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Communications & messaging

Nonprofit communications strategy development

Signs you need a communications strategy

Your communications are completely reactive — you lurch from one announcement to the next with no plan, no consistency, and no shared sense of what you are trying to say.

What you'll achieve

A clear communications strategy that defines your audiences, messages, channels, and goals, and gives your team a shared framework to work from.

How a Nonprofit Builder consultant helps

  • Audit your current communications, facilitate audience and message workshops with your team, and produce a practical strategy with an implementation roadmap.

Key deliverables

  • Communications audit, audience profiles, core messaging framework, channel strategy, 12-month communications plan.

From the resource library

Free tools and guides to get started

  • 9.1C117

    Smart Chart 4.0

    An online planning tool from Spitfire Strategies for foundations and nonprofits. It takes a team through 6 steps to build a communications plan tied to the organisation's goals, covering objectives, audiences, messages and tactics. It is used online at smartchart.org, and a PDF version can be downloaded. Teams use it in planning sessions to test whether each communications choice supports the change they want.

    Start hereCurrentTool or templateFree with sign-up
  • 9.1C113

    Communications Toolkit

    A toolkit by R. Christine Hershey of Cause Communications for nonprofit staff who run communications with limited resources. It draws on national audits of nonprofit communications needs. It explains how to write a communications plan and set a budget, and gives tools for raising awareness and funds. The print edition has 71 pages, an index and 9 loose worksheets. Teams use it to build or review a basic communications plan.

    ClassicKey manual or guideFree