How to 28 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