Communications With Impact - Amy Sutnick Plotch
Quick Links
About
In This Issue
So You Think You Can Research
Resources I Really Like
Check Out this Website



Can  we help you communicate with impact?


 
Email Us or call 201-703-4302.

 


ASP LogoP

 

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter

  

amy sutnick plotch communications

Welcome.

I frequently use online research, both to get information and to generate stories. In the process, I've learned many lessons about working with research pros vs. going it alone. Check out the advice in this issue before you start an online research project.

 

Also click on the other resources. If you like what you've read, or if you have suggestions, please email me here .

How To Do (and Not To Do) Communications Research
 

When the New Jersey School Age Care Coalition (NJSACC) wanted to build support for afterschool, they used an online survey to learn what New Jerseyans think about afterschool programs.  With help from a research professional, they were able to use a low-cost online polling service to design and distribute a survey. The results told a powerful story-afterschool contributes greatly to the development of children. NJSACC was able to use the survey to make its case to policymakers and media.

Tools like Survey Monkey and Zoomerang, open opportunities for nonprofits to tell their stories and to connect with their audiences, but they also pose risks. It takes years of study and practice to become a skilled researcher. While do-it-yourself surveys can yield quick and inexpensive results, getting advice and guidance from an experienced researcher can help you get better and higher impact results.  

I'm partnering with Alan Steinberg, PhD of ARS Research Consulting to provide high quality survey research for nonprofits using online tools.  He brings both experience and expertise to clients with research questions of all sizes.

I asked Alan to share his view on nonprofit communications research. Here's what he had to say.

How can nonprofits use research to communicate more effectively?

Major corporations have always turned to research to identify the best ways to brand themselves. With today's technology, nonprofits can use the same techniques. They can use research to understand their target audience's attitudes, experiences, feelings and points of view. It adds richness and focus to communications plans. They can also use research to make news and raise their profiles.

What can you do that I can't do myself?

Research is based on scientific principles drawn from sampling theory, measuring theory, and statistics. Just doing research is easy; doing it right requires skills and training developed over time.  I bring twenty years of experience to guide clients to design, conduct and analyze research projects.

What are the biggest mistakes that amateurs make when creating surveys?

Surveys need to be straightforward and easy to understand. Often, people write questions that are too complex to answer in a survey format. People also need help framing the research properly so that the results can be used to inform their decisions.

I start by asking, "What decision does the organization need to make? What information do they need to make that decision?"  I work backwards from there to develop appropriate questions.

How do you analyze results?

First, I apply statistical tests to understand which results are significant. Just looking at the numbers can lead to misleading conclusions, which can lead you in the wrong direction. Then I synthesize the results.

How can I use research to tell a story?

Every study has a story to tell. You just have to find it. You start by looking carefully at the data to identify trends or patterns-sometimes they are easy to find, but sometimes they are hidden behind other data.

Resources I Really Like
 

CASASTARTsm Launches New Campaign to Help High Risk Kids Lead Healthy and Successful Lives

Casastart
click image for entire brochure

CASASTARTSM is a comprehensive program that keeps high-risk children in school, out of the legal system, and off harmful substances, saving millions of dollars for state and local governments. One of the smartest programs around, CASASTART delivers lasting results for children, families and communities. 

 

When CASASTART director, Larry Murray wanted to expand the program to additional communities, he asked Amy Sutnick Plotch Communications to help develop a marketing campaign. We created a tool to explain the CASASTART model, highlight its proven impact and issue a call to action. 

 

Check Out This Website
 

IDEAS 42

Sendhil Mullainathan studies how people make decisions and what makes them go awry. He looks at the unexpected ways personal traits like limited attention span, lack of self-control, and forgetfulness can lead people to act irrationally or short-sightedly.

 

IDEAS 42 (http://ideas42.iq.harvard.edu/), Mullainathan's website, is a cache of research and project summaries that can inform communications work, and push communicators to try harder to understand what really motivates people. It calls attention to the counterintuitive factors that influence people's decisions about such important issues as retirement savings and escaping poverty.

 

For nonprofit communications pros, Mullainathan poses a challenge. How deeply do you look at your audiences? How carefully do you study their decision-making? How could you strengthen impact by knowing your audience better? Take a look at IDEAS 42. You're bound to learn something new.
Thanks for reading. If you have a communications challenge, or a resource to recommend, email me, and I'll review it for a future edition of Communications With Impact.

Sincerely,

Amy