Capturing NFP Communication Needs - Survey

A national communications agency is running an online survey to gain greater insight into the state of communications practices in the Not for Profit sector.

The agency, Think HQ, said there was a lack of Australian research on communications practices in the Not for Profit sector and it was keen to develop a knowledge bank of valuable information in this space.   

“The results will help inform the sector about communications needs, challenges and best practice, from a qualitative and quantitative perspective,” Think HQ Director Jen Sharpe said.

“The changing landscape of how the community sector is funded and administered is pushing the need for organisations to tell their story with greater clarity and impact.

“Our experience shows us that there is a lot of work to be done in the sector to achieve this goal.  

“It’s expensive to seek help in this space, and misleading advice is often provided by specialists who don’t understand the sector, so we are keen to capture the greatest needs and challenges faced by the Not for Profit community.”

The survey is in two streams. One for charities and Not for Profit organisations and the second is for Philanthropic Foundations and Trusts.

“Our consulting experience in working with both sectors shows that while there are often different communication objectives, there is a commonly resounding need to communicate more effectively to key audiences,” Sharpe said.

“To enhance social impact, philanthropic organisations are facing increased pressure to communicate more effectively to grant seekers, current partners and the broader community.  For charities and Not for Profits a key challenge is in balancing compliance and reporting, while competing more strongly for public and private funding.

“Think HQ is leading this research project. The research has been designed by drawing on sector input and the results of the survey will be extended by focus group work.”

One issue the survey will focus on is the use of social media by Not for Profits.

“It is great to see an increase in effective social media activity, particularly around direct fundraising activity and platforms and behaviour change campaigns.  However, the effective use of social media is really only a reality for a small minority of organisations,” Sharpe said.

“If organisations are spending time and resources on social media but only because they know they need to be, then that resourcing could be used more effectively elsewhere until a broader strategy is developed and understood.

“We are looking forward to capturing some really important data that the sector can use in the future to hone their communication practices and achieve greater social change.”

The deadline for taking part in the survey is December 6 and participants who complete the survey have the chance to win their organisation a $1,000 JB Hi Fi voucher.

Survey links for charities and Not for Profit organisations, click here and for Philanthropic Foundations/Trusts, click here.