If you’re part of a multifaceted comms team, with a large budget and a specific area of responsibility, look away now!
If you are the sole comms/marketing/PR/website/design person in your charity, with a teeny tiny budget, this article is for you.
I’ve worked for a few charities, and been the sole comms person at all of them. We’re pulled in what seems like a million different directions, wearing many hats and walking in lots of shoes. One minute we’re designing a conference brochure and the next we’re on the phone to a journalist commenting on a story. Alongside that there’s the website to update and tweeting to be done - plus the planning for that next fundraiser and creation of an IT strategy.
But there is hope! I’ve written a few tips that may help.
1. Accept that you cannot do everything
It is impossible. Staring at your computer screen all day will give you eye, neck and imagination problems. Believe me, I’ve been there! You are human: you need a life, and you need to take breaks. Chances are you’re not going to have time for an hour lunch break, but you can step away from your computer once in a while. Go and talk to a colleague, phone a friend, get some fresh air and some food.
2. Prioritise and plan
There will be many different things you need to achieve and many areas of work you can focus on. You need to write these down. It will be a long and very scary list, and your colleagues and managers will want them all done. Immediately. You need to prioritise them, with SMART objectives for each and realistic timeframes. Present this to your managers and decision makers. Make sure your objectives are clearly reasoned, and make sure everything is fully costed. It is much easier to negotiate a budget at this stage than at any other time. Try not to miss the window.
Don’t be pushed into making promises you can’t keep. Ultimately, they’ve made a decision to hire one person to do a job that in many charities 20 people will be doing; they need to understand that this means things might take longer, but they will get done.
3. Make rules - and stick to them
Have rules for every maintenance task and make sure people know what they are. Stick to them, don’t bend them, and others will start to work with them too. I know it feels good to say “yes, I can do that for you now!”, and do it if you must - but bear in mind that your colleagues will learn to expect this immediate service.
For me, this means that Wednesday mornings are spent updating the website with news, events, photos etc. My rule is that I will include any content from colleagues sent to me by the time I start (10am). Anything that comes in after that will wait until next week.
4. Use social media
Chances are social media will be part of your plan, particularly if you’ve a tiny budget. Send out an email to all contacts asking them to like your Facebook page and follow you on Twitter. Ask colleagues to do the same, and to invite their friends and family. You can also get more Facebook supporters by running Facebook ads for your page – since you are only charged when someone clicks through, you’re not wasting precious pennies.
Start posting interesting content. Be human, respond to people as quickly as you can. This requires a fair bit of effort in the beginning, and if you’re anything like me you’ll be responding to people in the evenings - but it is worth it. You can utilise your fans and followers for market research and feedback, generating creative ideas, contributing to newsletters, blogging for you, sending photos for a gallery, campaigning... You’ll be amazed at how helpful people can be when asked.
Just remember, don’t keep asking them to do things for you. Ask for their opinions regularly, and act on them. If someone posts a negative comment, don’t delete it, respond to it publicly and apologise if you need to.
5. Find free tools
Set up Google Analytics for your website, and Google Alerts for monitoring what’s being said about your organisation/cause online. Both are free tools and invaluable. Google Analytics can show you what path people take through your website, what they’re looking for, and how they’re finding you online. You can use it to work out what to put on your homepage so that people can find what they need immediately. Google Alerts can help you monitor your cause, look for mentions in the press and keep an eye on your competitors.
CharityComms is looking to set up a support and networking group for people who are the sole communications professional at their organisation. If you'd be interested in attending, please contact Lally on Lally@charitycomms.org.uk.