Map Your Nonprofit’s Communications Calendar Today

Happy 2014, dear reader!

If you work in communications, you know what the month ofJanuary brings: sure, snow and freezing temperatures, but also… planning time! Many nonprofits do their planning at the end of their fiscal years – which could be in June or March or December. But, no matter when your organization does its planning, January is when you, the communications staff person, must map out your communications plan for the year.

It’s when you whip out your yearly planner, circle key dates with your red marker, and fill in little “to do” notes on anniversaries and other notable dates. Okay, fine, maybe that’s what you did in 1986. Today, you’re probably mapping it all on your Google calendar or some digital device. But whatever technology you use, do make your editorial and content calendar… now.

• First, why now? Well, because you need to know exactly when the holidays are, of course! We’re only partially kidding. Anniversaries that change each year, such as MLK Day (the third Monday of January), will need to be updated so you have the date exactly right. I once received an email for a President’s Day coupon, the day after. Really.
• Second, sit down with your program staff and take a look at the events ahead for the whole year. It’ll give you – and them – a clear sense of your biggest opportunities and crunch-times. Some of the activities might be constants – like your gala every October, for example – but it’s still worth noting them so you can plot out your communications, including how you allocate your time, before and after.
• Third, alongside your editorial calendar, make a content calendar. Why? Well, content is your communications must-have for 2013, and without a content calendar, how will you know what you have to use to promote your events, activities or campaigns? For example, along with all the posts and emails you’ll be sending inviting people to come to your gala, you may want to have a few stories from people that your nonprofit has benefited. If you know you’ll need these in August, you can start to reach out to these people for their stories as early as April or May so that when it’s prime time, you’re not scrambling.
• Developing your content calendar early will also help you identify the “quiet spots” – i.e. periods when you don’t have that much to promote or content areas in which you’re low on material. If you see that March is Women’s History Month and you don’t have a single piece of content – blog, photo album, or video – that relates your work to women’s issues (if it’s relevant, of course), then you can begin developing that content ahead of time.

Our experience is that it’s always hard to find the time to plan, but this becomes especially true as the year picks up. Making the time in early January to map out the rest of the year puts you ahead for the entire year. Now, if only we had a solution to combating the polar vortex…