CASE STUDY
charity: water
AI-powered Brand Audit revealed new opportunities for one of the world’s most admired nonprofits and how the same framework fuels clarity, innovation, and growth for every client.
See Your Brand the Way the World Sees It… Then Go Further
Framework: 10 Evaluation Categories · Color-Coded Scoring · Proprietary Metrics
Sample Brand Reviewed: charity: water (independent demonstration)
Key Metric: Overall Brand Health Score: 88%
Opportunities Found: Digital innovation · Social optimization · SEO growth · Donor lifecycle personalization
THE CHALLENGE
Even world-class brands can have hidden blind spots.
Organizations often lack a 360-degree, data-driven view of their brand’s current health, competitive position, and growth potential the very insight that drives differentiation, funding, and long-term relevance.
THE SOLUTION
DLB Creative developed a proprietary Brand Audit that blends
AI analysis, design expertise, and strategic storytelling to reveal:
Brand strengths and weaknesses across every touchpoint.
Opportunities for innovation in digital, social, and market positioning.
Actionable roadmaps for leadership teams, investors, and marketing departments.
To illustrate the power of this audit, Doug Belding conducted an independent review of charity: water (a globally admired nonprofit) to show how even an elite brand can uncover new growth opportunities.
Our Brand Audit Framework
Key Findings – charity: water
Overall Brand Health Score: 88% (Strong, Visionary Brand with Untapped Digital Potential)
Top Strengths
Iconic visual identity and logo (★★★★★)
Powerful, consistent storytelling and voice (★★★★★)
Exceptional donor trust through the 100% model (★★★★★)
Growth Opportunities
Broader AI-powered personalization for donor communications
SEO expansion for long-tail discovery
Under-leveraged platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter
Greater use of YouTube Shorts and other emerging channels
Strategic Recommendations
Our audit surfaced actionable ideas relevant to any brand:
Personalized donor dashboards (“Spotify Wrapped” style).
Interactive impact maps and AI-driven thank-you videos.
Thought-leadership content strategy for LinkedIn.
UGC-driven campaigns to spark Gen Z engagement.
Sunsetting low-ROI channels and focusing on high-growth platforms.
HYPOTHETICAL OUTCOMES IF IMPLEMENTED
If charity: water acted on these recommendations, projected benefits include:
Higher engagement across underperforming channels.
More efficient content repurposing and broader reach.
Stronger leadership position in the nonprofit sector.
Increased donor retention and reactivation.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR YOUR BRAND
Whether you’re preparing for a rebrand, M&A, funding round, or product launch, the DLB Brand Audit delivers:
Clarity
on perception and competitive position.
Consistency
across all brand touchpoints to build trust.
Innovation insights
drawn from cross-industry best practices.
Actionable roadmaps
for your leadership and marketing teams.