Charity leaders organisation ACEVO has rebranded in a bid to be seen as less confrontational and more personable.

In announcing the move, ACEVO chief executive Vicky Browning likens the change to being less like broadcast journalist Jeremy Paxman, who is known for his abrasive style of questioning.

Instead the organisation aims to project an image more like the friendly public persona of former US first lady Michelle Obama.

The rebrand sees the charity ditch its previous strapline ‘Charity Leaders Network’ and replace it with ‘Imagine, Inspire, Improve’, which ACEVO believes better reflects “the difference that leaders can create".

In addition, ACEVO has launched a new website that aims to be more appealing and accessible as well as providing better links with its membership database.

“Our existing line, “Charity Leaders Network” described what ACEVO was, but not the breadth of our reach across the social sector, nor the ‘magic ingredient’ of how we achieve our vision,” Browning said.

She added: “Rethinking our strapline was one part of a whole rebranding process we’ve been working on over the past two years to move ACEVO from its old brand persona (think Jeremy Paxman: expert, confrontational, elitist) to the new (Michelle Obama: authentic, self-confident, personable),” said Browning.

“As well as refreshing our vision, we rearticulated our values: to be member-driven, connected, ambitious and honest.

“While the vision and values felt more Michelle, the visuals were still definitely Jeremy. So we’ve developed a brighter, cleaner, more confident look for ACEVO.

“We sharpened up the logo and agreed on mint green as the core brand colour, bringing a vibrant, clean and cheerful tone with a contrasting blue in support. And we’ve created a set of brand statements which showcase some of our key beliefs – that our network offers leadership worth sharing, that good leaders keep learning, that we’re here to raise our members’ voices and bring leaders together.”

The rebranding and website changes have been developed by Bowley Design and Digital Garden.

ACEVO’s recent activity has included ramping up its lobbying around Brexit. Last month it was one of 13 organisations to sign a public statement objecting to the government’s decision to suspend parliament so close to the UK’s EU departure date of 31 October.

Also last month the chief executive’s organisation was one of 85 groups and experts to warn the Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the UK charity sector is not prepared for leaving the EU without a deal.

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