Strengthening Indonesian CSOs through a series of communication training

Civil society organizations (CSOs) in Indonesia strive to create a positive outcome through their advocacy, policy influence, and public engagement efforts. However, they frequently encounter communication challenges due to the varying levels of understanding among their audiences and stakeholders regarding the issues they address.

To bridge this gap, Communication for Change (C4C), with the support of the Ford Foundation, initiated a training series that emphasizes problem-solving, impactful presentations, and strategic storytelling abilities. Additionally, we selected two organizations from this training for hands-on mentorship to further enhance their communication skills and strategies.

The training series began with topics addressing common challenges for CSOs

C4C's project kicked off with a series of general training sessions that focused on four key areas for various CSOs:

1. Design Thinking: Encouraging CSOs to approach complex problems with creative solutions.

2. Think Clearly, Present Better: Teaching effective communication techniques to enhance how CSOs present their work.

3. Campaign for Social Change: Developing strategic campaigns aimed at fostering social change through advocacy.

4. Crafting Stories of Change: Utilizing storytelling techniques to make CSOs' messages more relatable and impactful.

After completing the initial sessions held from October 2021 to February 2022, C4C selected two participants for tailored capacity-building sessions aimed at addressing their specific communication challenges.

Two CSOs with unique communication challenges were selected for follow-up sessions

Each organization has unique communication needs. For one organization, we focused on building a comprehensive research dissemination plan and developing visual content to make complex information more accessible. For the other, our sessions emphasized partnership-building, effective proposal writing, and delivering persuasive presentations to strengthen their appeal to potential collaborators and funders. Through these targeted sessions, each organization gained customized skills to better engage their stakeholders and maximize their impact.

Communication is an important aspect of managing an organization

C4C's training programs offered practical skills that helped CSOs improve their ways of communicating both internally and externally. By empowering CSOs with essential communication skills, the program strengthened their ability to connect meaningfully with potential supporters and stakeholders, amplifying their influence.