THE ROGUE TURTLE continued swimming against the current. I have no idea, he thought, where this is all headed. Genuinely confounded. The struggles, the learning, the awkwardness, it seemed to him he should know. Why do I do what I do? But the turtle knew the answer in an abstract and meaningful way. He stiffened... Continue Reading →

WE THROW AROUND the concept of communications strategy often. Let’s look at a practical approach to beginning the strategy development process for your organization. MAPPING. Identify all groups / stakeholder that your organization is working with or should be working with. Examples: Donors, government, partners, members, media, partners / sub-contractors, internal staff, board members. Don’t... Continue Reading →

IN OUR ON-GOING effort to collectively build the value of our work, let’s look at communications as a means to build accountability within an organization. Reporting is an unquestionable, external accountability mechanism: we spend the client’s money, so we show how the resources are used. But what about other communications products? Isn’t the design, production,... Continue Reading →

FACED WITH IMPENDING deadlines, demanding clients, and public scrutiny, it seems a blank screen is the most intimidating. Produce something. The desire from within is there, or perhaps it’s pressure from an outside source. But the cursor blinks back at us, alone, with no prospects of company. Self-doubt and desperation become dangerous bedfellows. It was... Continue Reading →

IN THE MOST mundane, boring moments of your communications work, you might ask yourself questions like: what’s the most important donor reporting document? Since apparently I’m in a similarly slow period of my work, I’ll go ahead and offer an answer: It’s the monthly report. The monthly report is the bridge between weekly implementation of... Continue Reading →