Dear Friends,

Growth Design Corporation believes integrated communication is a critical component for accomplishing an organization’s philanthropy goals.  Not-for-profit organizations are more successful with their resource development efforts when their marketing and communication functions work closely together with development.

Too often, organizations operate in silos with regard to communication—advertising is disparate from government relations, internal communications are not synchronized with public messaging.  The opportunity for collaborative communication is lost and the message that comes out is confusing or duplicative.

If these functions are not already integrated, bringing them together at the beginning of a resource development process is an important key to success.  When the public, employees, volunteers, the community, elected officials, clients and other key constituents hear and see messages that are repeated and reinforced, they attain a clear vision of the mission of an organization, which leads to commitment and contributions.  Continuing this integrated strategy on an ongoing basis will then provide long-term benefits to any organization.

Integrated communication brings together departments and groups from across the organization to find ways to enhance each other’s success.  This is most important for fundraising because everyone who knows an organization well can inform and persuade donors and open the door for potential donors.  Community advertising that supports philanthropy can spur donations.  Government officials who support an organization’s mission can help find public funds for its programs.  Everyone becomes part of the team.

When information is not shared, opportunities for collaboration are lost. There is a duplication of effort and inefficient use of resources.  Information is hoarded within various fiefdoms, and the plethora of messages that do go out lead to confusion and lack focus.

How do you achieve integrated communication within an organization?  Growth Design uses the Marketing Communication Circle process that brings various departments together to work on a number of areas together.  This process can include:

•    A marketing/communication audit internally and externally to analyze current status in terms of communication strategies and fundraising goals, what is effective and what is not, and what needs to be done

•    Conducting market research to see how various constituencies view the organization’s mission, goals and objectives, and what would persuade them to donate

•    Reviewing the strategic plan to understand where marketing communication and philanthropy goals coincide, and tweaking the document to ensure alignment

•    Creating a brand that supports both marketing and philanthropy, harnessing the power of media relations and advertising to support fundraising as well as image

•    Creating a data-driven marketing and fundraising plan

•    Developing a few key messages to be used across the organization (3-5) that are easily remembered and supported

•    Training leaders to communicate with all their constituencies so that they clearly understand their roles and their relationship to fundraising

•    Measuring results to find out what worked and what didn’t

•    Making needed adjustments.

This process brings together all the teams that communicate inside and outside an organization to develop and deliver messages that are consistent.  Everyone then points in the same direction, every constituency supports the others, and greater success is attained.