A strategic approach to communications is critical to any organization’s work. Having a clear-cut framework will help you think through a whole range of challenges—whether it is engaging new people to join your task force, educating key funders, or generally building support for your organization or initiative as a whole.

A strategic approach to communications is relatively straightforward. Developing a good plan that powerfully connects your objectives with a dynamic set of messages and vehicles is harder.  And creating a good plan you can actually execute against is even harder.  You will have limited resources dedicated to your communications efforts, and your time is no doubt spoken for in a variety of ways.  So when developing a strategic communications approach to any challenge, try to be both ambitious and realistic.  Look for ways you can leverage existing activities to support this work.  Think about sources of supplemental funds that might pay for you to implement some of the strategies you set out.  And when you actually begin doing the work, focus on your preparation, so that each activity can be as effective as possible.

Here are a couple of resources to get you started.

• A Strategic Approach to Communications is a straightforward worksheet that can help you create a solid strategic communications plan that includes a clear sense of objectives, audiences, and messages.
  
  
• Strategic Communications Resources is a helpful list of articles, books and Web sites that help us in our work and can help you in yours.