Develop a CommuniCations strategy for your ngo How to

How to
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Develop a Communications Strategy
for Your NGO
Effective communications are one of the most important skills necessary for an NGO to survive and be
successful. Still, most of the time, many NGOs are not devoting enough attention to communications.
Some groups limit their efforts to having a Facebook page, and others sometimes invite mainstream media
to their events; but rarely will groups devote time and resources to review organizational communications
needs in an organized way or develop a comprehensive communications strategy. Below are tips on how
to improve your organization’s communications approach in an easy way.
WHY ARE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS IMPORTANT FOR NGOS?
Good organizational branding and positioning will help your NGO attract potential staff, volunteers and
donors. The MAD (Media for Advocacy and Development) Skills project by SMEX succeeded to attract
a number of quality participants thanks to successful branding and positioning before the project started.
Good communications skills will position your project in a desirable way in the community, who in turn
will believe you, support you and join your project. Several NGOs that work in the South emphasized
how community needs assessment would not be possible in the closed communities where they worked
without being fully transparent and clearly communicating the objectives of the needs assessment. If you
are an advocate, good communications skills will help you more effectively promote your ideas.
WHAT IS A COMMUNCIATIONS STRATEGY?
A communications strategy examines the program and identifies the points at which communications
can be instrumental. It can be developed for an organization, a project, or an activity. In creating a
communications strategy for an organization, you should consider all of the projects and departments
in the organization. A communications strategy for a project will address one particular project and
its objectives, constituencies, donors, and
participants. An activity communications
strategy, for example for a fundraising
event, a marathon, or a festival, will examine
that particular event and how different
Ask an Expert: Communications Are Never
communications approaches and tools can be
a Single Shot
used to make the event more effective.
HOW DO I DEVELOP A
COMMUNCIATIONS STRATEGY?
A communications strategy should start by
reviewing the objectives (organizational,
project or activity) – that is, what you
want to achieve. It should also include
communications objectives that can
support those programmatic objectives.
Communications objectives are objectives
that can be reached by communications
means. For example, if your organization
plans to expand work into a new region in
the upcoming year, the communications
objectives might be 1) Raising the profile and
positioning of your organization in the given
region by getting five regional media reports
about out programs; 2) getting media from
that region to cover our annual marathon; and
3) getting one key sponsor from the target
region in the next annual budget, or similar.
“Few Lebanese CSOs allocate resources to develop a
communications strategy or take it into consideration
since it is not a priority for them. They only consider
approaching the media, which is a minimal part of
a communications strategy. I usually advise CSOs to
take into consideration the following objectives when
preparing a communications strategy:
• Visibility
• Building credibility
• Changing stereotypes (i.e. marginalized groups)
• Reaching out to internal audience (keeping them
motivated and ensuring that they have success
stories with them continuously is an important part of
a communication plan)
• Last but not least, retaining the donor”
Asked to give a one-sentence tip to NGOs planning to
develop communications strategy, Hassan says: “Never
plan a single shot; think of a series of continuous
communication activities, which should be tied together
as part of a comprehensive strategy.”
- Hassan Cherry is an activist and media relations and
communications consultant based in Beirut
Civic Activism Toolkit | Communications and Media Relations
WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?
Communications objectives will always have target audiences – the key audiences that you want to
reach. In order to move the audiences to act, we need to develop messages for them. The messages
should have several components, such as:
1. Why the issue is relevant to the target audience;
2. What the target audience needs to do – a call for action; and
3. What will be the benefit of the action.
Last but not least, you should plan for activities to deliver messages. These could include media
conferences, interviews, development of social media, paid marketing (posters, billboards, stickers)
etc. Determine who will do it, when, and how much the activities in the strategy will cost. A typical
beginner’s mistake is believing that more is better; it is not! Sometimes, if strategically designed, a
few small activities can bring about change. Don’t forget that strategy is about achieving change with
minimal resources employed – including human, financial and time.
THINK BEYOND THE MEDIA
Here are some examples of communications
activities that don’t include the media:
Social drama – Your advocacy campaign
messages can be included in theatre
performances. This has been done by many
NGOs in the North, Beqaa and South
including Ribat Association, Youth Network
for Civic Activism and Lebanese Association
for Students.
Art – Cross Arts from Tripoli develops their
own rap songs with lyrics tackling social issues.
Wall magazine – a blank paper on the
wall where youth and community members
can write their message on any given topic.
Messages can be collected and published on
your website or Facebook page.
Exhibitions – Displays of photography or
artwork can raise awareness on the topics your
NGO cares about.
Round table/panel discussions – Many
NGOs organize them to get voices from
CSOs, government and donors heard in the
community. Welfare Women’s Association
organized a round table on LebanesePalestinian relations and the Lebanese
Association for Local Economic Development
organized one on the role of youth in local
development.
Seminars – You can organize a seminar
when an in-depth understanding of a topic
is needed. IndyAct organized seminars in 11
cities on the topic of solid waste management;
IT Association on youth; and Nota on
municipal elections.
Q&A with Communications Trainer Richard
Bteich
Q: Do CSOs in Lebanon put enough resources and
attention to developing a communications strategy?
A: From what I’ve seen, there is almost no
communications strategy within the majority of CSOs.
Existing are only media activities that most of the time
are informational and activity/project related. Not many
CSOs use communications-specialized human resources
or include/budget for media in their yearly plans.
Q: But to an outsider, the CSO scene in Lebanon seems
to be creative and effective at communications.
A: Know-how and awareness of the importance of
communications seem to develop among CSOs.
Nevertheless, communications are not well orchestrated
within comprehensive organizational planning and
most of the time lack clear objectives and are not
target-oriented. For example, new media are more and
more in use among CSOs. However, CSOs are not
taking full advantage of the availability of the Internet
and new communication technologies to support their
organizational growth and visibility and enhance the
impact of their work.
Q: What would be your recommendation to CSOs
considering developing more serious communications?
A: Communication is not a standalone exercise within
an organization, as it is not an end in itself. An optimized
use of communication strategies and tools, especially
those related to new and electronic media, has to build
on good organizational planning and well defined work
objectives. It is hence a means not an end.
-- Richard Bteich is a Development Expert and Managing
Partner at the Center for Active Citizenship c.c. Beirut
Additional Resources:
• Spitfire Communications Smart Chart – This planning tool can help nonprofits develop high-impact
communications strategies. http://www.smartchart.org
• Media Relations for NGOs, USAID/OTI Lebanon Civic Support Initiative, Beirut, 2011, www.civicboard.com (see
Resources Library) – This easy to use bilingual (English-Arabic) manual on media relations for NGO focuses on
traditional mainstream media.
• Media Tips and Tricks (MT2) for Citizen Journalists, Devine Media, Beirut, 2011, www.civicboard.com (see Resources
Library) – This is a dynamic bilingual (English-Arabic) guide for citizen journalism.
Civic Activism Toolkit | Communications and Media Relations