Strategic communications for NGOs, charities and purpose-driven organisations across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Communications strategies, crisis plans and key messages all have one thing in common: they're rarely the real brief. Drawing on observations from this year, I explore why the best communications work isn't reactive - it's about building trust long before it's tested.

As charities across Aotearoa face rising costs, tighter funding and growing demand for services, communications has never been more important. Yet Community Comms Collective founder Gail Marshall says many organisations are so stretched they don't even have the capacity to seek support. Read more.

AI can write the story. It can suggest the headline, draft the key messages and refine the tone. But can it develop the judgement that great communicators need? As AI reshapes communications work, charities and NGOs face a challenge that goes beyond efficiency.

Journalists have a name for it. Communicators largely don’t - yet. But those working in humanitarian, human rights and crisis communications, vicarious trauma is a very real occupational risk. I spoke to Crispin Thorold - former BBC foreign correspondent, UN communications specialist, this year’s Global PR Practitioner, and now training as a clinical psychologist - about the risks.

Why do some NFP stories get picked up by media, while others, just as newsworthy, never get a response? I spoke with veteran New Zealand journalist Mike McRoberts - who has reported from war zones, humanitarian disasters and everything in between - to find out what NFP communicators need to understand about the media.

Communications and fundraising are often treated as separate functions in NGOs, but they’re deeply connected. In this blog, I spoke to senior fundraising leader Rachael Holderness to explore what happens when that connection is weak, and what communications teams need to understand if their work is going to genuinely support income.

Communications is a female-majority profession in New Zealand - yet decision-making, power, pay and influence don’t always reflect that reality. For International Women’s Day, I spoke with senior communications leader Emma Blackmore about the structural and cultural barriers still shaping women’s careers in our sector.

Mental health prevention in Aotearoa New Zealand shows what comes after awareness. Drawing on insights from Sarah Manley of Mitey (part of the John Kirwan Foundation), this blog post explores how communications must shift from reducing stigma to building practical skills and sustained behaviour change - because awareness is only the starting line.

What do charity leaders really want from their communications advisors? Seasoned chief executive Shaun Greaves shares candid lessons on trust, judgement and human-centred messaging, drawn from leadership roles across Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, New Zealand Red Cross and now Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN).

Recent cyber incidents in Aotearoa are a reminder that no organisation is immune. For charities and NGOs holding sensitive information about clients, donors and communities, how you communicate during an incident is just as critical as the technical response. This piece shares key lessons on what to prioritise - and what to avoid - when trust is on the line.

This guest blog is written by Catherine Arrow, Global Public Relations Practitioner of the Year and Executive Director of the PR Knowledge Hub. With decades of global experience and deep research into AI, ethics and communication, Catherine offers essential insights for NGO and NFP communicators navigating an AI-enabled future.

Rachel Elsy has spent her career working at the point where communication meets culture, identity and belonging. Now as Chief Executive Officer at English Language Partners, she offers a leader’s perspective on what truly builds inclusive narratives and how we can better represent the communities we serve.

In many charities, communications and advocacy sit in separate corners. But for Elodie Berthe, Communications and Advocacy Manager at Barnardos Aotearoa, the two can’t be separated. In this blog, she shares how charity communicators can integrate advocacy into their work - turning awareness into action, stories into systems change and messages into meaningful influence.

In humanitarian crises, stories can save lives - or do harm. Drawing on her experience across global emergencies from the Kaikōura earthquake to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Armenia, Jess Timings offers practical advice for communicators on balancing speed with accuracy, urgency with hope and always leading with dignity.

I spoke with NBR co-editor Hamish McNicol about how business media can help purpose-driven organisations reach influential audiences. He shared insights into what makes stories stand out - and how one NGO’s podcast appearance led to a significant donation from a single listener.

NGO and charity comms specialist Nicole Pryor shares her observations on what has changed in the sector over the past decade - from how we tell stories about vulnerable communities to the rise of solutions-focused journalism.

I spoke with Kiwi journalist Jessy Edwards, who covers social justice issues in New York, about how purpose-driven organisations can cut through.