Strategic Communications For Nonprofits

This is a new edition of Strategic Communications for Nonprofits, which was first published in 1999. It is an up-dated, nuts-and-bolts guide to helping nonprofits design and implement successful communications strategies. The book offers a unique combination of step-by-step guidance on effective media relations and assistance in constructing and developing an overall communications strategy aimed at creating social or policy change. It first explains the basic principles of a strategic communications strategy that will define the target audiences you need to reach and tells how to develop the messages and messengers you use to reach them. The book then goes on to address specific issues like earning good media coverage, building partnerships to increase available resources, handling a crisis, and more. This second edition builds on the earlier work and includes new case studies, new trends in media and branding, ethnic media issues, and trends in technology.

How a nonprofit s strategic communications department defines its issues and policies determines whether the public views it as an effective organization. Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations, Second Edition supports nonprofits in using their resources most effectively. The Second Edition includes a dedicated web site, equipping professionals with the worksheets, forms, surveys, and self-assessment tools needed to create a total communications plan. Plus, the book s step-by-step instructions demonstrate nonprofit communications strategies that work. Practical and clear, this in-the-trenches book provides nonprofit CEOs with expert insights to achieve their mission.

Create an effective, comprehensive communications strategy in an age of information overload Fax, e-mail, 1-800 numbers, the Internet, infotainment--with so many new and traditional media available, it should be easy for a nonprofit to connect with its constituents. Yet each new technology brings new challenges, adding more messages, more voices, and more information to the clamor. Nonprofits now have to compete harder than ever to win the attention of a media-jaded public. That's why it is crucial that today's nonprofits develop comprehensive, coordinated communications plans that are detailed enough to cover all the bases, yet flexible enough to compensate for the unexpected. Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations shows you how. In this book, Janel Radtke introduces all-important communications concepts and issues in plain English. Taking a wholly practical, in-the-trenches approach, she combines expert insights, real-life case studies, and clear, step-by-step instructions to demonstrate nonprofit communications strategies that work. She provides: * An easy-to-follow, 7-step program for developing a comprehensive, multifaceted communications plan * A disk containing all the worksheets, forms, surveys, and self-assessment tools you need to create a total communications plan * Techniques for matching the message with the medium and for adapting both to specific purposes, such as fund-raising, advocacy, public education, PR, and more Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations helps you coordinate and streamline communications efforts. It provides proven techniques for guaranteeing that you send the right message to each constituency group or audience, and that you hit your mark every time.

How a nonprofit s strategic communications department defines its issues and policies determines whether the public views it as an effective organization. Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations, Second Edition supports nonprofits in using their resources most effectively. The Second Edition includes a dedicated web site, equipping professionals with the worksheets, forms, surveys, and self-assessment tools needed to create a total communications plan. Plus, the book s step-by-step instructions demonstrate nonprofit communications strategies that work. Practical and clear, this in-the-trenches book provides nonprofit CEOs with expert insights to achieve their mission.

A nonprofit's real-world survival guide and nitty-gritty how-to handbook This down-to-earth book shows how to hack through the bewildering jungle of marketing options and miles-long to-do lists to clear a marketing path that's right for your organization, no matter how understaffed or underfunded. You'll see how to shape a marketing program that starts from where you are now and grows with your organization, using smart and savvy communications techniques, both offline and online. Combining big-picture management and strategic decision-making with reader-friendly tips for implementing a marketing program day in and day out, this book provides a simple yet powerful framework for building support for your organization's mission and programs. Includes cost-effective strategies and proven tactics for nonprofits An ideal resource for thriving during challenging times Fast, friendly, and realistic advice to help you navigate the day-by-day demands of any nonprofit Written by one of the leading sources of how-to info and can-do inspiration for small and medium-sized nonprofit organizations, Kivi Leroux Miller is,among other things, a communication consultant and trainer, and president of EcoScribe Communications and Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com.

In this much needed resource, nonprofit organizations are provided with everything they need to construct solid communications campaigns that successfully promote their programs and services. This book shows readers how to select the right media, develop messages, produce printed materials, train spokespeople, use paid advertising and public service announcements, and handle negative press.

Communication in the public sphere as well as within organizational contexts has attracted the interest of researchers over the past century. Current forms of citizen engagement and community development, partly enabled through digital communication, have further enhanced the visibility and relevance of non-profit communication. These are performed by the civil society, which is 'the organized expression of the values and interests of society' (Castells, 2008) in the public sphere. Non-profit communication feeds the public sphere as 'the discursive processes in a complex network of persons, institutionalized associations and organizations,' whereas those 'discourses are a civilized way of disagreeing openly about essential matters of common concern' (Jensen, 2002). Despite the relevance in the public sphere, non-profit communication was never properly defined within communication research. The aim of the present book is to offer an overview and report on Strategic Communication for Non-Profit-Organisations and the Challenges and Alternative Approaches. Considering the assumption that a key principle of strategic communication is the achievement of organisational goals, the majority of research developed in the field has used business environments to develop theories, models, empirical insights and case studies. Here, we take a step towards new approaches centred on the concept of non-profit in various dimensions and from various perspectives, showing the diversity and complexity around this subject and at the same time the need of further theoretical and empirical work that provides frameworks and also tools for further understanding of the phenomena.

In the current economic climate, nonprofits need to focus on ways to stand out from the crowd, win charitable dollars, and survive the downturn. Effective, mission-focused communications can help organizations build strong identities, heightened reputations, and increased fundraising capability. Brandraising outlines a mission-driven approach to communications and marketing, specifically designed to boost fundraising efforts. This book provides tools and guidance for nonprofits seeking to transform their communications and marketing through smart positioning, branding, campaigns, and materials that leverage solid strategy and great creative, with a unique focus on the intersection of communications and fundraising.