To: Dr. Leeanne M.

Bell McManus
From: Autumn Pine
Date: June 25, 2023
Subject: Nonprofit Rebranding Analysis
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to analyze the non-profit organization, Choose Mental Health,
with specific regards to the communication ethics behind the organization’s rebranding process.
The aim of the presented research is to explain why the organization rebranded, how well the
rebrand did for the organization’s overarching goals, explain how communication ethics relates
to the organization’s rebranding process, and to generate insights into non-profit rebranding.
Background
Previously known as the Youth Champions Charity, a non-profit organization that has been in
business for over 15 years in the city of Orem, Utah, Choose Mental Health was born in March
2021. Choose Mental Health makes daily strives to educate the public on the importance of
mental health in children while also providing parents with resources when their children are
showing signs of mental health issues or the need for professional assistance. The organization’s
website is a library for parents to browse and find resources for their children or even to learn
about warning signs related to mental health issues while also providing unbiased suggestions for
various situations. The biggest goal for the organization is to create a network of volunteers,
employees, mental health professionals, and parents in need that work together to help struggling
children by raising funds, providing necessary resources and treatments, and instilling an
education within online viewers (“Children’s Mental Health,” n.d.). The organization ultimately
made the decision to change its original name, Youth Champions, due to the lack of clarity or
relation to the organization’s overall goals. There is no mention of mental health anywhere in the
original name which can lead to confusion for many viewers. Leadership of the organization
wanted a name that reflected the offerings related to the foundation while also giving viewers an
idea of what the foundation values (Pontius, 2021). Unfortunately, specifics as to the resources
utilized as well as the overall time frame for the rebranding has not been released to the public.
Communication Methods
At first glance, Choose Mental Health allows viewers to understand that the foundation has
something to do with mental health from the title alone; however, it fails to represent the youth
aspect. Youth Champions Charity represents the child aspect while not reflecting the mental
health portion of the charity. Despite there being a lack of news articles or social media posts
about the rebranding of Choose Mental Health, the organization managed to maintain its long-
term focus from an integrated marketing communications perspective by utilizing the three
metaphors of communication ethics praxis; integrated marketing communication, public clarity
and caution, and integration (Arnett et al, 2018 pp. 186). IMC combines marketing strategies
with communication theories and practices (Arnett et al, 2018 pp. 186), public clarity and
caution refers to making the actions and goals of an organization common knowledge (Arnett et
al, 2018 pp. 191), and integration refers to utilizing concepts from various viewpoints and
sources to create well rounded campaigns, statements, and practices (Arnett et al, 2018 pp. 194).
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Choose Mental Health takes an array of mental health situations and resources specifically
relating to adolescence and features all the necessary information on its website. The information
provided appears as articles, videos, links to find more information, and contact information on
where to get help which acts as a display of various mediums of communication opportunities.
When the organization publicized its rebranding, there was a full explanation for the public to
examine on its website along with quotes from members of leadership.
The IMC tactics of Choose Mental Health can also be related to the impacts of storytelling and
the importance of adapting to reach your audience. There is a lack of storytelling on the
organization’s website from parents who have gone through mental health related situations with
their children; however, there is a page on the website that encourages people to visit the
organization’s social media and join in on the conversation. This is an important part of
rebranding for nonprofit organizations as real stories explain to the public why the supporting
cause is so important, and how the organization’s effort impacts those in need of assistance
(Mitchell & Clark, 2021). Not to mention the concept that non-profit organizations are still
businesses, which makes appealing to a target audience much more important. The rebranding
process for non-profits must involve publicly changing the appearance and goals of the
organization while utilizing multiple platforms that display various content types. This differs
from corporate rebranding in the sense that stakeholders are donating money to the non-profits
cause with no expectation of a return (Lee, 2013). Appealing to the desires of the involved
parties must be taken into consideration during the rebranding process and Choose Mental
Health made sure that the entire process of the organization’s rebranding was to provide clarity to
the mission, to further encourage community involvement, and to strengthen the brand’s overall
identity.
Communication Ethics Approach
While representing the contextual communication ethics approach, Choose Mental Health strives
to protect the goods of child welfare, community involvement, and learning while also
promoting the importance of mental health. Contextual communication ethics refers to the
acknowledgment of differences between people and cultures and suggests that our actions are
dependent and situational (Arnett et al, 2018 pp. 43). Choose Mental Health provides resources
for people from all walks of life, and the resources provided are dependent upon the mental
health issue, the financial and cultural situation of the parent, and the level of assistance that is
required. Actions of the foundation are guided by the situations presented by those in need, thus
the relation to the contextual communication approach.
Regarding implicit and explicit assumptions, the organization implies that people recognize
children’s mental health issues, that there aren’t enough resources for children with mental
health, and that many parents are looking for the specific resources provided by the organization.
Relying on a contextual communication approach involves assessing individual situations and
inciting actions based off that situation (Arnett et al, 2018 pp. 49). An implication relating to this
approach could be that many parents don’t notice there is a mental health issue going on with
their child, and therefore don’t know to ask or search for help. The rebranding of the website is
user friendly and easily accessible; however, many people don’t know to look for it. For the
company to reach its goal of protecting child welfare and community outreach, there needs to be
a focus on what mental health issues might look like in a child as children don’t always give
obvious indications that something is wrong. A child acting out is a relatively accepted behavior
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in the world and can often be overlooked. The democratic communications approach might be
the better plan of action to integrate as the approach involves allowing the public to share ideas
to make informed decisions (Arnett et al, 2018 pp. 55). If people were able to use the website to
share experiences and ideas on top of using the website as a research tool, it might allow some
parents to recognize similarities in troublesome actions described online and actions being
displayed by their child. This could be the first step in encouraging parents to investigate getting
their child help and further supporting the organization’s mission.
Conclusion
Overall, Choose Mental Health lacks an online presence and a relationship with the media;
however, the minimal online presence doesn’t take away from the overall messages that the
organization wants to convey. The organization strategically utilizes multiple communication
ethic practices on its website to reach the intended audience with full transparency while also
encouraging the public to get involved. The organization’s rebranding appropriately displays the
mission of the organization publicly and uses multiple media types to convey messages that can
appeal to various cultures and personal situations. There’s power and rhetoric in the actions and
resources displayed by Choose Mental Health that shouldn’t be ignored or overlooked. There is
always room for improvement, but this rebranding was a step in the right direction for the
organization to grow.
Thank you for taking the time to read my analysis on the non-profit rebranding of the
organization, Choose Mental Health. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via
email at [email protected].
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References
Arnett, R.C., Bell McManus, L.M. & Harden Fritz, J.M. (2018). Communication ethics and
literacy dialogue & difference (2nd ed.). Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.
Choose Mental Health. (n.d.). Children’s mental health nonprofit launches new rebrand, Mission
& website. Retrieved on June 6, 2023, from https://choosementalhealth.org/childrens-mental-
health-nonprofit-launches-new-rebrand-mission-website/.
Lee, Z. (2013). Rebranding in brand-oriented organisations: Exploring tensions in the nonprofit
sector. Journal of Marketing Management, 29(9–10), 1124–1142. https://doi-
org.liblink.uncw.edu/10.1080/0267257X.2013.812978.
Mitchell, S., & Clark, M. (2021). Telling a different story: How nonprofit organizations reveal
strategic purpose through storytelling. Psychology & Marketing, 38(1), 142–158. https://doi-
org.liblink.uncw.edu/10.1002/mar.21429.
Pontius, Don. (2021, March 16). Children’s mental health nonprofit launches new rebrand,
Mission & website. GlobeNewsWire.
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/03/16/2194011/0/en/Children-s-Mental-
Health-Nonprofit-Launches-New-Rebrand-Mission-Website.html.