When you hear “communications audit,” what’s your first reaction? Do you immediately push back against the idea? Is your instinct to set it aside and get on with pressing projects? These reactions are understandable: an audit takes time and resources that you may feel compelled to direct to implementation. But don’t give in to the temptation to skip your communications audit altogether.
An audit is essential to strong communications planning because it will give you a clear understanding of your current situation. To plan the route to your destination, you need to know your starting point!
When should you conduct a communications audit?
Regular communications audits should be part of your ongoing practice; the frequency will depend on your organization and context. Here are a few beneficial times to conduct a communications audit:
- In alignment with your organization’s strategic planning cycle
- During significant changes in the external environment
- When your nonprofit is undergoing rapid change (i.e., new leadership, restructuring, changes to funding or the funding model)
- If you are experiencing a significant shift in stakeholder engagement or public perception
Why putting off your nonprofit communications audit is risky
I have seen organizations skip this necessary process at their peril. So, instead of discussing the benefits, I want to share some risks of skipping your communications audit and pushing forward without one.
1. Misalignment with strategic priorities
Without a periodic review, your communications efforts risk straying from your organization’s strategic goals and objectives. This misalignment can lead to missed opportunities and significant resources wasted on non-priority activities.
2. Confusing, inconsistent messaging
Messaging, too, can drift from your organization’s core mission, values, and brand over time. This can confuse your stakeholders and damage your nonprofit’s brand integrity and reputation. It can be hard to spot inconsistent, disconnected messaging—or the extent of it—until you pull everything together in one place.
3. Outdated tactics
Communication channels and audience preferences evolve over time; what worked before may not work now. Without an audit, you risk carrying on with outdated tactics that no longer serve your organization or resonate with your audiences, potentially missing out on more efficient or impactful approaches.
4. Inefficient use of resources
Audits can reveal inefficient use of time, money, and human resources—I’ve seen this many times. Without regular audits of your communications function, you might fail to notice waste and inefficiencies and continue to invest in areas that offer little return.
5. Internal disconnection and overlap
Overlapping and duplicated efforts, which are so common in nonprofit organizations because of departmental silos, result in unnecessary spending and can even affect morale and productivity. Skipping your communications audit can result in missed opportunities to synchronize and coordinate communications efforts toward common goals.
6. Campaigns and project failure
When developing new projects, campaigns, and plans, you need to know what is and isn’t in place to support them from resources, tools, tactics, collaboration practices, and more(see all of the above!). By skipping the audit to forge ahead, you risk making unrealistic plans that fizzle out or never launch due to a lack of necessary infrastructure or systems.
These are just the risks of skipping a communications audit that come to mind when I think about specific organizations I know. I’m sure you know about or have experienced other negative consequences of pushing ahead with the status quo.
Make your next communications audit happen by planning and budgeting for it.
Have I convinced you to prioritize your next communications audit? To ensure that it happens, plan ahead. Determine and allocate the budget required for a communications audit and allocate resources accordingly. Figure out the optimal time to conduct an audit (quieter periods, times of change I listed above) and get it on the calendar. This planning will help you maximize the benefits of the audit while minimizing any potential disruptions to your work.
If you’d like my help with your nonprofit’s next communications audit, please see my audit service details and contact me if it looks like a fit.
