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Communicating is an active process made up of three continuous
and mutually reinforcing actions. It starts with listening, but
involves equal parts learning and sharing. Doing all three well
requires intentionality, focus and time.
 Good listeners listen to understand, not to respond
 Listening can take many forms: paying attention to news cycles,
participating actively in social media, running regular focus groups or
opinion polls, and more.
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Listening also takes time. It is not something you do once, or once a year.
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74%
Percentage of nonprofit leaders who named
fundraising as a challenge to their personal and
professional effectiveness in the Meyer
Foundation’s Executive Director Listening
Project.
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1
Organizations' rank of the importance of
communication and listening skills compared
to other skills.
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3000
The number of marketing messages an
average American is exposed to each day.
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125-250
The number of words per minute the average
listener is capable of hearing. By contrast, we
think at 1000 to 3000 words per minute.
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“ “So many of the issues we work on are stuck because
the dominant narrative is wrong, and that doesn't
change just by doing good grantmaking that gets
results. To leverage those results, to create new
narratives, takes strategic communication.”
COMMUNICATION LEADER
Private Foundation
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“ “Persistence is a problem in the philanthropy world.
For all the talk about we’re in it for the long haul,
there’s a certain amount of impatience
in philanthropy.”
EXECUTIVE LEADER
Private Foundation
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“
“Tell me one major, successful social change
initiative that did not have very strong
communications as part of its success.”
COMMUNICATION LEADER
Private Foundation
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What intentional,
consistent methods for
listening do you use?
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What tools do you
utilize for monitoring
your message?
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What listening tools
can you build into your
communication actions?
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Learn
Learn
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Learn
Communicating is an active process comprised of three
dynamic and mutually reinforcing actions. Learning follows
listening, but is equally important. Both listening and learning
are prerequisites for sharing.
 Learning is about internalizing what you hear and engaging in true
self-reflection before proceeding with any outbound message
 There is much to be learned from internal audiences—your colleagues,
peers, and partners can shed insight that external audiences cannot.
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Learning also takes time—lots and lots of time.
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73%
Percentage of survey respondents who wish
they had more data to prove that
communication investments are worth making.
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44%
Percentage of survey respondents who say
their organization always or often
communicates to share learning about what
has and has not worked.
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44
Number of years it took to go from one state
where marriage is legal for all couples, to 19.
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“
“Improving an organization's communications
capacity can create organizational cohesion,
concentrate focus, and reinforce shared values.”
PROGRAM LEADER
Private Foundation
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“"Communication moves at a fast pace. The foundation
world does not. And so opportunities are missed.”
COMMUNICATION LEADER
Private Foundation
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Learn
“
“There is a dynamic tension between
communication and programs. Communication
feels that what program wants to say is too boring,
wonky, complex. Program feels communication
is stretching the truth by trying to simplify.”
COMMUNICATION LEADER
Nonprofit
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How do you learn from
internal and external
audiences?
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What do you do
to encourage
self-reflection?
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Learn
Are you receptive to
what your audience
can teach you?
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Share
Share
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Share
Communicating is an active process made up of three continuous
and mutually reinforcing actions. Sharing, the final step in a
virtuous circle, rarely succeeds fully until you have listened and
learned first.
 Sharing is the active dissemination stage where your messages are
delivered to, and received by, your key audiences.
 Sharing assumes many forms, channels, and routes, nearly all of which
require the communicator to ultimately cede control of the message.
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Active, effective communication unfolds slowly, even when it is done
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masterfully.
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1 in 10
Ratio of Americans who can give an example of
a foundation’s impact on an issue they care
about.
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8 in 10
Ratio of Americans who think it would be a
loss for their community if foundations no
longer existed.
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65%
Percentage of millennials who receive regular
email or newsletters from 1 to 5 nonprofits.
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“ “Strategic communications raises the visibility of the
issues we address, shines the light on organizations
and leaders we value, and leverages the grant making
investments made by the foundation.”
PROGRAM LEADER
Private Foundation
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“
“If people we wish to impact don't understand the
issue, what we are trying to change, or how it effects
the society in which we live, we will never achieve
lasting change.”
COMMUNICATION LEADER
Private Foundation
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“
“We’re dealing with policy makers who have limited
knowledge about foundations. Many don’t know what
a foundation is or does, and that’s our fault, not theirs.”
EXECUTIVE LEADER
Private Foundation
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Are you listening and
learning before sharing?
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What do you do to
calibrate your content?
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How do you deal with
messages that fail?
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