158-year-old charity Biblelands rebrands to Embrace the Middle East 1

Fundraising | Vibeka Mair | 21 Aug 2012

Christian development charity Biblelands has changed its name to Embrace the Middle East, as part of a rebrand to modernise the organisation and raise £20m over the next five years.

The charity, which has been in operation for 158 years, decided to rebrand after research found that many Christians were deterred by its old name, Biblelands; regarding it as quaint and old-fashioned.

Others assumed that the charity distributed bibles or was an explicitly evangelistic charity: “We found ourselves describing what we were not before we could say what we are,” said a spokesman for the charity.

The Business Brand Agency worked with Embrace the Middle East on its rebrand. The costs of the re-brand was just over £150,000, which was funded wholly by surplus the charity made when it moved offices.

Jeremy Moodey, chief executive of Embrace the Middle East, says its new name “describes exactly what we do”.

“We want to challenge Christians in the UK to look at the Middle East through new eyes, to see the many needs in the region but also the diversity of local Christian responses, whether it is in healthcare, special needs education, work for refugees or community development," he said. "Our new name describes exactly what we do – embracing the people of the Middle East with Christian love and compassion.

Embrace the Middle East is probably best known for its Bethlehem Carol Sheet, used in thousands of churches across the UK. As part of the re-launch, the carol sheets will be now be distributed as a church resource, free of charge.

“Our aim with this re-launch is to raise £20m over the next five years to change the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the Middle East. Giving our famous Bethlehem Carol Sheets away is just one part of this campaign. We would rather use the carol sheets to highlight our work, and that of our Christian partners in the Middle East, than make a modest profit through sales.”

Disability charity for students rebrands

Elsewhere, charitable trust the Snowdon Award Scheme has today rebranded as the Snowdon Trust to increase awareness and generate more funds.

Founded in 1981 by Lord Snowdon, the charity gives grants to physically disabled people for training or higher education.

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Slightly Sceptical
21 Aug 2012

Is it just me, or does the Snowdon rebrand seem to have accomplished neither of its stated goals? If awareness is important, wouldn't keeping "Award Scheme" in the name offer a more accurate picture of what they do? And in terms of raising funds, I would have thought that adding "Trust" to their name would make it more likely that people think they are endowed and already have all the funds they need; my experience (admittedly anecdotal) is that every charity I know with "Trust" in its name that is not an endowment says this presents a struggle for them in fundraising.

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