June 23, 2016 | Read Time: 5 minutes
Creating a strategic communications plan for your nonprofit can produce valuable short- and long-term benefits.
- It can help you share news about a new program with a larger group of people than those on your mailing list.
- If other nonprofits share your mission, you can spread the word about how you differ, what you are accomplishing, and why your work matters.
- If your mission is controversial, you can minimize misconceptions and help the public understand what you do.
Developing that plan in-house can save you money and allow you to tailor your efforts to your organization’s needs and resources.
Here are five steps to take to develop a successful communications strategy.
- Dedicate a staff person to communications.
- Be consistent.
- Identify and track those you want to reach.
- Know your tools
- News releases are overused. They have a purpose but a limited one: hard news. Hard news is something that happened to your organization: a big grant, a new hire, a milestone. Think of the release as a fact sheet from which reporters will get key information.
- Pitch letters take the facts you would otherwise put in a news release and make them relevant to a reporter, editor, or blogger. They show the impact and value of your news. Pitches can also be useful for sharing concepts or ideas. For example, if your work involves using technology to increase literacy in low-income school districts, you might suggest an article about the role technology plays in increasing student engagement or literacy rates. Don’t write a pitch that only focues on the work your organization is doing with this blended approach to learning. A broader perspective enables you to share your organization’s viewpoint in a way that is engaging and topical and doesn’t sound like an advertisement for your services. Self-serving angles rarely get media attention and are less likely to resonate with target audiences.
- Articles written by an expert or leader within your organization work well if you want to share a more complex concept or offer a solution to a complicated problem. Identify relevant publications that accept articles by outside contributors; write a brief pitch about the article and why it’s important. As with the pitch letter, make sure the submitted article does not focus on your organization directly. Your organization benefits because one of its leaders is viewed as an expert.
- Pick up the phone. Some journalists receive hundreds of emails a day, so it’s a good idea to follow up an emailed news release or pitch with a phone call. However, not all journalists want to get calls. If that is the case with someone you’re contacting, respect that wish, make a note in your media list, and follow up your pitch with another email.
- Social media can be tough for many organizations, but remember, you don’t have to do it all at once. Focus on the platform or platforms that are most valuable for your organization and do those well. Just be sure to put up new and valuable content every week. Avoid sounding too promotional. Be engaging so people will want to interact with you. This is your opportunity to make a direct impact. Be strategic when it comes to adding more social networks — one well-run account is more effective than five neglected ones.
- Be patient and share.
If you are hiring someone new for this job, focus on his or her communications experience, not experience related to your mission. You want someone who knows how to get your message out to your target audience. Hire the skills you need, not the knowledge you already have.
Consistency is crucial for a successful communications strategy. Have a single voice speak and write (or at least review all messages) for your organization. Identify your goals, purpose, and values and be sure all messages reflect them. Make sure everyone in your organization speaks about your work in a similar way. If you refer to your charity one way in a news release, be sure any official who is interviewed talks about it that way. Be sure your direct mail follows suit. A donor who sees the interview, reads the news release online, and gets your direct mail will not understand your mission if each time you describe it differently.
If you’ve already identified a potential pool of donors you want to keep updated about your work, that’s a good start, but it’s not enough. You also need to identify journalists, publications, blogs, and social-media networks that will help you reach your audience and expand it. Create a list of publications and journalists, including email addresses, phone numbers, social-media contact information, and websites. Most public-relations firms have expensive databases to gather this information quickly, but you can do just as well — for free — by searching Google and making a few phone calls. Keep this a living document that grows and changes with your needs. Keep notes of times you contacted each person or news organization. When something important happens, you will be ready to let as many people as possible know.
It takes time to gain visibility and build trust with supporters. A single well-placed article will bring attention, but only briefly. What’s important is consistently placing articles over time. You can extend the impact of each article by sharing it with your audience. If a great piece is published about your organization, share the link on social media and your website. You can also repurpose a news release into a newsletter update. And you can breathe new life into an article written by one of your leaders or experts by starting an online discussion about the topic and linking to the original article on your website.
With a dedicated communications professional using the right tools to send consistent messages, you can expand your audience, foster greater participation, and give your fundraisers more opportunities to connect your work to your supporters.
Joshua Kail is a co-founder of Glass Lantern PR.
