When we ask nonprofits, “What role does communication play in achieving your goals?” we often hear a range of answers—awareness building, fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and more. However, few mention the core function of communication: ensuring that their work remains relevant in a rapidly changing world.
Over years of working with dozens of nonprofits, we’ve observed a common pattern—many organisations struggle with communication because they focus on the wrong things. They prioritise the medium (such as social media or newsletters) over the message, and the message over the audience. The irony is that, while nonprofits’ work is extremely human-centred, their communications often fail to keep the audience at the core. Their social media pages may have updates about what they are doing or have done, without saying much about why they are doing it and why it should matter to others.
The real purpose of communication
Communication isn’t limited to relaying information about what an organisation has done; it’s about connecting with the audience in ways that matter to them. It should position the organisation strategically, going beyond brand identity. A nonprofit could have a strong brand, but if it only broadcasts news about itself, then it misses out on engaging with its audience. In today’s media landscape, engagement is foundational to building an audience. An example of audience engagement is the Instagram page of Giving Tuesday India, which not only promotes giving among Indians but also develops informational pieces and quizzes that infuse fun into the act of giving. Additionally, the page curates content that reflects acts of generosity, kindness, and community-building. Interactive forms of communication encourage the audience to share the message.
Nonprofits need to view communications as a two-way street. They must nurture relationships across their ecosystem, and instead of looking at content as something that gives their work more visibility, they should think of it as both an experience for their audience as well as an opportunity to learn and understand stakeholders. For this to happen, organisations have to shift from being information-centric towards becoming conversation-centric with their content. Whether creating a post or a campaign, a nonprofit needs to ask itself, “Would this bring a stakeholder group together and encourage online or offline conversations?”
Why nonprofits miss the mark
It is important for nonprofits to review their communication practices according to their context to identify where they are going wrong, and mould these practices as required. Here are a few common pitfalls:
Lack of strategy: Many nonprofits jump into communication activities without a clear strategy. This leads to inconsistent messaging and missed opportunities to engage key stakeholders. For example, a nonprofit working in rural development might send out newsletters with the same messaging to both their donors and the communities they serve. However, what resonates with donors might not be relevant to community members, leading to disengagement on both fronts.
Information overload: Organisations bombard their audiences with updates about their activities without explaining why these activities matter. This can overwhelm or bore the audience instead of inspiring them to act. Consider the case of an education-focused nonprofit that posts daily updates on the number of schools visited but rarely shares stories of the students’ experiences. The constant flow of information without context or emotional connection can lead to fatigue.
Misalignment with goals: If communication efforts are disconnected from the organisation’s long-term strategic goals, they might not support the nonprofit’s mission. For instance, an environmental nonprofit may focus heavily on promoting tree plantation drives without linking these efforts to broader goals such as climate resilience or community empowerment, leaving stakeholders unclear about the long-term impact.
Audience disconnect: Nonprofits often assume they know what their audiences care about, but this assumption can be misleading. Without a deep understanding of stakeholders, their messaging may miss the mark. For example, an organisation working in healthcare might focus its communication on disease prevention techniques, assuming that’s what the community wants, when in reality the community might be more concerned about access to affordable medicine.
Best practices for effective communication
1. Create audience personas
Audience personas help organisations better understand the motivations and needs of different groups within their target audience. You must start by collecting data on your current and potential audience, followed by identifying patterns to look for common characteristics such as education levels and psychographic behaviours. Then group similar audiences and create detailed profiles that include details such as key demographics, preferred mode of communications, needs, challenges, and motivations. Create scenarios or use cases to show how this persona might interact with your organisation. Here’s an example: Sheetal, a 21-year-old girl in remote Rajasthan, is looking for career guidance support to decide on her next move after graduation.
Nonprofits can document valuable audience insights through audience personas, which helps preserve this knowledge within the organisation. More importantly, they encourage organisations to think from the audience’s point of view. This shift in perspective can lead to more meaningful and effective communication strategies.
2. Create audience journeys
Creating audience journeys involves understanding that each segment of your audience is at different stages of awareness, interest, and trust regarding your organisation and its work. Instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach, it’s important to tailor your communication strategies to meet the specific needs and expectations of each audience group.
Take, for instance, the audience of an organisation working on healthcare. Some individuals might be looking for self-care tips and ways to access support services tailored to specific health issues. Healthcare professionals might be interested in research findings, career development resources, and updates on best practices and innovations in their field. Donors might want tolook at the impact of donations on health programmes, success stories, and how funds can be used to improve health outcomes. You need to also map these journeys: What happens after they see the story on your social media? Is there a call to action that stays with them or is strong enough to push them to action?
3. Craft different narratives for different personas
Creating a narrative with the unique audience persona in mind helps nonprofits empathise and perceive how a particular segment views the cause area, making communication more relevant to their desires and ambitions. A pleasant consequence of this is that the organisation’s content remains fresh and engaging as it speaks to different segments, building a sense of community. Akshaya Patra Foundation has brought this into practice. For donors, the organisation highlights the direct impact of donations on children’s education and nutrition. For volunteers, it focuses on personal stories of transformation and the joy of contributing. For government and policymakers, it presents data-driven insights on the effectiveness and reach of its midday meal programme.
4. Focus on conversation-centric content
It is important to understand that content cannot always be tactical or serve as an information broadcast. You must incentivise your stakeholders to participate. Design content that prompts questions, invites feedback, or gives them advice, expert commentary, or a new perspective on a subject. Use interactive elements such as polls, Q&A sessions, or discussion threads to engage your audience. Focus on creating a community where dialogue is encouraged and valued. CRY India’s X (Twitter) page posts affirmations for children, tips on overcoming anxiety, and even images of kids playing gully cricket. This is interspersed with advice and announcements, all of which makes the page more compelling and helps build a sense of community around their cause.
5. Employ a collaborative approach to content creation
Collaborating with stakeholders—including partners, communities, and volunteers—enriches your content and brings diverse perspectives into communication. This could involve featuring their stories, sharing their insights, or co-creating content. Collaborations can also help expand your reach and bring new voices into your communication. This approach ensures that your content is more authentic and relatable. Teach for India features stories from their fellows, students, and alumni on its blog and social media. It is also common for nonprofits to collaborate with digital influencers. For example, Arpan works with Instagram influencers and celebrities to reach out to new audience segments.
6. Think in terms of campaigns
We have seen that most content initiatives, even if they garner attention, often fail to build sustained momentum. Thinking of content pieces as part of a larger campaign sustained over weeks, if not months, is a solution to this problem. Campaigns help organisations remain consistent in their messaging without becoming monotonous or boring. They require build-up and follow up on certain key ideas around the cause. Moreover, campaigns let the audiences know more about and engage with the organisation better, no matter the level of awareness. Indian nonprofits understand campaign-oriented communications. However, their engagement is low because they don’t plan around how to sustain the conversation.
Save the Children India is an example of an organisation that does both. It runs thematic campaigns that extend over several months. For its child nutrition campaign, it starts with awareness content, followed by educational posts, and culminating in a fundraising drive. This sustained approach keeps the issue in the spotlight and engages the audience through a series of connected messages.
As the playwright George Bernard Shaw wrote, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” This highlights the crucial need for nonprofits to learn not to speak louder or more often, but to speak to different partners in a manner relevant to them. They need to position themselves and be perceived as a voice of, and a platform for, every stakeholder in the ecosystem at various stages of awareness. To do this, they need to view every stakeholder through a human-centred lens.
Poonam Choksi contributed to this article.
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