“Who cares?”: Reflections from a decade in charity communications
NGO and charity communications specialist, Nicole Pryor.
Cutting through in today’s crowded communications landscape is harder than ever.
For Nicole Pryor, a communications professional with over a decade of experience in NGOs and charities including World Vision New Zealand, WaterAid, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Blue Cross and WIEGO, the answer lies in knowing which stories matter, how to tell them ethically and how to show impact.
Over the years Nicole has witnessed the sector evolve - from shifting expectations about how vulnerable communities are portrayed, to the rise of solutions-focused journalism and growing pressures on public trust. In our conversation, she shared what these changes mean for communicators today, and the lessons she’s learned for keeping stories powerful, purposeful and relevant.
Shifts in storytelling: Working with a decolonising lens
One of the biggest changes Nicole has seen is how organisations portray vulnerable people and communities. “Ethical storytelling and using a decolonising lens to scrutinise how we tell stories - the images, quotes, videos - is essential to our work,” she says.
She stresses that is is not enough to have “a bunch of well-meaning folks from the Global North tell stories of the Global South and be in charge of how they are framed.” Ethical storytelling must be systematised, with consent and co-design at the core. She adds that we still have lots to learn about and change in this space
For communicators, this is more than principle - it’s about impact. Stories framed without dignity or balance risk reinforcing stereotypes, and audiences are quick to tune out. As Nicole makes clear, “consent and co-design aren’t optional; they’re central to our craft.”
Who cares?
Nicole keeps one line with her for every piece of comms work: who cares? She applies this to every press release, media pitch or campaign draft.
“It starts with a person or a community’s lived experience of an issue - but you can’t leave it there,” she says. “You have to go further. Why does it matter, what’s your working? And what do we do next?”
For NGO communicators today, this discipline is vital. Audiences are busy, overstretched and distracted. “People are doing a million things at once - putting petrol in their car, paying bills, buying groceries and picking up their kids. Editors and journalists are bombarded with stories, ideas and unrelenting deadlines. Make it worth their while.”
Audiences are shifting too
Nicole has seen a noticeable shift in what journalists and audiences respond to. “I used to think incredible case studies were the narrative secret sauce,” she says. “But solutions-based journalism seems to really have established itself, and I guess that comes from audiences wanting to see that.”
Solutions-based journalism goes beyond highlighting problems - it looks closely at the responses to that problem, whether they are working and why. For NGOs and charities, this means showing evidence of impact, innovative approaches and lessons learned, rather than relying solely on individual stories.
Today, Nicole focuses more on organisations’ expertise, the evidence, the solutions and clear calls to action. “I have really loved responding to that shift,” she adds.
For charity communications teams, this is a reminder to lean into authority and credibility - showing not just the need, but also the pathways to change.
Trust as the foundation
For Nicole, everything comes back to trust. “Trust is everything, and it underpins every interaction I have in the industry, whether I am working with a street vendor in Bangkok, a researcher trying to get their findings heard by a mass audience, or a journalist working on stories about wastepicker communities in Accra.”
That trust is built through integrity and collaboration.
“To make and disseminate stories that matter, we have to arrive at the story together,” she explains. “Every word has to hold up integrity, precision, power. I like the negotiation of this language, and thinking of each stakeholder as being able to stand by it. To me, that is a real story that has gone out into the world to make a difference.”
What to take away
Nicole has been part of campaigns that raised money, shifted public perceptions and even helped shape legislation. In her current role, she uses monitoring, learning and evaluation tools to track what actually drives impact. “Collaborating with grassroots organisations, across programmes and communications, to influence policy creation” has been one of the most powerful outcomes she’s seen, she says.
Her advice to NGOs and charities today is pragmatic:
“None of these stories are too small.” With the right strategy, every story can cut through.
Be intentional about your relationships because “they’re the real foundation of this work.”
Pace yourself: “There are so many incredible, intense opportunities in the sector. Make yourself a sustainable asset to the cause.”
Keep monitoring what media are talking about, and refine your approach accordingly.
For those starting out in purpose-driven communications, Nicole recommends: “Hit the ground running. Practice your craft with the view that you’re never going to stop refining and extending it. Take every opportunity to understand the mechanics of your organisation’s storytelling and what it is funding or raising awareness for, even if it’s outside your discipline.”
Her philosophy is simple but powerful.
“Write great stories, get things done, honour and respect the cause you serve.”
