There are many organizations that collect used furniture and
furnishings – what sets Furniture Sharehouse apart? This
blog will explore both brand equity and its personality based on a
lecture by Anita
Valdes of Millward-Brown and Rohit Bhargava’s UAT (Unique, Authentic,
Talkable) filter.
Bhargava suggests that brands need to be unique, authentic and talkable in order to succeed in today's business world. Furniture Sharehouse is unique in that it is the only non-profit in Westchester County
that redistributes donated furniture free-of-charge
directly to needy recipients. Others
collect select pieces of furniture for their retail stores to sell to the general public regardless of need. Furniture Sharehouse accepts all
usable pieces of furniture that are suitable for home use. The authenticity of the organization is apparent
in the faces (and hands) of the dedicated volunteers; this charity has only one
paid staff member --- all other duties are manned by volunteers who are
passionate about the Sharehouse’s mission.
This means that money raised goes towards purchasing beds and other
needed items as well as covering storage and delivery. Talkability is the main challenge for the Sharehouse in 2015 as it tries to continue to grow its brand recognition across the county; it currently enjoys a fiercely loyal base in the shoreline area of Westchester and is making strides in Northern Westchester County. Once people learn about the Sharehouse –
they get it and love it. It’s a very simple
concept that resonates well.
Last Fall, Furniture Sharehouse ran a very successful
awareness and fundraising campaign, “Sittin’ Round the Table”. In addition to the normal channels (i.e.: email,
direct mail, social media posts), the Sharehouse had a short PSA video made
(comped by a local news station) which featured a song written and performed
for the charity by the Grammy winning group – The Blind Boys of Alabama. This video was a viral hit on social media as
the content was very talkable and sharable.
That video perfectly captures Furniture Sharehouse’s value proposition
which is described in its motto, Help Make a House a Home. By redistributing donated furniture to needy
local families, Furniture Sharehouse not only reduces the amount of waste going
to landfills, they also provide the basic furnishings required to make a house
a home.
In order to keep funds going directly to help the needy,
Furniture Sharehouse doesn’t advertise. Instead it relies on word-of-mouth to promote
its positive brand equity in the county.
I recently had the occasion to meet several long term donors of their
organization. All were very engaged with
the brand and were more than willing to share their story of how they first
connected with the Sharehouse. While
each donor had a different story, the message was the same --- they appreciated
how the Sharehouse was different from all the other non-profits:
- Local grass roots organization serving the same community it was born in
- Providing furniture directly to those who need it most, free-of-charge
- Being environmentally conscious by diverting unwanted items from the landfill
To learn more about the Sharehouse, please visit their website: www.furnituresharehouse.org
Join the Sharehouse community:
