Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Suggest Company Name For Philanthropy Company

Posted by karenj168 on 1/16/2015 at 12:21 PM ET 250 Points
Hi - I'm thrilled to have found this site.

My background is in branding, marketing, fund development, and strategic planning with large nonprofits and small businesses. I am between jobs and have been working with a few small for-profit businesses that do good work in the community (helping seniors, life skills for youth), as well as small to mid-size nonprofits (charities). I need to register as an LLC before this grows further.

I'm struggling with coming up with a compelling name and wonder if the name really matters (e.g. Kellogg, Procter & Gamble, etc.) Anything creative I think of seems to be taken.

The objective is to help small businesses and charities get to their end goal: You know where you want to go. We'll help you get there.

Names I like are Kensington Strategies (but doesn't say what I do) and Vector Strategies (too engineering sounding?). If I incorporate "Marketing" into the title, does that narrow my focus too much or try to say what I'm not, when my expertise is not on the metrics side of marketing, but the image/awareness/pr/external relations side?

Thanks for any help or guidance I receive.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 1/16/2015 at 1:45 PM Accepted
    A few thoughts:

    1. First, the importance of the name depends a bit on what your long-term goal is. If you hope to build the business up and then sell it one day, the name could be important. If it's just a label for your foray into consulting, then it doesn't matter nearly as much.

    2. "Strategies" is something of a turn-off to small business owners because it doesn't sound action-oriented.

    3. You might find it helpful to read "Rasputin For Hire: An inside look at management consulting between jobs or as a second career." It's available through most major bookstores in the U.S., at Amazon.com, or at https://bit.ly/k3Z7m . If you use that link, you also get a free download of a report titled "Experienced Consultants Talk About Consulting." It includes comments and tips from 5 of the experts here on the MarketingProfs Know-How Exchange.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 1/16/2015 at 2:01 PM Accepted
    At issue is that you have two different target markets (small business & large nonprofits), which means for effectiveness you'll have different messaging for each of them. That sounds like either: two businesses or an umbrella name with two named divisions. If the latter, the umbrella name doesn't mean as much.
  • Posted by karenj168 on 1/16/2015 at 3:31 PM Author
    Mgoodman, thank you for your advice. To answer your first point, this is a foray into consulting, rather than a business I want to build to sell in the future. It's good to know that this means that the name is not as critical. As to your second point, I had no idea that "strategies" was a turn-off to small businesses. Great to know! Finally, thank you for the book suggestion. It sounds like a valuable tool. I'll definitely check it out.

    Jay Hamilton-Roth, thank you for your advice. It sounds like I might be looking at an umbrella.I want to work with small businesses and nonprofits that address community issues and strengthen the quality of life for its residents (youth, the elderly, basic needs such as food/shelter, education, and employment. I'm hoping this will help me move in the direction of helping to create social enterprises. Does this help clarify my goal or muddy the water?

    Thanks!
  • Posted by saul.dobney on 1/20/2015 at 5:11 AM Member
    betterdays / 4betterdays

    proud2serve

    benefactor marketing/consulting

    reachfurther consulting
  • Posted by Mike Steffes on 1/20/2015 at 8:17 AM Accepted
    Conversions Marketing
    "Consulting For Business Results"
  • Posted by karenj168 on 1/21/2015 at 1:49 PM Author
    Hi, KSA - Yes! You're right! I am doing consulting, along with some hands-on work in the marketing area. I like where you're headed with CommAdvocate, as I am an advocate for the community, though I wonder if the name is hard to say and not memorable. As to your good question, my goal is to help small businesses (youth development, education, job readiness, senior services) that focus on social needs, as well as nonprofits, so that the residents of our communities not only survive, but thrive! I'd love to use the word THRIVE!, but it's probably overused. I'm all for capitalism (that's how charities survive!), but my focus is on social needs. Does that help?

    Saul Dobney, you're names have also given me a lot to work with. I like betterdays and I really like benefactor, though a friend of mine has a well-established firm called Benefactor Group. Another friend in the Carolinas has Solutions for the Greater Good. That states my goal. Is there are shorter name that speaks to that?

    Mike Steffies, I never thought of Conversions. Hmmm....catchy. How can that be incorporated into something that emphasizes my desire to strengthen the community?
  • Posted by Shelley Ryan on 2/9/2015 at 3:06 PM Moderator
    Hi Everyone,

    I am closing this question since there hasn't been any activity in 10 days.

    Thanks for participating!

    Shelley
    MarketingProfs Customer Service Samurai
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