Myth #1 from Kivi Leroux Miller's "5 Communications Myths ...

[Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from the March 2012 issue of NTEN:Change. Read the complete article in the current issue of NTEN's new quarterly e-journal for nonprofit leaders by subscribing to the journal for free!]

By Kivi Leroux Miller, President, NonprofitMarketingGuide.com

When I speak to nonprofit executive directors about marketing and communications trends, I?ll often see a slight narrowing of the eyes and pursing of the lips, or a full-out slump back into the chair. That body language is saying, ?Oh, really? I don?t think so. Not at my nonprofit.?

The questions that follow, and the additional reactions to my answers, have revealed five common ? and costly ? myths that many executive directors have about nonprofit communications.

You can read the complete article in the March 2012 issue of NTEN:Change, but here is the first of the five myths uncovered as part of the 2012 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report from NonprofitMarketingGuide.com:

Myth #1: ?I don?t need to be personally involved in the communications. I have a staff person who does our newsletter and website.?

While communications staff can handle the day-to-day tactical decisions, they need strategic direction about which target audiences are the top priorities and what your key messages are throughout the year.

According to the Trends Report, only a quarter of nonprofits (24%) have a written and approved marketing plan for 2012. Almost two-thirds of communication staff -- 59% -- have a written plan or informal notes for themselves only, but nothing formally approved by leadership to go on.

The $5 million budget mark appears to be where the shift between informal and formal marketing planning begins to take place for nonprofits.

The $5 million budget mark appears to be where the shift between informal and formal marketing planning begins to take place for nonprofits. For organizations with budgets under $5 million, only 20% have a written and approved plan for 2012. Of those with budgets over $5 million, 42% had a formal and approved plan ? but that?s still the minority!

And yet when we look at what excites nonprofit communicators about 2012, having a real marketing plan in place was a leading answer. Your participation in that critical decision making about who you are communicating with and what you want them to remember about your organization may just be what keeps your communications staff excited about their jobs.

Being overworked and burning out because of a lack of resources is a top fear for 2012 ? one heard more often from organizations without a real plan in place. Save yourself the headache of having to recruit a new communications director this year, and start having some strategic conversations with the person in the job now.

The Reality: Your communications staff both want and need your leadership in communications and marketing planning.

(Note: You can read the entire March Issue of NTEN:Changeonline for free.)

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