Infographic: Nonprofit Communications Trends

Communication is key to achieving success in any undertaking, business or otherwise. So, it makes sense that the communications team would be a crucial subset of a nonprofit. The "2016 Nonprofit Communications Trends" infographic from Nonprofit Marketing Guide delves into the the who, where, how often and why behind the communications department. Here are the key points:

• Nonprofits said their three most important communications channels are their websites (80 percent), social media (71 percent) and email (67 percent).
• How often nonprofits communicate depends on the platform. They update Twitter multiple times a day and Facebook at least once a day, and send e-newsletters monthly and direct-mail appeals twice a year.
• The size of the communications team grows with the nonprofit. Twenty percent of nonprofits expect their communications team to grow, and 28 percent expect the team’s budget to grow.
• Donor retention is becoming more important to executive directors, development directors and communications directors alike, but communications directors have a larger focus on brand awareness and community engagement.

So what should you do with these insights? Try using them to better understand your own communications team.

According to the full "2016 Nonprofit Trends Report" released in conjunction with this infographic, executive directors should follow the "4 Ds" to get the most out of their communications teams. These four tactics include: dedicating time and resources to 
communications; defining the strategy, priorities and scope of the job; delegating the work and decisions; and discussing the work often through meetings,
 internal communications and check-in updates.

Check out the full infographic: