OUR COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
COMMUNICATIONS GOAL
To engage our target audiences around our business goal of inspiring people to invest in
our community.
OUR COMMUNICATIONS ENVIRONMENT
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A SIMPLE STRATEGY
Target audiences
Calls to action
Donors (current & prospective)
Profesional advisors
Nonprofits (& community groups)
Give to the Foundation
Get client resources
Get grants
Get knowledge
Foundation's business
goal: To inspire
people to invest in
our communty.
Objectives
Success
Help for staff and board
Effective integration of social media
Better content writing
Measure, analyse and plan
Strategy for each social media channel
Styleguide + how to docs for staff
Increased online engagement
Answer the so what? question
OUR APPROACH
We’re creating a new strategy for a new day. A communications strategy based on controlled oneway messaging doesn’t work anymore. In today’s multi-channeled communications environment
there is little control. We must be willing, ready and know how to listen, respond and participate in
what is (or is not) being said about us and around us. Our strategy and actions should promote
two-way engagement to build trust and support for our mission and business goal. This intentional
and measured approach will lead to better results.
Engagement
Listen | Read | Watch
Follow | Join | Create
Building trust
Knowledgeable
Authentic
Taking action
Realistic | Achievable
Measure succcess
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It’s more about our strategy and objectives than the tools. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, distracted
or enamored with Facebook, Google+, Twitter or the website. The tools must flow from our
strategy, not the other way around. We’ve adopted an editorial calendar to curate and manage
content. We also provided ways for regular staff input, participation and reporting.
Building on successes and learning from failures. In 2012, we launched of a new website, increased
our use of social media and improved our content curation. However, we fell short trying to tie
communications success to program, administrative and development objectives. We wanted those
in the plan to be monitored and discussed throughout the year, but that never happened in any
meaningful way. It may happen in the future, but for now we set our target on lower hanging
fruit.
OUR COMMUNICATIONS TOOLS
Our communications strategy illustrated on page two powers us forward. Our communications
tools work like the turning gears below, choosing the right tool(s) to get the desired results.
P2P
Print
Web 2.0
>People to people (P2P)
This is still the most effective way to build and maintain relationships. Consistent use of our
messages (by all staff), with attention to our business goal and core values (compassionate,
engaged, knowledgeable, innovative and professional) carries the day.
>Print (and broadcast)
The traditional old-school communication method for marketing still has value, especially in
reaching target audience in our small media market. Considered here are annual publications,
news releases, fund statements, letters, as well as print, television and radio advertising.
>Web 2.0

Email
Constant Contact is our email tool used for short, targeted messages that drive people to
our website or other online resources. We’ve segmented our audience interests through five
newsletters: Foundation News, Nonprofit News, Scholarship Alerts and Philanthropy
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Connect (for professional advisors).

Website
Our website, designed by Embolden, is a modern, streamlined tool that helps us connect
and engage our audiences. It was designed with an emphasis on stories, videos and photos,
supported with short blocks of text. Foundant grants and Donor Central modules provide
additional vehicles for engagement. The website is not a repository or archive of materials.
It requires a new mindset from all of us on how we think about and use the Web.

Social media
Strategy + target audience + desired action or result = knowing which social media tool(s) to
use and when.

Facebook to engage nonprofits and their supporters through authentic and
personable daily posts, comments, tips and links to other sites.

YouTube to build the trust factor by sharing human stories to move donors and
nonprofits to action.

LinkedIn to build our professional network by engaging professional advisors,
business and community leaders.

Twitter to listen to and engage with the media and other influencers.

Blog posts by staff and guest writers promoting engagement and knowledge
sharing.

HOW WE GET THIS DONE
EXTERNAL
Anticipate + respond
Communications strategy
INTERNAL
Staff work plans
Monthly
staff
planning &
measuring
Editorial
calendar
(LC+KE)
Set
weekly
priorities
Actions
(LC+KE)
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MANAGING OUR EDITORIAL CALENDAR
We customized a template created by Top Nonprofits as our editorial calendar. It provides us with
a simple tool to plan forward, map and schedule content and consider results.
We are determined to keep the editorial calendar (like the strategy) simple, realistic and
manageable given our existing staff capacity and resources. We ask that you trust the
communications team to drive the plan and to set and manage the editorial calendar.
Providing staff input. This illustration show how staff can provide content ideas at anytime and the
best ways on how to do it.
Best
Worst
•Monthly staff communications planning meetings (the best way)
•Staff meetings (ok way to start conversation & share ideas)
•Direct communications to Luis:
•Email or phone call (share details: who [audience], what & when)
•Face to face sharing
•Hallway or lunchroom conversations (yr ideas may get lost & forgotten)
•Voicemails for Luis or Kim (harder to decipher & track)
•IMs or emails only to Kim (the content mapping starts with Luis)
KEYS TO SUCCESS
Plan
Discipline
Strategy
Focus
Action
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