NPO CONVERSATION

In a conversation with seven nonprofit leaders this week, we learned about how some nonprofits are working to overcome the challenges of relative obscurity to deliver messages that could transform communities and maybe the world. They are putting relationships first, and no one ever mentioned LinkedIn or Facebook (though match. com did come up once).

Nonprofits today are busy – raising funds, building awareness, forging coalitions, measuring change and delivering services too. Success often depends on skilled communication, especially when the nonprofit name is not widely known. Other people, more than technology, can help the most. Here are three basic ways these nonprofit leaders purposefully build relationships that matter:

Segmenting

Find the most important people first. Building an effective nonprofit is a complex task, dependent on the enthusiasm of staff, donors, volunteers, policy makers and community members. With limited resources, leaders necessarily prioritize their efforts to match their immediate objectives.

For a leader in an important but new field like urban farming, the priority has been to find funders and to learn from other pioneers. For an innovative solutions network trying to reach villagers in remote regions of the world, the challenge is finding partner organizations on the ground, already at work.

Messaging

Tell them the single most important thing they should know. Prepare different messages for different audiences. This takes time and discipline. Most people’s eyes will glaze over if you launch into a full-on description of ‘Important Initiatives.’ Instead, share a dream – one that you and your audience share.

Advocates for changes in public policy rely heavily on data to influence legislators, but change is more likely when that data weaves a story that captures people’s imaginations. A policy research organization starts its presentations about changes to the tax code with images of improved infrastructure, bright school rooms and tidy neighborhoods.

Amplifying

Get them to tell more people. Nonprofits at work in an increasingly complex and wired world have the opportunity to get their story told by others. An audience, connected by shared dreams and an understanding of what we do, becomes an advocate.

Clearly a message heard on several channels in different ways is amplified. A membership organization gives small nonprofits the ability to reach thousands with a well-conceived article. An organization ministering to an isolated elderly population finds its volunteer pool boosted by Oprah’s Just Say Hello campaign.

Relationships clearly matter to all of us – just look online. But nonprofits have everything to gain from making purposeful relationship building part of their culture. Their core mission depends on it.

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Judy Sneath is responsible for communications at GMA Foundations. She can be reached at jsneath@gmafoundations.com