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A third of charity communication chiefs feel role is not valued by their organisation 1

Governance | Vibeka Mair | 18 May 2011

More than a third of senior communications professionals in the charity sector feel the role of communications is not valued by their organisation because the chief executive does not understand the role it has to play, according to a new report by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ voluntary sector group, Fifth Estate and Amazon PR.

Amazon PR quizzed more than 120 senior PR and communications staff in charities and voluntary sector groups across the UK for the report Get Heard.

It found 38 per cent feel the role of communications is not valued in their charity, with most (83 per cent) saying this is because the chief executive does not understand communications and the role it has to play.

Conversely, the majority (78 per cent) of those who feel their professional voice is heard within their organisation attribute it to the CEO understanding the importance of communications.

For those respondents who felt communication was unacknowledged within their organisation, most (75 per cent) say they feel communications are confused, inconsistent and lacking a clear strategy as a result.

The respondents identify not being involved in strategic decisions as the clearest indication that they are not being heard (92 per cent).  Two thirds feel this lack of involvement could damage the reputation of their organisation because they would not be aware of, or be able to manage, risk situations.  Around half of those questioned also feel not being heard would affect the organisation’s ability to meet its aims (53 per cent) and make it more difficult to attract donations (44 per cent).

Gill Dandy, chair of the Fifth Estate group says: “In organisations where stakeholder engagement is paramount, underestimating the strategic role public relations has to play is very short-sighted. 

“It is disappointing to see the lack of involvement PR professionals have in strategic decision making.  However it’s encouraging to see the impact of PR savvy CEOs, but we need more.”

The current economic situation is affecting both job security for senior communications professionals and the resources available to them. Some 16 per cent feel their position is at risk, either because communications is seen as a luxury that can be cut in hard times or because the senior team think a more junior member of staff can do the job. Two thirds feel their role would be more valued if they had the resources to make a big impact, and three quarters of those who say their role was valued but is not any more, attribute this to their budget having been cut.

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