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Membership News
5 Communication Tips for Social Entrepreneurs
By Helene Solomon, President & CEO, Solomon McCown & Co.
Nonprofits today wield significant power – but they need a strategy to harness it. While nonprofits have become one of the largest sectors in the economy, they face a host of new challenges. Ample funding exists to keep organizations running strong in fulfilling their missions, but that wealth is increasingly being consolidated into a narrowing number of sources, and, as a result, a narrowing range of special interests. A recent panel discussion I was on and that Solomon McCown hosted examined this issue. “Standing Out in a Crowded Field: Attracting Resources to Meet the Ambitions of Today’s Social Entrepreneurs” was moderated by The Boston Globe’s Robert Turner and also included Milton Little of United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Charles Roussel of The Atlantic Philanthropies and Andrew Wolk of Root Cause Institute. Of paramount interest was the notion that, in order to set themselves apart and achieve their goals, organizations must think like corporations and market their missions and outcomes to funders and donors as corporations do with investors and consumers. In that spirit, here are some key ideas social entrepreneurs might consider when devising a communications strategy:
1) Define the message. Do the research by taking the 360 degree overview of the competition and figure out how the organization’s mission fills a new need. Then take the time and effort to wordsmith this message, tailor it for different audiences, and carve out a niche for your brand identity.
2) Know the language and use it. As more corporate executives serve on nonprofits’ boards, and as more businesses are funding efforts to effect social change, nonprofits need to focus on speaking the corporate language. Incorporating the terms – and the ideas – of outcomes, value creation, and benchmarks in their presentations and reports will help organizations establish rapport with this critical audience.
3) Be transparent and specific when communicating the organization’s goals. Have a clear value proposition, set benchmarks, ready yourself to go public when the organization meets its goals – and be prepared to face the public when it doesn’t. If part of the organization is unable to effectively achieve certain tasks, partner with another organization that can do that particular work better.
4) Get recognition in the right way. Many nonprofits focus just on the media hit, but this is only one component of successful communications. Focus also on how the organization is reflecting its funders’ messages, and seek avenues beyond the media for communicating the mission to targeted audiences, such as policymakers and potential funders and partners.
5) Protect the organization through preparation. Inevitably problems arise, or certain challenges haven’t been met. Many if not most potential issues can be anticipated, and the best solution is the development in writing and periodic testing of a crisis communications plan to protect the organization and the brand.
The work that nonprofits do is so valuable in and of itself, and yet it becomes more difficult everyday to reach funders and gain recognition just by good works alone. A carefully considered communications strategy can help organizations harness their economic power and effectuate their goals.
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