Investing Resources Strategically for Organizational Success

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Organizations invest resources like grants, programs, and human capital to achieve their goals. Clarity on available resources and effective utilization can drive mission success. Communication plays a vital role in advancing goals, as indicated by surveys on CEO beliefs and staff time barriers. Nonprofit sectors contribute significantly to the economy, highlighting the importance of strategic communications for societal change. Private foundations emphasize the transformative power of strategic investments in amplifying impact and attracting stakeholders.

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Resources Resources www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Resources Resources are what organizations invest to achieve their goals. They include dollars (grants, programs, services) and human capital (labor, research, thought leadership). All organizations are different. Some have deep pockets, some possess unique knowledge, and others are rich with human capital. What matters most is that you are clear about your available resources and your options for spending them to advance your mission. Invest your available and finite brand resources where they can have the most clear, discernible impact. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Resources Resources 270 The number of people who told us their CEO or ED believes that communication advances the organization s goals. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Resources Resources 1 The rank of lack of staff time as a barrier to strategic communication across organization type and role type. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Resources Resources 5.5% Percent of the United States GDP accounted for by the nonprofit sector. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Resources We are more than just grantmakers, we are change makers. In order to create the change we desire, we need to use tools beyond grantmaking. Strategic communications is essential to creating long-lasting societal change. COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Resources We can amplify every dollar we spend if the programs we fund find more recognition, more partners, and can influence those who make polices that affect the people we serve. EXECUTIVE LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Resources Communication is not an expense that reduces our ability to make grants. It is a strategic investment that allows us to magnify the impact of our grantmaking dollars, by attracting co-funders and energizing others to get involved. COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Resources How do you define your resources? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Resources How do you spend your resources? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Resources Where do you see the highest return on investment? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation Reputation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation Call it brand equity, issue expertise, or reputation. It is the sum of earned and perceived credibility an organization holds around a set of issues. Your reputation is shaped and grown by the choices you make over time. The ultimate goal is to make communication decisions that are clearly aligned to your mission and consistent over time. Clarity and consistency are key, and knowing when to say no plays a big role, too. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation Reputation 86% Percentage of survey respondents who agree that when foundations communicate about an issue it helps their grantees work more boldly. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation Reputation 49% Percentage of survey respondents who feel that communications always or often helps to ensure that progress made in program areas sticks and leads to lasting change. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation Reputation 75% Percentage of survey respondents who agree that without effective communications we could not raise the support we need (such as funding, partners, and good will). www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation Reputation 68% Percentage of Fortune 500 CEOs who have absolutely no presence on social media. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation If we don t tell our own story, someone else will, and they will get it wrong. COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation When our president and CEO was hired, she visited foundations of a similar asset size to find out, If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? The consistent message was, Get communication right from the get-go. Tell your own story lest someone else tell it for you. COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation We communicate because we want to get others excited about the work we are doing. We want public sector players to take notice, and we want to be seen as thought leaders in our issue areas. EXECUTIVE LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation How do you earn your reputation? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation What factors impact your reputation? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Reputation Who are the most important audiences to determine what your reputation is? www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Relationships Relationships www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Relationships Relationships are the universe of affiliations and associations that give an organization authority and the capacity to advance its agenda or shape behavior change. Success depends on identifying your base, being attentive to their ever- evolving priorities, and knowing how to communicate honestly with them, at the right times and in the right ways. When you decide the time is right to act boldly or in ways that might test the integrity of your relationships, do so with clarity of purpose. You will be surprised by how resilient well-managed relationships can be. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Relationships Relationships 88/55/34 The respective percentages of community (85), corporate (55) and family/independent (34) foundations who report using social media. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Relationships Relationships 86% Percentage of survey respondents who spend as much or more time communicating with external audiences (like grantees or donors) as with internal audiences (like the board). www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Relationships Relationships $40T Estimated wealth to be inherited by a small group of Gen Xers and Millennials, much of which will be designated for charitable giving, according to NextGenDonors.org. www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Relationships We have just under $20 million to grant per year. That's nothing. We will never achieve the results we want to achieve alone. So our program team has been very deliberate about leveraging our reputation to open doors, make deals, build systems, and attract other dollars right into our strategy. It's an explicit part of our theory of change. And we can't do it if our image is weak or our results unclear. COMMUNICATION LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Relationships If we want people to invest time, energy and money in our foundation, they need to know who we are and how we serve the community. Without communication, we will not achieve our mission and goals. EXECUTIVE LEADER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org

Relationships In everything we do we are trying to leverage more support from others. We can t go it alone. BOARD MEMBER Private Foundation www.com-matters.org www.com-matters.org