Why and where to focus your org's energy right now
Building this cohesive strategy is a must as we look toward 2024
👋 WELCOME TO EDITION NO. 4! THIS ISSUE IS MEANT TO LIGHT A FIRE
You may want to star this email in your inbox, bookmark the web link, and share with your purpose-driven colleagues & team members.
Because now is the perfect time for all of us to get our stuff in place.
Here’s how – and why – we suggest you approach building an impactful, engaging, stress-reducing, longer-term content strategy.
Let’s get right to it.👇
💡 YOUR GREATEST CHANCE FOR IMPACT STARTS TODAY
Think back to August of 2019, fifteen months before the 2020 election.
How quickly did those months pass?
How much do you wish you would have had a solid strategy in place to guide your messaging through the election cycle?
Did you leave opportunity on the table?
Our cultural missions are too critical at this moment for us to be complacent. Together, let’s agree to take advantage of the “late summer lull” to construct a communications blueprint that sparks momentum in 2023 to make 2024 our most impactful year yet.
Consider this calm-before-the-storm as your opportunity to dive into the storytelling and strategic communications you’ve been putting off. As an organization working to spark change, queue yourself up to create the stories that catalyze change.
Passive engagement = out. Active engagement = in.
Without a solid comms plan, many orgs end up relying on spreading their message haphazardly, which leads to passive audience engagement.
Because when your storytelling is inconsistent or aimless, that’s exactly what you build.
Passive engagement is generic and tells people what you do, but it doesn’t show them what you do. Because of this, folks keep scrolling. You don’t move the needle. It won’t call people to action.
And action is what we need.
So how do you shift your strategy to actively engage? That should all be part of your plan:
Consistent messaging – shore up your org’s language, center those you serve, and use your words & graphics wisely
Consistent posting – follow the forward-looking schedule you’ve crafted ahead of time
One brand voice for the entire org, top to bottom – unless it’s a direct quote from a colleague or someone you serve
Build trust – your community should look to you for guidance and then take action.
But the plan only works if EVERYONE in your org is on board.
Get your folks together – benefits of a cohesive comms plan
Visualize your content strategy as an all-encompassing, organization-wide structure with guidelines to be followed by the Executive Director, board members, fundraisers, marketing staff, and volunteers.
Get representatives of each of the arms of your org together to create and agree to these guidelines now. Make sure they’re clear and located somewhere that’s readily available. Then, take it a step further – appoint someone as a project manager to check in and make sure people stick to the plan.
Or bring on someone with an impartial point of view, looking from the outside in.
When your team comes together to codify a cohesive org-wide comms plan, your communication becomes seamless, regardless of whether the internal purpose of the message is for fundraising or marketing.
It’s just the call to action that’s different.
And your audiences will be hooked.
Once you have your structure in place, fill in any gaps in your content calendar
Yes, you can avoid the November surprise of Giving Tuesday or the gut-punch of the end-of-year giving push – instead, roll into the big campaigns with ease. There are more opportunities to engage than you might think.
Need year-round content inspiration? Wanna mix it up? Utilize the calendar at the button below to find dates that connect to your mission and the folks you serve and add them to your strategy.
Into Action Lab’s Cultural Calendar
Here are some examples for a quick start these next few weeks and months:
Friday, August 28th - Anniversary of March on Washington & “I Have a Dream”
September 15, 2023 - Democracy Day
September 19, 2023 - National Voter Registration Day
October 9, 2023 - Indigenous People's Day
If any of these resonate with your mission or the folks you serve, plan a post to share with your community. While you’re at it, take time to support other creators in your network who feel the same way. It’s a great way to bolster the momentum that will carry you through to 2024. ✌️
⚡IT’S OK IF YOU CAN’T GO AT IT ALONE - OPTIONS FOR BUSY PURPOSE-DRIVEN TEAMS
If creating a cohesive content strategy seems overwhelming
Or you find yourself with questions you can’t answer
Or you just don’t have the bandwidth
We can help.
Bring on creative support to act as your thought partners!
See the possibilities from Team DSB
Or contact us directly and let’s dig right in