Spotting gaps in charity comms (and how to bring those voices in)

Lots of charities say they’re “community-led,” but when you look at the comms, the voices we hear most often are staff or leadership. Event posters, funding updates, the odd thank you message, all useful, but they don’t always show the full picture of who you are.

A simple question to ask is: whose voices are missing?

Start with a quick “voice check”

Go back over your last 10-12 posts, your newsletter or even your website. Make a note of who’s being heard:

• Leadership/comms team
• Frontline staff or volunteers
• Participants, families or alumni
• Partners or referrers
• The wider community

If participants or service users only appear once in a while, or always in a very formal “case study,” then there’s a gap.

The usual voices that get left out

From what I see, the missing ones are often:

• Alumni – people who left a year or two ago, but whose stories show longer-term impact.
• Quieter participants – not always the first to volunteer a quote, but often very powerful once supported.
• Frontline staff – the little “field notes” they see every week are often more real and engaging than a polished write-up.
• Partners and referrers – their perspective gives weight and credibility.
• Constructive critics – sharing when you’ve changed something based on feedback you’ve received.

Make it easy for people to contribute

Often the problem isn’t willingness, it’s the ask being too big. A few simple ways:

• Voice notes on WhatsApp – 60-90 seconds, then you transcribe and tidy.

Two-question prompts:

• One photo + 50 words about a moment that mattered. The photo can be anything the sender wants it to be. For example, a photo of nature they’ve found or taken to represent balance. It doesn’t always have to be a photo of a person.
• Frontline jotters – staff add a one-liner after sessions.

And don’t forget to remove barriers: offer pseudonyms, allow blurred images or illustrations instead of photos, and be clear that people can say no without pressure.

A simple rhythm helps

If you want to guarantee variety, build it into your posting schedule. For example:

• Week 1 – participant voice
• Week 2 – frontline note
• Week 3 – partner view
• Week 4 – alumni story

Even if you only post twice a month, alternating participant ↔ organisation/partner voices is a good start.

Example: before and after

Before (generic, staff voice): “Our after-school club continues to be really popular, with lots of children attending regularly and taking part in activities.”

After (participant voice): “‘I like coming here because I can try new things and I’ve made friends I didn’t have at school.’ – Young person, age 10

Hearing this is exactly why we keep our after-school clubs free and open to all youngsters and their parents.”

Saying you’re community-led is one thing. Showing it through your comms is another. When you open up space for participants, alumni, partners and staff to share their voices, you don’t need to “add authenticity” later; it’s already there.

If you’d like support finding that balance in your own comms, I’d love to help. Feel free to get in touch.