s brand as well as your communications strategy. But what exactly do these terms mean?
Although “brand voice” and “brand tone” are often used together (and sometimes interchangeably), they are not the same.
A brand voice is a unique personality curated by your organization that is used throughout your communications. It should remain consistent across all platforms and in every piece of outreach. Having a cohesive brand voice and message builds trust and rapport with your target audience.
A brand tone evolves your voice depending on the channel, type of outreach, and target audience or segment. For example, you may use a more lighthearted tone on select social media platforms, but adopt a more serious tone when writing a fundraising appeal letter.
In short, your brand’s voice is what you say, and your brand’s tone is how you say it.
Your nonprofit brand voice and tone should work together to deliver your message consistently and appropriately across all channels.
Let’s talk more about the importance of consistent nonprofit branding.
Why is Consistent Nonprofit Branding a Must?
There are so many brands – for-profit and nonprofit alike – flooding your audience’s inboxes, news feeds, and mailboxes.
Having strong nonprofit branding helps you:
- Stand out.
- Show authenticity.
- Build trust.
A nonprofit brand includes visuals, like your logo, font choices, and colors, as well as messaging and content. Each of these elements works together to communicate your mission, vision, and values to your audiences in a way that is recognizable and builds credibility.
Tip from the Playbook: Nonprofits are frequently scrutinized for how donated and granted funds are spent, making it critical to earn trust from donors. Read this blog to learn more about how having a consistent nonprofit brand voice contributes to donor trust, among other tips for building solid donor relationships.
Now, let’s take a closer look at two of the critical elements of any organization’s branding: nonprofit brand voice and tone.
Developing Your Nonprofit Brand Voice
According to the 2025 Sprout Social Index, relatability and authenticity are the top two most important brand content traits. It reads: “Instead of floating along the sea of sameness or being contrarian for the sake of it, brands should carve out an identity that is true to them.”
Developing a unique brand voice as part of your nonprofit branding adds personality and a human element to your content, making you appear more relatable and trust-worthy.
Here are three things to consider when developing a nonprofit brand voice of your own.
1. Review Your Nonprofit’s Mission & Vision
Your nonprofit’s mission and vision statements should be at the epicenter of everything you do, and they should be reflected in your brand voice.
Take a look at both statements – or create them, if you don’t have them already – and consider how you should be speaking and writing in a way that accurately aligns with and communicates them to the public.
2. Think About Your Programs & Services
What does your nonprofit do? Who do you serve? Your brand’s voice should make sense when using it to speak about your organization’s programs and services.
For example, nonprofit organizations that help children through arts or recreational programs may develop a more playful voice when compared to those with services that provide children with food, medication, or other critical needs in emergency situations.
3. Define Your Nonprofit’s Values
Your nonprofit organization’s values shape your team’s culture, decisions, and actions.
Having a strong set of core values ensures your team is aligned with not just achieving your mission and goals, but also how you do so. And having a brand voice that aligns with your values will help you connect with supporters who hold the same beliefs.
If your nonprofit values inclusion, teamwork, and compassion, then your voice should reflect the same!
Should you need help defining your values, Donorbox has a great blog to help.
Evolving Your Nonprofit’s Voice Using Brand Tone
After determining your nonprofit’s brand voice, you should consider how you will evolve this voice depending on who you are talking to, what message you want to convey, and how.
Establishing various brand tones now using these three factors will help each member of your team communicate better in the future.
1. Determine Your Nonprofit’s Brand Attributes
Work with your team to determine the attributes or characteristics of your brand. This will guide you towards the tone you want to use.
Start by brainstorming together, then selecting the top attributes that everyone feels most reflect your nonprofit’s brand and mission.
Here’s a list to get you started:
- Wise
- Friendly
- Approachable
- Authentic
- Accessible
- Passionate
- Positive
- Realistic
- Innovative
- Dedicated
- Strong
- Bold
- Kind
- Confident
2. Consider Your Organization’s Target Audiences
Knowing and understanding your intended target audience for each piece of outreach will help you write your content using the appropriate tone. Your younger audience members will likely appreciate a different approach than those who are older, for example.
Haven’t determined your nonprofit’s target audiences? Read this blog to discover a simple, three-step process to define your target audience, segments, and personas!
MVP Playbook Resource: Use our free Target Personas Worksheet to help you develop target personas that make it easier to understand, connect with, and engage the right people.
3. Adjust for Each Communications Channel and Message
In addition to using the right tone for your audience, you’ll also need to adjust your tone depending on the communications channel and even the intended message.
You may adopt a lighthearted tone when sharing images for a fun social media post (like those for silly awareness days), but this same tone would not be appropriate in an email to donors about an emergency fundraising effort.
These nuances are what ensure your voice, while still reflecting the same values and mission, evolves to best fit the situation at hand.
Next, we’ll take a closer look at a method that will help you consistently write in your brand voice – developing a brand persona.
Creating a Brand Personality for Your Nonprofit’s Brand Voice and Tone
Just like defining target personas helps you craft a message that resonates with your ideal audience, creating a brand persona can help you write content in a consistent brand voice and tone.
A brand persona is a personification of your nonprofit brand. It’s a fictional character that embodies the values, attributes, and characteristics of your nonprofit.
Think of it as giving your nonprofit a brand personality that anyone developing content for your organization can adopt. How would this person speak? Or write? What terms or sayings do they use (or avoid)?
Here are a few examples of nonprofit brand personas to get you started.
Example 1: Animal Rescue Nonprofit
A regional animal rescue’s voice may be welcoming and caring. Their brand persona may be the mom at the house where all the neighborhood kids gather after school. She always has the best snacks, never turns away a friend (human or animal), and is willing to lend a listening ear or a hug to anyone who needs it.
Example 2: State University
A state university’s voice may be confident and approachable. Their brand persona may be a young professor – someone who clearly knows what they are talking about but is willing and excited to share this information with you. They know how to have fun and are knowledgeable of any current trends, but they can also get down to business when the situation calls for it.
Adding Do’s and Don’ts to Your Brand Persona
It can also help to list out some do’s and don’ts for each of your primary brand attributes or characteristics to paint a clear picture of your brand personality.
For example, if one of the characteristics of your brand voice is “authenticity,” your “do’s” might include speaking with honesty, sharing accurate data, and telling real beneficiary stories in an ethical way. On the other hand, your “don’ts” might include using jargon, over-promising on what you can deliver, and taking part in social media trends that don’t align with your values.
When developing your nonprofit brand personality, your primary goal should be to make it as easy as possible for anyone representing your organization to write or speak using your brand voice and tone.
Get Started on Your Unique Brand Voice and Tone
Developing a unique brand voice and tone for your nonprofit can help you stand out, show authenticity, and build trust. When you clearly define your brand personality, you also make it easier for your team to use the appropriate voice and tone whenever they engage with your audiences.
As you begin working on your nonprofit’s voice and tone, remember to download our free Brand Voice & Tone Worksheet. This resource will walk you through the steps and tips shared in this blog as you work to create a recognizable voice and tone for your organization.
If you need help developing your nonprofit’s voice, communications plan, or content, MVP Advisors is here for you. Our experienced team is ready to provide nonprofits with effective solutions and strategies in everything from fundraising to strategic planning to marketing and communications…and beyond!
Book a call or email us today to see how we can work together.