Watch the VIDEO INTRO above.
SEE ALSO the OVERVIEW and INTRODUCTION and PITCH DECK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
A perspective on communications, with information about how to use the handbook
FOREWORD AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: A biographical note about me, and a direct address to you, the reader.
INTRODUCTION: A CASE FOR COMMUNICATIONS: The role of communications is not simply to publicize an NGO’s work, but also to build grassroots support. That means engaging people in creating a shared vision and taking action to fulfill that vision. READ the short version of the introduction.
HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK: An overview of the handbook, with pointers about how to get the most out of it, no matter your job role. Includes a feature on using the guide in tandem with AI, or artificial intelligence.
SECTION 1: STRATEGY AND SYSTEMS
Ways to consistently produce the best communications with the biggest impact
ORIENTATION: Centering your work around a mission, vision, values, solutions, connections, and emotions. Includes features on the importance of hope and the value of listening.
STRATEGY: Making a plan to define and fulfill your organizational goals.
SYSTEMS: Using methods to build teamwork, create and store content, and share that content with audiences.
ETHICS AND STANDARDS: Upholding professional rigor and your NGO’s values in communications.
EVALUATION AND LEARNING: Measuring the impact of your communications and learning how to do better.
EDITORIAL MISSION AND GUIDELINES: Determining what you will publish and why.
ROLE OF THE EDITOR: Editing for the success of the team.
MEDIA RELATIONS: Understanding where your organization's needs overlap with those of journalists.
SECTION 2: PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE WRITING
Principles to make all your writing more effective and engaging
PURPOSE: Writing with a goal in mind. Includes a feature on Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
PEOPLE AND ACTION: Centering your writing on people. Includes a feature on personal writing style.
CLARITY: Writing in language that’s easy to understand and connect with.
ORGANIZATION: Structuring your writing so that it’s easy to follow.
ECONOMY: Using only as many words as you need.
SECTION 3: FORMS OF WRITING
The why, what, and how-to of common forms of social-impact writing
EMAILS AND NEWSLETTERS: Getting to the point in this most common form of writing.
PRESS RELEASES: Identifying what is truly newsworthy about your work.
OP-EDS AND BLOGS: Making one—and only one—persuasive point in your opinion writing.
SPEECHES AND PUBLIC SPEAKING: Connecting personally with people in real life, rather than online.
MESSAGES: Distilling what you want to say to its essence. Includes a feature on how to deliver messages in media interviews.
FUNDING PROPOSALS: Clearly explaining what you hope to achieve and how you’ll do it.
Q&As AND TESTIMONIALS: Letting people speak in their own voice.
LISTICLES: Grabbing the reader’s attention with easy-to-read articles in the form of lists.
VIDEO SCRIPTS: Balancing words with images and audio to get maximum impact.
AUDIO SCRIPTS: Taking advantage of the audio medium to spark the listener’s imagination.
PRESENTATIONS AND WEBINARS: Using presentation software to engage your audience.
REPORTS: Sharing the impact and import of your work to gain more support.
TOOLKITS AND GUIDES: Helping people do their jobs better by providing “how-to” resources.
POLICY PAPERS: Providing practical insight that will inform policymaking.
PHOTOS AND CAPTIONS: Using words to illuminate your images rather than overwhelm them.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Using and learning from the “social” aspect of social media.
CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS: Providing information to protect people in crisis and promote your crisis response. Includes a feature on dealing with misinformation and disinformation.
ARTS AND CULTURE: Using creative communications to connect with audiences on many levels.
SECTION 4: STORYTELLING AND INTERVIEWING
Journeys into the lives of other people, recounted in any format
MEANING: Developing your “story radar” to tell stories that give audiences a way to learn, feel or connect.
STRUCTURE: Organizing the events of your stories in a way that transports the reader.
PEOPLE AND CONTEXT: Exploring the personal and the political by writing about people and their context.
RESEARCH: Gathering the information necessary to write accurate and powerful stories.
INTERVIEWS: Talking with people to learn about their experiences and perspectives.
QUOTES FROM INTERVIEWS: Selecting the best and most representative passages from an interview to use as quotes in a story.