Charities which are spread across multiple locations must communicate well outside head office or risk alienating their regional workforce and volunteers and suffering serious reputational damage, according to a report published today.

HQ and beyond published by CharityComms, the infrastructure body for charity communications professionals, highlights 10 key communications challenges faced by charities with branches, regions or local groups.

"The fall-outs from poor communication range from major to minor," the report says. "A charity shop volunteer, unaware of key organisational values, gives the 'wrong' response to a customer's query; an unbriefed press officer struggles to handle a journalist's enquiry about the closure of a regional office. Where charities are working in conflict zones or dealing with health emergencies, the failure to disseminate a message, or the inability of an employee to make their voice heard at a critical time, can spell disaster."

"Staff and volunteers operating in far-flung locations can't do their best to help your charity meet its goals if they're not kept up to speed with your charity’s overall mission and strategic priorities, and of local, regional and central developments,” said Vicky Browning, director of CharityComms in a statement accompanying the report.

"Strong communication creates strong charities and demonstrates that people count enough to be informed of developments — and also to be listened to, and to influence decisions where appropriate."