Community building is essential for communicating social change

(Illustration by iStock/RobinOlimb)

‘There aren’t any. There is only us.”—Bono

Since the beginning of the 21st century, we have experienced an explosion of ideas and information like never before. Today’s world brings unprecedented levels of communication, leading to increasing anxiety, ambiguity and loneliness. This increase makes sense given the rapid evolution of our information ecosystem – from radio and television to the Internet. The pace of change is nothing short of astonishing.

Communication in a new era of social change

This essay series, presented in collaboration with The communications networkwill share stories, strategies, and lessons from forward-thinking foundations and nonprofits that have begun evolving the way they think and communicate.



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As traditional power dynamics change, participatory models emerge. And as Henry Timms and Jeremy Heimans emphasize in their important book: New powerold hierarchies are giving way to more distributed networks. Soon, artificial intelligence (AI) tools will be an integral part of everyone’s daily lives, and they will reshape the way foundations and nonprofits achieve their missions, especially when it comes to communications.

Simply put, the twentieth-century broadcast model of mass communication simply no longer suffices. Foundations and nonprofits need to focus on building community instead of just pushing messages to an audience (or that awful, inaccurate word that should be relegated to the jargon jar, “stakeholders”). It’s about engaging real people in meaningful ways to foster support and collaboration. This requires investing in real relationships and building sustainable communities based on shared values.

So, how do we make this shift?

It starts with rethinking the motivations that drive foundation and nonprofit communications today. To create the better future we all want, we need authentic relationships and community building. This means moving away from mass messaging and towards face-to-face connections: listening, collaborating and forming real partnerships. Yes, this is more challenging than firing off a tweet or issuing a press release, but real social change has never been easy.

Trust is the foundation of communication, and in the field of communicating for good, cultivating trust is not optional, but essential. None of us listen (or pay much attention) to people we don’t trust. And as misinformation spreads and the implications of generative AI emerge, our sector will also come under pressure has a crucial role
play in healing divisions. Foundations and nonprofits can no longer operate remotely; this shift from one to many is not only necessary – it is transformative.

Evolving expectations for engagement

Our communities now demand more than explanations; they expect action and authenticity. According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer 2023: a margin of six to one
of people want organizations to actively engage in social issues rather than just talk about them. This marks a significant shift in expectations; composing a message is not enough. To achieve action and authenticity, organizations must begin to base their communication efforts on meaningful connections, based on mutual trust and understanding.

This is where the old ways fail. The twentieth century communications model is losing whatever potential it had, especially when it comes to appealing to a younger, more digitally savvy audience. According to the Nonprofit Communications Trend Report 2023,
only 15 percent of nonprofits said broadcasting is a highly effective way to reach their audiences. Why? Because broadcasting does not invite dialogue and feedback and fails to foster the kind of deep engagement that everyone expects today. Without a way to listen and adapt, foundations and nonprofits often find themselves out of touch with the people they seek to serve and, as a result, lack the information they need to develop and implement effective programs and initiatives to feed.

Recalibrate towards trust and relationships

The pandemic the decimated trust in institutions
and authority, which is still decreasingwith the possible (and encouraging) exception of the social sector. You don’t have to look further than that of the US Centers for Disease Control communication failures
(which have contributed to polarization) to see how damaging a lack of trust can be.

A silver lining? The pandemic also forced many nonprofits to adapt to new forms of engagement, including digital spaces, and focus on local, responsive and personalized communications. McKinsey reported at the end of 2020
that executives recognized the pandemic as an inflection point that forever reshaped customer interactions. The public expects more involvement and less formality, a transformation that has proven to be not just a temporary adjustment, but a new paradigm.

Ultimately, the shift from broadcasting to relationship building is more than just a tactical change. It’s a recalibration, driven by data and the evolving expectations of the communities we serve. In this new era, we must practice deep listening to find out where our communities want to meet us, and then make the journey. And fortunately, there are many opportunities for the kind of direct, informal, two-way conversations we need. Social media remains a powerful tool for real-time, genuine engagement and media partnerships, influencer partnerships, video stories, podcasts and meetings can all activate community involvement.

Meeting the Moment

From the successful movement for marriage equality
to the largest expansion of voting rights
Since the Civil Rights Act, the most important driver of change in recent years has been community – driven by authentic conversations. These movements did not succeed because they had loud voices; they won through deep relationships with the communities they sought to serve.

Organizations like the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations have long understood that building real relationships creates lasting change. They have shifted their communication strategies from one-way to sustained engagement, fostering the kind of deep connections and long-term engagement that long-term change requires.

We live in an age of mass participation, where everyone has the power to shape public debate and influence change. For foundations and nonprofits, this shift is an opportunity to move away from top-down communication models and towards strategies that prioritize community, dialogue and trust.

This series of articles, produced in collaboration with The communications networkwill share stories and strategies from forward-thinking organizations that have adapted their communications to become trusted partners in their communities.

The Latin word communists originated around the 7th century BC. If foundations and nonprofits want to succeed in this new era and beyond, we would do well to keep that in mind communication And community are inseparable and have emerged from that common root.

Read more stories from Sean Gibbons & Tristan Mohabir.