Communications
Communicating the value of Environmental Funds is a critical component of establishing the legitimacy of the Fund to donors, government agencies, local communities, and the media. Why does the Environmental Fund exist? Why does it deserve support? What impact does it have?
Communication Plans: many Environmental Funds were eager to share their communications materials in this Tool Kit. Many EFs plan their communications carefully to define target audiences, understand what is important to these, and then craft compelling messages that express the value of the institution. Most of these materials are beautifully produced with gorgeous photos depicting unique natural marvels in each country. However, text-driven concise explanations are also included, as they are lower cost, easily updated and often serve as the first communications material for incipient EFs. Environment Funds are also becoming increasingly sophisticated in their use of their web sites as communications tools – so be sure to visit the web site links as well.
In this section you will also find:
Profiles: provide the mission, values, background, and goals of the Environmental Funds along with other key information that target audiences might value such as the Fund’s legal status, budget, partners etc.
Reports: most Environmental Funds produce Annual Reports and Special Reports for other occasions such as 10 year anniversaries etc. Many of these reports are bilingual to satisfy the needs of international and domestic target audiences.
Brochures: while reports and profiles vary their styles between the breathtakingly beautiful and more pragmatic explanatory text, the Environmental Fund brochures are universally designed to be eye catching.
Newsletters: regular newsletters were much more common in the 1990s than they are today. A few examples are included here, but increasingly Environmental Funds are transitioning to web sites with e-newsletters for periodic updates and to keep constituencies informed.
Brand management: like all entities that depend upon their reputation for their success, Environmental Funds must protect their brand. In communications, the consistent use of the Fund’s logo and high quality brand identity are critically important. In the Tool Kit you can find examples of brand use guidelines as well as a partnering agreement about how partners may use each other’s logos.
Additional resources on Communications are also available at: