Communications Audit

In preparation for communications planning, think through and write down answers to as many of the following questions as possible.

• Do you have a vision statement? - (get a copy)
• What are your goals and priorities?
• How is your group organized/who chairs/leads?
• Formal or informal structures?
• Where is project housed?
• How is information given to community?
• How do you reach out to community?
• What kind of community support do you have - "in-kind, volunteer"?
• What kind of key community leader and stakeholder involvement do you have?
• Who is actively involved?
• With who do you actively come in contact?
• Was buy-in for supporters easy or tough? How do you handle barriers and objections?
• What are people saying about your program in the community?

• A description of the problem - where is the need? Data to support need?
• Who is affected by the issues/services you address and how?
• Please share past and current user demographic data.
• Who is interested in the problem?
• Which organizations in the community are already addressing the problem?
• Are there any market trends to consider?
• Have the local media been doing anything on this issue?
• What could individual media outlets do to help?
• Who are your potential allies/partners? Do they know/like/respect your organization and its efforts?
• What can your board of directors, volunteers, and members, service recipients or departments tell you about how your organization is perceived in the community?
• A list of existing programs/activities and gaps in services that exist - and what organizations have goals that coincide with your own.
• Do you have a list of current media contacts?
• Please share copies of all past communications tools, materials or records you have available.

• How do you describe your service/product?
• What benefits do you offer? (strengths)
• What benefits do you feel you lack? (weaknesses)
• What is your current position/image?
• What image do you want to convey?
• Who are your target audiences- be specific?
• What is their profile?
• Where are they located?
• What are the best methods of communication with your target audiences?
• What are barriers to product/service use or participation?
• What are the best strategies for gaining and keeping participants/customers?
• Who are your competitors? What are their strengths? Their weaknesses?
• What are their strategies?
• What is the position to take relative to competition?

• What strategies were selected in the past? Why?
• What resources were secured or leveraged through the process?
• What resources do you have available now for implementation?
• How are those resources being allocated?
• What resources do you lack? Time, materials, money?

• What is the current progress towards your goals?
• What benchmarks or evaluation mechanisms were used?
• How do you measure response to marketing activities?
• Is there a feedback loop for course corrections and improvements?
• What have been the short-term results?