Technology Isn’t the Only Key to Communication

To the Editor:

As a longtime evangelist for communication in philanthropy, I was excited to see the package of articles in the May 1 issue (“Finding Their Voice”) and Rebecca Leet’s op-ed (“Strong Messages Mean Strong Leaders,” April 17).

I have only one beef. Effective communication is not only the use of advanced technology. It is not only effective messaging. It is not only public relations or a well-staffed office of skilled communication professionals.

I believe any foundation that works in the area of social change must think of communication as an integral part of its programming efforts, from start to finish. Yet many, if not most, foundations still see communication as a separate support function, even those foundations that value the role.

Communication officers rarely have a grant-making budget. Their staff is rarely part of program planning. When budgets are tight, communication suffers. Executive and program staff still see communication as something someone else does.

If the goal of philanthropy is to realize and spread social change, I believe we need a deeper understanding of communication and a much broader definition of its potential.

Which brings me to my next point: I think foundations overlook a whole range of communication opportunities that could extend the impact of their grant dollars.

To me, communication means engaging our partners in the field, helping them define and articulate their problems and their solutions. It means training our partners and grantees to engage their partners and constituencies as they implement solutions. The art and craft of communicating is thus extended by listening skills, public and private dialogue, storytelling, advocacy training, and more.

Recently I have worked in the small southern African country of Lesotho. The Ministry of Education and Unicef invited the Communication for Social Change Consortium — a global nonprofit group with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Guatemala — to help them put together a communication plan to enact a policy of “education for all.”

The people of Lesotho support the idea, and the country offers free primary education. But poverty and the AIDS epidemic mean that at least 15 percent of school-age children are not enrolled in either formal or informal education.

The plan we developed together proposes a range of communication activities to shift this dynamic. It includes reaching out to local leaders across the country, holding community meetings focused on support for children in schools, developing a national campaign of awareness around the need for education, and more.

The communicators are youths, teachers, chiefs, principals, and national leaders. Capacity building is an integral component of the strategy.

We believe this hands-on communication approach is transferrable to almost any country or community. This kind of communication is not a top-down process, nor is it a one-way street. Rather, it is rooted in communities and owned by people who live there.

This kind of communication uses the power of dialogue to help improve local problem solving. It thus works to counter long-held beliefs that often hold up positive social change, in this country and around the world.

What philanthropists in the United States generally see as the whole of communication are just the tools. The Internet, press and PR, production of reports, film, TV — these are all critical tools, of course, and we will use some of them in Lesotho. But without a planned process of communication to actively engage those who are the key to sustainable change, I believe the communication glass is only half full.

Joanne EdgarCommunication consultant
New York

Ms. Edgar is a former director of communications at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.

To the Editor:

The article “Finding Their Voice” emphasized the need to increase awareness among the public about the work of foundations and to ensure that foundations are being more transparent about their work, including their funding practices.

I am strongly in support of foundations’ being more transparent about their work (in general, I come from the position that if you’re going to stand for something, you need to be willing to stand up for it).

However, the article omitted a very important role that interactive strategies can play in achieving a foundation’s communication goals: strengthening the work of their grantees by engaging and mobilizing supporters and impacting (and advancing) the debate about the issues it supports.

I don’t agree at all with grantees (current and potential) that suggest that foundations should not be spending money on their own communications initiatives. I believe very strongly in the power of strategic communications to improve society.

A foundation, through its profile, resources, and convening power, can be supporting its grantees — beyond the grants it makes — to do just that. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS, once said that journalists can save more lives than doctors when it comes to the AIDS epidemic.

The media can pressure policy makers, eliminate stigma, share public-health messages, direct people to resources, and prompt discussion.

Finally, something that is important to remember: It’s not about the toys.

As foundations work to develop their strategies for using online media, they need to avoid getting caught up in the bells and whistles. The technology has contributed to an evolution in communications, but it is also reflective of an evolution in society.

Individuals are more empowered than they ever have been. They have unprecedented access to information, the ability to be heard, and the ability to more easily find and develop relationships with others who share their interests and values. And they don’t trust institutions or top-down messages.

They want to hear from, and they make their decisions based on the views of, people like themselves. It’s not about blogs, wikis, social networks, or podcasts. It’s about ensuring that your communications strategies effectively reach these newly empowered consumers and engage them as evangelists for your cause.

Alison Byrne Fields
Senior Vice President
DDB Issues & Advocacy
Washington