A weekly email for nonprofit comms leaders who want to grow from order-taker to strategic partner. Subscribe to get this content directly in your inbox + links to vetted nonprofit comms jobs.
Every week, I answer a question from a reader. This week's question aligns (yes, pun intended as you'll see when you keep scrolling) so incredibly well with a recent podcast guest I interviewed.
"It seems like my coworkers continue to forget about the strategic plan we've built as a leadership team. I'm just baffled. I'm in those meetings where we map out the next 6 months and so are my coworkers. I'm confused as to how my co-workers can get so off focus because I'm looking at the strategic plan on a regular basis since my comms plan is dependent on it. So when a coworker brings me something that they want me to produce for them by next week, and that thing is completely out of left field, I'm having a hard time understanding why they think their idea is strategic and how it will support the organizational goals. What can I do??"
I could just FEEL the exacerbation oozing from this one. Goodness. This person is frustrated, and rightly so. Keep reading to see how I answer her question.
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What are you paid as a nonprofit comms leader?
When I was working in-house, it was nearly impossible to find solid salary data for our field. Most stats came from the corporate world, and nonprofit salaries rarely match the business sector, so I always felt like I was guessing when it came time to advocate for a raise.
That's why I'm running a salary survey for nonprofit comms professionals to build a real benchmark report with ranges by title, budget size, team size, and sector. It's 100% anonymous, takes less then 90 seconds, and is open to W2 employees working in-house at U.S. nonprofits. If that's you, please fill it out, and share it with anyone else who should. I'll share the results later this summer!
It's always amazing to me how much comms leaders naturally get strategy. Well, the best comms leaders get this. The rest usually aren't in comms leadership roles for long. So if you want to become a leader at your nonprofit, or grow into one another nonprofit will hire, get good at strategy. But I digress...
Comms leaders naturally see strategy because we're always thinking of the end goal and how we're going to get there. We're thinking in timelines. "If we want to reach X number of people for our donor event, then we're going to need X months and need to be present on X channels..." you get the picture. We're also always thinking about the audience and what they understand or don't. A strategic thinker sees things through a variety of lenses, people, and timelines.
Which is why once your org has made a decision on where you're going and how you're going to get there, you're ON IT.
You're mapping out your own strategy, the channels you need to create content for, the reporters you need to reach out to before a press release goes live, the videographer you need to book for an EOY donor campaign, and all the things. So when a coworker comes to you a few months later with a request to build a PDF for something not at all tied to a strategic plan, your eye may start twitching.
This is why I want to encourage you, dear nonprofit comms leader, to be the person that keeps your team aligned.
Most of you know I cohost a podcast called CultivatED Marketer where my cohosts Matt, Brent, and I interview marketing and comms professionals from across the business world. They brought me on last fall to add a nonprofit lens, which means we've added some comms pros working at nonprofits to the guest lineup. Our most recent nonprofit guest, Lacey Graverson from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, was a perfect example of how and why a comms leader should keep their team aligned.
A screenshot from our podcast recording with Lacey.
When Lacey talked about her team's 2035 vision, she said, "It's the same message over all channels... if we just tell people, tell people, tell people, that's what makes it stick internally, and that's what makes it stick externally."
She also described what comms leaders provide: "As communications professionals, we provide the tools. But I'm not the one out in the community talking to grantees. We have impact officers who are on the front lines... I need to make sure that they have the tools to make sure they're communicating about the foundation like I would." (Listen to the full episode here.)
That's alignment in action, y'all. And it's exactly what this week's reader is wrestling with.
My pro-tips for keeping your team aligned:
Keep your team abreast of what your comms goals are on a weekly basis. I used to send a weekly Slack message to the full team with a rundown of what we had coming out that week and what our messaging emphasis was.
In team meetings, leadership or otherwise, be the person who brings the strategic plan into the room. Have it pulled up on your screen if you're virtual, or printed and in front of you if you're in person. Just having that doc visible reminds you and everyone else that there is already a plan you're working toward as a team.
Celebrate wins tied to the plan. When I was a Director of Comms, I'd post in Slack on Fridays about team wins, and when I was a CCO, I'd include them in my weekly email to the team. I always framed wins as a reminder of why we set that goal in the first place.
I've found that most of the time, misalignment happens because people just don't know what others are working on. When you as the comms leader are the one keeping people aware of what's going on across the org, and reminding them of the plan, you become the linchpin for the strategy. And that's the kind of leader you want to be.
Happy communicating,
CCO for Nonprofits
P.S. Want a question answered in a future issue? Drop it here.โ
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Nominate a Nonprofit Leader in Kansas City by June
Time is running out to nominate a C-suite nonprofit leader in the KC metro area for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The winner receives a $75,000 award, and their organization receives $150,000 as well.
If someone came to mind when you read my email a few weeks ago about what it looks like to work for a visionary leader, this is your last chance to nominate them. Nominations close Monday, June 1.
โโCommunications & External Affairs Manager - Education Reform Now Advocacy This one comes from a Nonprofit Comms Club member, and the hire gets to work alongside him! That is a selling point in my book, as this particular member is oh-so fun. This is a press and digital campaigns role for someone with political communications experience and a passion for education equity. You'll be a great fit if you've done campaign, advocacy, or statehouse press work. Remote-friendly, $80K to $100K, some travel required.
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Want Nonprofit Comms Help?
โJoin the Nonprofit Comms Cluband get direct access to me plus 53 other nonprofit comms leaders who are doing this work alongside you. This is where you become the strategic partner your org needs.
โGet Monthly Coaching!You're confident in your comms abilities, but you're doing it alone, and the people above you don't always understand what you do. Monthly coaching gives you a thought partner with an executive-level communications mindset who can help you lead with confidence, think strategically, and move your work forward.
โIs your organization looking to make a comms hire? The right hire starts with knowing exactly what you need. As someone who has sat in almost every nonprofit comms seat since 2008, this process can be made affordable, smooth, and focused on getting the right person in the right seat.
A weekly email for nonprofit comms leaders who want to grow from order-taker to strategic partner. Subscribe to get this content directly in your inbox + links to vetted nonprofit comms jobs.
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