New Solutions for a Familiar Challenge

As a communications professional, or as someone whose work touches communications, at a purpose-driven organization, do o you ever feel like you’re operating in a nonprofit bubble? You try to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the field, but most of the time it’s a full-time job just keeping up with the day-to-day demands of what’s happening at your organization. Or maybe one of the ongoing challenges you encounter is trying to understand – and then justify to your board – what staffing and communications resources are typical for an organization of your size. Sound familiar?

These are just a few of the scenarios communicators face every day. And the answers to these questions about what’s going on within and outside of your organization are important.

Knowing how you compare to peers can help you think through how to prioritize your own communications activities, identify what gaps may need to be addressed and also spark conversations internally about your organization’s unique needs and opportunities.

That’s why we updated one of our most popular tools to make it even more relevant for today’s nonprofit communicator. The redesigned Communications Effectiveness Quiz (which you’ll find, alongside many other free resources, on our Cause Clarity website) helps you assess your organization’s communications strengths and areas of opportunity. The best part is that you can filter your quiz results based on criteria such as organizational budget, state and staff size – giving you insights into how your organization compares to other nonprofits. It’s a great first step to finding the tools and resources that will help you become an even more strategic and effective communicator.

Here are some ways people who have taken the quiz are using the information in their own work:

• Build a solid case to executive leadership about why next year’s budget should include a Communications Manager

• Explore whether some different communications channels could help you reach and engage your target audiences

• Evaluate which metrics to track as your “key performance indicators”

• Identify an area you want to strengthen, then use the Resource Navigator to find some practical next steps for how to do that

• Tell a friend at another local nonprofit about the quiz, then get together for coffee to discuss where your results align, or don’t; share tips and keep an ongoing dialogue going

Taking the time to reflect on your organization’s communications practices and using these insights to drive strategy will help keep your efforts fresh, connected and poised for impact.