Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations - Seven Steps to Creating a Successful Plan - Second Edition

Sep 23, 2026

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Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations presents a practical, mission-driven approach to building an effective strategic communications plan. The text outlines a structured seven-step process, supported by an action-oriented framework that emphasizes audience focus, roles and responsibilities, and planning readiness. It introduces teams and workflows for communications audits and crisis planning, including crisis communications, crisis control, and related roles, while guiding readers on how to use the workbook and its website resources to apply templates and models.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time11 min

AccessFree to download

Acknowledgments

Contents

Chapter 1 Getting the Most Out of This Book

Chapter 2 Strategic Communications Planning Process

Chapter 3 Step One: Preparing to Plan: Essential Building Blocks

Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations Seven Steps to Creating a Successful Plan S e c o n d E d i t i o n Sally J. Patterson Janel M. Radtke Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations SEVEN STEPS TO CREATING A SUCCESSFUL PLAN Second Edition Sally J. Patterson Janel M. Radtke John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dedicated to my grandson Benjamin Sandoval who taught me the wonder of magic minutes. Copyright \# 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the web at [www.copyright.com. Requests](www.copyright.com. Requests) to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at [http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions](http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions). Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty maybe created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. For general information on our other products and services, or technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at 800-762-2974, outside the United States at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002 . Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at [http://](http://www.wiley.com)[www.wiley.com](http://www.wiley.com). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: ISBN-13: 978-0-470-40122-4 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Acknowledgments In 1993, Janel Radtke inspired me with her vision of a program designed to help nonproﬁt executives think more strategically about using communications to advance their mission. I became an advocate and a collaborator as she sought to interest others in making this dream come true. With support from Frank Karel, Joan Hollendonner and Vicki Weisfeld of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, an interdisciplinary team was convened to answer the question,‘‘What should every nonproﬁt executive know about communications in order to leverage his or her work?’’ A theoretical framework was designed, a workshop model was crafted, and templates for a strategic communication plan were created. Janel, Tamar Abrams and I took the model on the road and worked with RWJF grantees and others to test and reﬁne that model. This book is built on the core principles of the Radiant Communications model—mission driven, audience focused, and action oriented. In the 10 years since Janel’s death, our model has evolved, and the training team has grown. I would like to thank Tamar Abra

FAQs

What is the organizing framework of the book?

The book is built on core principles of the Radiant Communications model: mission driven, audience focused, and action oriented, applied through a structured seven-step approach.

What planning process topics are covered in the early chapters?

It covers the strategic communications planning process, why it matters, benefits, roles and responsibilities, and the communications action, audit, and crisis-related teams.

How does the workbook guide readers to apply the concepts?

It explains the workbook structure and how to use the workbook and its website resources, while emphasizing readiness for strategic communications planning and providing templates for creating a plan.

Sep 23, 2026

Upload by McQueen