What’s Comms Got to Do With It? – Cause Communications

Cause celebrates its anniversary in May: 47 years of “Communications for Good.” In honor of this milestone, we’re sharing a few special posts designed to pay it forward, so that you can see the value of communications up close and strengthen your cause’s own impact. First up: Our founder, Chris Hershey, rounds up some powerful reflections on why communications is key to solving the world’s biggest challenges.

What’s comms got to do, got to do with it?

Hopefully you’re hearing the powerful voice of Tina Turner in this refrain, and, as Cause looks forward to our 48th year, we still say comms has EVERYTHING to do with it.

Name any major development in society—from advancing marriage equality to advocating for climate change as a global priority—and you’ll see communications played a key role.

The reality is there is literally almost nothing that, if done well, communications can’t help improve. Communications is essential to solving the world’s greatest challenges and moving the needle on the biggest issues facing our communities.

If you need proof that better stories lead to bigger dollars, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving initiative recently announced the latest round of grants to “nonprofits who are community-led” with missions “to advance the voices and opportunities of individuals and families of meager or modest means.” Once again I was thrilled to see so many groups Cause has had the opportunity to mentor with communications support named as recipients.

On the heels of such important recognition (by MacKenzie Scott among many others), we asked some of our recently honored partners to reflect on the role communications has played in driving impact for their cause. Their comments bring to life our 10 anchor principles of communications and why comms is so essential to social change:

INCREASE VISIBILITY

Communications can take good ideas and make them concrete, actionable, desirable, and well worth championing or supporting (or both!). Communications is the fuel that accelerates new ways of thinking.

“When I started my role as Executive Director, I didn’t prioritize communications because I didn’t think it was that important, especially when you’re juggling various priorities and a limited budget. Over time, I’ve realized how much visibility matters – especially with those who aren’t familiar with our line of work. Someone can read our mission but that’s not as powerful as communicating about the impact we’re making.” —Elida Ledesma, Executive Director, Arts for Healing and Justice Network

USE BETTER STORIES TO RAISE BIGGER DOLLARS

For nonprofits in particular, communications is the foundation for all development. Success comes to those organizations that properly invest in fundraising initiatives that are focused, tailored to their target audiences, organized around a compelling case for support, and, most important of all, clearly communicated with frequency and consistency. Sound communications answers “why give?” and “why give now?”

“We can do the best work in the world, but if we don’t proactively share the highlights of that work then very few will actually know about it. Especially when it comes to donors, strong communications are essential to attracting supporters and reporting back about the impact of their gifts.” —Diane Lane, Founder and CEO, Get Lit

STAND OUT FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

Smart communications strengthens and advances an organization’s strategic priorities across all departments. As a through-line and connector, communications can unify an organization behind a singular vision and serve as a roadmap for how that vision becomes impact. Communications also creates opportunities to highlight your underlying values, as well as what separates you from others doing similar work.

“Communications helps us lift up what’s unique about our organization and build stronger relationships. We give the communities that we serve a window into our process in the form of storytelling content, news updates, and meeting our team and community of artists. That creates the opportunity for more humanistic interaction, versus transactional, and shows our purpose and values in action.” —Jennifer Cuevas, Executive Director, Self Help Graphics & Art

SIMPLIFY THE COMPLEX

Communications is key in helping broaden understanding of data and other scientific research when made understandable to a lay audience. Communications can make critical information – and bold, new ideas – more accessible and relevant. And that’s the first step in shifting attitudes and behaviors that lead to other significant societal improvements.

“Get Lit considers itself a leader in the youth literacy space, but the issues we work on are complicated and conversations tend to be dominated by issue experts and industry jargon. Plus, ‘spoken word’ isn’t exactly a household phrase at the top of people’s list of causes to fund. Good communications can help bridge those gaps, making the value of what we do clearer to more people.” —Diane Lane, Founder and CEO, Get Lit

MOVE POLICY

Helping people understand proposed policy changes and how they’ll impact, if not improve, their lives or communities is key to any advocacy effort. It works best when proposed changes are explained in simple, jargon-free language, supported by examples along with a clear explanation of the risks of inaction — or sticking with the status quo. The leadership- and reputation-building that comes with strong communications also serves as a powerful asset when engaging policymakers and advocating on behalf of communities.

“The communications work we’ve done on suicide prevention and maximizing the positional expertise we have on the systems, trends, and needs around 988 have helped us add value and create a stronger seat at the table with elected officials and other influential policy players.” —Danielle Serrano, Vice President of Development, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services

SAVE TIME

Messages grounded in a solid and purposeful communications strategy are more compelling than ones thought up on the fly. The more compelling they are, the faster advocates can move people toward behavior change on the issues they care about. They also ensure all those involved are working in sync toward the same goal and on the same timeline. Put another way, why spend 10 years doing something you can accomplish in five?

“True strategic communications gets us to our goals faster. Whether it’s driving shared messages that unite supporters or deploying specialized tactics that support the business plan, communications can support your mission and impact the bottom line. It actually saves time and money.” —Julie Korinke, Director of Marketing & Communications, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services

CLARIFY ISSUES

These days with so many viewpoints, opinions, and never-ending streams of content coming at us from so many channels, it is important to be able to distinguish signal from noise and understand what’s really at stake. Well-crafted communications helps do that by making a clear, concise, and, most importantly, persuasive and fact-based case for a cause or issue.

“We’ve evolved our communications strategy from being a low priority to an integral part of the way we affect change and sustain our organization. This shift has resulted in a much clearer understanding of who we are and what we do. It also allows us to emphasize the role arts play in social justice and why that matters more broadly.” —Jennifer Cuevas, Executive Director, Self Help Graphics & Art

SAVE MONEY

Inaction can sometimes be more expensive than action, and that’s just as true when it comes to communications. Failing to use all channels available to get your message out or taking a too-slow approach puts you in a position of playing catchup later at a higher cost, both in potential expenditures and missed opportunities. When messages are consistent and coordinated across communications channels, they’re more memorable and efficient in achieving the goals.

“The past few years our organization has invested more resources and staffing in communications overall. The result has been that we have a stronger business-minded and more unified strategy to our communications. We’ve also supported and expanded our team of trained spokespersons – voices that lift up consistent messages with authenticity and expertise. It’s an investment that pays exponentially: it saves money and increases impact in the long run.” —Danielle Serrano, Vice President of Development, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services

UNITE AROUND COMMON PURPOSE

Find your peeps. Movements that aim to right what’s wrong or achieve progress on important issues don’t materialize out of thin air. They are thoughtful, organized efforts that rely heavily on communications and messaging to motivate people to act, often by showing them the power they can wield by coming together in common purpose and working with others who share their values and who believe in the same goals. Communications can also unite unlikely partners, revealing common ground and cultivating community.

“Good communications makes people curious about our work, attracts people who share our values, and gets them excited about our vision. It makes people want to get involved. Communications also helps convey trust, transparency, and culture which are important for people looking for organizations where they can connect to a cause and be part of a community.” —Elida Ledesma, Executive Director, Arts for Healing and Justice Network

ENSURE YOU CONTROL YOUR STORY – NOT SOMEONE ELSE

No one knows your story better than you, making you the only one truly qualified to tell it. Without a strategic communications presence, you run the risk of others shaping the narrative for you – one that may not be accurate or complete. Proactive communications protects your brand AND your cause. A constant presence in various media channels also helps in times of crisis, giving you something to build on instead of trying to create something in the moment. And on the relationship-building level, authentic and ethical storytelling can strengthen trust, connection, and engagement.

“My greatest strength in communication is through public speaking. When I am connected to an issue, I can excite, motivate, educate, and recruit. Over the years I have learned to tell stories that really resonate, stories that allow me to speak from the heart and convey what’s at stake with the issues we work on. It is hard for audiences to say no when they feel the urgency of the request.” —Richard Zaldivar, Founder and Executive Director, The Wall Las Memorias

We are grateful to these leaders from Arts for Healing and Justice Network, Didi Hirsch, Self Help Graphics & Art, Get Lit, and The Wall Las Memorias for sharing their insights on the power of communications. The wisdom of our partners’ reflections makes very clear that communications is not a luxury and offers inspiring proof for other causes and changemakers.

Their words bring hope – and a call to action. When you’re working on solving the world’s biggest challenges how can you afford to NOT use communications effectively?