The document discusses the importance of strategic communications for social justice movements working to end homelessness and fight for affordable housing. It emphasizes that communications is an organizing tool that is key to achieving goals in policy, systems work, outreach, and fundraising. A strategic communications approach involves developing a communications plan that identifies audiences, messages, and tactics for each goal. This provides a foundation and blueprint for public relations work that links communications to other areas of an organization.

1. Strategic Communications In
the Work To End
Homelessness & Fight for
Affordable Housing

2. Why care about PR?

3. Why care about PR?
• We can’t not care!
• Social justice movements have done
a good job fighting for services,
laws, etc. but not such a good job
in the communications arena
• Last frontier–we need to stop
seeing it as a negative arena
• It is an organizing tool!

4. Communications is an arena
Fundraising Communications
Public
policy
Services Organizing

5. Not rocket science . . .
. . . but there is a science
to it!

6. Communications is more than just media
• We communicate...
• to our board members when we have a board
meeting
• to our donors when we send out an annual
appeal
• to our legislators when we lobby
• to our constituents when we do outreach
• to the community when we hold a rally

7. Communications is key
• Communications is key to all the areas we work
on not just the public awareness goal
• In order to achieve the goals we set for policy,
systems work, work with our constituents, work
with funders/donors we must communicate
• Basically communications is the over arching
structure that includes media, public awareness,
public relations, etc.

8. A Strategic Approach to
Communications
• Is about strategic communications, not just
media
• Starts with a communication plan and builds key
core competencies over time–start small, build
big
• Links communications to organizing, policy and
other arenas of the organization
• Institutionalizes communications within the
organization

9. Public awareness goal
• Our goal at the Rhode Island
Coalition for the Homeless is to end
homelessness by raising public
awareness and educating the public
to promote an atmosphere of
intolerance of homelessness and a
lack of affordable housing

10. Where to start?
• Energy in = energy out
• Communications assessment
 A blueprint for what you need to work
on
 Helps you see where you need to get
 Each year turn some no into yes

11. Strategic building blocks
• Labor power
• Communications plan
• Monitoring the media
• Media systems
• Message development
• Developing relationships with
journalists
• Public awareness campaigns

12. Communications Plan
• A communications plan is the foundation
to all your public relations work
• It helps you be more strategic about
your public relations work

13. What’s the difference?
Strategic Plan Communications Plan
• Helps organization get • Helps your organization
clear about its program get clear about its
goals audiences, tactics to
reach those audiences,
and the messages to
those audiences in
order to meet your
program goals

14. Communications Planning
Short-term Planning Long term Planning
• Focused on • Tied to your strategic plan
communications to • Looks at more than just
accomplish a specific media
objective–getting people
to attend your event,
convincing elected
officials to support your
legislation, etc.

15. Writing A Communications Plan
• Establish goals for your organization or program
Use your agency’s strategic plan if available, as
goals are identified
• For each goal, consider:
• Audiences
• Messages to your audiences
• Tactics/tool for reaching your audiences
• Evaluation

16. Remember . . .
• Start small…build big
• Strategic communications is an approach, it is not just
media
• Starts with a communication plan and builds key core
competencies over time
• Links communications to organizing, policy and other
arenas of the organization
• Institutionalizes communications within the organization