October 25, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
“Bring back the roar!” That slogan—created by the Oregon Zoo Foundation to promote its capital campaign to bring lions back to the zoo after more than a decade of absence—has snagged an award for best fund-raising tagline of 2010.
The award was given in the third annual Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards or, as they are now known, the Taggies. It was one of 17 nonprofit taglines to receive awards—and the only one specifically created for a fund-raising drive.
The tagline awards were created by Nancy Schwartz, a New York-based marketing consultant who works with charities and debuted the awards in her blog, Getting Attention.
Ms. Schwartz has said that taglines are a low-cost marketing tactic that is often overlooked or not emphasized enough by nonprofit groups. In fact, a survey conducted by her organization two years ago found that 72 percent of nonprofit groups rated their tagline as poor—or did not have one.
Ms. Schwartz created the awards to encourage more nonprofit groups to adopt taglines.
Her effort appears to be working. More than 1,700 regional and national nonprofit organizations entered some 2,700 taglines in this year’s contest. Seventy finalists were chosen for consideration by 6,100 voters.
According to contest rules, taglines should be eight words or less. Taglines should be brief, specific, and easy to remember and repeat, and they should convey an organization’s special impact. They should also connect with the organization’s audience.
What is your favorite nonprofit tagline? Post a comment below to share your favorites.
