Marketing and Communications
Clear and concise communication is essential to ensuring your organisation’s message is delivered effectively, to the right audience, at the right time. The goal of any communication is to keep people informed, engaged, and supporting your work, while raising awareness of the cause at a local and national level.
In the social sector an organisation needs to communicate with a range of audiences, from service users, local advocates, and the wider community, to funders, other organisations, and the Government. In order to do this effectively, you’ll need to have a toolkit of content to adapt to each situation.
SociaLink’s Mapping the Social Sector research shows in the social sector marketing and promotion as the most common area needing support. Below are some resources as a starting point.
There are several organisations with free resources that cater specifically to the social sector, and cover a wide range of topics to ensure your communication efforts are effective and efficient.
Ehara taku toa, he takitahi, he toa takitini
My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, as it was not individual success but success of a collective
Māori Proverb
General Information
Communication
Reading
Community Comms Collective
The Community Comms Collective helps people to help others, and has a comprehensive resources section.
https://communitycomms.org.nz/
CommunityNet Aotearoa
Community Net is an online hub of resources, designed to strengthen communities.
Marketing
Reading
A marketing plan is a roadmap introducing and delivering your services to service users and other stakeholders.
Essential elements of a marketing plan
Short article on all elements of a marketing plan.
What Is a Marketing Plan?
A quick overview of the main points of the marketing plan.
Video
TED Talks on marketing
When you have a great organisation or idea, how do you let the world know? These TED Talks share the latest thinking on how to spread a message in our hyperconnected world.
Reading
Ministry of Health – NGO Health and Disability Network
A range of webinars to enable with tips and tools for building a profile and communicating your purpose.
https://ngo.health.govt.nz/resources/ngo-council-webinar-project/webinars-communication
Video
TED Talks
A collection of Ted Talks on all matters relating to communication.
Read
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) Knowhow
This UK-based organisation offers advice and support for voluntary organisations. While the resources are centred around the UK, they can easily be adapted for our local communities.
Words and Language
Read
Writing skills – Community Comms Collective
Guidance and resources to promote clarity, improve skills, and avoid mistakes in written communication.
Digital content and plain language – digital.co.nz
The guidance from digital.govt.nz is based on best-practice advice for the public sector digital content. The guidance can be used to check, update and /or add to your own organisation’s guidelines. There’s information on how to use plain language; style, grammar, and punctuation; readability and inclusive writing; and useful tools for content designers.
https://www.digital.govt.nz/standards-and-guidance/design-and-ux/content-design-guidance/
Writing words for your website – TechSoup
A webinar walking you through the fundamentals of content creation, how to find the phrases to tick Google’s boxes (aka SEO), creating a content plan and common content mistakes. https://www.techsoup.net.nz/learn/articles/webinar-recording-writing-words-your-website
Tools
Tools and resources – write.co.nz
Free tools to help you write clearly, make a good impression, and meet your communication goals.
Training
Mastering Effective Communications for Causes: Public Interest Communications & the Science of Story.
A two-part, 180-minute e-certification program offered training on effective communications strategy and methods for promoting a social cause
What does a good communications strategy look like?
Slide share from presentation “Creating Powerful Communications Strategies” a Charity Comms seminar.
Templates
Developing a communications strategy
Step-by-step guide to producing a comms strategy for your organisation. Includes exercises and downloads.
Stakeholder communications plan
Eight-step communications planning framework.
Social Media for Social Good Guide
A 25+ page free guide with tips, tricks and insider resources to help tell your story.
Communicating via the media
Information on how to communicate with newspapers, online, TV or radio to get your message out (inclusive of media release template and doing interviews).
Simple steps to planning a campaign inclusive of writing a media release
A how to guide from the Media Trust UK
Communication Strategy and Planning
Strategy and planning – Communication Comms Collective
A selection of videos, articles, and templates to assist you with all aspects of developing and writing your communications strategy and plan.
https://communitycomms.org.nz/resources/strategy-and-planning/
Read and Tools
Your Communications Plan – CommunityNet Aotearoa
A simple communications plan, which also includes some templates.
https://community.net.nz/resources/community-resource-kit/your-communications-plan/
Video
How to Effectively Communicate Your Strategy
Short video to clarify how to communicate your strategy.
Webinar
Connecting with others
an extensive list of webinars on communication (inclusive of social media)
Ministry of Health NGO Health and Disability Network.
Training
SociaLink often runs training and development workshops on communications – check out our upcoming workshops here.
Branding
Read
Branding for Non Profit Organisations: The Definitive Guide
There are lots of differences between non profit branding and branding for commercial organisations.