Funders, you need to fund outreach

It’s not enough to be good. You need to be heard. You need to be believed.

A lesson from Hollywood

Before a movie comes out, Hollywood studios look at the how much it cost to make the film and add another 50% (or more) to the budget to pay for marketing.

It doesn’t matter how good the movie is, studios need to spend a lot of time and money telling people about it. If anything, studios are willing to spend more on marketing when they know a film is popular. For example, Barbie cost $145-million to make and the studio spent an additional $150-million to market it. Hollywood knows that it takes a tremendous amount of effort for even a beloved story to reach its audience.

In nonprofit land, we too often think the opposite. We assume that the better an idea, the more likely merit alone will be enough to see it succeed. Some of this naiveté is lack of specialized marketing knowledge in the sector. But, some of this is the fault of funders. Funding outreach activities should follow these best practices.

The consequences of project-based funding

Project-based funding often supports specific project activities but excludes public engagement, core communications staff, or work that is done after the project is “over”. The funds may pay for research or a policy paper or a website or a toolkit, but the funding ends there.

Unfortunately, this is the moment when real social change begins.

Similarly, funding rarely pays for the work organizations need to establish or nurture relationships and build their communications infrastructure before an announcement is made or a campaign is launched.

It’s assumed that scaffolding will take care of itself. It does not.

Change happens because information and feelings and opportunities are transmitted through relationships. Relationships are built over time — often years. They require continuity, repeated contact, familiarity, and trust.

What funders can do to ensure good work makes a difference

If you want to make sure the funding you provide towards outreach reaches its audience and has a real impact on equity, nature, public health, or any other social good, here’s what you can do:

1. Add 25% to each project budget for communications. Give additional funding for communications, outreach and socialization of the information, knowledge, or expertise at the heart of the work.
   
2. Change the way you define the “end” of a project. Don’t make the publication of a report, the release of a study, or the launch of a program be the end of the project. Fund the release and awareness work that comes after.
   
3. Fund participation in community activities. Fund networking, conference attendance, workshop participation, and other opportunities for people to meet, form networks, and share ideas crucial to resilient networks.
   
4. Fund the convenors. Fund the networks, conferences, and convenors who are bringing people together. Their work is more important now than ever before.
   
5. Pay for communications training and coaching. Many subject matter experts and managers don’t have enough opportunities to develop specialized marketing and communications skills. With training or expert coaching, leaders and organizations can build their capacity to ensure their good work connects with people and leads to change.
   
6. Dig for gold. The most important work is often the most time consuming, and the leaders who most need your help may be too busy or too humble to self-promote. Good work needs support from funders who understand that the most famous names aren’t automatically the best people for the job.
   
7. Make multi-year commitments. Organizations have been saying this for years, but it’s worth repeating: funding security leads to better results. Security ensures that the team delivering the project can spend time building relationships, expand their network of trust, and keep experienced voices engaged.

Good work isn’t enough

Good work alone isn’t enough. The best ideas don’t win when they are said too quietly or to too few people.

Welcome to the era of loud.

If social impact leaders are going to create changes that support healthy communities and thriving democracy, they need more financial support for communications and outreach. They need cash for travel, for their time, and for their staff.

Only funders — institutions and people like you — can make this happen.