Why a New Logo Wasn't Enough: Charity Rebrand for Funding For All
Rebrand case study for Funding For All
“Working with Vardeep has been transformative for us. We thought we were getting help with a logo, what we actually got was a complete reimaging of how we see and communicate who we are. She captured the heart and soul of our organisation in a way we hadn’t managed to express. The manifesto she wrote still gives us goosebumps every time we read it. It speaks directly to the heart of our work. We now use it everywhere, in our mentor handbooks, on our website, even in interviews, because it helps people instantly understand what we’re about. The new identity feels exactly like us: modern, universal, and full of meaning. For years, our old logo held us back, it was confusing, outdated. Now, we feel proud, confident, and energised. Beyond the visuals, the whole process was sensitive and deeply collaborative. Vardeep handled the process with empathy, patience, and real skill. She gave us a brand we love and the language to express it. It’s lifted a weight from our shoulders, given us fresh momentum, and reignited our pride in what we do, knowing we are expertly positioned for the next chapters of our charity’s work and all the people we support.”
— Kerry Donati, Funding For All
The Problem
Funding For All is a Kent-based charity supporting small voluntary, community, social enterprise and faith organisations with funding and fundraising guidance. For nearly two decades they've been doing vital work, helping small organisations access the resources they need to make a difference.
They came to me for a new logo. But the logo wasn't the problem. Underneath it were three challenges I see with purpose-led organisations again and again:
- Their brand was built for who they used to be, not who they'd become. The identity had been inherited at founding and, 20 years on, it caused confusion and felt outdated.
- The gap between their real value and how they came across was costing them. They knew their work mattered; they just couldn't see that reflected back at them, which made it harder to win the funders and partners they deserved.
- The team didn't have shared language to talk about who they are. Everyone cared deeply, but no one had the words, so the story came out differently every time.
This wasn't a design problem. It was a clarity problem. What they needed was to recognise themselves in their own brand again, and to be seen clearly enough to keep showing up for their communities. Because when people can't see who you really are, it gets harder to reach them, and harder still to shake the worry that you're letting them down.
The Solution
Because this identity had been with them from the very beginning, there was real sensitivity around changing it. So we didn't start with design. We started with listening, and built up from there.
- Discovery and stakeholder interviews: so the brand was rooted in truth, not guesswork. I spoke to staff, trustees and people who'd been there from day one, to understand what Funding For All means to the people it helps and the people who deliver it.
- A full brand audit and sector analysis: so we knew exactly what was working and what wasn't, and where they could stand out. I analysed every existing touchpoint and mapped the landscape around them.
- A strategic brand foundation: positioning, values, personality and voice, so the whole team had a shared, confident way to talk about who they are. The positioning centred on a belief that kept surfacing in the interviews: that small organisations doing good work deserve the same support and resources as larger ones.
- A brand manifesto: so their story could land in their own words. "We believe change doesn't start in boardrooms. It starts in community halls, kitchens, WhatsApp groups, and late-night planning calls by people who care enough to act."
- A flexible visual identity and full brand guidelines: so the team could use their brand consistently and independently from day one, across print and digital.
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The Outcome
The transformation went far beyond a new logo.
- A clearer, more confident sense of who they are and how to say it, both visually and verbally
- A shared brand language the whole team can use consistently
- Materials that look cohesive and professional across every touchpoint
- A flexible identity system built to serve them for the next 20 years
- A manifesto they now use everywhere from mentor handbooks, website, interviews to funding applications
- Renewed energy, momentum and pride in the work they do
- A brand that attracts the right funders, partners and beneficiaries
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A Note From Me
Clients often come to me asking for a logo. And I understand why as it feels like the most visible and tangible thing to fix.
But in almost every charity rebrand or nonprofit rebranding project I work on, the logo is just the surface. Underneath it there's usually a deeper challenge around a lack of clarity about who they are, a disconnect between how they see themselves and how the world sees them, or simply a brand that was built for who they were rather than who they've become.
My job isn't just to make things look better. It's to dig beneath the surface, find the heart of what an organisation stands for, and build something that truly reflects it with the depth, the meaning and the foundation to carry them forward.
That's what happened with Funding For All. And it's what I bring to every project I work on.
"If your brand no longer reflects the organisation you've become, I'd love to talk."
— Vardeep Edwards, The Branding Fox
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