👋 Hello, Brand Revealers. How are you doing today?
Branding for Good is a business of meaning
This is it, the year is ending in a few days. We are all preparing to spend quality time with our loved ones, reflecting on the good we have experienced and the good we have brought into the world through our character, services and products. Whatever results you achieved—or didn’t—let me tap you on the back for the good work you have put into your vision, projects, and brands. Whether big or small, you have paved the way for progress and left a mark on the year for someone near or far. Enjoy the good food, and stay joyful as you reflect on the 360º stories that made up this year!
Today, we have a new guest who embodies the "branding for good" vision. Maja Nenadov Webster is the co-founder of Freelancing For Good, a community of freelancers empowering non-profits with their talents and skills. I discovered her through an interview she did with Teresa Ferreira, one of our prior brand revealers, and that’s how we connected. Ever since we have been supporting each other. I truly believe in her mission of connecting quality service providers with organizations and non-profits that need expertise to propel their vision. It’s not just freelancing—it’s about matching missions and talents for long-term good.
Branding is about the feeling you create, the actions you inspire, and the impact you’re making in the world. When I set up Freelancing For Good, I focused on these three things - how people feel about the brand, what it motivates them to do, and the difference it makes.
A brand isn’t just an image - it’s the connection and purpose that people see and experience.
Maja
Branding is trial and error. Positioning takes effort, time, and dedication. How can entrepreneurs recover from a branding that doesn't resonate with their audience yet?
I’m a firm believer that when you’re doing what you love, are passionate about, and most importantly, truly believe in, you’ll find your audience. Integrating your values as a core part of your brand naturally attracts the right people. But it’s not always simple - many great ideas don’t reach people because of overly complex messaging. In trying to explain what we do, we can sometimes overthink and confuse rather than clarify, causing the audience to miss what the brand stands for.
To connect better, I’d recommend two things:
Get feedback and simplify.
Show your message to a peer, then ask them to reflect back what they think you offer.
Use that input to refine your message, repeating until the audience’s takeaway aligns with your intention.
Maja
What are the repeated words you hear about your Brand and Branding from your audience, teams, and people who discover you? (3 to 5 keywords)
✦ Positive impact ✦ Freelance community ✦ Freelancing for good
The three most repeated keywords I hear about Freelancing For Good are positive impact, freelance community, and freelancing for good. Interestingly, even though ‘‘Freelancing For Good’’ is our name, it’s also a term people search for when looking for meaningful freelance opportunities, and seeing it catch on as a descriptor makes me feel like we’re truly on the right path. Freelancers are adopting it to reflect their own values and their commitment to using their careers for positive impact, which is so inspiring and aligns perfectly with our vision.
Maja
What is your best branding story from clients, yourself or an iconic brand?
Hmm, I really love Too Good To Go- they’re a fantastic example of a brand that’s fully built on a mission to make a real impact. From their app design to the way they communicate about reducing food waste, they’ve created an entire brand ecosystem around sustainability, making it easy for people to participate and feel they’re part of a bigger cause. It shows how a strong mission, if executed well, can drive every part of a brand in a powerful way.
Maja
Do you have any recommendations for mastering branding, such as books, podcasts, conferences, etc.?
Your Branding Letter newsletter! :)
Maja
Freelancing for Good is such an uplifting community. How did the FFG community first come to life in your mind? And how do you feel today, having built it from the ground up?
Freelancing For Good really came to life as a reflection of my and my partner’s journey to align our work with our values and make a meaningful impact.
For me personally, animal welfare has always been close to my heart. From a young age, with my parents' support, I was actively involved in helping abandoned animals, a passion that has stayed with me. For a long time, I thought my options were limited to volunteering or donating to animal charities. But I knew I wanted to do more, and that’s what sparked this journey.
Along the way, I realised that many freelancers feel similarly. With so many local and global challenges, it’s common to feel a strong desire to help. But in the freelance world, it's easy to believe that we’re too small to make a real difference - yet this couldn’t be further from the truth!
That’s what inspired the idea for Freelancing For Good: creating a community for those who want to use their skills to make a positive impact. I wanted to provide a space that encourages and supports each of us on this journey toward impactful freelancing.
One year later, FFG has grown from a simple resource page I’d put together to a community, a job board, and a directory. It brings me so much joy to see freelancers joining in, united by their desire to do good with their businesses.
Maja
Freelancing is a brand in itself—a culture and expression of freedom. It’s a journey to stand out. How do you empower the freelancers you onboard to stand out and attract non-profits and organizations for collaboration?
For me, it all comes down to authenticity and staying true to your values. I know “authenticity” can feel a bit overused these days, but when you’re genuinely passionate about something, people can sense it. And the same goes for the opposite - when your work doesn’t light you up, it’s hard to hide that.
Many non-profits look for freelancers who have a real connection to their cause, so incorporating your values into your work can create a unique appeal. It’s like a signature that sets your business apart and resonates with the right organisations. In the end, it’s that authenticity and commitment that really attract meaningful collaborations.
Maja
Building a community is empowering. What are your top three strategies and mindsets for creating a community you love and enjoy being a part of?
The first is kindness - always lead with kindness.
You can never be too generous with your time or too patient with advice. For me, this means being available to offer support whenever possible, sharing helpful resources, or simply taking the time to answer questions. It’s not just about me, either; kindness creates a ripple effect. When you’re kind and open, it encourages others to act the same way, building a culture of support and trust that really makes a community feel like a safe place to grow.
Second, give without expecting anything in return.
This is something I’ve learned from experience: when you give genuinely, people want to give back. It might be in small ways, or it might turn into meaningful collaborations, but if you’re consistently offering value to the community without keeping score, people notice—and they respond. This mindset has been a big part of why Freelancing For Good has such dedicated members, and it keeps us all rooted in a spirit of generosity.
Finally, recognise that your community isn’t for everyone—and that’s a good thing.
Not everyone will be a perfect fit, and that's completely okay. I use an application form for new members to ensure they’re aligned with our mission, and this has been a great way to bring in people who are genuinely excited about what we’re building. When everyone in the space feels a shared commitment to the same goals and values, it makes a community that much stronger and more impactful.
These three principles - kindness, generosity, and alignment - have been the heart of what makes our community not only a place I enjoy, but a place I’m incredibly proud of. It’s rewarding to see people find a sense of belonging and purpose here, and to know we’re all helping each other make a real impact through our work.
Maja
If your brand was a food, what would it be, and why? (It can be a dish, a fruit—any food.)
It would be a fruit salad – a wholesome, nourishing mix of different flavours, with each piece contributing something unique. Just like our community, it’s a blend of diverse skills, experiences, and values that create something far greater than the sum of its parts.
🙌 What's the Profit in Nonprofits?(Areva Martinshares her inspiring story and journey of creating her nonprofit, which celebrates the need and joy of doing good while knowing it. The phrase "There is profit in nonprofits" offers much to reflect on.)
🇫🇷 A vision for good that transforms lives(When I think of helping nonprofits, I envision the work and vision of Eloquentia—a disruptive and impactful program that reveals to youth their inner genius and voice of authority.)
📢 Building tomorrow’s policy leaders (A transformative accelerator in Brussels, designed to empower ambitious professionals to create impactful change in European policy and shape a better future.)
🐄 How to Stand Out? Seth Godin's Purple Cow (The original book was already an eye-opener on the art of standing out. Lewis provides a much-needed, concise reminder of why it’s important to think differently and infuse the "purple cow" into our brands.)
I leave you with Maja’s song selection. Sending Jolly vibes 🎄. Keva.
The mission of Your Branding Letter is to demystify the big word Branding. My role is to democratise brand(ing) with its paradoxes and truths, yours is to implement these concepts into your brand building. Here, you will find ideas, investigations, and a collection of eclectic definitions alongside visions of what branding is and what it implies—showcasing those who do, use, and expand branding: The Brand Revealers.
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Thank you so much for featuring my and the story of Freelancing For Good in your newsletter, Keva! It was such a pleasure to chat with you and share a bit about my journey. :)
Thank you so much for featuring my and the story of Freelancing For Good in your newsletter, Keva! It was such a pleasure to chat with you and share a bit about my journey. :)