A Creative Solutions & Innovations Tool Kit that describes the tools included in Creating a Marketing Communications Plan. Tools include: SWOT & SWOT Interplay, Positioning your NPO, Channels, POST Development Tool and Message Development Box.

1. Strategic Marketing Communications Tools
“Any group that does not have an effective [marketing] communication program will raise
only a fraction of the money they would otherwise attract.”
Fundraising Guru Roger Craver
Strategic Communications for Nonprofits
TOOLS:
 SWOT & SWOT Interplay
 Positioning Your NPO
 Channels
 Post Development Tool
 Message Development Box
Deborah Spector
deborah@creative-si.com

2. Key Research Tools - SWOT & SWOT Interplay
What is a SWOT?
SWOT in an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The internal part is about
an organization’s strengths and weaknesses; opportunities and threats are from outside the
organization.
A SWOT is used for auditing an organization and its environment. The exercise helps identify strategic
issues and the internal and external factors that are favorable – or not, to reach a goal. SWOT is an
important research tool for marketing communications & branding initiatives, strategic planning,
preparing for a specific project and special events.
How to conduct a SWOT:
 Pull together a team including senior staff, board members & volunteers. Use the SWOT
exercise to involve and engage people and to develop a sense of ownership.
 Hang four flip charts on wall or place on easels.
 Title each one with a different category.
 Identify a team member or outside volunteer to serve as scribe.
 Ask each person to name strengths & weaknesses as well as opportunities & threats.
 Since a SWOT is subjective at times one person will see strength in what another sees as a
weakness. Be sure and capture these differences and record everyone’s comments.
 Develop a series of questions for each category. The questions will vary according to goal of
SWOT.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
What are your strengths/weaknesses?
What are your competitive strengths/weaknesses?
Do you have needed staff, volunteers, IT, marketing, management, strategic plan?
Opportunities/Threats
What external factors provide opportunities/threats?
Relationship with competitors in your marketplace
Social, economic, government opportunities/threats
SAMPLE SWOT Analysis
Internal Strengths:
 Staff capacity
 Volunteer Corps
 Committed leadership
 Our momentum of change
External Opportunities:
 Disseminate data to increase partners
 Untapped opportunities with other
npos in our market niche
 Grant opportunities
Internal Weaknesses:
 Lack of capacity
 Lack of events to engage prospects
 No crisis communications plan
 No board commitment to
communications planning
External Threats:
 Weak economy
 Unsettled political environment
 Funders shifting funding focus
 Competition from other npos for
funding

3. What is SWOT Interplay?
SWOT Interplay is designed to take the information summarized in the SWOT analysis and tell you what
actions your nonprofit should and/or should not take. This is where you look at the interrelationship
of Strengths and Opportunities, Strengths and Threats, Weaknesses and Opportunities and
Weaknesses and Threats.
How to Proceed:
Take the points listed from your SWOT. On the new table, list the strengths and weaknesses on
the left side. List the opportunities and threats at the top. As you proceed you might discover
that a strength and/or weakness will link to a number of opportunities and/or threats. And,
sometimes you will not find any connections. Stay focused on those points that interplay.
Deborah Spector, an NPO Connect Content Expert, is
president of Creative Solutions & Innovations, an
independent consulting firm that empowers nonprofits
to do good! Deborah specializes in strategic marketing
communications and special event management. Stay
connected – www.creative-si.com/blog. Follow me on
Twitter @CreativeSI.

4. Positioning Your NPO
Positioning is at the heart of nonprofit marketing. As described by Philip Kotler, marketer
extraordinaire, positioning designs an organization’s image and value offer so that its customers
appreciate what the organization stands for in relationship to its competitors.
Marketing “pulls” a nonprofit’s audiences from where they are to create a desired action.
Communications “pushes” out messages. Positioning is the linchpin between the two.
Positioning flows from a nonprofit’s mission. Positioning guides an organization into the future
and works to build its reputation with its key audiences.
Positioning is strategic. Can you think of anything more valuable than your nonprofit’s
reputation? And, in this changing landscape where nonprofit’s must be nimble and quick,
positioning takes on even more importance in competition to be loved “or be out.”
A positioning statement is a tight, focused description of the core target audience to whom a
nonprofit is directed, and it provides a compelling picture of how the organization wants its
targeted audiences to view them. A well-constructed positioning statement brings focus and
clarity to the development of the marketing strategy and tactics.
How does the positioning statement effect a nonprofit’s marketing strategy? According to
Brandeo, an online marketing resource, every decision that is made regarding a brand is judged
by how well it supports its positioning statement.
Brandeo describes the four elements or components of a positioning statement. I have
qualified these for nonprofits:
1. Target Audience – Knowing your target audience is fundamental to an organization’s
success.
2. Frame of Reference – the marketing niche in which a nonprofit competes.
3. Benefit/Point of Difference - the most compelling and motivating benefit that an
organization owns in the hearts and minds of its target audience relative to the
competition.
4. Reason to Believe - the most convincing proof that the brand delivers what it promises
Creating a Positioning Statement
Start with the discovery process. The discovery process should be inclusive. I like to convene a
blue ribbon panel composed of at least senior management and leadership. Task them to
identify their niche in the market, e.g., market leader, challenger, follower or nicher. Chances

5. are people sitting around the table will have a feel for the role their organization plays in the
marketplace. Audience discovery phone calls provide insights from the nonprofit are
stakeholders.
If the leadership and staff identify themselves as a market leader, you will have to decide
whether to emphasize expanding the total market, protect current market share or expand the
market share; as a market challenger, decisions include whom to challenge and how; as a
market follower, focus on following closely, at a distance or selectively; or as a market nicher, in
what parts of the marketplace the organization will specialize, e.g., which services can be
offered through specialization better than larger nonprofits.
The next step involves identifying challengers and collaborators within the niche. Time and
again I hear that an organization is unique, that there are no challengers. More unsettling is the
belief, especially by leadership that collaboration is not necessary.
Interestingly, as the exercise unfolds, the discovery of challengers (and what they do as well if
not better) spurs very dynamic conversations.
SWOT is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment, and is extremely useful. The
visioning exercise sets the stage; the SWOT analyzes the strength, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats to your preliminary plan.
Be realistic when you do a SWOT. Be as specific as possible.
Next explore SWOT Interplay. This is where you look at Strengths and Opportunities, Strengths
and Threats, Weaknesses and Opportunities and Weaknesses and Threats.
From this you’ll learn:
 Clear matches of Strengths and Opportunities through which you can leverage your
strengths to take advantage of an opportunity
 With the organization’s Strengths and Threats if you need to mobilize your resources,
either alone or through your network, to avert a possible threat
 Judgment calls to invest, divest or collaborate where you have Weaknesses and
Opportunities
 The need to do damage control where the nonprofit has Weaknesses and Threats
Once you’re finished the discovery process it will be time to write the positioning statement.
Don’t forget that a mission statement defines the nonprofit’s purpose, whereas the positioning
statement speaks to the organization’s uniqueness.
The positioning statement is internal. All external communications should flow from and refer
back to the positioning statement.

6. CHANNELS
Communication
Channels to
Listen, Monitor
& Engage
Provide
Info &
start
dialog
Fundraising
News &
Link
Promote
Research
Provide
Resources
Promote
Events
Person
responsible
for
Channels
Website      DS
Blog   
On-line
newsletter
Email
SEO
Facebook
YouTube
Podcast
Twitter
Webinars
Conferences,
training
Face to Face
meetings
SEO Press
Releases
PSA
Advertising
On-line
advertising
Meeting with
Community
Partners
SlideShare

7. People: Evaluate social media activities of your community.
Objectives: Identify the goals & accomplishments you want to achieve
Strategy: Plan how your organization’s relationships with community will change
Technology: Decide which traditional & social media tools are most applicable based on P, O & S

8. Message Development Box
The message development box helps you develop the messages you need
for your communications plan and/or for a specific campaign. Use a clean
copy (see next tool) at message development sessions.
You do not need to use the messages in any particular order. You need to
decide where to start depending on your audience.
Messages for The Media
THRESHOLD MESSAGES:
What do people need to know,
believe or care about to become
engaged? What obstacles do you
have to overcome to get people over
the threshold?
SOLUTION MESSAGES:
And, the world would
be a better place. . .
What is the projected
positive outcome? How
would people’s lives be
better?
ACTION MESSAGES:
What is the purpose of
the message? What do
you want people to do?
Link it to the goal of
this specific campaign.
REINFORCEMENT MESSAGES:
How do you keep people
involved? Do your supporters
carry your messages? What do
you give them to do so? Do
you have statistics, anecdotes,
or sound bites?
Put your organization’s
name or the name of the
campaign here

9. Message Development Box
Threshold Message & supporting points
1.
2.
3.
Solution Message
and
Supporting points
1.
2.
3.
Action Message and
Supporting points
1.
2.
3.
Reinforcement Message and supporting points
1.
2.
3.