In charitable organisations, communication is necessary for the expression of the organisation’s mission and the social impact it aims to achieve. Without a seasoned communications plan, the nonprofit will find it difficult to get its message across to the world. Also, internal collaboration will become a struggle.
With an array of concerns including fundraising, audience segmentation, crisis management and many more, nonprofits can feel lost on how to communicate appropriately. Let’s take a look at the various communication skills nonprofits need to ensure that they function optimally as they strive to make the world a better place.
Why are communication skills important?
Communication skills are techniques that give one the ability to efficiently convey information and ideas and equally receive the same in a manner that suits the situation. They enable people to understand and be understood by others.
Benefits of good communication skills include:
- Great team chemistry—good communication builds strong teams!
- Greater social impact—proper communication helps build your narrative, attract mission ambassadors to your cause and clearly define your organisation’s mission, vision and values.
- Increased support and funding—good communication can help convert neutral parties, enlarge your supporter base and increase your fundraising donations!
Good communication skills for nonprofits
1. Understand your audience
It’s challenging to craft your communications if you don’t know and understand your audience. Knowing your audience makes it possible to tweak the communication style to effectively get the message across.
A nonprofit’s external audience is typically categorised into 3 groups – the believers, the agnostics and the atheists. The believers are people who believe in and support your organisation and cause while the agnostics are neutral and can be converted with some effort. These usually include potential and recurring donors, supporters, volunteers, beneficiaries and community members.
Atheists are people who do not and will not support the organisation’s cause no matter the situation.
Then, there is also the internal audience, which refers to the organisation’s workforce. While they’re usually in support of the organisation’s mission and aligned with its values, some employees might be new to the organisation and its processes. A firm understanding of the audience enables the organisation to communicate properly.
2. Adjust your communication styles as appropriate
With different audiences and different circumstances comes the need for different communication styles. It’s important to adjust your communication strategies and channels to suit the situation at hand. The communication style used when reaching out to agnostics should differ from the style used when communicating with believers who are supporters of the mission. It will boost the chances of success when soliciting donations.
A well-tailored communication method is necessary to achieve the desired results. Tweaking the communication style to trigger excitement will help inspire the workforce when there’s a new project to take on. Also, it will ensure that a sense of urgency is instilled when there’s a need for it.
3. Be clear and transparent
Clarity is a crucial communication skill for nonprofits. Without clarity, the message is lost; a worrisome possibility for any organisation. Clarity entails specificity and definiteness. It also includes simplicity. Be clear and transparent in your messaging and use regular language to convey the message instead of turgid and overly technical expressions that might leave some guessing.
Clear communication erases confusion and ensures that deadlines are clearly communicated. It also guarantees the definition of responsibilities and expectations.
4. Practice active listening
Communication is a two-way process; as you share your message, prepare to hear from your recipients as well.
As an organisation leader, when your team members or external parties express their concerns or share their ideas, there should be no doubt about whether they have your attention. You should be entirely focused on them with little to no interruption. This implies that you should eliminate all forms of distraction and let them share their thoughts – wait for your turn to speak.
A good part of this listening process is utilising non-verbal cues to demonstrate that you’re following. Nods, facial expressions and gentle gestures, to name a few, are excellent ways to show that you appreciate what they’re saying.
For digital communications, ask questions in your emails and let your audience and community know you welcome their feedback and responses.
Incorporating active listening into business communication skills ensures that you make sense of what the speaker is saying. It also displays your respect for them.
5. Write and speak effectively
Writing and speaking are the heart and soul of communication. Your marketing and messaging efforts are heavily dependent on writing – from your website to social media platforms and everything in between. It’s important to have seasoned writers in your communications team who’ll masterfully craft your messaging with the right tone.
There might be the need to make a presentation to potential donors, volunteers and supporters. Solid public speaking and presentation skills help organise and deliver information to a diverse audience. If you can keep your audience engaged through your speech, you’re only a few steps away from converting them!
Some tips on how to improve verbal communication skills include:
- Make eye contact
- Maintain good body posture and enthusiasm
- Leverage non-verbal communication such as facial expressions, hand gestures etc. According to body language researcher, Albert Mehrabian, 55% of communication is nonverbal
- Pause intermittently
- Change your tone of voice accordingly
Writing and speaking skills can help you effectively raise awareness, showcase your impact and solicit support.
6. Ask for feedback
Implementing feedback is how to cap off every communication process. It’s the surest sign that the message passed was received and understood. To ensure that your nonprofit operates optimally, invite and give constructive feedback. This can be done through regular surveys or emailed questionnaires.
Effect the necessary changes suggested by the feedback. The outcome will be a constant improvement of the organisation’s operations.
Ultimately, good communication is required for the success of every organisation, charitable or otherwise. With good communication skills, you can enjoy enhanced fundraising, a connected team and an ever-growing network of passionate supporters.
