Global Impact unveiled its new brand identity in September 2019. I had the privilege of sitting down with Global Impact’s President and CEO, Scott Jackson, to learn more about the change.
Q: As an organization that is more than 60 years old, what was the reason for rebranding at this time?
A: There are times in any organization’s history when its name and/or brand expression needs to be updated and made more relevant for that moment and for the future. That’s what happened at Global Impact. While our prior branding and messaging served us well for many years, we have evolved into an organization that not only supports workplace giving campaigns—which we are well known for—but also many other channels of giving with our partners. Updating our brand identity and messaging has allowed us to reflect upon who we have become as an organization, the value we bring our clients, and to crystalize our relevance for the future.
Q: What is the organization hoping to convey with the new branding?
A: We want to convey that we are a trusted advisor, intermediary and implementing partner to the private, nonprofit and public sectors. We work together with our partners to support charitable ventures that inspire greater giving and create social impact.
Q: What has changed with the rebranding, and what will stay the same?
A: Our logo, tagline, overall branding and messaging have changed. We also have a newly designed website at charity.org. When we started this process, we conducted research with various internal and external stakeholders and were pleased to learn the Global Impact name has a good amount of equity in the marketplace. We therefore chose to focus efforts on our general messaging and conveying our lines of business more clearly. It’s great that there is equity in the Global Impact name and really exciting to know it is still relevant as we move forward as an organization.
Q: Can you describe the vision and symbolism behind the new Global Impact logo, as well as the new tagline?
A: Sure. Our team all gravitated around the same attributes behind the symbolism of the logo—the synergy has been reassuring to me. One notion is the “G” for global and greater giving. The second is the notion of the three half circle lines or half globe. Those lines signify building out to the future and amplifying shared purpose. It also represents the idea that the public, private and nonprofit sectors can do something greater together than by themselves. Finally, there is the connection of the logo to the tagline, which also has meaning. “Charitable Ventures for Greater Giving” is about encouraging collaborations and philanthropic initiatives of all kinds to make the world a better place through greater giving and collective impact.
Q: Over the past several years, Global Impact has expanded its footprint beyond employee giving. What are the core services Global Impact offers its clients now?
A: We offer three major areas of expertise: fundraising and partnerships, employee engagement and corporate social responsibility (CSR), and finance and business services. Fundraising and partnerships is the work we do with nonprofits to boost revenue and visibility. It includes services such as planning and pipeline development, strategic positioning, and fiscal sponsorship. The second area of employee engagement and CSR is work we do in collaboration with both the private and public sectors. It includes our CSR and employee giving program management, corporate philanthropy strategy, and disaster response and employee assistance services. The third area, finance and business services, is aimed at supporting an organization’s operational efficiency and augmenting its capacity so that it can realize its goals. Services include outsourced financial administration, investment fund advisory, corporate donor advised funds (DAFs), and our own no minimum contribution DAF—Growfund. We take an integrated approach to these three lines of business, which ensures our partners benefit from staff’s expertise across the organization, as well as from collaborative charitable ventures.
Q: If an organization is considering partnering with or becoming a client of Global Impact, how would you describe the benefits of working with Global Impact?
A: Whether an organization is a nonprofit, for-profit company, government agency or foundation, the benefits of partnering with Global Impact are that we have an integrated set of services that support philanthropic efforts and are able to help clients in all stages of their life cycle. Whether your organization is just starting out, you are an established nonprofit with your own development staff, or you’re a company with a CSR team, we can seamlessly help you achieve your social impact goals. Additionally, we strive to serve as an extended member of your staff, rather than just your partner. As a global nonprofit, we have a sense of mission toward those we serve. Another benefit is that our partners really enjoy working with our staff. This information came out of surveys with our partners, and not only is it a great reassurance to have that feedback, it’s also really nice to be able to share that with prospective clients!
Q: Global Impact is headquartered in the United States and recently expanded its presence to the U.K., Canada and Australia. Why are these new markets important?
A: We often think about what role we can play in the broader environment of global giving. While many of our nonprofit partners are on the ground in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America or even here in the United States, we wanted to expand our presence where there were large numbers of everyday donors, as well as established workplace giving opportunities. Australia, the U.K., Canada and the United States all have great potential in terms of growing individual giving, and we want to be the organization that brings people together, especially around the notion of collective giving. That’s why those markets, each with a large number of everyday donors, are exciting.
Q: How would you like to see Global Impact change the world in the coming years?
A: I am excited about what this rebrand means for our team, as well as our partners. It is an opportunity to work together on even more charitable ventures that inspire greater giving. Over the coming years, in our role as a full-service intermediary, we hope to exponentially increase giving and social impact internationally, as well as here at home in the United States.
