Communications

Basic Training on Conservation Trust FundsCape Town, South Africa March 31 – April 2, 2009

A communications strategy needs…• Pre-requisites for effective fund communications:

strategic plan and fundraising strategy

• Communications plan

• Communications team– develops/designs corporate image– designs and produces communications tools – plans related activities– coordinates with fundraising staff

Communications Plan

• Designed to promote a fund through most effective communication channels

• Purpose is to build support of and influence action from the target audience – key fund stakeholders, including grantees, donors, Government

• Desired outcomes need to be clearly defined and understood

Testimonials – who is he talking to? “Working for biodiversity is working for

the diversity of lives, colors, ideas and beliefs. Nature teaches us that diversity is always welcome and it places us before a paradox: without biodiversity, there is no unit; without diversity, there is no Life. There cannot be a better motivation for engaging and serving nature”.

Partner of Lobo & Ibeas Advogados and member of Funbio’s Board of Directors.

Oscar Graça Couto

Communications Objectives

•Project an image

•Raise funding

•Develop partnerships

•Increase impact

Communications ChannelsProducts and Mediums Who is audience? How effective is it?

Annual report

Financial report

Brochure

Newsletter

Press releases

News and opinion articles

Grant guidelines

Website

Power point presentations

Videos

Marketing products: hats, pens, calendars, cardsEvents

Top ten tips from a non-professional

1. Less is more for publications2. Ask a native speaker to proofread

translations3. Hire professionals4. Electronic media reduce your

fund’s “footprint”5. Use great photos (interesting

people, beautiful landscapes, cute or ugly wildlife) and credit them properly

6. Communicate where you want to go, not always what you are doing

7. People will stop reading your document if they have to look up acronyms

8. Busy people only have time to read a few pages

9. What you think is “cool” may not be in another country or for another generation (“twitter”?)

10. Donors like free gifts as souvenirs of a fund, but not too many

8

juntos por una mejor sociedad

www.accionambiental.org

DEPARTAMENTO NACIONALDE PLANEACION

MINISTERIO DE AMBIENTEVIVIENDA Y DESARROLLO

TERRITORIALSociedad civil

Questions?

How important is it to project a “green image” when financial resources are limited?

What communication materials and media are most appropriate in your country? Will they also work for donors you want to reach?