At Turnbull Marketing Group, we specialize in working with small and growing nonprofits. That means that a lot of our clients come to us with little understanding of what a brand is, let alone how to protect theirs.

Last week, I presented a three-hour workshop, Nonprofit Branding Demystified, for Project LIFT, a City of Raleigh initiative. During the workshop, we explored what a nonprofit brand really is, how (and how not) to create one, and what it means for small organizations.

We also spent some time analyzing several case studies, including Komen For The Cure. Touted as the #1 most-trusted brand according to the Harris Poll, Komen has been involved in some heated debate recently over their "Buckets For The Cure" promotion with KFC.

Komen has damaged its brand primarily because it broke the fundamental law of nonprofit branding.

You might be at risk of losing your tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) status and not even know it.

In 2006, a new law was passed that affects nonprofits with an annual income of $25,000 a year or less and potentially threatens their tax-exempt status. The law declares that these small nonprofits must now file the IRS Form 990. If they fail to file for 3 consecutive years, they will automatically lose their tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) status.

Social media. Facebook. Fan pages. Twitter. Just when you thought you were finally getting the hang of it and how to apply Web 2.0 to your nonprofit communications plan, Facebook has to go and change all the rules. It hardly seems fair, does it?

I am so excited to tell you about the brand new website for CAN-TR, one of Turnbull Marketing Group's newest clients.