2016 Nonprofit Communications

Trends Report

#npcomm2016

6TH ANNUAL NONPROFIT COMMUNICATIONS TRENDS REPORT

Whats Inside . . .

WHEN AND WHERE NONPROFITS WILL COMMUNICATE

Which nonprofit communications goals are most important, and how that varies based on
your job title. See page 5.
New data on whats associated with a greater feeling of responsibility for fundraising and
community engagement goals. See page 8.
Which communications channels are most important to nonprofits, and how often they
plan to send appeals and newsletters via both print and email. Starts on page 10.
Which social media sites nonprofits favor, including new data on how often they will
update each social media channel. See page 15.
GETTING THE WORK DONE
What gets in the way of nonprofit communications success (see page 18) and what
communications teams say they need to be more successful (see page 19).
What excites nonprofit communicators (see page 20) and what worries them (see page 22)
about 2016.
NONPROFIT COMMUNICATIONS TEAMS
The average size of nonprofit communications teams. See page 24.
How team structure and job satisfaction may be related. See page 25.
NONPROFIT COMMUNICATIONS STAFF
The expected rate of communications staff turnover. See page 26.
Communications director and coordinator salaries (see page 27), as well as confidence and
experience on the job (page 28).
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND COMMUNICATIONS
DIRECTORS
The importance of a strong relationship with the executive director in a communications
directors job satisfaction and retention. See page 29.
Which problems executive directors should focus on to strengthen the relationship with
their communications staff. See page 30.
Advice for executive directors from Kivi Leroux Miller on how to work more effectively with
communications teams. See page 31.

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

6TH ANNUAL NONPROFIT COMMUNICATIONS TRENDS REPORT

Tweetable Findings
Will your nonprofit communications staff leave in
the next two years? It's 50-50. #npcomm2016
http://npmg.us/2016
The average annual salary for nonprofit
communications director is $59,558; Comm
coordinator: $37,271. #npcomm2016
http://npmg.us/2016

#npcomm2016
http://npmg.us/2016

"Very Satisfied" nonprofit comm staff: 53% work on integrated teams; 19% on separate but equal
teams. #npcomm2016 http://npmg.us/2016
47% of nonprofit communicators plan to make nonprofit marketing and communications their career.
#npcomm2016 http://npmg.us/2016
Only 40% of communications directors describe the working relationship with their ED as excellent.
#npcomm2016 http://npmg.us/2016
Top goals for nonprofit communication directors in 2016: brand awareness & engaging community
#npcomm2016 http://npmg.us/2016
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube remain the Top Three social media sites for nonprofits.
#npcomm2016 http://npmg.us/2016
The importance of Instagram to nonprofits has risen faster than any other social media site.
#npcomm2016 http://npmg.us/2016
59% of nonprofits will pay for Facebook advertising in 2016 with
39% spending over $100. #npcomm2016 http://npmg.us/2016
21% of nonprofits will post to Facebook multiple times a day;
31% will post once a day. #npcomm2016 http://npmg.us/2016
Communications directors more heavily favor Twitter than EDs
and development directors. #npcomm2016 http://npmg.us/2016
Too many interruptions was a serious problem for 27% of comm
directors; only 19% of dev directors. #npcomm2016
http://npmg.us/2016
Recipe for nonprofit comm success? More dedicated staff, bigger
budgets and more internal cooperation. #npcomm2016
http://npmg.us/2016

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

KiviLerouxMiller
Founder
NonprofitMarketingGuide
TointerviewKiviaboutthis
report,contactherat
(336)8700251,
[email protected]
or@kivilm.
3

6th ANNUAL NONPROFIT COMMUNICATIONS TRENDS REPORT

About the Survey & Report

This report is based on an online survey by
NonprofitMarketingGuide.com during
November 2015. The survey was administered
using SurveyMonkey.com, with additional
statistical analysis by MarketSight.com.
The full survey was completed by 1,613
nonprofits.
88% are in the United States (representing all
50 states/DC), 8% are in Canada, and the
remainder are from 30 countries around the
world.

Nonprofits from all 50 U.S. states and

the District of Columbia participated in
this years trends survey.
25%

47% have annual budgets under $1 million;

53% have budgets over $1 million. The biggest
cohort is organizations with budgets in the $15 million range.
Participants represent the diverse mission
areas of the nonprofit sector: 25% are in
Human Services, Housing, Food, Jobs; 14% are
in Education; 10% are in Health, Disease,
Medical Research; and 9% are in Environment
and Animals.

22%
24%
29%

A small subset of questions was answered

only by people who identified themselves as
either Communications or Marketing Directors or Managers or Communications or
Marketing - Coordinators or Associates.

Use This Research to Start

Conversations in Your
Organization
Many nonprofits use this report to compare
themselves against whats normal. Some find
comfort in the data. Others use it to start
sometimes difficult discussions among staff
and leadership about how to improve their
communications. Thats how we recommend
you use it!
2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

Youll find suggested

discussion questions in
quote bubbles like this one.

Communications Goals
& Responsibilities

Goals vary greatly between communications directors,

development directors, and executive directors.
The top three goals selected by nonprofit staff vary depending on job title.
Not surprisingly, communications directors lean more toward Community Engagement and
Brand Awareness, while development directors lean more toward Donor Acquisition and
Retention. Executive directors fall somewhere in the middle.
The relative ranking of these goals has changed little in the six years we have produced this
report, with one exception: Donor Retention has been rising as a goal across the board, but
especially among communications directors and executive directors.

Top Goals for Communications Directors

% placing goal in their Top 3

80%
70%
60%

Brand Awareness

50%

Engaging Community

40%

Acquiring Donors

30%

Retaining Donors

20%

Thought Leadership

10%
0%
2014

2015

2016

How can you tweak your 2016

communications strategy to
better align your specific donor
retention and broader
community engagement goals?
2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

COMMUNICATIONS GOALS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

TopGoalsforDevelopmentDirectors
%PlacingGoalinTheirTop3

100%
90%
80%
70%

BrandAwareness

60%

EngagingCommunity

50%

AcquiringDonors

40%

RetainingDonors

30%

ThoughtLeadership

20%
10%
0%
2014

2015

2016

% Placing Goal in Their Top 3

Top Goals for Executive Directors

80%
70%
60%

Brand Awareness

50%

Engaging Community

40%

Acquiring Donors

30%

Retaining Donors

20%

Thought Leadership

10%
0%
2014

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

2015

2016

COMMUNICATIONS GOALS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Relative Importance of Goals

by Job Title, 2014-2016
Brand Awareness

2014

2015

2016

Communications Directors

45%

68%

61%

Executive Directors

34%

42%

36%

Development Directors

34%

25%

32%

Acquiring Donors

2014

2015

2016

Communications Directors

41%

33%

47%

Executive Directors

68%

54%

73%

Development Directors

74%

89%

79%

Retaining Donors

2014

2015

2016

Communications Directors

16%

36%

45%

Executive Directors

34%

60%

68%

Development Directors

64%

94%

85%

Engaging Community

2014

2015

2016

Communications Directors

48%

65%

59%

Executive Directors

44%

51%

49%

Development Directors

47%

39%

47%

Thought Leadership

2014

2015

2016

Communications Directors

30%

40%

31%

Executive Directors

20%

34%

11%

9%

16%

10%

Development Directors

Percentage placing the goal in their Top 3

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

COMMUNICATIONS GOALS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Who Feels Responsible for

Fundraising and Community
Engagement
Our research shows that nonprofit communication directors and coordinators feel
primarily responsible for engaging their communities and general brand awareness.
Acquiring and retaining donors are secondary goals. 94% feel directly or somewhat
responsible for community building and engagement goals. But only 43% feel directly or
somewhat responsible for fundraising goals.

Exactly where responsibility for both fundraising and building/engaging your community lies
is less important than ensuring that someone feels directly responsible for these important
goals. In too many nonprofits, the focus is simply on doing day after day, rather than on
being thoughtful and strategic and working toward clearly defined goals.

INTEGRATEDTEAMS=MORE
PERSONALRESPONSIBILITY

DIRECTRESPONSIBILITY=HIGHER
JOBSATISFACTION

Our research shows a correlation between

the structure of communications and
fundraising teams and how responsible
individuals personally feel for achieving
both fundraising and community
engagement goals.

Our research also shows a correlation

between feeling directly responsible for
goals and feeling very satisfied with the
work.

Nonprofit staff on integrated teams where

marketing and fundraising staff work
together on an equal level under the same
manager were four times as likely to say
they felt directly responsible for fundraising
goals as those working on separate teams
with different managers. Members of
integrated teams were twice as likely to feel
responsible for community building and
engagement goals.

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

Of Those Who Are Very Satisfied in Their

Current Positions . . .
31%

Directly responsible for fundraising

goals

27%

Somewhat responsible for fundraising

goals

22%

Not responsible for fundraising goals

30%

Directly responsible for community

engagement

25%

Somewhat responsible for community

engagement

20%

Not responsible for community

engagement

COMMUNICATIONS GOALS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

WHEN AND WHERE NONPROFITS COMMUNICATE

The Big Six Channels

The six primary communications channels used by nonprofits websites, email, traditional
social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), in-person events, print marketing, and media
relations/PR wont change in 2016.
But there will be more emphasis on visual content. Visual social media (such as Instagram
and Pinterest) and video (including YouTube) moved up in priority again this year, surpassing
blogging and phone banking for the first time ever.
Staff with direct responsibility for fundraising have a stronger preference for phone
calls/phone banks, mobile apps/texting, in-person events and print marketing than those
without direct responsibility.
Staff with direct responsibility for community building and engagement have a stronger
preference for media relations/PR than those who do not have direct responsibility.

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Ranking of Communications Channels by Nonprofits

Very Important (Ranked in Top 4)

Somewhat Important (Ranked in positions 5-8)
Least Important (Ranked in positions 9 -13, or NA)
Ranked as #1 in 2016
Ranked as #1 in 2015
2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

10

WHEN AND WHERE NONPROFITS COMMUNICATE DIRECT MAIL

Direct Mail Appeals

In 2016, about a third of nonprofits will send direct mail appeals at least quarterly, a third will
send appeals twice a year, and 13% will not send direct mail appeals at all.

Frequency of Direct Mail Appeals

40%
Nonprofits Sending

35%

Appeals at Least

30%

Quarterly

25%

Nonprofits Sending

20%

Appeals Twice a

15%

Year

10%

Not Sending Direct

5%

Mail Appeals at All

0%
2014

2015

2016

How often will your nonprofit send a DIRECT MAIL APPEAL

(fundraising or other direct call to action) to the typical person
on your print mailing list in 2016?
Several times a week

0%

Every other week

1%

Weekly

1%

Monthly (12x/year)

5%

Quarterly (4x/year)

20%

Every other month (6x/year)

7%

Twice a year

33%

Don't know
Will not send any direct mail
appeals

5%

Once a year

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

16%
13%

11

WHEN AND WHERE NONPROFITS COMMUNICATE DIRECT MAIL

Direct Mail Newsletters

In 2016, about two-thirds of nonprofits will send a print newsletter, with one-third not sending
one at all. Among the nonprofits that will send print newsletters, quarterly is the most popular
frequency.

Frequency of Print Newsletters

35%

Nonprofits Sending

30%

Newsletters at Least
Monthly

25%

Nonprofits Sending

Newsletters Quarterly

20%
15%

Nonprofits Sending
Newsletters Twice a Year

10%
5%

Not Sending a Print

Newsletter at All

0%
2014

2015

How often will your nonprofit send a

DIRECT MAIL NEWSLETTER (or other
informational update) to the typical
person on your print mailing list in 2016?
Several times a week
Weekly
Every other week
Monthly (12x/year)
Every other month (6x/year)
Quarterly (4x/year)
Twice a year
Once a year
Don't know
Will not send a print newsletter

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

0%
1%
0%
5%
4%
27%
17%
9%
4%
33%

2016

Should we drop our

print newsletter?
Its a question we hear a lot at Nonprofit
Marketing Guide.

If you rely heavily on direct mail fundraising

from individuals, we suggest you do a print
newsletter at least quarterly, and perhaps
even more often. A well-done, donorcentered newsletter can be a great source of
revenue on its own, in addition to
fundraising from appeal letters.
If you dont do a lot of direct mail
fundraising, consider the pros and cons of
the format. Is there a specific goal that a
print newsletter could help you reach that
justifies the additional time and expense of
printing and mailing?

12

WHEN AND WHERE NONPROFITS COMMUNICATE EMAIL

Email Appeals

In last years report, we saw a jump in email appeal frequency. This year that spike has returned
to the patterns we saw in previous years. In 2016, 25% of nonprofits will send four email appeals
a year, 13% will send six appeals a year, and 18% will send twelve appeals a year. Only 7% will
not send any email appeals in 2016.

Frequency of Email Appeals

30%

Nonprofits Sending Appeals

Weekly or Every Other Week

25%

Nonprofits Sending Appeals

20%

Monthly

15%

Nonprofits Sending Appeals

Quarterly

10%

Nonprofits Sending Appeals

Twice a Year

5%

Not Sending Email Appeals at

0%
2014

2015

All

2016

How often will your nonprofit send an EMAIL APPEAL

(fundraising, advocacy, or other direct call to action) to the
typical person on your email list in 2016?
Several times a week

1%

Weekly

3%

Monthly (12x/year)

18%

Quarterly (4x/year)

25%

Every other week

Every other month (6x/year)

3%

13%

Twice a year

17%

Don't know

7%

Once a year

5%

Will not send any email appeals

7%

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

13

WHEN AND WHERE NONPROFITS COMMUNICATE EMAIL

Email Newsletters

Nonprofits are much bigger producers of email newsletters than print newsletters: 9 in 10 will
send at least one e-newsletter, while only two-thirds of nonprofits will send a print newsletter.
Monthly is the most popular frequency for e-newsletters.

How often will your nonprofit send an

EMAIL NEWSLETTER (or other
informational update) to the typical
person on your email list in 2016?
Several times a week
Weekly
Every other week
Monthly (12x/year)
Every other month (6x/year)
Quarterly (4x/year)
Twice a year
Once a year
Don't know
Will not send an e-newsletter
2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

1%
8%
8%
41%
9%
18%
4%
1%
4%
5%

How often should we send

our email newsletter?
At Nonprofit Marketing Guide, we generally
advocate shorter newsletters, more often.
This is especially true for organizations sending
newsletters less than monthly. If you are going
to be recognized in the inbox, you need to
appear there regularly, monthly at a minimum.
If you are already sending monthly
newsletters, but find that they are too long,
we suggest increasing your frequency to every
other week or weekly, and sending less
content in each edition.
14

WHEN AND WHERE NONPROFITS COMMUNICATE SOCIAL MEDIA

Top Social Media Sites

Nonprofits use multiple sites for

community engagement
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube remain the Top Three social media sites for nonprofits.
Instagram continues its steady rise in importance to nonprofits, while use of LinkedIn, Pinterest,
Google+ and Tumblr remains flat.
Nonprofits are most likely to experiment with Flickr and Periscope in 2016, confirming their
interest in more visual content.

Top Social Media Sites for Nonprofits

% Ranking the Site in Their Top 3

120%
Facebook

100%

Twitter

80%

YouTube
LinkedIn

60%

Instagram

40%

Google+

20%

Pinterest
Tumblr

0%
2013

2014

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

2015

2016

15

WHEN AND WHERE NONPROFITS COMMUNICATE SOCIAL MEDIA

Posting Frequency on Social Media

70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

Pinterest

Multiple times a day

Once a day

A few times a week

A few times a month

Less than once a month

Not at all

YouTube

Nonprofits and Facebook

Facebook maintains complete dominance in the nonprofit sector as the top social media site.
Only 1% of nonprofits surveyed said they would not use Facebook at all in 2016.
59% of nonprofits will pay for Facebook advertising.
21% of nonprofits will post to Facebook multiple times a day; 31% will post once a day; and 36%
will post a few times a week. Its worth noting that several expert sources recommend posting
at least once a day, and ideally 3-4 times a day, for best engagement. Staff directly responsible
for community engagement goals are much more likely to post multiple times a day than others.
How much do you expect your nonprofit
to spend on Facebook ads in 2016?
Zero / No Paid Advertising
Up to $100
Between $100 - $500
Between $501 - $1,000
Between $1,001 - $5,000
Between $5,001 - $10,000
More than $10,000
2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

41%
20%
22%
9%
6%
1%
1%

How could you use

Facebook ads to better
integrate your email
and social media
marketing?
16

WHEN AND WHERE NONPROFITS COMMUNICATE SOCIAL MEDIA

Nonprofits and Twitter

Twitter maintains a firm hold on second place for favorite
nonprofit social media channel, with one interesting
twist: Communications directors have a much stronger
preference for Twitter over executive directors and
development directors.
86% of communications directors put Twitter in their Top
3 Social Channels, while only 73% of development
directors and 63% of executive directors rated it that
highly. 45% of communications directors with direct
responsibility for community engagement will post
multiple times a day, compared to only 20% of
development directors with direct responsibility for
fundraising.
Twitter beats Facebook across the board for multiple
postings per day. 29% of nonprofits say they will post to
Twitter that often, compared to 21% for Facebook.
Another 19% of nonprofits will tweet once a day, with
26% posting a few times a week.

If you think of
Twitter as the
place for breaking
news and
real-time
reporting and
conversation, how
could you best use
it at your
nonprofit?

Nonprofits and YouTube

Fundraising video anyone? Development directors have the strongest preference for
YouTube, with 49% placing it in their Top 3 Social Channels. 42% of executive directors and
39% of communications directors put YouTube in their Top 3. However, communications
directors are more likely to post videos more frequently than development directors.

Nonprofits and Instagram

Instagram continues its rapid ascent as a favorite social media channel among nonprofits,
growing faster as a favorite than any other channel. 30% of communications directors and
29% of executive directors placed Instagram in their Top 3 Social Channels, followed by 24% of
development directors.

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

17

GETTING THE WORK DONE

What Gets in the Way

Time and resources are always in short

supply. But what specifically frustrates
nonprofit staff?
Top 5 Problems:
Too many competing priorities
Urgent tasks take precedence over
important ones
Too many interruptions during the work
day
Lack of coordination of co-workers

What can you do on

your own, and what can
your team do together,
to reduce the severity
of these problems?

Lack of clear processes and procedures

Its a Bigger Deal to Communications
Directors
While development directors and executive
directors agree with these Top 5 problems,
communications directors feel more
strongly about some of them.

Lack of management direction is a

bigger problem than excessive
oversight for communications staff.

Lack of management direction

Urgent tasks taking precedence over

important ones was a serious problem for 40%
of communications directors, but only for 28%
of development directors and 26% of
executive directors.

Moderate/Severe Problem: 40%

Too many interruptions in the work day was a

serious problem for 27% of communications
directors, but only 19% of development
directors rated it as serious.

Moderate/Severe Problem: 22%

Lack of coordination with co-workers was a

serious problem for 14% of communications
directors, but was identified as serious by only
8% of development directors and 4% of
executive directors.
2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

Not a Problem/Minor Problem: 60%

Excessive management oversight

Not a Problem/Minor Problem: 78%
See page 29 for much more detail on
improving the working relationships
between executive directors and
communications directors.

18

GETTING THE WORK DONE

Whats Needed for Success

Our communications/marketing
would be more successful if . . .

Heres how survey participants most often completed the sentence, with
some examples in their own words.

We had more staff

dedicated specifically to
communications.

We had staff who only did communications.

We had more content creators.
I had administrative support.
We hired a f------ Marketing Director.

We had a bigger budget.

We had more staff and resources.

We had a set budget reserved for marketing.
We had a budget to try new things.

We cooperated more
internally.

We were brought in earlier in planning.

We all worked in sync.
We could agree on consistent messaging.
We had support and trust from others in the
organization.

We had a more focused

strategy and clear plan.

We could plan ahead more.

We had clear, strategic goals.
We could focus on fewer, bigger goals.
We had a clear strategy for engagement and
evaluation.

We could reach more

people.
We had more contact with our community.
We had a stronger brand and messaging.
We could expand our network.
We were more interactive and
conversational with our donors.

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

What can your nonprofit

do to provide more of
what staff say they need
to be successful?

19

GETTING THE WORK DONE

What Excites You about

Your Work in 2016?

Heres how survey participants most often responded to that question, with
some examples in their own words.

Engaging the
community and making
a difference

A growing organization
and new opportunities

Working for an organization I believe in and know

makes a difference in the world.
If I do my job well, I can directly impact the quality
of life for many people.
Growing our community engagement with novel
marketing strategies.

Trying new things, moving the organization

forward.
Many exciting new projects and opportunities,
great team in place.
The opportunity to try new things and expand how
we tell our story.

Financial growth

Raising more money!

New opportunities, especially if grant funding
comes in.
Bigger budget to help meet organizational goals.

Staff growth and

training

New coworkers with fun ideas.

The opportunity for a new staff member after
being a one-person team for more than 5 years.
It's getting SO MUCH easier thanks to all I've
learned through great, affordable training!

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

20

GETTING THE WORK DONE WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT YOUR WORK IN 2016?

Technology
improvements

Creating a strategic
plan

Creative content

Reaching more donors

Using more inventive ways to reach/communicate

with supporters.
Chance to build a new website/community
platform.
New website!

A finalized strategic plan with goals spelled out.

Finally doing some strategic communications
planning.
We finally feel we have dealt with a backlog of
tasks and are beginning to be able to plan more
formally.

We're getting better at gathering stories of

impact from our community, and they're very
compelling!
Being creative in our storytelling and messaging.
I'm excited to start exploring ways to integrate
more infographics into our communications.

The potential to tell our story and bring in new

donors and raise more money to allow for more
important work to be done.
Rebuilding a base of donors and participants back
to previous years levels.
Incorporating millennials into our donor base.

What can your nonprofit do to capitalize on the

excitement that staff feels about 2016?

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

21

GETTING THE WORK DONE

What Worries You about

Your Work in 2016?

Heres how survey participants most often responded to that question, with
some examples in their own words.

Staff and training

restrictions

Budget and financial

restrictions

Time constraints

Competing priorities

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

Not having enough staff to follow through with

some excellent ideas.
We're being asked to do a lot and we are a very
small team.
That I don't know enough about marketing and
grant writing.
Lack of dedicated marketing budget makes it hard
to plan.
There is never enough money in the budget to do
the important projects.
Not meeting financial goals due to lack of a
compelling fundraising priority.
Too many hats to wear and not enough time to
do it all.
Not having enough time to do everything and
having to put in extra unpaid hours.
Balancing the day to day whirlwind activities and
strategic goals.

Adding new projects while maintaining older

priorities at a high level.
Difficulties in managing tasks/time/priorities with
more and more online needs arising.
Competing forces and organizational white noise
that buries the goals/objectives of our mission.

22

GETTING THE WORK DONE WHAT WORRIES YOU ABOUT YOUR WORK IN 2016?

Lack of strategy
or a plan

Organization
integration and growth

Technology constraints

Burnout and unrealistic

workload

That leadership won't approve a new clearer and

focused message and our communications will be
messy and confusing.
Excessive oversight over minutiae and concurrent
lack of timely and strategic direction from manager.
Not sticking to a strategy and being more reactive
rather than proactive, leading to near-sighted view
on long-term goals.

Organizational program expansion without equal

increase in communications capacity.
Changes in organization might prevent growth.
Rogue sales team who creates and manipulates
materials and hurts brand.

No plan for updating our outdated website.

Lack of support for digital communications.
Keeping up with fast-paced changes in the online
world in terms of how people get their
information and what drives them to make
donations or get involved.
I can't take a true vacation because I'm the only
full- time communications person.
Burning out from not feeling like I can do anything
well.
Too many plates the communications team is
expected to keep spinning in the air.

What conversations can you have with your team, and

what changes can you make, to minimize these worries?

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

23

NONPROFIT COMMUNICATIONS TEAMS

Communications Staffing

As a nonprofits budget grows, so

does the size of its communications
team.

This years research revealed the average staff size for communications teams, in full-time
equivalents (FTE). Please note this is not the same as the ideal team size! We asked nonprofit
communications directors to say in their own words what they needed to be more successful
and the most popular responses were variations on more staff time dedicated to
communications.
Team size grows as budgets grow, surpassing one FTE somewhere between the $500,000
$1 million mark and three FTE at the $5 - 10 million mark.
In 2016, 72% of all survey participants said they expected their communications teams staffing
to stay the same size, with only 20% expecting team staffing to grow.
With respect to communications team budgets, 57% expect theirs to remain the same in 2016,
with 28% expecting team budgets to grow. (We did not ask about average budget size.)
.

FTE on the Communications Team Grows

with the Nonprofit's Annual Budget

5.75

3.25
2

0.5

0.75

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

1.25

24

NONPROFIT COMMUNICATIONS TEAMS

Integrated teams create more

responsibility and job satisfaction
As communications staffing grows, questions about team structure and management often
arise, especially in relationship to fundraising staff. In most nonprofits, communications and
fundraising teams are on equal footing.
In 39% of nonprofits, youll find an integrated team, with marketing and fundraising
working together on an equal level under the same manager. In 37% of nonprofits, youll
find separate marketing and fundraising teams with different managers, but with equal
authority within the organization.
While the percentage of integrated teams versus separate but equal teams is similar, we
found some stark differences. As noted previously on page 8, integrated teams are much
more likely than separate-but-equal teams to feel direct responsibility for meeting
both fundraising and community building/engagement goals.
Job satisfaction is also significantly
higher among staff on integrated
teams.
Looking across all staff who say they
are very satisfied in their positions,
53% work on integrated teams and
19% work on separate but equal teams.
Looking only at staff who work on
integrated teams, 32% say they are
very satisfied, compared to 21% on
separate but equal teams.
What about other management
structures? In 11% of nonprofits a
fundraising manager is in charge of
marketing staff; in 3% of organizations,
a marketing manager is in charge of
fundraising staff. 11% of survey
participants selected other structures,
indicating that they do not fundraise,
dont have any formal management
structure, or one person does it all.

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

Staff Who Say They Are Satisfied in

Their Current Positions Are More Likely
to Work on Integrated Teams

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Integrated
team

Separate but
equal teams

Fundraising

Marketing

marketing

fundraising

manages

Very satisfied

manages

Other

Satisfied

25

NONPROFIT COMMUNICATIONS STAFF

Nonprofit Communications
Staff on the Job
Nonprofit communicators directors and coordinators are committed to their work and
passionate about their craft.
Nearly half (47%) plan to make nonprofit marketing and communications their career.
29% plan to stay in communications, but not necessarily at a nonprofit.
They are confident in their marketing and communications skills.
53% feel comfortable and 37% feel very capable in their jobs. In other words, 90% are confident
in performing their job responsibilities.
They are experienced at the work.
Nonprofit communications directors have worked in the nonprofit sector for 10 years on
average, and specifically in nonprofit communications and marketing for 7 years on average.
And they like their jobs!
72% of communications staff are satisfied or very satisfied.
And yet, turnover is high.
48% of communications directors and 61% of communications coordinators plan to leave their
current position in the next two years. This is similar to the rate of departure for development
directors, according to Underdeveloped: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit

Fundraising (January 2013).

WILL YOUR COMMUNICATIONS STAFF LEAVE IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS?

ITS 50-50.

48% of Communications Directors Plan to

Leave Their Current Jobs with Two Years
13%
52%

35%

Less than a year

1-2 years
3 or more years

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

62% of Communications Coordinators Plan to

Leave Their Current Jobs with Two Years

38%

20%

Less than a year

1-2 years

42%

3 or more years

26

NONPROFIT COMMUNICATIONS STAFF

Communications Staff
Salaries

This is the first year we have asked about salaries and years of experience on nonprofit
communications teams. The average annual salary for a communications coordinator is
$37,271. The average annual salary for a communications director is $59,558. As to be
expected, salaries grow based on the overall budget size of the nonprofit.

Annual Salaries, Based on the Annual Budget Size of the Nonprofit

$90,000
Communications Directors

$80,000

$82,860

Communications Coordinators

$70,000

$69,228

$60,000

$29,437
Over $10 million

$28,718

$1-5 million

$250,000 or less

$27,931

$500,001-$1 million

$30,543

$30,000
$20,000

$37,953

$48,672

$42,316

$5-10 million

$39,692

$250,001-$500,000

$40,000

$58,436

$45,546

$50,000

Some types of nonprofits tend to pay

communications directors better . . .

and some do worse.

Paying more than 20% above average:

Paying below average, by 10% or more

International

Religion

Health, Disease, and Medical Research

Arts, Culture and Humanities

Other Public Benefit Research or Advocacy

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

27

NONPROFIT COMMUNICATIONS STAFF

Communications Staff
Confidence and Experience
How They Feel About the Work
and Their Own Skills

Communications
Coordinators

Communications
Directors

I am passionate about the work and plan to

make nonprofit communications my career.

42%

49%

I plan to spend my career in communications,

but not necessarily at a nonprofit.

34%

28%

I have a lot to learn and many knowledge and

experience gaps to fill.

14%

8%

I am comfortable with most of the work, but

want to keep getting better at it.

68%

48%

I am very capable, confident, and effective,

and am looking to take my work and
organization to the next level.

18%

44%

Communications
Coordinators

Communications
Directors

Years employed at current nonprofit in any

role

4 years

6 years

Years employed in current communications

position

2 years

4 years

Total experience in communications at any

employer (business, government, nonprofit)

8 years

13 years

Total experience in the nonprofit sector (all

jobs, all nonprofits)

7 years

11 years

Total experience in nonprofit marketing or

communications specifically

5 years

8 years

Type of Work Experience

Data in these charts is from 678 survey participants who identified themselves as Communications or
Marketing Director or Manager (abbreviated to Communications Director) or Communications or
Marketing Coordinator or Assistant (abbreviated to Communications Coordinator). While not a perfect
indicator, we use these job titles to distinguish between junior and senior communications positions.
2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

28

ADVICE FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

Want to retain your

communications director?
Build an excellent working
relationship.
Only 40% of communications
directors describe the working
relationship with their
executive director as excellent.

What Communications Directors Say

45% say the relationship is functional or

fair
8% say it is difficult or strained
3% say they do not have a working
relationship with the executive director.

Excellent Relationship
with Executive Director

Difficult Relationship
with Executive Director

4%
43%

45%
7%

92%

19%

3%

50%

Plan to Stay in Nonprofit

Communications as a Career

55%

31%

Communications Director is on Senior

Management Team

59%

24%

Plan to Leave Current Position . . .

in Less Than a Year
in 5 or More Years
Very Satisfied or Satisfied in Current
Position
Very Dissatisfied or Dissatisfied in
Current Position

Based on responses from 500+ nonprofit communications directors

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

29

ADVICE FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

Want to strengthen the relationship?

Minimizing these problems can
make a huge difference.
Take note of the major difference in how
common problems are described by
communications directors who label their
relationships with their executive
directors at either end of the spectrum:
as either excellent or difficult.

What Communications Directors Say

Excellent Relationship
with Executive Director

Difficult Relationship
with Executive Director

Too Many Competing Priorities are . . .

not a problem at all
a serious problem.

9%
37%

5%
69%

Excessive Management Oversight is . . .

not a problem at all
a serious problem

69%
4%

21%
38%

Lack of Management Direction is . . .

not a problem at all
a serious problem

51%
3%

10%
45%

Wasteful Meetings are . . .

not a problem at all
a serious problem

43%
5%

17%
21%

Lack of Clear Process and Procedures

is . . .
not a problem at all
a serious problem

29%
7%

17%
31%

Lack of Coordination with Co-Workers

is . . .
not a problem at all
a serious problem

32%
8%

5%
38%

Based on responses from 500+ nonprofit communications directors

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

30

ADVICE from KIVI LEROUX MILLER, FOUNDER of NONPROFIT MARKETING GUIDE

Tips for Executive Directors

WorkingMoreEffectivelywithYour
CommunicationsTeam

In addition to what Ive learned from six years of producing the Nonprofit
Communications Trends Report, Ive also trained and mentored hundreds of
nonprofit communications directors over the last several years. I hear every
day what works, and what doesnt.
Executive directors, heres what your communications staff would like
you to know and do . . .
DEDICATE YOURSELF and REAL
RESOURCES to COMMUNICATIONS

DEFINE THE WORK

Dedicate real staff time to communications.

Dont treat it as a nice to have option or make
it a secondary part of someone elses job.

Define the strategy. That means making

choices and saying yes to just a few big goals,
clear strategies, and smart tactics, and no to
many, many more.

Put the communications director on the

senior management team. They need to hear
about whats happening in the organization
earlier in the process, and to be included as
program decisions are made.

Define the priorities. Communications teams

are besieged by too many priorities, and urgent
tasks constantly overtaking important ones.
Your leadership will make a huge difference
here!

Dedicate time to creative thinking and

problem solving, for both staff and yourself.
Communications is extremely dynamic and
cant be put on autopilot. Everyone needs more
time to think strategically, instead of doing,
doing, doing all the time.

Define and limit the scope of the job to

professional communications work. Dont
dump all kinds of administrative or IT tasks on
communications staff just because they are
good with computers or tech savvy.

Dedicate yourself to understanding the

basics. There are still many misconceptions
about nonprofit marketing and
communications. Educate yourself.

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

The 4 Ds of Effectively Managing

Communications Teams
Dedicate yourself and real resources
to communications.
Define the work.
Delegate the work, including
decisions.
Discuss the work often.
31

ADVICE from KIVI LEROUX MILLER, FOUNDER of NONPROFIT MARKETING GUIDE

DELEGATE THE WORK, INCLUDING

DECISIONS
Delegate and empower staff to make
communications decisions and to
implement them. Be clear about what you
are delegating fully, where you want to be
consulted during the process, and where you
want to make final decisions.
Minimize the hoops you make staff jump
through. I coach nonprofit communicators on
being CALM (Collaborative, Agile, Logical, and
Methodical). Many times, they need to move
fast and to be agile to take advantage of
great marketing and public relations
opportunities. But they are often stumble and
miss those chances because of unreasonable
constraints, real and perceived, placed on
them by management.
As you delegate, allow staff to invest in
professional development. Let them learn
and then listen to them! Nonprofit
communications, marketing, and fundraising
staff have access to a great community of
bloggers who share abundantly, in addition to
paid professional development programs
(including our All-Access Training Pass and
Communications Director Mentoring Program
at NonprofitMarketingGuide.com).
Unfortunately, I see executive directors ruin
great work by staff all the time. It happens
most often when an executive directors
personal preferences (and often, ignorance of
best practices) trump whats right for the real
target of the communications.
Delegate control over communications
staffs time and schedule to them as much
as possible. Let them say No to you.

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

Communications staff are constantly pulled

into meetings and asked to do work that is
distracting from their priorities. Dont expect
them to be always on and available to you,
just because they might appear to be always
on your communications channels with your
community.
DISCUSS THE WORK OFTEN
Participate in regularly scheduled editorial
meetings. The exact schedule will vary, but
we have suggestions for quarterly, monthly,
and weekly editorial meeting agendas on our
blog.
Openly discuss ways to improve internal
communications and cooperation between
program, development, and
communications staff. You cant have good
external communications without good
internal communications.
As we shared in this Trends Report, integrated
communications/fundraising teams are likely
to produce greater team responsibility for
your goals, and more satisfaction on the job.
Everyones busy, and this kind of coordination
takes time. If your staff sees you investing
your time into internal collaboration, so will
they.
Make time for check-in discussions as
campaigns are developed. Be a flexible
sounding board. Even if you have delegated
the work, dont wait until the last minute to
add your comments. Executive directors have
a way of derailing work or causing many late
nights of work you dont even know are
happening.
Want help building an excellent working
relationship with your communications
team? Contact us at
NonprofitMarketingGuide.com.

32

NEXT STEPS

Ready to take your

communications to the
next level?
The community of experts at
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
can help.
Daily blog, weekly e-newsletter, and helpful downloads. Free.
All-Access Training Pass with frequent webinars, feedback and fine-tuning
sessions, Q & A panels, marketing time-savers, private Facebook
community, and other exclusives. Pay monthly or annually.
Nonprofit Marketing Accelerators. Six-week intensive coaching programs
where you decide the strategy, do the work, and deliver the goods. New
topic each quarter.
Communications Director Mentoring Program. The ultimate six-month
professional development program for nonprofit communications directors.
JanuaryJune and July-December sessions.

v.010516

2016NonprofitCommunicationsTrendsReport

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