Measuring charity rebrand success - a slippery fish but worth the effort

Big or small, plan how to measure your charity's rebrand success from day one.

Illustration by Amy Powell

I recently attended a charity event where the big question was, ‘How do you measure a rebrand’s success?’ Listening to the conversations in the room made me realise how overwhelming that question can be, especially if you’re asking it for the first time. It’s a question that often brings a cascade of others, like: How do we actually do that in practical terms? What should we measure? How do we measure it? How much resource will we need to do it properly?

But let’s pause for a second. Before all of that, ask yourself one simple question: What do I want to achieve with this rebrand? Maybe it’s increasing individual giving, raising awareness of your brand among young people, or helping your audiences understand what you do. 

Defining this is the single most important thing you can do when it comes to measuring success. Working this out at the very beginning of your project really helps to keep it on track. It steers decisions and helps you and your agency focus on what really matters.

If your goals aren’t clear, take a moment to think about where you are right now. How’s your brand coming across? Is it hitting the mark or are there areas where it’s falling short? Then think about where you want to go. What do you want people to think or feel when they see or hear your brand? Figuring out that gap between how things are now and where you want to be will help you pin everything down. Be strict with yourself - don’t give yourself 40 goals. Really hone in on what your core goals are and be specific where you can. And base it on what you know, not what you assume. 

Once you know where you want to get to, you can figure out how to measure that. And no, you don’t always need a big budget to do this. Of course, you can do in-depth market research with a massive sample across multiple comms channels, but there’s real value in the little things too - like talking to a small group of visitors or beneficiaries. Ask them what they think. Focus on the insights that matter most to you.

And finally, don’t panic if you don’t have all the answers right away. That’s where we come in. Once you know what you want to achieve, we can help you figure out the best way to measure your progress and create a plan that gets you there.

There are many ways you can measure success. Here are just a few to get you thinking:

• Digital reach: Website traffic, return visitors, user demographics, dwell time, search rankings, social media growth

• Brand perception: Awareness, familiarity, brand recall, brand recognition, emotional response to the brand

• Financial impact: Donor retention, average gift size, fundraising growth

• Engagement: Volunteer signups, event attendance, email open rates

• Internal adoption: Staff feedback, phasing out old assets, values alignment

• Social impact: Programme outcomes, media coverage, PR value

To get the most useful insights, before your rebrand launches, set measurable goals, and track progress consistently over time (6–12 months is a good benchmark). A mix of quantitative and qualitative data will give you the fullest picture, helping you see not just the numbers but also the real-world impact.

And remember, rebrands take time to bed in. Keep checking in on both internal adoption and external perception because the real success of a rebrand isn’t just in how it looks, but in what it helps you achieve.

Not sure where to start? If you need help identifying your rebrand goals and how to measure success, let’s talk.