CharityComms launches free guide on integrating communications with other departments

20 Feb 2015 News

Charities that suffer from poor communications can improve by integrating their work better between departments, according to a new guide from CharityComms and the Good Agency.

Vicky Browning

Charities that suffer from poor communications can improve by integrating their work better between departments, according to a new guide from CharityComms and the Good Agency.

The free report, One Voice: a Best Practice Guide to Integrated Communications, says charities can create a “stronger impact and greater outcomes” if different departments “work in unison” to communicate the charity's message.

But Vicky Browning, director of CharityComms said that many charities currently suffer from a "politically fraught relationship between communications and fundraising, policy, operations and campaigning" which hampered their ability to communicate effectively.

“When you integrate your communications, all your methods of marketing – advertising, direct marketing, public relations, digital engagement and so on – work in unison across all aspects of your organisation’s activities, rather than in isolation," she said.

Browning said she hoped this approach would lead to a "more integrated, audience-centred approach" with "deeper engagement, greater coherence and improved efficiency". 

“Our research for this guide suggests that maybe this utopia is not so far away after all," she said. "We’ve found that many charities are well on the way to this ideal.”

'Purpose above internal politics'

The report, created in partnership with Good Agency, outlines “five interrelated factors” that it says are “key to embedding an integrated approach to communications”. They include “corporate strategy and brand”, “impact and evaluation”, “integrated marketing and campaigns”, and “organisational structure and culture”.

The report offers ten top tips towards integration, including urging charities to “start with a clear idea of who you are and what you stand for”; “bring everything back to your strategy, brand and narrative”; “understand your audiences”, “spend time explaining to colleagues why integration is important”, “get colleagues to understand what it means to be supporter-facing”, “take it step by step”, and to “take action and calculated risks”.

Browning said: “We’ve talked to people from a range of organisations about how they’ve approached the task of integrating their communications, the obstacles they’ve come across and what they’ve learnt along the way.

“Some had big budgets, others worked collaboratively and creatively with very little. Some overhauled structures, many straddled silos to improve processes. All were passionate champions driven by the same idea – achieving more for their beneficiaries by putting purpose above internal politics. Everywhere we looked we saw the process of integration reinforcing the position of communications itself as a central, strategic part of the operation.”

Chris Norman, strategy director for the Good Agency said: “Integration isn’t new. What’s changed is the sector’s acknowledgment of the value of integration in achieving its goals.

“We know that to achieve integration, a charity needs to change the culture within – not just introduce new processes. This requires leadership from the top and for everyone involved to understand the benefits to their team, the charity and the world at large – as well as what’s required of them.

“Integration can bring a step-change in the value you generate and the change you make. I hope this practical guide helps [charities] get there faster.”