Communicate & Align

Defining Roles and Communicating the Plan to Key Audiences

With your donor relations strategy in place, the next critical step is making sure everyone understands what’s changing, and why. In our third session, we’ll explore how to clearly define roles, communicate shifts in responsibilities, and align your plan with internal and external partners, whether you’re a one-person shop or leading a larger team.

You’ll learn how to communicate changes to your donor relations team (or yourself!), collaborate effectively with fundraisers, and set new expectations. We’ll also focus on how to talk with leadership, framing budget or staffing shifts not as losses, but as strategic realignments that protect mission-critical work. Finally, we’ll cover how to maintain donor trust and transparency, even when services are changed or reduced.

Learning Outcomes:

• Redefine roles and responsibilities to reflect your streamlined DR strategy.

• Communicate changes with clarity and purpose across internal teams, regardless of team size.

• Make a compelling case for change to leadership by emphasizing strategic realignment.

• Maintain donor trust through transparent and values-based messaging.