IAWG Communications Strategy
Overview
Organization: Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises
Collaborators: Secretariat, Steering Committee, Communications Task Team
Date: January 2021 - Present
Goal: Identify opportunities and risks for IAWG communications and take action to resolve them.
Results: Developed a plan to make internal communications more inclusive, equitable, and accessible.
Where We Started
Like most organizations, IAWG’s 2020 did not go as planned, quickly pivoting to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the year, I recognized inequities in our internal communications structure that impacts who had access to IAWG’s full range of services. In collaboration with the Communications Task Team and consensus from Steering Committee members and the Secretariat, I developed a plan that makes our internal communications more inclusive, equitable, and accessible.
Opportunities / Actions
The strategy identifies the following opportunities and actions to improve them.
Build Consensus & Improve Transparency
Collaboratively write and share a communications strategy, presenting to the entire coalition (see right).
Report to Steering Committee monthly on the progress of the communications plan.
Formalize participation expectations for Communications Task Team membership and recruit members from underrepresented stakeholders.
Streamline Processes for Communications Support
Develop and publish a list of communications services IAWG provides, with explicit details about who can utilize these services and tools.
Document workflow, including point-of-contact, timeline, and cost of each communication service offered.
Collaborate with technical experts to develop our emergency response plan, guaranteeing a space for Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to quickly share relevant resources.
Expand Reach Outside of IAWG
Identify a point-of-contact for communications at member organizations.
Develop and publish a database of external newsletters and their submission processes.
Review the efficacy of IAWG’s internal communications tools and explore consolidated lines of communication offered in multiple languages.
Maintain Status as Go-To Location for Resources on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) in Humanitarian Settings
Improve website tagging structure so people who are not technically trained can easily understand resource categories.
Share opportunities to participate in surveys, apply to grants, and apply for jobs in SRH.
Amplify the work of CBOs via email newsletter and website.
Use Data to Drive Decisions
Provide monthly website reporting to the coalition.
Provide monthly email reporting to the coalition.
Explain KPIs and what trends imply in an email cover letter and presentation.
Improve Accessibility of Digital Assets
Prioritize and revise existing resources for accessibility of PDFs and web pages.
Provide coalition members with accessibility best practices for a variety of media.
Cohesive Branding & Improved Language
Provide a style guide to coalition members.
Provide branded templates for a variety of media to coalition members.
Previous Years’ Strategies
2020
Supported IAWG’s international conference in Thailand until its cancellation in late February. Pivoted to adapt 14 sessions and present them as a webinar series.
Quickly developed COVID-19 response communications, including a landing page and weekly email sharing resources, news, and events.
Published robust training materials, including the MISP Distance Learning Module, S-CORT packages, ASRH toolkit, and more.
2019
Inter-Agency Field Manual microsite.
Developed monthly newsletter, IAWG Insider.
Provided event support.