One of the most extraordinary books I’ve ever read is Joe DiMaggio, by Richard Ben Cramer, a biography of the iconic baseball star.

You don’t need to know anything about baseball to know he’s iconic – if you know the lyrics to Mrs Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel.

It includes the verse:

In the book, Ben Cramer tells the story of how Joe DiMaggio was furious about this line:

When he first heard about that, Joe wanted to sue. He thought those two singin’ guys were trying to make him out like a bum. “I haven’t gone anywhere,” he protested. “I’m employed.”

This was the mid-60s. DiMaggio’s career had finished in 1951. But he was right. He hadn’t gone away. He appeared on TV, made commercials, relentlessly hocked merchandise.

In subsequent years, even though the amount that baseball players earned had skyrocketed, he was still one of the highest earners in baseball.

What Joe DiMaggio understood was that he wasn’t just a sportsman. He was a brand.

And as a brand, he could be making money long after he had stopped playing baseball. Indeed, he could make far more than he ever did as a player.

The most successful businesses understand that they live or die by their brands. The most successful not-for-profits understand the same thing.

At Hope, we are a brand consultancy specialising in helping not-for-profits create, build and lever their brands.

And we understand that a brand is far more than a name, a logo, or even the sum of its communications. It’s all the moving parts that make up your reputation and your relationships.

That’s why we argue for taking a much broader approach, and to help us do that we have the Hope Collective.

These are people with a great range of talents and expertise, from experts in communications disciplines such as advertising and branding, to those in a diverse spectrum from change management to financial planning to recruitment

If you think such an approach could be helpful in tackling the most pressing challenges your brand faces, or would just like to find out more about us and how we work, come and visit us on our boat in Paddington Basin.