Resources

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Publications

SPIN Works! is an activist-friendly media guidebook produced by the SPIN Project. The guidebook is full of tips, tactics and strategies designed to give grassroots organizers and people interested in positive social change basic and advanced skills for shaping public opinion on their issues through the press.

"Values and Voice: Advancing Philanthropy through Strategic Communications" is a joint publication of the Communications Network and the Benton Foundation. First, Susan Bales of the Benton Foundation articulates five basic principles of strategic communications. Then, freelance writer Peg Odell showcases six foundation (the Minneapolis Foundation, the California Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Heinz Endowments, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Rhode Island Foundation) that illustrate the impact of strategic communications on advancing grantmaking and public policy goals.

The Communication Plan: The Heart of Strategic Communication by Lester R. Potter. The 2001 edtion of the IABC's most popular resource provides the information necessary to create a complete strategic communication plan for your organization or client.

"Don't Cut Spending on Communications" by Joanne Edgar. In this article from the April 19, 2001 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Ms. Edgar discusses why foundations must communicate with the public.

New Publication: "Making Waves: Stories of Participatory Communication for Social Change" by Alfonso Gumucio Dagron. This report gathers a collection of fifty “case stories,”brief descriptions of experiences of communication for social change that were selected for their participatory approaches.

Now Hear This This report, produced by Fenton Communications, details the organization's approach to advocacy communication campaigns.

Wired for Good: A Technology Guidebook for Nonprofits In the category of communications tools, the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits offers Wired for Good, a collaborative program of nonprofits, corporations and foundations which helps Silicon Valley nonprofits use technology strategically to improve organizational effectiveness. During the first phase, CEN conducted a survey of nonprofits in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and published Wired for Good: A Technology Guide Book for Nonprofits. The guidebook includes such topics as: Do you need a network? What makes up a network? Design your network infrastructure. Budget - what to include? In addition to the guidebook, Wired for Good helps charities develop a technology plan in order to advance their organizational, fundraising, and communications goals. Visit http://www.wiredforgood.org/current_events/current_event.html for more information about this program.

Mark Surman and Darren Wershler-Henry, two Canadian nonprofit consultants who have worked with many international groups, have made half the chapters of their book, , available online. It explores a great many basics of the implications of online communication on nonprofit work.

In Communities, Audiences, and Scale, Clay Shirky looks at, among other things, how the scale of the Internet changes the quality of community connections.

The resources listed on these pages are for information purposes only.
Inclusion of a resource in this Toolkit does not imply an endorsement by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.