Spread the Word: The Nitty-Gritty of Nonprofit Communications

Don’t Go It Alone August 25, 2008

Sure, you may be the only one in the office who hears, “PMS,” and thinks of a brilliant rainbow instead of a monthly headache. But, what your colleagues may lack in technical communication know-how, they can make up for in many other ways. From the head office to the front desk, there’s a lot to be learned from those around you.

Their insider perspective: Do they field incoming calls for the organization? Yes. Manage the work of your volunteers? Of course. Have lunch with movers and shakers in your service area? Sure. You need to know what they know. Who is calling about what these days? What are your volunteers getting worked up about? What’s on the mind of major players in your field? I guarantee that uncovering this information will make you a better communicator.

Here are a few ideas for getting the insider perspective:

• Have a quick roundtable.Pick a bite-sized topic (e.g., top five inquiries from volunteers). Call all relevant colleagues to the table to share their knowledge on the topic. Ask specific questions. Propose communications solutions, if needed, and gather feedback.
• Start a log. Help determine your information gaps by creating a simple log that your co-workers can use to track information requests and concerns. Make it easy to use, and include your colleagues in its development to build buy-in. All you really need is a spreadsheet with check boxes for areas of inquiry and constituent types, and a place to initial so you know whom to speak with for more information.
• Get out of your office and TALK to people.Take your Friday morning coffee down to your ExDir’s office, and ask her about the word on the street. When a co-worker comes back from a relevant conference, ask him what the hot topics were. Find out what’s going on in your world by talking to those who are actually living in it. They’ll likely appreciate your interest, and you’ll learn a lot.

Their outsider perspective: Are your colleagues members of other associations or nonprofits? Probably. Are they high school or college alumni? Definitely. Do they consume information? Have opinions? Of course! Use their knowledge to improve your communications!

• Call for best practices. Invite your colleagues to save communications that made them ACT (donate, join, attend) and share them with you. Request copies of annual reports, newsletters, and other publications that your colleagues felt were really well-done. Find out what they liked and didn’t, and keep these samples in your ideas file.
• Hold a focus group. If you’re launching a new campaign, have your co-workers try it out first. Choose a random sample of individuals. (Don’t just pick the management team or the accounting department, or your results could be skewed from the get-go.) Find out what they think about the piece(s). Does your message resonate? Are the design and the message cohesive? Would they even bother to break the wafer seal if this showed up in their mailboxes? Of course, you must consider the similarities and differences between your focus group participants and the audience for your piece when considering the results of this exercise, but the feedback you get will likely be valuable regardless.
• Listen and ask questions. If you’re involved in meeting planning and your co-worker just attended a professional development seminar or a meeting of his hobbyist association, ask what he thought worked well and what didn’t. If you’re leading your aniversary celebration committee, find out if anyone in the office has ever been on such a committee in another organization, and tap them for do’s and don’ts. If you’re designing an award for stellar volunteers, take a look around and see what awards your colleagues have received. Ask for ideas. Find out what other organizations are doing from their members down the hall.  

Try a few of these ideas, and I promise you’ll learn something. You’ll also foster some goodwill among your colleagues. Your workplace is a knowledge community. Start tapping into that knowledge today.