Creating Culturally Inclusive Communications Strategies and Messaging

Are your organization's communications and marketing materials culturally inclusive? Join us to learn how to incorporate inclusive language and content into your communications plans. 

Learning Objectives

• Understand common mistakes nonprofits make when developing communications plans.
• Define and understand culturally inclusive messaging and branding.
• Acquire the skills to implement culturally inclusive communications strategies in your organization’s branding and message development.

Description

Historically, organization’s advertising and communications plans have neglected to incorporate members outside of the dominant culture, oftentimes leaving communities of color without any sense of personal connection with many of the organizations within their communities. In this session, participants will learn how to implement culturally responsive communications strategies and audience engagement to include diverse perspectives and experiences.

This session will include discussions, group work and other hands-on activities that will assist nonprofit organizations in developing messaging and branding that is reflective of diverse audiences. We will discuss strategies that illustrate a sincere understanding of various perspectives, experiences and ideologies and ways to connect that with your organization’s vision and mission. Whether it be verbiage used on social media, newsletter content or website images, this training will help ensure all discourse used - visual, written or spoken - is culturally sensitive and inclusive.

Level

Introductory

Audience

Communications managers and coordinators, executive directors, and board of directors 

Presenter

Dr. Brandale Mills Cox is a Communications Faculty member at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) in Albuquerque, NM where she teaches Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communications and Gender and Communications. She is also Founder and Principal of Inclusive Market Research Group, a full-service research firm that specializes in inclusive and culturally sensitive market research, helping brands create communications strategies. Brandale also serves as the Marketing & Communications Coordinator for the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, overseeing communications efforts on behalf of the organization.

Guiding Practices for Nonprofits

• Nonprofits should clearly define “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion” as they pertain to the organization’s mission, values and strategic goals.
• Nonprofits should articulate their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and leverage these principles for strategic mission fulfillment.
• Nonprofit communications plans should include goals, target audiences, core messages, tools, intended outcomes and means to evaluate results, as well as an analysis of the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges necessary for message framing.
• Nonprofits should create a strategy for breaking into diverse networks in order to broaden the pool of qualified candidates, and commit to doing so prior to making hiring decisions.
• Nonprofits should incorporate a broad range of internal and external strategies to reach diverse groups of volunteers.

The Guide is available as a free digital download at CNPENM.org/Guide. Hard copies of the Guide and Companion Workbook will be available for purchase at this training for $25 each with a credit card or check.

The Center for Nonprofit Excellence often takes photos during our trainings to share on social media. If you prefer not to be photographed, please let us know in the Special Needs field when you register.