Internal branding : Within a Swedish non-profit organization

Abstract: The aid sector has received a lot of attention the recent years whereas the public has recognized the societal situation in developing countries. As many people has become more generous with their donations, an increasing number of non-profit organizations (NPO) has emerged which has created a competitive environment in the non-profit sector. As a result, many NPOs has started to adapt business-like qualities such as implementing a marketing strategy and building a brand. The purpose of this study was to explore how NPOs manage their internal brand and if it is in accordance to for-profit literature; it will be explored from both the management perspective as well as from employees’ perspective. This dissertation is based on literature about internal branding in the for-profit sector. Emerging from the theoretical framework, a postulated model describing the relationship between employees' skills and knowledge, brand attitude, and brand performance was presented. The findings indicate that the studied NPO, Individuell Människohjälp, is becoming more business-like concerning internal branding, though more in the management than amongst the employees. Hence, a NPO specific modified theoretical framework is desired, depicting internal branding. Two surprising findings are the influence of external brand communication on employees' brand attitude and brand performance, and that brand leadership emerged as a precursor to the other factors influencing employees' skills and knowledge concerning the internal brand.