Strategic Communication Goals and Objectives
A goal statement should be simple and unambiguous.
Your goal should also be realistic and aligned with your available capacity,
resources and time.
Think about the ultimate social change you are seeking and the ways that
your communication activities will complement the programmatic work
required to get you there.
The first step in any strategic communication effort is clearly
defining your objective. Think of it as a destination, a specific
spot on the map.
1
Rank of "build communication capacity of
nonprofits" as a goal of communication.
2
Rank of "build public will" as a goal of
communication.
3
Rank of "influence policy and practice" as a
goal of communication.
“In this day and age, often
communication
is
the work.”
Executive Leader
Private Foundation
“Without communication we cannot advance our
public policy objectives or raise the dollars we need.
Communication is central to our strategy. It is a
programmatic lever that we use early and often.”
Board member
Nonprofit
“I’ve seen people who embrace communication but
don't really get it. They want to make a snazzy video
but haven't really thought it through. Why?
What is the purpose? Who is the audience?”
Program leader
Private Foundation
How are your goals aligned
with the
social change
you are seeking?
How do you
communicate
your goals internally?
How do you
measure
your goals?
Define your target audiences before you select the best
way to reach them. Focus on those best positioned to directly
determine the success or failure of your goal.
It is imperative that you clearly identify, as narrowly as possible, the people
you need to reach and influence with your communication.
It is important to remember that policy change is determined not by
faceless, governmental cyborgs, but by living, breathing humans.
Be careful to avoid the pitfall of stratifying your audiences into imprecise
subsets like “voters” and “electeds.”
50/50
Roughly the split between time spent on
internal and external communication.
9%
Average percentage of communication time
spent communicating with policymakers.
22%
Average percentage of communication time
spent communicating with grantees.
“By communicating what the foundation is supporting
to our key audiences, such as policy makers and
potential partners, we can amplify our impact in
achieving our mission-driven goals.”
Executive Leader
Private Foundation
“If our efforts aren't heard by the right people, it’s just
as if a tree fell in the forest. Without communication
our work is like that tree. No will care.”
Communication Leader
Private Foundation
“Communication is essential. The best
evidence is of little value if it doesn’t get to the
people who need it, when they want it,
in a form that's understandable to them.”
Evaluation Leader
Nonprofit
Can you clearly
define
your audiences?
How do you
segment
your audiences?
Who is your
internal
versus your
external
audience?
Point of view can be carefully designed and cultivated, or an organic
outgrowth of your organizational style.
Whatever your circumstance, the key to success is acting authentically.
That means communicating with a point of view that is believable,
appropriate and aligned with your organizational values.
Every successful communication effort has an inherent point of
view. Think of point of view as the tone, voice, style or
personality for your communication.
20%
The percentage of annual expenditures
that most nonprofits can spend on
lobbying.
17M
The number of Ice Bucket Challenge videos
that were shared to Facebook. The videos
were viewed more than 10 billion times by
440 million people.
74%
Percentage of participants in a 47-country
survey who said that seeing the film
An
Inconvenient Truth
caused them to change
some of their daily habits.
“Foundations should be as loud as possible about
issues, grantees, and grantmaking approaches that
move the work forward. I think foundations should be
extremely mouthy in an “it's not about us” kind of way”
Communication Leader
Private Foundation
“I have frequently heard advocates ask us to put our
name on something, because policymakers find it
easier to hear it from us.”
Communication leader
Private Foundation
“One of the things we have been thinking a lot about
lately is our voice. It's tricky trying to strike the right
balance between authentic, strategic, approachable,
and visionary.”
program leader
Private Foundation
What
“voice”
do
you use for your
communications?
Is your point of view
cultivated
or is it
organic
?
How is your
message
shaped
by your
point of view?
The best messages are those that align with an audience’s value system.
They are simple, factual, and provocative.
Identify the values that sit at the core of the change you are seeking and
zero in on them as crisply and succinctly as possible.
Give careful consideration to the visual design of your messages and the
pictures you use to tell your story.
Successful messaging requires clarity and consistency. Good
messages also must align with the interests and concerns most
important to your audience.
20
Number of times people need to hear a
campaign message before it sinks in.
45
Or above. The recommended Flesch
score for better readability.
5.4M
Total number of foundation followers on
Twitter (January 2013)
4.4M
Total number of Facebook likes for
foundations (January 2013)
“We communicate to reach policy makers. We can have
the best programs and policies in the world, but unless
we translate them into language that reaches policy
makers and the public, we won’t be effective.”
Executive Leader
Nonprofit
“When you say things in a clear, exciting, engaging
way, people listen to what you have to say. If we want
people to respond to our mission, we need to
communicate that mission clearly.”
Communication leader
Nonprofit
“So many of the issues we work on are stuck because of
the dominant narrative, and that doesn't change just
by doing program work that gets results. To leverage
those results to create new narratives takes
strategic communication.”
Communication leader
Private Foundation
How do you tie your
messages to your
values
?
What are
examples
of successful messages
you have used?
What kind of
visual
messages
do you use?
Cognitive science has demonstrated time and time again that what is being
said can matter far less than who is saying it.
The key is to be intentional about choosing messengers who are viewed
with trust, respect and the appropriate level of authority on your issue.
Choosing the right messenger is a critical step in every strategic
communication effort. Without the right person delivering it,
your message is just a nice set of words.
50,000
Videos created and uploaded to the It Gets
Better Project.
$112M
Raised by the ALS Association in the Ice
Bucket Challenge (as of September 2014).
71%
Percentage of foundations using social media
who have not developed a formal social
media strategy.
“Though the foundation speaks to what
we're learning, we never wanted to be a
soloist. Instead, we find ways to make
sure that others can effectively "join the
choir" and use what we learn.”
Program Leader
Private Foundation
“We only achieve our goals through the efforts of
others. We need to communicate so that our goals
and objectives are shared by others. If we can
enlist others into our perspective, we have more of
us working toward our goals.”
Executive leader
Private Foundation
“We are working on integrating communications into
the grant cycle with communication capacity provided
to our grantees. Their reporting helps provide more
stories, media outreach, and impactful outcomes for
our internal and external communication efforts.”
Communication leader
Private Foundation
Who
are the right
messengers for your
organization?
What is your
social media
strategy?
Have your
messengers
changed over time?
Earned media: Can you control how (or if) the story will be reported?
Paid media: Will it have the resonance and influence you need to best
advance your goal?
Owned media: The price tag might be more appealing, but will these
channels help you reach the decision makers you’ve identified as your key
audience?
Your likelihood for success increases when you chose the right
channel to deliver your message. Consider how you want your
audience to receive and engage your communication.
87%
Percentage of American adults who use
the internet.
90%
Percentage of American adults who have a
cell phone. 58% have a smart phone.
74%
Percentage of internet users
who use social networks.
7th
The rank of annual reports as a source of
information by engaged Americans.
“Every year our board asks us why we aren't in NYT or
WSJ. The answer to that is easy. We work on systems
change! There's nothing sexy about changing systems.
The story is in the work our grantees do.”
communication Leader
Private Foundation
“I care more about the content and strategy of
communication than the tools. I'm passionate about
seeing the communication field in philanthropy move
away from a fascination with the tools.”
Communication Leader
Private Foundation
How do you
choose
your communication
channels?
What is your
social media
strategy?
How do you
control
your message in
different channels?
Clearly defining goals and objectives is essential in strategic communication. This involves setting realistic and aligned targets, such as building communication capacity, influencing policy, and engaging public will. Communication plays a crucial role in achieving social change and programmatic success. Leaders in private foundations and nonprofits emphasize the importance of thoughtful communication strategies to drive impact. Ensuring alignment between communication goals and broader social change objectives is key for effective communication strategies.
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Presentation Transcript
Goals Goals www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Goals The first step in any strategic communication effort is clearly defining your objective. Think of it as a destination, a specific spot on the map. A goal statement should be simple and unambiguous. Your goal should also be realistic and aligned with your available capacity, resources and time. Think about the ultimate social change you are seeking and the ways that your communication activities will complement the programmatic work www.com-matters.org required to get you there. www.com-matters.org
Goals Goals 1 Rank of "build communication capacity of nonprofits" as a goal of communication. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Goals Goals 2 Rank of "build public will" as a goal of communication. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Goals Goals 3 Rank of "influence policy and practice" as a goal of communication. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Goals In this day and age, often communication isthe work. EXECUTIVE LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Goals Without communication we cannot advance our public policy objectives or raise the dollars we need. Communication is central to our strategy. It is a programmatic lever that we use early and often. BOARD MEMBER Nonprofit www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Goals I ve seen people who embrace communication but don't really get it. They want to make a snazzy video but haven't really thought it through. Why? What is the purpose? Who is the audience? PROGRAM LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Goals How are your goals aligned with the social change you are seeking? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Goals How do you communicate your goals internally? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Goals How do you measure your goals? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Audiences Audiences www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Audiences Define your target audiences before you select the best way to reach them. Focus on those best positioned to directly determine the success or failure of your goal. It is imperative that you clearly identify, as narrowly as possible, the people you need to reach and influence with your communication. It is important to remember that policy change is determined not by faceless, governmental cyborgs, but by living, breathing humans. Be careful to avoid the pitfall of stratifying your audiences into imprecise www.com-matters.org subsets like voters and electeds. www.com-matters.org
Audiences Audiences 50/50 Roughly the split between time spent on internal and external communication. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Audiences Audiences 9% Average percentage of communication time spent communicating with policymakers. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Audiences Audiences 22% Average percentage of communication time spent communicating with grantees. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Audiences By communicating what the foundation is supporting to our key audiences, such as policy makers and potential partners, we can amplify our impact in achieving our mission-driven goals. EXECUTIVE LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Audiences If our efforts aren't heard by the right people, it s just as if a tree fell in the forest. Without communication our work is like that tree. No will care. COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Audiences Communication is essential. The best evidence is of little value if it doesn t get to the people who need it, when they want it, in a form that's understandable to them. EVALUATION LEADER Nonprofit www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Audiences Can you clearly define your audiences? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Audiences How do you segment your audiences? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Audiences Who is your internal versus your external audience? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Point of View Point of View www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Point of View Every successful communication effort has an inherent point of view. Think of point of view as the tone, voice, style or personality for your communication. Point of view can be carefully designed and cultivated, or an organic outgrowth of your organizational style. Whatever your circumstance, the key to success is acting authentically. That means communicating with a point of view that is believable, appropriate and aligned with your organizational values. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Point of View Point of View 20% The percentage of annual expenditures that most nonprofits can spend on lobbying. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Point of View Point of View 17M The number of Ice Bucket Challenge videos that were shared to Facebook. The videos were viewed more than 10 billion times by 440 million people. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Point of View Point of View 74% Percentage of participants in a 47-country survey who said that seeing the film An Inconvenient Truth caused them to change some of their daily habits. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Point of View Foundations should be as loud as possible about issues, grantees, and grantmaking approaches that move the work forward. I think foundations should be extremely mouthy in an it's not about us kind of way COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Point of View I have frequently heard advocates ask us to put our name on something, because policymakers find it easier to hear it from us. COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Point of View One of the things we have been thinking a lot about lately is our voice. It's tricky trying to strike the right balance between authentic, strategic, approachable, and visionary. PROGRAM LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Point of View What voice do you use for your communications? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Point of View Is your point of view cultivated or is it organic? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Point of View How is your message shaped by your point of view? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messages Messages www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messages Successful messaging requires clarity and consistency. Good messages also must align with the interests and concerns most important to your audience. The best messages are those that align with an audience s value system. They are simple, factual, and provocative. Identify the values that sit at the core of the change you are seeking and zero in on them as crisply and succinctly as possible. Give careful consideration to the visual design of your messages and the www.com-matters.org pictures you use to tell your story. www.com-matters.org
Messages Messages 20 Number of times people need to hear a campaign message before it sinks in. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messages Messages 45 Or above. The recommended Flesch score for better readability. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messages Messages 5.4M Total number of foundation followers on Twitter (January 2013) www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messages Messages 4.4M Total number of Facebook likes for foundations (January 2013) www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messages We communicate to reach policy makers. We can have the best programs and policies in the world, but unless we translate them into language that reaches policy makers and the public, we won t be effective. EXECUTIVE LEADER Nonprofit www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messages When you say things in a clear, exciting, engaging way, people listen to what you have to say. If we want people to respond to our mission, we need to communicate that mission clearly. COMMUNICATION LEADER Nonprofit www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messages So many of the issues we work on are stuck because of the dominant narrative, and that doesn't change just by doing program work that gets results. To leverage those results to create new narratives takes strategic communication. COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messages How do you tie your messages to your values? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messages What are examples of successful messages you have used? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messages What kind of visual messages do you use? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messengers Messengers www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messengers Choosing the right messenger is a critical step in every strategic communication effort. Without the right person delivering it, your message is just a nice set of words. Cognitive science has demonstrated time and time again that what is being said can matter far less than who is saying it. The key is to be intentional about choosing messengers who are viewed with trust, respect and the appropriate level of authority on your issue. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messengers Messengers 50,000 Videos created and uploaded to the It Gets Better Project. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messengers Messengers $112M Raised by the ALS Association in the Ice Bucket Challenge (as of September 2014). www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
Messengers Messengers 71% Percentage of foundations using social media who have not developed a formal social media strategy. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org
