Seth Godin’s Purple Cow is a great read – and a quick read (only 150 or so pages). Essentially, the idea of the Purple Cow is to differentiate your Non-Profit in a way that is remarkable. Seth talks about driving through the France countryside a few years ago with his family. They were “enchanted by the hundreds of storybook cows grazing on picturesque pastures right next to the highway”. Then, about 20 minutes later, they started ignoring the cows because they no longer stood out. They were no longer “remarkable”. Seth thought to himself about this phenomenon: “A Purple Cow, though. Now that would be interesting”.

This story contains the essence of the entire book. Through various examples, Seth implores marketing folks that they must continually evolve and position their offerings so that they stand out from the crowd. Because non-profits can’t radically change their “offering” like Apple did with the iPod and then the iPhone, applying Purple Cow mainly comes down to creative branding.

I recently discovered a “Purple Cow” that combines on-line dating with charity work! “Cause and Effect” organizes “volunteer dates” where the lucky couple takes part in a fun activity to help a charity group. Examples include face painting for kids at fundraising carnivals, planting at community gardens, and serving meals to those in need. The combination certainly creates a powerful brand impact.

If you are looking to create a “remarkable” Non-profit, reading Purple Cow will get you started in the right direction.