Communicating
Effective communication can not only galvanize a community, it can also help you tell your story to funders, local officials and other important audiences. Today’s digital media tools present an affordable and easy method to get your story told.
This section includes tools to help you develop a communications plan that identifies key audiences and ways to reach them—through print, the Internet and old fashioned word of mouth.
Institute Articles
Read our coverage of Communicating issues and ideas in the In The News section of this website.
Practitioners Resources
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"Creating a Media Plan"
- Community Media Workshop, Jan 19, 2014
- A template to think through a strategic media plan to spread the word about your work.
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"Effective Communications"
- LISC, Jan 19, 2014
- How to develop a communications plan that identifies key audiences and ways to reach them.
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"Scribes and Photographers - Scopes of Work"
- New Communities Program, Jan 19, 2014
- A resource for practitioners who are hiring professional writers or photographers to document their program.
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"Sharing Stories and Going Viral"
- Community Media Workshop, Jan 19, 2014
- A template to help you think through how to maximize attention for your issue, report or event.
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"Write Like a Scribe" (includes Report Templates)
- LISC, Jan 19, 2014
- A guide to how community-based scribes can capture the discussions of a strategic planning process.
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Mainstream Notions of What's Newsworthy
- Community Media Workshop, Jan 19, 2014
- A checklist for deciding if the information you want to share is likely to be interesting to a local media outlet.
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RFP for Scribes/Editorial Consultants
- LISC, Jan 19, 2014
- A request for proposal used to hire a scribe and editorial consultant for the Smart Communities Program.
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"Templates and Tools for Communication"
- LISC, Mar 1, 2011
- A PowerPoint that highlights ways to strengthen communications in print and online.
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"Communications for Community Development: Links to Web Sites that Work"
- LISC, Mar 15, 2010
- A dozen examples of web resources created by community development organizations to support their programs.