Pulse: Communication Is King

As one survey respondent said, "Funds are prioritized for fundraising, not marketing. Our leadership doesn't understand how the two are halves of a whole."

Unfortunately, that 
kind of thinking prevents nonprofits from making and 
strengthening the relationships they need to succeed. The only way anyone or any organization can shape messages that work as conversation starters, much less keepers, is to have a good sense of who they're talking to (aka 
audience research). But most nonprofits don't know much about their audiences, so their messages miss and the conversation never gets off the ground.