Anyone or Everyone?
When I ask – Who do you talk to? – question many trustees look surprised at that question and then tell me that they talk to other trustees and members of the charity/AM.
Often they tell me they don’t talk to anyone outside of the charity.
But of course by having buildings, and/or being a charity you are talking to others, letting them know that you exist. Your policies, website and other public documents all
Hopefully, you’ve submitted your annual return, and Trustees Annual Report and Accounts (TARA) by now – this is an easy way for anyone outside the charity to find out about you. It’s a public document easily downloaded from the Charity Commission’s website and is used by potential partners, donors, or family members who are concerned about who someone is leaving money to in their will.
Do you think of it that way?
Next year we’ll be exploring Communication as a theme for the A-Z project.
The January & April FREE training sessions are all about who we talk to.
In the January session it’s how we talk to those in our charity:
- Ourselves,
- internal communications from Trustees to other groups,
- and back – through shifting roles and responsibilities and power structures.
- Informally in chat over coffee,
- Through educational events
- And those things that are eternal
How can we be inclusive, ensure that balance offering education and information and not overloading or presuming people will absorb information through osmosis?
“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety.”
Finding Ways to Share
In April we’re going to look outwards – how do you talk to those outside your charity?
- To another similar charity,
- To those who are different to us,
- To individuals in your local community,
- To those who are working with you as partners,
- To people looking to hire a venue,
- To people looking for a spiritual home,
- How do we deal with the people we find awkward and discomforting?
Are you aware of what is being said on behalf of your organization on social media, or in noticeboards, newsletters, or just in how your buildings are being run and organised?
We’re hoping that we’ll be able to explore both of these – sharing best practice and hearing what has worked for you and talking about new options too.
Over to You!
Do you have questions about communicating?
If you’ve got any recommendations or successes you’d like to share we’d love to hear them!
Can we describe Q without using weird words? Can we use words that haven't been current outside Q since the 17th century?
Wendrie Heywood
MBS Founder
