True to Mission

This is equivalent to staying on message and this article from Contributions Magazine examines how to do that.

An excerpt.

“I was part of a team conducting a focus group for a large nonprofit client. The focus group comprised representatives from the financial sector, a target audience this particular national nonprofit was most interested in cultivating through its messaging.

“One or more of the messages we were about to test had the words “partners” and “partnership” in them, which we thought were no-brainers. After all, they are simple, easy-to-understand words that convey affiliation, cooperation, collaboration, alliance, all the good stuff, right?

“Wrong!

“As the messages came up for the group’s reaction, two bankers immediately raised their hands.

“In our industry, the words ‘partners’ and ‘partnership’ are loaded with legal implications,” said one. “We don’t mind being recognized as ‘working together’ with the organization, but we’d rather not be identified as ‘partners,’” said the other.

“Bah-dah-bing!

“Had we allowed our client to go public with the original messages, chances are the impact that they might have had on their intended audience, namely potential financial sector funders, would have been the opposite from what the organization was hoping for.

“The lesson learned: It’s not about how your message is delivered, but rather how it is received that makes all the difference.

“Fact is most organizations shoot from the hip when it comes to talking about themselves. They don’t pay enough attention to the messages they send out and often have no idea how those messages are resonating with the very audiences they are seeking to reach.

“Gain control over your messages.

“Gain control over your messaging process by creating a “messaging package,” namely by compiling the core messages you want to convey to your target audiences. The purpose of your messaging package is to help everyone affiliated with your organization stay on message.”