Why Rebrand ??
I would like to explain the Trustees decision to rebrand the logo. This is something that we have discussed lots over the last year and was discussed at length when we had the AGM and SWOT meeting.
We want our members to re-engage with us and felt that a rebrand would draw a line under the way the charity was previously ran and start a fresh. Another thing driving us to rebrand is that we need to relaunch the shop and restock it. The best way to do this is again to rebrand which will also allow us to use a better logo on social media and for marketing purposes.
After lots of discussions we all agreed that the existing logo does not represent all three types of SWS nor does the strap line. We do appreciate that some members may have tattoos of this logo, and this has not been ignored.
The original logo was designed some 20 years ago and at that time the graphic design packages were not what they are now. Social media, marketing and websites have also moved on a lot during that time.
During the last few months, we have asked you to comment on the logo and some designs which members have drafted for us. The response to this was an indication that the members wanted the logo to change.
We are currently auditing the charity and are speaking with two members of the Great Ormond Street SWANS team who are happy to join the board Trustees. The charity is a business and should be ran as such. This means that we must draft a business plan, mission statement and marketing strategy.
The intention of the Trustees is not to change the way the charity is run but to make it run more efficiently and effectively for you as members and give it longevity without just having money sat in the bank account for the purpose of the family weekend.
Fundraising has reduced. In 2013 £77,535 was raised on behalf of the charity. This fell over the next 5 years to £17,599. Last year, whilst we appreciate this was a very different year we received £13,972.
The main aims of the charity are:
- Support families affected with Sturge Weber Syndrome, by releasing grants to members, supporting families mental health and wellbeing, providing information to the general public and medical professionals about Sturge Weber Syndrome
- Family weekend, smaller local gatherings and support hubs
- Supporting research into Sturge Weber Syndrome
- Support families through the surgery pathway
We want to help members with funding for equipment they need and support them where necessary with grants and hopefully support setting up an adult clinic and invest in more research and more.
If the Trustees can do all the things, we want to move the charity forward and to give back to the members we will be in a position where the money in the bank will hopefully be spent.
The leaflets that we have are old. New research has been done since these were produced. Again, technology has also advanced and we now have the use of QR codes. If we as a charity don’t start moving forward and keeping up with changes in technology, social media and marketing we will be left behind. All the leaflets need updating and making available on a digital platform.
This is the reason that we decided that we needed to look at rebranding the charity. We want a logo that stands out and that includes all our members.
By rebranding and restocking the shop this will also provide another source of income revenue for the charity.
I hope this makes sense and you understand the Trustees thought process for rebranding.
Some logo suggestions