Malala Fund: NGO branding with faces, illustrations & digital assets

Social Samosa takes a deep dive into the social media presence of the Malala Fund to find strategies non-profits over the world can employ for reach and visibility.

Led by Malala Yousafzai, the Malala Fund is an international non-profit organisation working in the area of education for girls. Most of their work is concentrated in countries such as Afghanistan, Brazil, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey. The three core activities undertaken by the Fund include investing in local education activists, advocating to hold leaders accountable and amplifying girls' voices. Each of these reflects clearly in the social media presence and strategy of the Malala Fund.

Curating content

It isn't possible for non-profits to have the resources to create content on a daily basis. They can, however, use their resources to find articles and news pieces that are in sync with their objectives and amplify them. This is something Malala Fund has been doing regularly on Twitter and Facebook, platforms where they can share links.

Amplifying voices

An important aspect of sewing a narrative together and putting it across as a compelling one is to fuel it with real voices. Malala Fund often brings forth stories of girls and young women across the world, trying to grapple with the realities of their lives as it unfurls around them. The impact of COVID-19 finds a significant place in the non-profits' narrative.

Focus on faces

A huge chunk of Malala Fund's social media presence are faces of girls and young women striving to make their lives and the lives of those around them better. They represent resilience. Another set of faces that find prominent presence are those of volunteers and supporters of the cause of the Malala Fund.

Also Read: 5 Cs to leverage Instagram for marketing your NGO

Campaigns around stories

Every entity on social media, irrespective of their cause and reason, are arguably expected to run campaigns to remain relevant to their following and propel their narrative further. Malala Fund takes up several niche causes under the umbrella cause of education for girls and runs campaigns that are grounded in stories.

Illustrative messages

Illustrative visuals are an important part of social media. One that cannot be ignored. Their power resides in the fact that they transcend linguistic limitations and offer a chance to express a narrative that cuts across demographics. Malala Fund often shares illustrations with due credit and presents the art as a form of resistance in its own might.

Digital collaterals

One of the most interesting aspects of the Malala Fund is that they have their own digital publication and newsletter — Assembly. They have also managed to produce print copies of their efforts, thus converting digital collateral to something that can be distributed offline in a tangible manner, thus increasing its reach and credibility manifold. Assembly is their platform to put across narratives and amplify voices. It helps band together efforts, which might otherwise look incoherent, in a unique way.

The Malala Fund is an interesting non-profit from the perspective of branding as all their efforts essentially revolve around one person and yet are inclusive of girls and women across diverse sections of the globe. The 23-year-old is the face of the organisation but there are a lot of things that make up the Fund, something that reflects in their social media presence through and through.