Have you done any research lately? I don't mean a fancy poll, but just a survey, or even some brief interviews with the people you serve.
Most nonprofits could benefit from doing more survey research -- free, of course. I got to thinking about this because I was working on a marketing plan for a very small church daycare center. Some simple analysis of zip code data an a survey completed by parents helped tremendously in shaping the plan.
Here's a link to my free tutorial on Communications Research:
Sections 3 and 4 on online survey tools and focus groups may be especially helpful.
If you want to know how to communicate better, just ask! And research is how you do the asking.
Research has its limitations though. One of my historical heroes, Henry Ford, once said that "If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse." Customers don't envision the future, they inform the present. To understand customer's needs for new innovation, you can simply repeatedly ask one question: Why.
"Why do you want a faster horse?"
"So I can get to town faster to pick up supplies and mail."
"Why do you want to get to town faster?"
"So I can get back and get more done on the farm."
By digging deeper with a series of "Why" questions, you can get at the customer's underlying desire. In this case, the horse was not the real desire -- the desire was being empowered to "get more done."
Anyhow, check out sections 3 and 4 of the tutorial for a refresher on ways you can discover more information to enhance your communications.
