The purpose of a strategic communications plan is to integrate all the organization’s programs, public education and advocacy efforts. By planning a long-term strategy for your efforts, you will be positioned to be more proactive and strategic, rather than consistently reacting to the existing environment. The strategic plan will help you deploy resources more effectively and strategically by highlighting synergies and shared opportunities in your various programs and work areas.

The creation and adoption of a strategic communications plan represents a significant step for any organization. For many organizations, the adoption of such a plan represents a cultural shift toward communications and a clear recognition that all the organization’s efforts have a communications element. Public education, grassroots organizing, research, public advocacy, direct service and even fundraising are all, at their core, communications tasks vital to the health and success of a nonprofit organization.

At the SPIN Project we firmly believe that a strategic communications plan has the power to transform an organization: both in terms of your credibility and status in your community, and in terms of the way you work together as a team to achieve your mission and vision for your community.

If you're ready to start planning strategically in your communications work, download the full Strategic Communications Tutorial and the Strategic Communications Plan Generator, both in .pdf format. You can use these tools to start crafting a good communications plan.  You can also use them in planning a meeting to start to get your ideas down on paper.

Finally, if you'd like to see what a real communications plan based on the SPIN Project's model looks like, our friends at InnerCity Struggle have graciously allowed us to share a sample communications plan they created to work for a new school curriculum in the Los Angeles Unified School District.