What materials should you review when conducting a communications audit for your nonprofit organization?

I’ve been working in communications for long enough that the idea of an audit still conjures up a visual of print materials strewn across a boardroom table. However, while sample review (including print, digital, and others) is still central to conducting a communications audit, I suggest you take your review a step or two further.

In this post, I’d like to help you decide what to review during your nonprofit’s next communications audit — and why.


Essential elements to review in a nonprofit communications audit

An audit is a snapshot of your current communications picture, so reviewing channels, tactics and sample materials from a defined period (often six months to one year) is essential.

Individual samples

Gather samples from across your communications mix. A few examples may include print and digital ads, press releases and coverage, blog posts, website and microsites, videos, presentations, social media updates, newsletters, brochures, and other collateral. Create and use physical and digital folders to organize these samples into categories such as digital marketing, traditional advertising, public relations, event marketing, campaigns, etc.

Channel and tactic inventory

Create an inventory of your nonprofit’s communication channels and tactics in a spreadsheet using the same categories as your folders. This inventory complements your sample gathering but takes it further by providing a place to catalogue and document the purpose, types, frequency, and timing of communications delivered through each channel. The spreadsheet will also allow you to capture links in cases where “gathering samples” may not work (e.g., social media feeds, coverage in online publications, podcast show pages, etc.).

Gather and review the samples and inventory to get the snapshot you seek from an audit. This bird’s-eye view will help you evaluate the relevance, quality, gaps, clarity, consistency, and potentially the effectiveness of your nonprofit’s communications across all platforms.


Additional materials to include in your communications audit

In a previous post, I suggested framing and designing your audit around a core question. Your audit question and the current state of your nonprofit’s communications will help you determine what else you need to review. Here are a few suggestions, along with what they can reveal.

Brand guidelines and standards

Collect your organization’s brand guidelines, including messaging and visual identity standards.

WHY: Brand consistency. If you want to review the consistency and adherence to visual identity and messaging standards, reviewing and referring to your brand guidelines may be necessary. Even if you’re planning changes to your brand, an audit will help you gauge how well the existing brand guidelines have been adopted and applied, which should inform your future approaches.

Strategic and operating plans

Gather your nonprofit’s strategic plan and operating plans for relevant departments (including communications) and other internal frameworks or documents that outline your organization’s priorities.

WHY: Strategic alignment. By reviewing key strategies and plans as part of your audit, you can assess how well communications content and tactics align with strategic goals and priorities.

Position descriptions and org charts

Review your organization-wide and marketing communications org charts as well as position descriptions for marcom team members and others with marketing communications responsibilities.

WHY: Communications function. These documents will help you examine the structure and efficiency of the communications function, including the roles, responsibilities, and contributions of team members involved in communications (even if there is no dedicated comms staff).

Team insights

Conduct interviews or surveys with members of your nonprofit organization’s team involved in communications (this may include staff and volunteers). Your interview questions will depend on your audit question.

WHY: Nuances of communications capacity and delivery. Understanding the processes, challenges, and perspectives of those responsible for creating and disseminating communications will help you develop a realistic view of your communications function, capacity, collaboration, training, skill levels, and efficiency.

Procedures and workflows

Find any documented workflows your organization has for content creation, approval, and distribution/publication, as well as tools and software use (e.g., for content management, scheduling, social media management, and analytics).

WHY: Processes and tools. By reviewing the processes and tools used for communications, you can identify what’s working, bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and opportunities to optimize.

Performance metrics

Assemble the key performance indicators (KPIs) and data your nonprofit uses to measure communication effectiveness, including for content performance, campaign results, and audience reach and engagement.

WHY: Effective evaluation. A communications audit is not an assessment of the effectiveness of every channel and tactic. However, during your audit, you can review past results as well as the mechanisms and processes for collecting, monitoring, reporting and analyzing data. By reviewing your current approach to evaluation, you can decide how best to measure success in the future.


What will you review in your next communications audit?

You might only review some of the additional elements I mentioned in this post. Make your decision based on what you want to learn from your communications audit. And when new and interesting insights arise, follow the trail — and the related materials!

Would you 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.

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