Marketing & Communications
What do we mean by Marketing and Communications?
Marketing and communications are about how your organisation shares its purpose, connects with people, and builds understanding and trust.
It includes:
- communications planning and strategy
- branding and visual identity
- writing and storytelling
- websites and digital content
- social media and email communications
- media and public relations
- stakeholder and community engagement
- promoting services, programmes, and impact
Why Marketing and Communications Matter
Good communication is essential for engaging service users, funders, stakeholders, local advocates and the wider community.
It helps organisations:
- explain what they do and why it matters
- reach the right audiences at the right time
- build credibility and trust
- strengthen funding and stakeholder relationships
- improve engagement in the service
For the social and community sector, strong communication is essential for impact and sustainability.
Tips
- understand your audiences
- clarify your key messages
- choose the right channels (email, social media, media, website)
- keep language clear, inclusive, and accessible
- use AI tools to enhance and/or proofread your writing
- align communications with your organisation’s purpose
- keep brand consistent for external communication
- use and upskill in digital tools to ensure a professional finish – e.g. MailChimp for e-newsletters and Canva for notices
> NOTE: These digital tools often have low-cost or free options for NFPs. See the Business Heroes Directory for those that do. There are many online tutorials or SociaLink may offer training to upskill.
Useful Websites
Community Comms Collective – This charitable trust provides free help for community organisations with marketing strategy, media relations, and websites from expert communications volunteers.
Community Comms Collective Resources – a comprehensive range of online resources and tools, some specifically developed for community organisations.
CommunityNet Aotearoa is a mine of information about a wide range of topics to help charities and not-for-profits and has a lot of Communication Articles.
Communications Strategy and Planning Resources
Here is some useful guidance and tools for developing structured, well thought out communications.
Strategy and Planning – a selection of videos, articles, and templates to assist you with all aspects of developing and writing your communications strategy and plan – Community Comms Collective
Communications Planning – a communications plan template to set out how you are going to engage with your audiences and stakeholders for a specific event or campaign, or as a roadmap for the year ahead – Community Comms Collective
Your Communications Plan – a guide to the process and all the things to think about, together with templates – CommunityNet Aotearoa
How to Effectively Communicate Your Strategy – short video – OnStrategy I Virtual Strategist
Writing, Content and Plain Language Resources
Good writing is at the heart of effective communication.
Plain language – guidance and resources to promote clarity and improve skills in written communication – Community Comms Collective
Content design guidance – use this guidance to help you design useful, readable, and inclusive content for your users, based on best-practice advice for the public sector digital content – Digital Government
Writing tools – free tools to help you write clearly, make a good impression, and meet your communication goals – Write
Writing Words for your Website – a one hour webinar walking you through the fundamentals of content creation, how to find the phrases to improve your website performance (SEO), creating a content plan and common content mistakes – TechSoup
Media Resources
How to work with media for to share your message more widely with the public.
Communicating via the media – information on how to communicate with newspapers, online, TV or radio to get your message out. Includes a media release template and a media interview checklist – Community Resource Kit, via CommunityNet Aotearoa
Media Contact List – this is regularly updated – Community Comms Collective
Marketing Resources
Marketing centres on your services, and involves finding out more about your customers needs, developing services to match their needs, and how you will let them know about your services.
Essential elements of a marketing plan – Community Resource Kit, via CommunityNet Aotearoa
Developing a Marketing Plan – Te Papa National Services
Digital marketing – an extensive library of free online guides, covering social media, emails, websites and more – Infoxchange
Understanding Digital Marketing for Non-profits – an hour presentation – Aro Digital, via CommunityNet Aotearoa
101 Digital Marketing & Fundraising Best Practices for Non-profits – this series helps resource-constrained community organisations – NZ Navigator Trust via CommunityNet Aotearoa
Other Useful Websites & Resources
SociaLink Workshops – we often run training and development workshops on communications. Upcoming workshops are here.
Business Heroes Directory – this directory, facilitated by SociaLink, has local organisations who can help you with aspects of marketing and communication, and are prepared to give you a special offer or discount – e.g. signage, promotional items, event promotion, marketing, printing, web-site design and local newspaper promotion.
Look under the Categories Creative and Web and Professional Services.
TED Talks – a collection of presentations on the topic of Communication – TED