Communications for Social Good

Published by The Foundation Center, this 54-page book examines foundation opportunities and techniques to leverage social change goals through the use of communications media.

From the Editor's Note
The role of communications is rising in importance in grantmaking approaches, and no longer is restricted simply to telling the story of grantfunded programs after they have ended. The Benton Foundation, the Partnership for a Drug Free America, and other organizations are demonstrating that communications can be a powerful tool to address widespread social problems. Most grantmakers, however, are unschooled in communications thinking and practices.

In their paper, 'Communications for Social Good,' Susan Nall Bales and Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. introduce the latest perspectives from communication theory and practice to help grantmakers promote more effective communication strategies among their grantees and within their own organizations. In a clear, approachable style, the authors guide readers through decisions about the major aspects of communications campaigns. They conclude with a call for greater collaboration among the philanthropic, academic, and policy communities to study and improve approaches to communications in the public interest."

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