nonprofit communications team models and deciding what's right for you

The 4 Types of Nonprofit Communications Teams:

Making the Best Choice for Your Nonprofit

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Kivi Leroux MillerFounder and CEONonprofit Marketing Guide@npmktgd @kivilm #npcomm

First, Some

Candor.

ME at CONFERENCES and on SOCIAL MEDIA when COMMS STAFF are deemed the

SOURCE of ALL FUNDRAISING PROBLEMS.

I Believe in and Teach Donor-Centered Communications When Donors are the

Target Audience and Fundraising is the Goal.

BUT. THAT. IS. NOT. ALL. THE.

TIME.for Communications Staff

at Nonprofits, OK?

NOT IN THEIR ANSWERS:

“You flattered me by telling me I am a hero.”“You told me a story that made me cry.”“You sent me a thank you note in 48 hours and called later that week.”

WHY ARE WE HERE TODAY?

Nonprofits must build MANY differentkinds of relationships, and pursuenumerous communications goals,

to achieve their missions.

Comms and development fighting over

the newsletter copy.

Can We Avoid This, Please?

Yes, We Can.

bigducknyc.com/5factorsnpmg.us/2017

Data-Driven Presentation Ahead . . .

Honey is your nonprofit MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/69872692@N07/6867963316

It takes A LOT of really good communication and collaboration to get there.

Major Donors

Small –Medium Donors

Fundraising Events

Recruiting Volunteers

Recruiting Members

Raising Awareness

of Issues

Internal Comms

Thought Leadership

Brand and Reputation Management

Engaging Community

Recruiting Participants

Advocating on Issues

It’s Time for SomeFriendly Competition . . .

1-Hour Coaching Call

with Me onTopic of Your Choice

Points for Accuracy Speed, and Streaks!

3/10 Questions Now

Major Donors

Small –Medium Donors

Raising Awareness

of Issues

Internal Comms

Thought Leadership

Brand and Reputation Management

Engaging Community Recruiting

Participants

Fundraising Events

Recruiting Volunteers

Recruiting Members

Advocating on Issues

TwoQuestions

How StaffDivides Time on Comms Work

Website/Blog EmailMarketing

Social Media PrintMarketing

MediaRelations

In-PersonEvents

Time Spent Managing Communications Channels(Weighted Averages)

Communications Staff Combined Staff Development Staff

Lim

ited

Amou

ntof

Tim

eM

oder

ate

Amou

ntof

Tim

e

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ktgd #npcom

m2017

Writing andEditing

GraphicDesign

Photography VideoProduction

EditorialPlanning

InternalMeetings

ExternalMeetings

Email Inbox

Time Spent on Communications Activities(Weighted Averages)

Communications Staff Combined Staff Development Staff

Lim

ited

Tim

eM

oder

ate

Tim

eN

o Ti

me

(Som

eone

Els

e'sJ

ob)

Gre

atDe

alof

Tim

e

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ktgd #npcom

m2017

22

So, Comms is Complicated.

23

Your culture of communications has a big impact on whether you successfully make it out of the maze.

How Does the Comms Workload Get Created?

Six choices, not necessarilyconnected to the org chart.

• INTERNAL AGENCY: Comms staff are a tactical "internal agency" with its workload determined by other departments that need work done.

• DEV-LED: Comms staff work primarily in service of fundraising leaders, who determine the workload.

• CENTRALIZED: Comm staff set the communications/marketing strategy and define their own workload.

• INTEGRATED: Comms staff and fundraising staff work on an integrated team and jointly decide on the communications workload.

• CEO-LED: Comms staff work directly for the CEO or executive director who determines the workload.

• OTHER (please describe your scenario)

ThreeQuestions

Let’s Take a Closer Look at the

4 Major Models

COMMON PROBLEM:Each staff member thinks their goal is most important.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/12567713@N00/2314199503

GREAT SOLUTION: INTEGRATED TEAMSmerge multiple goals and jointly plant the flag.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/naql/14336138390

• 20% of Teams

• Prioritizes small-medium donors, major donors, and events more than others

• Most collaborative model

• Great model for nonprofits raising money from individuals

• Works well where fundraising is primary goal for external communications.

COMMON PROBLEM:Uncoordinated goals confuse participants and supporters from where their focus should be.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/martinhearn/6326234349

GREAT SOLUTION:CENTRALIZED TEAMScoordinate and prioritize multiple goals so the focus is on the right place at any given time.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/schmollmolch/13747167545

• 20% of Teams





• 18% of Teams

• Great model when funding comes from grants, fees, and/or major donors

• Good with tight partnership with a “separate but equal” development department (e.g. advocacy-driven comms & development)

• Most confident in skills.

INTERNAL AGENCY TEAMStake orders from across the organization and try to produce a consistent product.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rusty_clark/10565697705

• 20% of Teams





• 18% of Teams




• 18% of Teams

• Tend to be bigger teams at very large nonprofits

• Brand managers• “Content mill” for other

departments

• Full of skilled specialists, but they do not drive strategy

CEO-LED TEAMStry to hold on as the executive changes speed and direction.


• 20% of Teams





• 18% of Teams




• 18% of Teams

• Tend to be bigger teams at very large nonprofits

• Brand managers• “Content mill” for other

departments

• Full of skilled specialists, but they do not drive strategy

• 19% of Teams

• Tend to be smaller, understaffed teams (most often just one person)

• More likely to focus on PR and events

• Most scattered; not as strategic

• Least confident in skills

Equal Distribution, Yes.

Equal Effectiveness? Nope.

Effectiveness is the ability to produce a desired result.

We asked participants to assess the state of their communicationswork in 4 ways: • A simple ranking of their overall communications effectiveness in 2016, on

a scale of 1 to 5 stars. • Scoring their organization’s marketing maturity on a series of marketing

fundamentals. • Whether their organizations are doing better or worse on a series of

common challenges for nonprofit communicators that affect day-to-day productivity.

• Rating their personal level of confidence in their job skills and overall job satisfaction.

It’s about to get data-heavy.Be tolerant and stay with me.

We asked nonprofits to rank their communications effectiveness on a 5-star scale, from 1 star (not at all effective) to 5 stars (extremely effective).

The average was 3.3 stars, or between somewhat and very effective.

Ove

rall

Effe

ctiv

enes

s

@npmktgd #npcomm2017

1 – Unaware. We are unfamiliar with this practice.2 – Aware. We have basic knowledge of this practice.3 – Ready. We are ready to begin implementing this practice.4 – Capable. We’ve started implementing this practice and are gaining experience.5 – Skilled. We are confident in our implementation of this practice.6 – Expert. We are consistently outstanding in our implementation of this practice.7 – Authority. We are a thought leader and innovator on this practice.

Knowledge ZoneAware - Ready

10 - 39 Points

Proficiency ZoneCapable - Skilled

40 – 59 Points

Mastery ZoneExpert - Authority

60 – 70 Points

The Marketing Maturity ScaleM

arke

ting

Mat

urity

Marketing Maturity Indicator Average

Defining specific target audiences or core constituencies, rather than communicating to “everyone” or the “general public.”

4

Segmenting email and print mailing lists, and targeting advertising, so that people see content from you that is highly relevant to them.

3

Creating content centered on the recipient, including clear calls to action, and often using the second person (you, your).

4

Using a consistent and recognizable voice, style, and tone throughout your communications.

4

Regularly incorporating visual content such as photos, video, and graphics into your communications, rather than relying on text alone.

5

@npm

ktgd #npcom

m2017

Marketing Maturity Indicator Average

Using an editorial calendar that says what messaging is going out when and in which communications channels.

4

Building content curation and repurposing into your editorial process, rather than always creating original content from scratch.

4

Managing your website within a Content Management System (CMS) that multiple people on staff know how to update.

4

Managing your mailing list with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool or database that allows you to track information, interactions and activities for each individual on your list.

4

Establishing and measuring key performance indicators for your primary communications goals and channels.

3

TOTAL 39

@npm

ktgd #npcom

m2017

Effectiveness Star Ranking 1 2 3 4 5

Marketing Maturity Score 24 29 37 44 50

There were no significant differences between nonprofits with different missions on either the Effectiveness Ranking or the

Marketing Maturity Scores.

Overall Effectiveness and Marketing Maturity Scores Match Up Well

Ranked Themselves as Very or Extremely Effective in 2016 (4 or 5 stars)

50% 42% 28% 24%


50% 42% 28% 24%

Average Marketing Maturity Score

41 40 39 36


50% 42% 28% 24%


41 40 39 36

Saw Improvements in Strategy Driving Communications in 2016

47% 41% 28% 27%


50% 42% 28% 24%


41 40 39 36


47% 41% 28% 27%

Very Capable and Confident in Skills

44% 48% 44% 33%


50% 42% 28% 24%


41 40 39 36


47% 41% 28% 27%

Very Capable and Confident in Skills

44% 48% 44% 33%

Satisfied or Very Satisfied with the Job

77% 71% 51% 55%

Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied with the Job

9% 13% 23% 21%

Which Team Structure forWhich Goals?

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Integrated Centralized Internal Agency CEO Led

% Saying the Goal is a High Priority or Essential Goal, by Team Structure

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Integrated Centralized


INTEGRATED TEAMSWhy do these work so well? What problems do they solve?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/naql/14336138390

CENTRALIZED TEAMSWhy do these work so well? What problems do they solve?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/schmollmolch/13747167545

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Internal Agency CEO Led


INTERNAL AGENCY TEAMSWhy don’t these teams work as well?


CEO-LED TEAMSWhy don’t these work as well?


I’m stuck with a bad team model.

What do I do?

Biggest Differences BetweenEffective and Ineffective

Integrated Teams

• Collaboration within the team was much better.• Clarity about responsibilities and authority was much better.• The working relationship with the executive director was exceptional

(rather than merely functional)• They have a specific budget for external communications expenses.

Biggest Differences BetweenEffective and Ineffective

Centralized Teams

• Ability to focus on important over urgent was better. • Staff were much more likely to say they are very capable and

confident in their abilities. • Clarity about responsibilities and authority was much better.• The working relationship with the executive director was exceptional

(rather than merely functional)• They have a specific budget for external communications expenses.

Last Chance!Two

Questions

Thank You!Download the Trends Report:

npmg.us/2017

nonprofit communications team models and deciding what's right for you

Government & Nonprofit