​In a crowded marketplace, charities must make sure they stand out, says Max du Bois

Never has the charities sector been more crowded.

According to the Charities Commission, the total number of charities in the UK has continued to grow despite the fact that the effects of the financial crash are still being felt.

As of September 2014, the number of registered charities has grown to 164,097, and they are all chasing donations, contracts, influence and supporters.

Branding has never been so important and attitudes in the sector have changed from viewing it as a vanity and waste of money to a crucial investment for achieving goals.

In effect, branding for charities operates on the same principles as it does in any business sector, it has to accomplish three things: stand out, stand apart, and stand for.

The mark of a clever brand is that when it is unveiled, it seems simple and even obvious

Max du Bois

CSV, or Community Service Volunteers as the charity was originally known, was founded back in the 1960s.

Its founding aim – which continues to this day – is to play a key role in supporting people and helping to build the communities they live in.

Changing Lives Not Gardens encapsulated the seriousness of its aims, and the deep-rooted nature of the work it set out to do.

However, it was set up at a time when the charity sector was less crowded and branding was given little thought.

In more recent times the name and brand was failing to deliver.

The climate had changed, and despite the integrity of their ideas, the brand itself hadn’t kept pace with the changing charities environment: the way CSV had diversified into different areas of activity did not match the new austerity.

The acronym CSV didn’t mean anything to those outside the specialised charities sector. It was not accessible to the local authorities who were the main source of funding or to potential volunteers from the general public. It seemed distant, obscure, institutional and cold.

As it stood the brand was no longer fit for the fast-paced world of the 21st century.

It needed to offer clarity in communicating what it did, inspiration for its twin audiences of volunteers and donors and it had to connect simply and powerfully, creating a relationship of understanding and commitment.

This is no mean feat given the crowded nature of the market. However, the mark of a successful piece of branding is that it cuts through to the essential truth behind the organisation.

In the case of Volunteering Matters, the truth was twofold: firstly, the invaluable services that CSV volunteers provide to the public, and secondly, the motivation, the idealism even, of the volunteers themselves.

The change of name was necessary in order to appeal to a new generation of volunteers, influencers in government and the institutional purchasers of CSV services.

In terms of stand out, this new visual brand is a bold statement straight from the heart. It carves out their space from relative obscurity to the UK's leaders in policy and practice.

Volunteering Matters does what it says on the can. It is a name that becomes an active brand, that can be used in every day communication, that can be personalised, and that can highlight benefits: from volunteering matters to me to volunteering matters because it changed my life.

One of the things that makes Volunteering Matters stand apart from other charities is the sheer breadth of its activities.

Most charities from the National Trust to donkey sanctuaries are highly-specialised. In contrast, Volunteering Matters spreads its net wide with working ranging from teaching children to read to empowering those with disabilities and helping the elderly live independent lives.

What does Volunteering Matters stand for? It stands for the commitment and idealism of the 150,000 volunteers themselves, and the belief within the organisation in the value of what they do.

Where CSV was distant, institutional and impersonal, Volunteering Matters is impassioned, committed, warm, and different: it delivers emotion.

Despite the complexities involved, the mark of a clever brand is that when it is unveiled, it seems simple and even obvious. Volunteering Matters is a perfect example of this.

Max du Bois is a founding partner of brand consultants Spencer du Bois, which helped transform CSV to Volunteering Matters in April.