(Illustration by iStock/RobinOlimb)
“There is no them. There’s only us.”—Bono
Since the dawn of the 21st century, we’ve faced an explosion of ideas and information like never before. Today’s world brings unprecedented levels of communication, leading to rising anxiety, ambiguity, and loneliness. This surge makes sense given the rapid evolution of our information ecosystem—from radio and television to the Internet. The pace of change is nothing short of astonishing.
Communication in a New Era of Social Change
As traditional power dynamics shift, participatory models are emerging. And as Henry Timms and Jeremy Heimans highlight in their important book, New Power, old hierarchies are giving way to more distributed networks. Soon, artificial intelligence (AI) tools will be integral to everyone’s daily lives, and they will reshape how foundations and nonprofits achieve their missions—especially when it comes to communications.
Put simply, the 20th-century broadcast model of mass communication simply doesn’t cut it anymore. Foundations and nonprofits need to focus on community building rather than just pushing messages to an audience (or to that awful, imprecise word that ought to be banished to the jargon jar, “stakeholders”). It’s about engaging real people in meaningful ways to foster support and collaboration, which requires investing in genuine relationships and building sustainable communities based on shared values.
So, how do we make this shift?
It begins with a rethinking of the motivations driving foundation and nonprofit communications today. To create the better tomorrow we all want, we need authentic relationships and community building. This means moving away from mass messaging and toward face-to-face connections—listening, collaborating, and forming real partnerships. Yes, this is more challenging than firing off a tweet or blasting a press release, but genuine social change has never been easy.
Trust is the foundation of communication, and in the field of communications-for-good, cultivating trust isn’t optional, it’s essential. None of us listens (or pays much attention) to folks we don’t trust. And, as misinformation spreads and the implications of generative AI loom, our sector has a crucial role
to play in healing divides. Foundations and nonprofits can’t operate from a distance anymore; this shift from one to many isn’t just necessary—it’s transformative.
Evolving Expectations for Engagement
Our communities now demand more than statements; they expect action and authenticity. According to Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer, a six-to-one margin
of people want organizations to actively engage with societal issues rather than just talk about them. This marks a significant shift in expectations—crafting a message isn’t enough. To move toward action and authenticity, organizations need to begin grounding their communication efforts in meaningful connections, based on mutual trust and understanding,
This is where the old ways fall short. The 20th-century broadcasting model of communications is losing whatever potency it had left, particularly when it comes to engaging younger, more digitally savvy audiences. According to the 2023 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report,
only 15 percent of nonprofits said that broadcasting was a highly effective way to reach their target audiences. Why? Because broadcasting doesn’t invite dialogue and feedback and fails to foster the kind of deep engagement that everyone expects today. Without a way to listen and adapt, foundations and nonprofits often fall out of touch with the people they’re seeking to serve and, as a result, lack the information they need to develop and execute effective programs and initiatives.
Recalibrating Toward Trust and Relationships
The pandemic decimated trust in institutions
and authority, which is declining still, with the possible (and encouraging) exception of the social sector. One need look no further than the US Centers for Disease Control’s communications failures
(which have contributed to polarization) to see just how damaging lack of trust can be.
A silver lining? The pandemic also forced many nonprofits to adapt to new forms of engagement, including digital spaces, and lean into local, responsive, and personalized communication. McKinsey reported in late 2020
that executives recognized the pandemic as a tipping point that reshaped customer interactions forever. Audiences expect more engagement and less formality, a transformation that has proven to not just have been a temporary adjustment, but a new paradigm.
Ultimately, the shift from broadcasting to relationship-building is more than just a tactical change. It’s a recalibration, driven by data and the evolving expectations of the communities we serve. In this new era, we must practice deep listening to learn where our communities want to meet us, and then make the trip. And fortunately, there are many avenues to the kind of direct, informal, two-way conversations we need to have. Social media remains a powerful tool for real-time, genuine engagement, and media partnerships, influencer partnerships, video storytelling, podcasts, and convenings can all activate community involvement.
Meeting the Moment
From the successful movement for marriage equality
to the largest expansion of voting rights
since The Civil Rights Act, the chief engine of change in recent years has been community—driven by authentic conversation. These movements didn’t succeed because they had loud voices; they won through deep relationships with the communities they aimed to serve.
Organizations like the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations have long understood that building real relationships creates lasting change. They’ve shifted their communication strategies away from one-way messaging toward sustained engagement, fostering the kind of deep connections and prolonged involvement that long-term change requires.
We’re living in an age of mass participation, where everyone has the ability to shape public discourse and influence change. For foundations and nonprofits, this shift is an opportunity to move away from top-down communication models and toward strategies that prioritize community, dialogue, and trust.
This article series, produced in partnership with The Communications Network, will share stories and strategies from forward-thinking organizations that have adapted their communications to become trusted partners in their communities.
The Latin word communis emerged around the 7th century BCE. If foundations and nonprofits wish to succeed in this new age and beyond, we’d do well to remember that communication and community are inseparable and evolved from that common root.
Support SSIR’s coverage of cross-sector solutions to global challenges.
Help us further the reach of innovative ideas. Donate today.
Read more stories by Sean Gibbons & Tristan Mohabir.