Most successful business enterprises have a communication plan of a sort—implicit or explicit—to guide them in their dealings with their stakeholders—customers, employees, boards of directors and their business community. This, unfortunately, is not always the case with non-profit organizations notwithstanding the fact that the need for a documented communication plan may even be greater at a non-profit. Some smaller non-profits are outgrowth of specific causes that may have given rise to their very existence. The urgency of dealing with everyday requirements or the lack of adequate resources—financial and human—may be the underlying reasons for not having developed a documented communication plan. This is not a good excuse for larger organizations. Yet, they too often lack a properly produced plan. In the latter case, the “bureaucracy” of the organization may sometimes be the reason for the absence of—or use of—a plan.
The long-term success of an organization—non-profit or for-profit—rests on its ability to properly document a clearly enunciated communication plan to guide it through its many phases of growth. Some of the key reasons are:
1. Improved Relationships
Communication plans inevitably improve internal and external interactions among personnel as well as the outside stakeholders; and provide a roadmap for smooth relations across varied audiences. Working from a documented plan is a safe route to ensure efficient use of resources and a consistent and coherent messaging.
A communication plan can provide an effective means in dealing with and/or using many common tools used by many non-profits—such as e-mail, social media or print literature. The use and coordination of all channels of communication is critical to the timing and messaging that the organization produces. This is particularly the case for larger non-profits with their sometimes complex and departmentalized organizational structures.
2. Coordinated Interactions
The larger non-profits invariably end up with more complex and departmentalized organizational structures that at times may impede coordination among various internal departments when it comes to messaging and/or interface with stakeholders, supporters, donors and the public. As some non-profits grow, “walls” seem to be erected among their various departments. At times, this results in conflicts among internal staff or in the organization’s dealings with its various audiences.
Coordinated messaging among the organization’s stakeholders (the staff, the board of directors, donors and supporters, volunteers, etc.) is key to the organization’s ongoing success; and in its ability to weather various external challenges. Continued coordination of messaging by the organization among its many internal and external audiences will ensure a consistent and enduring mission and strategies.
3. Effective Outreach Programs
Almost all non-profits have a number of different audiences—each with its unique needs and idiosyncrasies. Successful non-profits have a communication plan clearly broken down to address the needs of its various audiences. Lumping all your audiences into one big cluster can be fatal to your long-term objectives—and to your longevity. Audience segmentation is one of the pillars of a good and living communication plan. In dealing with the organization’s audiences, one size never fits all. Care must be taken to properly identify and develop specific strategies to deal with each of the organization’s stakeholders.
In summary, there are multitude of reasons why any non-profit organization—regardless of its size—should develop a comprehensive communication plan. A good communication plan will act as a guiding light in steering the organization clear of troubled waters; and to ensure that its message is clearly articulated and understood by its various audiences and stakeholders. The lack of one is akin to the proverbial “shooting from the hip” syndrome. To sum up, communications is the lifeblood of any organization when it comes to dealing with each and every entity that it somehow touches—and thus, a must to ensure its staying power.
To develop an effective communication plan for your non-profit organization, call on the professionals at Your Great Event.