LEVEL C Certified Brand Strategist

Branding is the management of meaning. And in today’s cluttered media landscape, it’s the most powerful tool that nonprofits can use to build and grow an enthusiastic tribe.

It’s this transformative power—the ability to connect with audiences on a deep, human level—that has always drawn me to branding, especially for causes.

Last week, I completed a new certification with LEVEL C: Certified Brand Strategist.

The milestone is nice, but it’s really a culmination of a decade-plus spent studying and applying brand principles taught by Marty Neumeier and others.

My bookshelf is full of Marty’s books, their pages highlighted, underlined and dog-eared. And I’ve recommended them more times than I can count. (The Brand Gap is a great place to start.)

So it’s been a privilege to spend a few weeks with Marty, learning advanced strategies, practicing hands-on with a global cohort, and picking up new tools to help mission-driven nonprofits build brands that people love.

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What challenges are you facing in building and growing your organization’s brand? Let me know in the comments or email me at hello@shanestarr.com.