When money is tight, can charities afford to neglect communications?

Has there ever been a time when charity leaders could sit back, relax and think, "Everything's going swimmingly"? I doubt it!

Right now, the pressures facing the voluntary sector feel particularly relentless. Funding is increasingly competitive, demand for services remains high, teams are stretched and organisations are trying to achieve more with less.

Recent announcements of closures, including the Directory of Social Change after more than 50 years supporting the sector, are a stark reminder that even well-established organisations aren't immune to these pressures.

Understandably, difficult decisions have to be made about where limited time, money and resources are spent.

Communications often finds itself slipping down the priority list.

The trouble is, neglecting communications doesn't necessarily save time or money. In fact, it can make everyone else's job that much harder.

Communications: Important when we need something promoting?

Throughout my career in the voluntary sector, I've seen communications treated as something we turn to when there's an immediate need. An event to fill, a new service to launch, a funding success to celebrate.

Suddenly, communications becomes a priority.

The work that makes those individual activities successful, such as building relationships, understanding audiences and developing trust, needs attention long before there's something to promote.

Early in my career, I was employed to develop and lead two new projects aimed at reaching audiences the organisation hadn't traditionally engaged with.

The organisation was doing important work, but its existing communications weren't reaching these audiences. So, alongside developing the projects, I also had to work out how to reach people who had very little existing connection to the organisation.

It was a lot to take on, particularly as someone new to the team, and certainly more than I'd anticipated from the job description!

Fortunately, I loved the work and had a supportive team who were open to trying new approaches. Together, we started making improvements that supported not only my projects but the organisation more widely.

We didn't suddenly have a bigger team or more resources but we started thinking more intentionally about how we communicated and who we needed to reach.

That experience taught me something I've carried throughout my career.

Communications can't simply be something we think about when we're ready to promote something. It needs to be part of the planning from the beginning.

What's the real cost of neglecting communications?

When communications isn't given the attention it needs, the consequences can ripple across an organisation.

Staff spend weeks organising an event, only to find themselves scrambling to attract participants at the last minute. Potential beneficiaries don't know what support is available. Opportunities to build partnerships, attract funding and donors can be missed when people don't fully understand what an organisation does or the difference it makes.

It's not just external audiences who are affected.

Poor internal communications can leave staff feeling disconnected from the bigger picture, frustrated by a lack of coordination or unaware of the fantastic work happening elsewhere in their own organisation.

None of this is necessarily down to a lack of effort. Quite the opposite! People are often working incredibly hard, but without clear, coordinated communications, they're having to work harder than they should.

We can't expect people to engage with our organisations, support our work or take action simply because we've suddenly got something we want them to know about.

Relationships and trust take time to build.

Good communications doesn't have to mean big budgets

Now, I'm certainly not suggesting every charity needs a dedicated communications team. For many smaller organisations, that's the stuff of dreams!

What every organisation does need, though, is a clear understanding of how its communications can support its wider goals.

What that looks like in practice will vary. For some, developing a communications strategy will provide the direction and structure needed to bring everything together. For others, a simpler plan might be enough to help focus their efforts and make better use of limited resources.

The important thing is that whatever approach you take, it's realistic, purposeful and works for your organisation.

A good starting point is to consider:

• Who are we trying to reach? Are we communicating with the people we actually need to engage?

• What do we want to achieve? Are our communications supporting our wider organisational goals?

• Where should we focus our efforts? Are we spreading ourselves too thinly trying to be everywhere?

• Who's responsible? Do we have a shared understanding of how communications will be managed and supported?

Having some agreed direction also helps when everyone has different ideas about what should be communicated and how. It's not about shutting down people's input, but providing a shared framework that makes those conversations more constructive and decisions easier.

Good communications isn't just about social media posts, newsletters or eye-catching graphics. It's about connecting people, sharing information, building trust, strengthening relationships and helping organisations achieve what they exist to do.

So, can charities afford to neglect communications?

I understand why communications can slip down the priority list when there are so many competing demands. I've worked in those environments and experienced those pressures myself.

I think we need to challenge the idea that communications is something separate from the 'real work' of a charity. It's part of how that work happens.

When resources are limited, surely making the best possible use of them becomes even more important?

The answer isn't necessarily to communicate more. It's to communicate with greater purpose.

The real question isn't whether your charity can afford to spend more on communications. It's whether you can afford to overlook the role communications plays in achieving your mission.