Stakeholder communication
In recent years, the word "stakeholder" has come to mean a person or organization that has a legitimate interest in a project or entity—anyone with an interest or "stake" in what the entity does. This can include students, parents, employees, clients, customers, community members, boards of directors, volunteers, trustees and others.
It's important to identify and communicate with key stakeholders because they have the power to influence your initiative, either positively or negatively. Knowing your stakeholders allows you to anticipate their influence and develop strategies to get their support and remove obstacles to your success.
Collaboration
When similar organizations with similar communication goals work together to inform audiences about important calls to action, collaboration can enhance the impact of both (or all) involved organizations and build more widespread support for their common objectives—all while avoiding duplication of effort.
When considering stakeholder communication, don't forget to evaluate who is doing the same sort of work that you are and how your efforts might complement one another. If you can come together to have a greater impact, your common audiences will view your efforts as meaningful, strategic and cost-effective.
To identify your stakeholders:
- Make a list of all the people, groups and institutions that will affect or be affected by your program, service or initiative.
- Identify the key concerns of each group of stakeholders, be they positive or negative.
- List the networks to which each stakeholder group belongs (i.e., community boards, educational committees, parent organizations, etc.)
- Identify the primary methods or vehicles that will consistently and effectively reach each stakeholder group.
- Rank stakeholders based on their perceived level of interest in and influence on your success.
- For the highest-ranking stakeholders, outline tailored approaches to involve them in your organization's process, obtain their support or reduce their objections in general.
Ways to reach stakeholders:
- Personal phone calls by key executives or leaders within your organization to "brief" the stakeholder on topics of your choice.
- Breakfast roundtable discussions where stakeholders are invited guests to hear briefings on subjects of interest and importance to them.
- Printed collateral materials—letters, fliers, postcards and brochures—that outline your position on an issue or your programs and services of benefit to the community. Be sure your materials are consistent in message, look and feel, so that audiences relate them to one another.
- Electronic communication—e-mails, blogs, podcasts and Web sites—that provide background information, as well as useful links to other resources. Background can include position papers, research findings, "fast facts" from reliable sources of information and Q&A documents that answer questions that stakeholders are likely to have.
- Open-house events where stakeholders are invited to tour your facilities and get a behind-the-scenes look at what you do and why it matters.
- Speeches to community groups and organizations, where you tap into existing community networks that are most likely to embrace or endorse your mission, providing "expert" commentary on issues of the day or topics of interest.
