Skip to content

SURVEY: Friction Between Resource Development and Communications Teams

An often-overlooked challenge in many nonprofit organizations and NGOs is the working dynamic between Communications and Resource Development teams. Staff frequently report difficulty in reconciling conflicting goals; understanding each other’s audiences and needs; and figuring out effective ways of working together — among other issues. As capacity-building consultants for both Development and Communications teams, we are frequently called upon to assist organizations with this dynamic.

This survey explores how inter-departmental friction plays out across the nonprofit/NGO/social sector globally, what is fundamentally at stake, and how organizations can pursue high-functioning, sustainable ways of working between their Resource Development and Communications teams.

It will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. It is fully anonymous, although we do offer an opportunity to provide your email address (optional) if you’d like to participate in additional research on this topic. Otherwise, no personal data is collected, stored, or shared in any way. We anticipate publishing the findings of this research through various written pieces, conference presentations, and on our website.

Many thanks in advance for helping us to shed light on this critical topic!
ABOUT YOU AND YOUR ORGANIZATION
Please tell us a little about yourself, your role, and your organization.

If you have experienced difficulties between Development and Communications (whether in your current role or in the past), please either describe your current organization or a past organization. However, if you have experienced positive, productive dynamics between these two teams, we would also like to hear what you think made the collaboration work well.
1.Which type of organization do you work for? Please select all that apply to your organization.
2.How would you describe the department which you primarily report into or lead?
3.At what level is your role? Please choose the closest fit.
4.What is the staff size of your department?
5.In which department(s) does the Digital function live within your organization?
6.Does your organization have a dedicated Marketing or Engagement team?
7.Which teams have you been part of in your past nonprofit roles? Please select all that apply or skip this question if this is your first experience working in a nonprofit organization.
8.What is the primary geographic scope of your organization's work?
9.In how many countries/nations does your organization operate?
10.In which country/nation are you based? (We ask this for representation purposes only, but will not be drawing geography- or culture-specific conclusions about these dynamics.)
11.How do your Communications and Resource Development teams primarily work together? Please choose the best answer.
200%