What do you do if your non-profit's community partners are not responding to your communication efforts?

Build a relationship with the partnering organization first -- don't call and ask for a commitment of some kind before offering something of value to them. It could be a connection to another organization that could benefit them or something else, but it will engender good will and hopefully reciprocity. Also recognize your timeline is yours alone. If email isn't working, try the phone. Depending on what the request is, make an in person visit, if feasible. But that partnering organization will be much more likely to respond quicker if they know who you are and that you have their best interest in mind.

Luckily, I don't encounter this problem often, but I'd first review my outreach methods to ensure they align with partners' preferences. If this doesn't work, try offering different avenues such as phone calls or in-person/zoom meetings. Persistence coupled with adaptability often yields fruitful connections in fostering impactful partnerships!

Find another administrative or outreach worker for the non-profit. Call and speak directly to either or leave a message with upbeat message and also follow up with an email. Maybe mention you are having trouble reaching someone from the agency and that is why you are calling and look forward to a collaborative project or event or meeting them in person.

My experience has been to give them two weeks, and after the 14 days, there has been no response, Identify your stakeholders: donors, volunteers, beneficiaries, and others. Understand their needs, preferences, and communication preferences. Tailor your messages to resonate with each group!

A clear message, with a call to action, makes all the difference. We all have so much information coming at us, it’s important to share what’s critical, and give people a way to support your work.

A NonProfit organization need a ckear identified goals, to be followed by the Board, and volunteers anas well as employees, on a calendar established timing. A continuous interation with planned community and governmental agencies, is also necessary. Creativity for enhancing projects, needs to be welcome and work in a team basis for a successful completion of goals.

We might often have more connections on one platform than another, and this provides a great opening to build the audience. Tease a story on Instagram or Facebook, or in an email, and connect partners to your space on LinkedIn, and vice versa. Add a hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile to your email signature for an easy way to add connections.

As a result of Covid, meetings were virtual. More recently, we've conducted surveys to determine which meeting methods should we consider and what was preferred. As a result, we've implemented hybrid methods where individuals can still attend in methods that work best for them, individually and continues to maintain the efforts of the group collectively.

If you have contacts with these partners, don't be afraid to reach out! Community based organizations are usually busy and resource-strapped, so you might need to have a phone call or meeting to reconnect. A personal connection can help to build trust and enthusiasm, and give you insights into what is important to your partner. Be sure to ask them what they're working on, and how you can help, and try to find synergies that will benefit both of your organizations.

Give the benefit of the doubt, non-profits have a million things going on to stay afloat in our communities with limited resources. Stay positive but be persistent if you are having problems hearing back. Things may not go at the speed that you may hope for, but giving up on the communication can be your biggest mistake. Continue to push forward where you can and always keep the door open for the future with that partner.

I live in a small city where everybody knows everyone. After reaching out at least twice, I call the person's supervisor. Then I politely ask if the person i'm trying to contact is on holidays or not available. Usually, The supervisor well bring my phone call to the attention of the person I am trying reach.

Ask them why instead of guessing and ask them how they like to receive communications. This will prevent you from wasting time implementing solutions you’ve created that don’t work for them. This may require that you or someone on your team call your partners, like back in the day, to meaningfully engage with them. People are surveyed out and are craving authentic human interaction. Make the effort to meaningfully connect.

Pick a few to call and ask them directly how we might improve our connection. Be specific about what we are hoping to communicate and what kind of interaction we were hoping to gain.