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MynameisTemiAdewumifromTAGbConsulting.Ibelievethatthereisagreatneedforeffectiveuseofdigitaltechnologyinnotfor profits– oftypesandallsizes.Myspecialtyishelpingnonprofitcommunicationsprofessionalsinthetechnicalaspectoftheirjobs.MostprofessionalsstartoffwritingnewslettersandAnnualreports,orcreatingsocialmediacampaigns,butthen,alsoendupmanagingwebsites,developingvideo,andeven,orcreatingtechnologyplansfortheentireorganization.

So,ifyou’reacommunicationsprofessionalwhoallofasuddenhastomanageawebsite,purchasesoftwareorputadigitalplaninplace,let’schat!

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Beforewestart,please satisfy mycuriosity- thiswillalsohelpwithsomeofourdiscussions.Whattypestypesofnonprofitsarerepresentedtoday.

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ThisiswhatIknowaboutvolunteers,havingworkedwiththemforabout20yearsinvariousnotforprofits.

1.Theywanttoberecognizedforwhattheydo,regardlessofthereasonforwhytheyvolunteered.

2.Theywanttheirtimeand skillstoberespected.

3.Theywanttoknowthattheyaremakinganimpact.

4.Theywanttoknowthatthenotforprofitisdoingitsparttohelpthemgivetheirbestwork

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Now,let’sgetasenseofyourworkwithvolunteers.

Asktheslidequestions

Interactive:Forthoseofyouwhoworkwithvolunteers,whataresomeofyourchallenges?

Ifyouareavolunteer,whatareyourfrustrations?

Optional:Whatroleareyouin:communications,membership,programming,management?

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staff/volunteerconflictlackofunderstandingofroleslackofvolunteersupportlackofrespectforcommunicationsitselfwithintheorganization.Forsomereason,communications mayberelegatedtothebackground,eventhoughit’scrucialtonotforprofitoperations

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Toillustratethechallenges,inthenextfewslides,I’mgoingtoprovideexampleshowsomenonprofitsincorporatevolunteersintotheircommunicationsstrategy.TherearetwoparticularpatternsthatI’veobserved.

Youmayhavealotmore– eachNFPisuniqueandnooneNFPwillfitexactlyintothesemodels.

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FirstistheVolunteerledNFP

Volunteerled organizationsusuallystartoffasheavilyvolunteerdependentintheirorigin,sothere’salotofownership.Suchorganizationsonlyaddstaffoncetheydeterminethattheyneedmoreexpertisethantheycanprovidethemselves.

Suchorganizationshavetheirvolunteersstillretainagreatdealofcontrolineverythingtheorganizationdoesfromprogramming,fundraising,hiringstaffandevenhumanresources.

Volunteersalsoserveonthecorporateside,incollaborationwithstaff.

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Volunteers, not staff, have a firm grasp on the way communications are conducted, the organization’s brand and how internal and external communications are carried out.

Because control is usually with the volunteers, they would much rather still use volunteer help whenever possible. Staff may be seen as an unavoidable expense, which then creates a tension and conflict between both roles. Conflict (both spoken and unspoken) may also occur between staff and volunteers, due to the imbalance of roles.

In my observation, in such organizations, staff input may

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be sought, but volunteer opinion takes precedence.

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The term“volunteerdriven”meansthatthevolunteersinthisorganizationoftengivetheiroveralldirectionandleavestafftodotheimplementation.Moreofa“dothis,”not“howto”

Oftensuchorganizationsaredrivenbybusyprofessionals,whocreatetheorganizationtoadvocatefortheircauseorprofession,orcreateanassociationoflikemindedindividualswhoneedmutualsupport.

TheyaretoobusytoworkonthedaytodaytasksofrunningaNFP,andso,choosetohireprofessionalstodoso.

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Volunteersaretoobusyintheirownlivesandcareers,andmaynotpayenoughattentiontowhat’shappeningintheorganization.

Duetothisbusyness,theymaynotprovideproperoversight,leadingstafftoguessonwhatvolunteerswant,orcausesignificantdelaysinmovingforwardonprojects,especiallyaseverythingmustbesignedoffandapprovedonbythevolunteers.

Suchorganizationsmaysometimesberiskaverse,andonlyconductmajorprojects,suchasacommunicationsoverhaul,ifsimilarorganizationshavedonethesame.Staff(fromtheEDdown)mayhavetoworkdoublyhardtoconvincethevolunteersthatchangeisneeded.

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Theideal,iswherebothstaffandvolunteerscollaborateequally.Forvolunteers,I’dsaythatthey:

Volunteercommitteesprovideinputonvarious initiatives,andhowcustomers’/members/donors/communityneedscanbesupported.

Volunteers liaisewithstaffonthebestwaystopresentinformation

Volunteersadvisestaffonwhatissuesneedtobepromoted,properterminologyandlanguagetouse,andhowbesttodistributetheinformation.

Volunteersserveasrepresentatives,ortheeyesandearsoftheorganization

Volunteers’opinionsaresoughtwhileprojectsareinthedevelopmentstages, notfinalstages

Volunteerinputisheardandnoted,andleadstorealchange bothinternallyandexternally

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Theideal,iswherebothstaffandvolunteerscollaborateequally.Forvolunteers,I’dsaythatthey:

Volunteercommitteesprovideinputonvarious initiatives,andhowcustomers’/members/donors/communityneedscanbesupported.

Volunteers liaisewithstaffonthebestwaystopresentinformation

Volunteersadvisestaffonwhatissuesneedtobepromoted,properterminologyandlanguagetouse,andhowbesttodistributetheinformation.

Volunteersserveasrepresentatives,ortheeyesandearsoftheorganization

Volunteers’opinionsaresoughtwhileprojectsareinthedevelopmentstages, notfinalstages

Volunteerinputisheardandnoted,andleadstorealchange bothinternallyandexternally

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Akeypartof incorporatingvolunteersintocommunicationsstrategyisrealizingthateachpartyneedstheirownspecificroles,evenastheyneedeachother.

So:Whatcommunicationsrolesshouldbehandledbystaff,whatshouldbehandledbyvolunteers, andwhatdoyoucollaborateon?

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Whatneedstofirsthappenforexcellentcommunicationstooccur:

• Volunteersandstaffneedtounderstandthattheyarepartofateam- withequalcapabilities.Neithershouldlookdownontheotherornegatetheinfluence,expertiseorskillsoftheother.

• Bothstaffandvolunteersneedtobeseenasassets,notcommodities.BythatImean,neitherstaffnorvolunteerrolesshouldbeseenasexpendableordisposable.Bothplayanequalroleincommunicationssuccess.

• Aclearoutlineofstaffandvolunteers’expertise,capabilities,rolesandresponsibilities.Whentheserolesarenotdefined,itleadstoconfusion,whichleadstoconflict,whichleadstochaos.

• Bothvolunteersandstaff’sneedsformotivationneedtoberespected. IntheNFPsector,itisunderstoodthatmoneyisnotamotivator. Inthatcase,workatyourNFPshouldbeawin/winforallparties.Workmustbefulfilling,enablingbothvolunteersandstafftogrow,andexpandtheirskills.Don’tstickeitherin“joe”jobsandexpectresults.

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Allthisiscrucialbecause…welldevelopedcommunicationsareessentialtoensuringthatanNFPsmandate,missionandimpactarecarriedout.

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Atitscore:volunteersareyoursubjectmatterexperts.

Everygoodcommunicationsstrategystartsfromthesubjectmatterexperts.

• Theybringinexpertiseandknowledgefromtheirprofession

• Theyknowwhatthemarketthinks,what’srelevant,howtheyshouldbetalkedto

• Theyinformonwhatyour“market”needstoknow,what’srelevantorirrelevant,howtheirpainpointsshouldbesupported,andhowthe“market”shouldbekeptengagedandresponsive.

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Staffare:Thepublishers.

Findingwaystogetthatsubjectmatterexpertiseoutofvolunteers, knowingwhatstrategicquestionstoaskaboutvolunteers’experienceandexpertise.Thismightrequiregettingembeddedintotheirworldforabit,researchingindustryterms,oreducatingyourselfonkeyissuesoccurringinthecommunity.

Theytaketherawdataandinformationfromvolunteersanddecidethebestwaytocraftthemessage,andwhatchannelswouldbebestfor distribution,howtosellthemessage.

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ServingonacommitteeoradvisoryboardSharingexperienceandexpertiseBecominginfluencers,findinginfluencers– key forsocialmediaReviewingcontentforwebsites,newsletters,membercommunications,communicationswiththepublic

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DesigningofeducationalprogramsEstablishingstandardsandpoliciesCreatingquestionsforevaluationsReviewingdataobtainedfromstudies,orsurveys byprovidingacontexttoanswers.

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Staffarecontinuity– retaintheoriginalknowledge oftheorganization,soarebestfor:

Strategy:communications,publicrelations,contentmarketingEstablishingprocedures(thisisthe“howto”;volunteersprovide the“whatto”)Crisismanagement– definitely needskilledleadershiponthisWebsitedevelopmentandmanagement– notjustsettingupwebsite,designit inaspecificwaytogetactionfromstakeholders,donors,membersProcuringsoftware

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Oncethesubjectmatterhasbeendefined,thesetaskscanbeassignedtoeitherstafforvolunteers,dependingonresources:

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Oncethesubjectmatterhasbeendefined,thesetaskscanbeassignedtoeitherstafforvolunteers,dependingonresources:

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Thisstatement ismoretruenowthanwhenMarshallMcLuhanwrote this.

Theemergence ofdigitalchannelschangesthemessagethatisnowbeingdelivered,andeven,changesus,andthewayweinteractwiththemessage.Caremustbetakentochoosetherightchanneltodelivermessagesforcommunitybuilding,advocacyorpublicity.

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Beforechoosingacommunicationschannel,organizationsshouldtrainvolunteersandstaffon:

- Howeachchannelworks- Ifyouraudienceusesthechannel.Forinstance,- Howtotailoryourmessagetothechannel.- Whatmessageyouwanttogetoutthere,andwhichchannelwillgivethemostimpact.

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Whenusingdigitalchannels:

Digitalchannelsarevisual,relyonimpactandprovidinguserswithanexperience,asameanstobreakthroughconstanttediumandglutofinformation. No longeroneway,wheresenderputsoutcontentbutdoesn’tknowhowit’sreceived.

Volunteers(andstaff)needtobetaughtabouttheimpactofeachchannel.Don’tjustleaveituptochancethattheywillknowhowtouseeachtool.Trainingmustgobeyondjustknowinghowtousethetoolsto:

• Howtoengageintwowayconversations:Engagingyouraudiencemeanssharingcontentthatencouragesthemtoact.

• Howtogetyourmessageacrossconcisely.Nolongthinkpiecesorarticles.• Howtopersonalizeyourmessagewithoutcomingacrossasinauthenticorsalesy.• Howtogetyouraudiencetotakeaction

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Herearesomethingstoponder:

YouTubeisnowthemostpopularsocialmediasiteFacebooknowmorepopularwiththoseover50. OnFacebook, photosperformbestforlikes,comments,andshares ascomparedtotext,video,andlinks.

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WeseethatTwitterusage hasgonedown.Andremember,Twitter,isprimarilytextbased.So,when yourleadershiptellsyoutogetonTwitter,usethatstatfromPewResearch

IGstat– oursocialtimes.comhttps://oursocialtimes.com/16-statistics-to-show-why-marketers-need-instagram/

Ontheotherhand,Instagramisrisinginusers.Hootsuite– 59%ofIGinUSareunder30.Intermsofwhythisis:visualappealmatters,andpeoplerespondbettertovisualinfothanjustplaintext.

So,beforeyouchooseachannel,bepreparedforsurprises.Checkthestatsfirst!

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Here aresomeexamplesofdigitalchannelsandwaystheyencourageactionandresponse.

Charity:Water’smission,since2006,hasbeentoraisemoneytohelplocalorganizationsinthedevelopingworlddrillwellsas wellaswater-pumpingand-purificationprojects.

Thefirstscreenshot isacommunityproject,whichshowsdonorstakingaction,bycreatingactivitiesthatbringawarenesstotheneedforwater.So, it’sbothinspirationalandcommunitybuilding,andalsobringsattentiontoCharityWater’smission.

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Readslide– firstpersonquotation, don’tneedtoseethefacetotelltheemotion.

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Putting thereaderinplaceofthesubject.Justimaginewhatitmeanstojustsimplygotoschool,insteadoffirsthavingtotrekmilesforwaterbeforethensettingoffmilesforschool.

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ChoosingWiselyCanada isacampaigntohelpdoctorsandpatientsstart talkingaboutunnecessarytestsandtreatments.Alotofthisischallengingpre-conceivednotionsamongpatientsandphysicians ofwhattreatmentsshouldbeprovided.So,alotofeducationisneededforbehaviorandevenculturalchange.

Tactics- Encouragingphysiciansandtheirassociationstolaunchlocalcampaigns,and

providingthemwithatoolkitandinstructionsonhowtostartacampaign

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Givingresourcestophysicians sotheycanexplainidenticalmessagestopatients,explainingtheconcepts ofovertestingandovertreatment.

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- Providingcasestudies,sothatdoctorscanseehowothersuccessfulcampaignshavebeencreated.

- Overallwiththeseexamples,doctorsarebusy,anddonothavetheknowledgeorexpertisetocraftpersuasivemessages.So,staffhavedoneitforthem,byprovidingthemwithtemplatesandinstructionsonwhattodo.Onceyouhavesuchresourcesinplace,volunteersarelesslikelytoveerawayfromthemessagesyouprovide.

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Advocacybyaprofessionalassociation:

Advocacy meansbringingattentiontoanissue– inthiscase,opioids,andthen,canvassingsupportfromthelocalcommunityinordertoeffectchangeatthegovernmentlevel.Someassociationsstartoffwithawarenesscampaigns.

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Takesacomplexissueandbreaksitdownso thatitcanbeeasilyunderstood.

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Rallying thetroops– pointingouttheirsimilaritiesandsharedinterests,sothatwhenthelobbyingcommences,theyhavethesupportofalltheirmembers.

Asyoucanseewitheachoftheseexamples,thechoiceofmediumhelpsbydrawinginthereaders,invitingcomments,discussions,andinvitingreaderstotakeaction.Seetheuseofphotos,thechoiceofwords.Thechoiceofmediumalsohelps.CharityWatermakesuseoftwitter,FacebookandInstagram,ChoosingWiselyalsohasanumberofchannels,butchoosestosendpeopletoitswebsite,whereas,variousassociationsmakeuseofTwitter,andothertacticssuchasinfographicstodistillcomplicatedinformation.

It’snotjustonechannelanymore,andthemessagehastobeadaptedforeach.Withchoosingwisely,youcanseehowtheeffortisbeingmadetoensureallparticipantsareonmessage.Givingouttoolkits,instructions,etc,arehelpful,buttheyalsoenableallparticipantstostayonmessage,andareallconsistent.

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So,sofar-Asyoucanseefromtheexamples,havingvolunteers workeffectivelyincommunicationsmeans:

• Participationfrombothvolunteersandstaff

• Twoway,interactivecommunicationvstraditionalonewaycommunication

• Mustdemandactionandengagementfromtherecipient(orhowelsewillyouknowit’sworking?)

• Clearandconsistent messaging

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• Read quote• This quoteisfromNonprofitpro.com

• Tobesureyou’regettingouttherightmessage,youneedtobesimple,clearandmemorable.

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Aswe’veestablishedearlier,staffarethegeneralistsorpublishers,whilevolunteershavethespecificsubjectmatterexpertise.

Communicationsworkisverydiverseinthatitallowsforvariouslevelsofinvolvement.Youhavethedailyongoingtasksofcontentgathering,research,andpublishing,allthewayuptostrategicplanningthatrequiresspecificskillsandexpertise.

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Assessyourvolunteers’engagementlevelbeforeassigningtasks.NancySchwartz,fromGettingAttentioncallsthisthe“committedvsthecasual”volunteer.Youwouldn’tvieacasualvolunteerthetaskofcreatingcommunicationsstrategy,butyoumightaskthemtocreategraphics.

Don’tjustassigncommunicationstasks.Assessfromthestartwhatyourvolunteer/staff’snaturalabilitiesare,andwhatskillstheywouldliketodevelopandhowyourtaskandprojectcanhelpthemgrowfurther,bothpersonallyandprofessionally.

Forvolunteersinparticular,rolesandprojectsthatinspirethemtoreachoutandexpandtheirskills,aremorelikelytohaveahigherlevelofengagement,andcreativity.

Knowwhenyou’veexhaustedvolunteerpossibilitiesandneedtohireexpertisetohelpwhetherinhouseorexternally. Hiringoftenmeansthatthestaffpersonhasafiduciaryresponsibilitytogettheresultsyouwant.

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A.Adescriptionofyouraudiences,bothinternalandexternal.

Internal:staff,members,volunteers,currentdonorsExternal:Demographicsofmembersofthepublicthatyouwanttoreach- tobecomemembers,donors,interestedstakeholdersandpartners.

B.WhatcommunicationschannelswouldbemostappropriatetoreachandcommunicatewithWhatmethodsarebesttoreachthem?AretheyonFacebook,LinkedIn,orTwitter?Morelikelytorespondtoapublication,phonecall,ordirectmail,oremail?

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C.Keymessagesyourorganizationwantstoshare

• Haveanumberofpointsyouwanttospeakaboutforwhichyoucandevelopkeymessages: thisiswhatwestandfor,thisiswhatwewanttoachieve,thisishowmuch$weneed,andforwhatreason…

• Establishwhoisthein-houseexpertonthetopics• Makesureyourchannelsareconsistent,includingthebranding.• Toneofthemessages:humour,stories, serious,educational?• Decidewhatinformationisrelevanttoyourorganization

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D.Atwhatpointintheyearthesemessagesshouldbeshared.

E.CreateastyleguideWhichoutlinesuseoflogo,colours,fonts,typeofimages/graphicsusefulacronyms,andacceptablenamesforyourorganization,aswellaspronunciation.

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Forallstaffandvolunteers• Sharethepolicies,guidelineswithnewvolunteersandnewstaffwhentheyjust

joinyourorganization• Trainingcouldbeeitherselfpacedorinteractive• UseanintranetorfilessharedviaGoogleDrive/Dropbox• Havevolunteersandstaffsignoffthattheyunderstandtheterms

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Forvolunteers/staffontheforefront• In-persontraining• Mediatraining• Trainingonuseofsocialmedia,soit’snotjustposting,butactively engagingwith

readers.

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Consistentmessaging alsodependsenormouslyonorganization’scurrentculture.Thereneedstobeanunderstanding ofvolunteers’capabilities,withtherightpersonwiththerightskillsintherightrole.Teamworkiskey,andsoishavingeverybodyonthesamepage,andsharingthesamemessagewithoutreservations.

And that’swhyit’sessentialtoalsodealwithdissentfromeithervolunteersorstaff.AlotoftimeswithinNFPs,there’seithermisunderstoodintentions,powerstruggles,orapowerimbalancethatleadstoconflict.Dependingonyourtypeoforganization(volunteer-drivenorvolunteer-led),volunteerscanalsobeyourboss.

Duringyourin-personmeetings,getitoutallintheopen.Invitealltosaywhat’sontheirminds,andthatalldiscussionwillbeheardinanon-judgmentalmanner.

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To ensureconsistentmessaging,prioritizesoftwarethatallowsforcollaboration,co-workingandapprovals.

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There’samyriadofsoftwareoutthere,here’swhatyoushouldlookforbeforepurchasingeach.Thetypeofsoftwareyouwillneeddependsontheproject,andcanrangefromsimpleteleconferencingtofullscalecollaborationsoftware.

Irecommendusingthesimplestversiontobeginwith,soyoucantestyourneeds,beforegoingtoafullscalesolution.

Lookforsoftwarethatsupportsnotforprofits.Softwaregearedtowardsnon-profitneedsismoreconsiderateofthewaynon-profitsarestructured,andwillalsofityourbudgetaccordingly.

Iseasytouse.Softwareuseshouldbeintuitive,andifnotintuitive,shouldbeeasilygraspedduringtraining.Ifsoftwareisdifficulttouse,it’slesslikelytobeadopted.

Hasaccesstosupportandtraining.Ofallthecriteria,thisitemisveryimportant.Whilesomecompaniesprovidepersonaladvisorstoguideyouthroughentireuseoftheproduct,otherswillprovideatrainingperiod.Trytoavoidpurchasingsoftwarewheretheonlysupportisviaonlineforums,orwherethesupportislimitedtopayperuse.

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Hasatrialperiod.Somesoftwarecompanieswillallowfora14toonemonthtrialperiod.Otherswillallowyoutousealessfeaturedversionofthesoftwareuntilyouneedtheirmorepremiumfeatures.

Allowsyoutoseeademo.Thetrialperiodcanactasademonstrationwhereyougettousethesoftwareinitsfullconfiguration,oryoucanbeallowedaccesstoademoversionwhereyoucanplayaroundwiththefeatures.

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Collaboration/workspacesoftware:Givesteamsacentralizedplaceinwhichtoshare,discussandworkonprojects.Workplacesoftwareislikeavirtualofficewhichorganizesyourdocuments,tasks,allowsuserstoobtainapprovals,andkeepstrackofallemails.Shouldalsoincludeaprojectmanagementfeaturesoyoudon’thavetobuyseparatesoftware.

Ifyouusecollaborationsoftware,youmaynotneedtobuyothersoftwaresuchasschedulers,filesharing,orprojectmanagementtools.

Focusonsoftwarebuiltfornonprofitcollaboration:itcanprovideyouwithtoolsthataresetupforvolunteers,Boards,andnonprofitstaff.

Beforeadoptinguse,firstcheckfor:• Easeofuse– someofthesetoolscanbeverycomplicatedandveryrobust,when

allyoumightneedisasimplesolutionlikeGoogleDocsforinstance.• Abilitytoassignandmanagetasks• Keeptrackoffiles• Searchandorganizeinformation

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• Cloudbasedsoftware– soallcanhaveaccess• Useofcalendars• Abilitytosharecontent• Abilitytotrackdocuments,andseeapprovals• Abilitytoseedifferentversionsofdocuments,soyouareallworkingonthesame

version

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EvernoteorPinterest

Usetheseforcontentcuration.

Anexample couldbecreatinginterestboardofmediamentions,oraswipefilecollection,visibletoallpartiesandusefulduringbrainstormingsessions.

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Filesharing/transfer:Examples:Dropbox,Box.com,WeTransfer

Youcan’talwayssendfileswithemail.DropboxorBoxprovidespace touserswherefilescanbesavedandpermissionsgrantedtocertainfiles.WeTransfer,allowsyoutosendfilesofupto2GBandwillstorethefilesforaboutaweek,allowinguserstodownloadwhenneeded.

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Schedulingsoftwareallowsyourteam toautomatetheirsocialmediaposting,aswellasplaninadvancewhatmessagesaretobesentout.Furtherbenefitsarebeingabletoviewwithinacalendarformatwhatpostsaretobesentoutandwhen

AllowsyouschedulingsocialmediapostsforreviewbyallpartiesAllowsyoutomanagemultipleprofiles,scheduletweetsandmonitormentions.Allows forapprovalorreviewbymembersofateamFeaturesofbeingabletorepeatpostsatdifferenttimesoftheday

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Inthecloud software:I’msureyourememberthosedayswhenyou’dbuysoftwarewhichwouldbesenttoyouwithhugesoftwaremanualsandmultipleDVDs.

Withinthecloudoptions,yourorganizationcannowsubscribeonamonthlybasistosoftwareforavarietyofcommunicationsfunctions:graphicdesign,websitemanagement,videocreation– allofwhichcanbeaccessedanywhere.

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To finishup:

Participationfrombothvolunteersandstaff– acultureofsharingandparticipationTwo-wayinteractivecommunicationthatdemandsactionandengagementfromtherecipientCreatingguidelinesforclearandconsistentcommunicationsUsingaccessiblesoftware

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Ifyou’dliketolearnmoretechniques forcommunicatingeffectivelywithsmallnotforprofits,Iinviteyoutovisitmywebsite(TAGb.ca)todownloadacomplimentaryguide:“5strategiesthatwilltransformyourcommunicationsdepartment.”YoucanalsosignupformynewsletterwhereIsendregulartipsonhowtomanagetechnologyinnotforprofitcommunicationsdepartments.

Thankyouforattending!

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Enjoytherestofyourday!

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Enjoytherestofyourday!

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