How to Improve Project Dissemination at Your Nonprofit
Getting the word out about your projects isn’t just important, it’s essential. The dissemination of ideas, the sharing the whos whats and hows of your program benefits, means that your team will be able to serve a greater portion of your community.
Good project dissemination can mean the difference between a well-executed strategic plan and a project only partly brought to fruition. For funders, project dissemination is key—it really makes sure that the money and resources they have provided your organization have been used to their best, and fullest extent.
Have a plan
Project dissemination is so important many major funders will actually make it a mandatory part of the grant application. Having a plan is a sign to funders that you are taking the project seriously and that you will be able to get it in front of the community you serve. The plan may also be helpful in the future for other organizations seeking assistance from the same funder, so it’s a good thing for the grant officers to know about.
Get your team involved
It might be tempting to leave your project dissemination to a few key people at your organization. After all, the project managers and the marketers should know best what to do, right? Well, they should be in charge of your messaging, sure, but everyone in your organization, from the board members to the volunteers, should feel a sense of ownership in your projects. Get everyone involved and excited about getting the news out there about your project.
Don’t neglect contacts in the community
Focus on your local contacts outside of your organization, as well. It’s a pity but a fact that many services that nonprofits provide aren’t well known in their communities. It’s possible that, because you are so passionate about your projects, you forget that not everyone knows them at the same depth that you do. You may think that your community contacts know and understand your projects fully, but actually they may only be aware of a portion of the information they need to know. Be sure to furnish the proper information to your contacts, and make it clearly available in your headquarters and on your digital properties in case someone comes to you looking for it. It can help to periodically ask people to tell you what they know about your work. Then, you’ll know what aspects of your services you should be working harder to talk up.
Ask for help
Just because you’re in charge of disseminating information about your project doesn’t mean that you and your team will be the primary source from which everyone gets their information. Ask for help in getting the word out. Any partner organizations, funders, collaborators that you have might be able to help, with a blog post, a mention in their newsletter, or a tie-in to their own marketing. For example, in our newsletter and on our blog, we love to write about interesting nonprofits that are making a difference in our community, even if they aren’t related to our clients. Many of your other organizations and contacts might feel the same way.
Local news outlets may also be interested in your story—it doesn’t hurt to ask. And, of course social media can do wonders, even for small projects at low-profile organizations. Get key influencers for the community you serve involved in your outreach on social media and other platforms, and you may be surprised how good your results are.
How else would you recommend enhancing project dissemination? Let us know!