Become the obvious choice.
A manifesto on positioning for nonprofits
As a strategist to nonprofits, one of the most basic questions I ask leaders is: what makes your organization unique?What makes your contribution to the larger cause indispensable? Very few leaders can answer this question with confidence or conviction. They do one of three things: recite their mission statement, list their current programs and activities, or claim that they are not about stating why they are "better than everyone else."
A mission statement articulates your purpose and your goals. It shows your heart. Your programs are just the component parts, not the whole picture. And stating why you’re different is not an act of ego. No matter how admirable your mission, how impactful your programs, or how humble your attitude, you are one of hundreds of noble but interchangeable organizations working towards the same goals, swimming in, what I call, a "swamp of sameness".
As a leader, you know:
You have a long track record of impact
The people or organizations you serve are better off because of your contribution
You are clocking big wins in legislation and policy
But your full potential lies unrealized, and you can’t quite put your finger on why. You are known, but not known for the right thing. You are respected, but it has been challenging to turn that hard-won legitimacy into real momentum. You can sense that you are standing on the verge of your next big chapter, and you are grasping for an answer…but there is none to be found.
You may have tried to solve this intangible and intractable problem by doing more or copying what that other organization is doing (because they always seem to be getting it right):
…launching another awareness campaign
…looking for funders who “get you”
…redoing your messaging, again
…stretching into activities that have historically been outside of your strengths, like grassroots organizing.
You are not facing a communications problem or a fundraising problem. More of the same won’t fix what’s going on here. When you don’t proactively define yourself, others do it for you. When you don’t position yourself, your audiences interpret you against their own logic and context. This is why macro-challenges of 2025 and 2026 made everything feel more acute. Even the most effective nonprofits struggled to find their footing in an increasingly competitive funding landscape. Reputable institutions who enjoyed years of trust are now jockeying for credibility and fighting for attention. In a resource-starved landscape like the one we are in currently, too many nonprofits have been screaming into the void trying to answer the question “why are you great?” (to which a logical answer might be impactful programs, important mission, etc.).
But the emphasis was on the wrong word.
It was never “why are you great?”
It was “why are you great?”
Why are YOU great?
Why you?
Why should a funder, supporter, collaborator, or talented hire choose you?
You’ve been looking for answers and there were none to be found, because the question itself was not right.
Positioning is the answer to the question you actually need to be asking.
Why you?
Why are you the best at delivering the thing that your audiences care deeply about?
Positioning is how you define the context in which you operate so that your strengths become sharper and your impact becomes more legible, setting you apart from your competitors and peers. It sharpens the value you provide, making it more evident than ever, and finally powering your work with the momentum you’ve been seeking all along.
When you’ve articulated a tight positioning:
You stop contorting yourself to fit whatever a funder wants to hear, and start making a case only you could make.
You stop rewriting your stories and messaging every quarter and instead find one story to lead with and find narrative momentum.
You stop trying to be like everyone else, and instead start being exactly who you are, on purpose.
When your distinctness becomes clear and the value of your work becomes undeniable, you are no longer a vague and interchangeable unit. You are sharp, with distinct qualities and strengths.
You are no longer just generally respected, you are specifically valued.
You are no longer one of many. You become the obvious choice.
Curious about clarifying your own difference and developing your positioning? Reach out to me here.