Equipping changemakers with the skills to make changes
Confidential
2023
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Indonesia have long had a tall task to improve the lives of Indonesian people. Challenges are faced on a daily basis, whether you are here battling the climate crisis or human rights' violations. Not only is your task challenged, but attempts to attack the legitimacy of your very existence have been constant.
Common mistakes in public communication for NGOs
Communication is often treated as an afterthought. Planning a communication strategy often happens when an activity is about to or has taken place. But if the goal of non-profit organizations is to influence policy changes or promote behavioral changes, designing a communication strategy should happen very early and complement the organization's program design.
Strategy is developed for the sake of just having a strategy. Designing a strategy is crafting an argument to get from where we are standing to where we are going. A strategy should describe where we are now, where we want to be, the barrier in between, the approach (or change statement), and the course of actions.
Unwilling to work with creative professionals due to limited resources. Bringing a communication strategy to life involves stimulus to incite the desired response, and assigning the task to specialists and professionals is where the magic happens.
Building communication mindset as a starting point and providing tools to accelerate changes
There are ways to make public communication work. C4C does it by persuasion, or "Bujuk Rayu" in Bahasa Indonesia. In 2022 we provided communication capacity building for 10 non-profit organizations. The project began with a series of 4 online learning sessions, consisting of lectures and exercises.
Day One. We introduced participants to elements of communication strategy and how to work on the Theory of Change, wrapping up with a homework assignment.
Day Two. Participants learn about brand building for non-profit organizations. Building a solid brand ensures trust, gets organizations acknowledged, and invites commitment of resources from stakeholders.
Day Three. Participants learn how to craft research findings and policy briefs into a communication product by analyzing their target audience.
Day Four. Participants learn how to craft the right messages for target audiences, wrapping up with a course to monitor and evaluate the organization's comms programs.
Among the 10 participants, two organizations, WALHI Jawa Tengah and WRI Indonesia, were chosen out of their quality of work to receive additional mentoring sessions as well as communications support that caters to their specific needs.
We help reformists become better at persuading
Sufficient communication support and skills for CSOs in promoting changes allows NGOs to realize there were mistakes they may have to address. At the same time, it gives them the tenacity that what they are doing really matters and has impact.