When I ask staff at nonprofits to describe their organization’s public personality, I often get blank stares, or something like “Ummm . . . we don’t have one, so I guess, well, how about ‘boring?'”
I admit, it’s a tough question, especially if you’ve never considered that an organization could even have a personality in the first place. But the personality concept is important to the idea of organizational branding, and it’s really essential when you start to consider your social media strategy, where personality goes a long way.
Here’s another way to think about this: How do you want your organization to be perceived?
Whether or not you think your organization embodies a certain kind of personality now, what would you like it to be?
Here are 50 positive personality traits. Do you see your organization in these words?
- Affectionate
- Ambitious
- Candid
- Caring
- Cheerful
- Confident
- Considerate
- Cooperative
- Courageous
- Creative
- Decisive
- Determined
- Enthusiastic
- Flexible
- Focused
- Friendly
- Frugal
- Fun
- Grateful
- Hard-working
- Helpful
- Humble
- Honest
- Imaginative
- Intrepid
- Involved
- Loving
- Loyal
- Meticulous
- Mysterious
- Observant
- Opinionated
- Optimistic
- Positive
- Punctual
- Practical
- Rational
- Respectful
- Responsible
- Responsive
- Serious
- Soulful
- Tactful
- Tenacious
- Thoughtful
- Tolerant
- Trustworthy
- Versatile
- Warm
- Witty
I pulled ideas from this list and this list, if you want more adjectives to play with, or some “negative” versions.
What’s your organization’s personality in three words (either now, or what you aspire to)? Share in the comments.
P.S. I’m teaching a webinar called “Get Real! Use Your Org’s Personality to Build Rapport with Supporters” on June 2, and would love some great examples to share!
