Protecting your brand is about more than simply claiming ownership of a logo or name — it is about protecting trust, reputation and your charity’s mission.
Emily Smith, Solicitor in the Intellectual Property, Data Protection and Technology team at Stephens Scown recently presented at the TBE South West Charity Conference & Expo 2026, exploring why brand protection should be a strategic priority for charities, and what practical steps leaders can take to strengthen it.
Your Brand Can be Your Most Valuable Asset
For charities, reputation is often the single most valuable asset. It underpins donor confidence, partnerships and collaborations, public engagement and long-term impact.
Loss of trust can have immediate and serious consequences, from reduced donations to damaged partnerships and diminished public confidence.
This makes brand protection not just a legal or compliance issue, but a core governance responsibility.
Understanding What Your Brand Really Includes
A key theme from the presentation was that brand protection starts with understanding what constitutes your intellectual property (“IP”).
Your charity’s IP is broader than many organisations initially assume and may include:
- Brand assets – your name, logo, campaign slogans, social media handles and domain names
- Content – website materials, reports, images, videos and fundraising campaigns
- Digital assets – websites, platforms and tools
These assets collectively define how your organisation is recognised, trusted and distinguished.
Without a clear view of what you own, it is difficult to protect it effectively.
Why Proactive Brand Protection Matters
An effective brand protection strategy should be proactive, not just reactive.
Waiting until issues arise often leads to costly disputes and risks reputational damage. Outcomes such as rebranding exercises can weaken a brand’s public perception and take away from charitable objectives
Instead, charities should take a structured approach to:
- Identifying and prioritising key assets
- Building and maintaining an appropriate IP portfolio
- Regularly reviewing protection as the organisation evolves
This creates a defensible position if problems arise and helps avoid escalation.
Controlling How Your Brand is Used
Effective brand protection is not just about legal rights – it’s about keeping control of the brand.
The charity sector is collaborative. Charities frequently work with corporate partners, other charities, fundraisers and ambassadors, agencies and platforms. Each of these relationships introduces potential risk if brand use is not clearly managed.
Key controls included:
- Clear contractual terms governing use of brand assets
- Brand guidelines to ensure consistency
- Approval processes for campaigns and communications
- Clear codes of conduct for ambassadors and representatives
The Importance of Monitoring and Enforcement
Even with strong agreements and policies in place, risks cannot be eliminated entirely. Ongoing monitoring is therefore essential to identify misuse or infringement early, and respond quickly and proportionately.
Importantly, significant reputational issues may trigger serious incident reporting obligations to the Charity Commission, depending on their impact.
This reinforces that brand protection is not just operational — it sits firmly within governance frameworks.
Five Practical Actions to Strengthen Brand Protection
- Audit your IP – Understand what assets you own and how they are used
- Prioritise key protection – Focus on protecting core brand assets early
- Control brand usage – Use contracts, licences and guidelines to manage risk
- Monitor and respond – Identify issues early and take appropriate action
- Regularly review your approach – Ensure your IP strategy is active and evolving
The Headline Message
How your brand is used, controlled and protected directly impacts trust — and trust is what enables your organisation to deliver its mission.
If this is something you would like more information on, please get in touch with our Intellectual Property, Data Protection and Technology team.