The competition for attention is fiercer than ever. At the same time, trust is becoming the scarcest resource in public communication. For nonprofit organizations and grant-making foundations, this raises a fundamental question: Is it still enough to talk about impact, or must communication itself become part of the impact? The example of the AusserGewöhnlich Foundation in Berlin shows that the ability to engage in dialogue is becoming the key.
Communication by nonprofit organizations is undergoing a transformation. For a long time, it served primarily as a means of reporting: presenting projects, communicating grant decisions, and publishing reports and annual reports. Today, it is clear that its role extends far beyond that. Communication provides guidance in an increasingly complex world. It explains connections, makes societal challenges transparent and understandable, and brings people together who can achieve more by working together. Especially in the foundation sector, where trust forms the basis of every collaboration, communication increasingly determines whether partnerships are formed, collaborations succeed, and engagement can have a lasting impact.
Attitude becomes a strategic success factor
The AusserGewöhnlich Foundation in Berlin is currently offering an interesting food for thought. With the Berlin Codex, it focuses not on political positions but on shared values such as respect, openness, integrity, and the ability to engage in dialogue. Specifically, the initiative combines a citywide poster campaign with an anonymous online quiz that invites Berliners to reflect on their personal values and their city’s social identity. The responses will be used to create a shared code of values that offers guidance without erasing differences or requiring political consensus.
Even though the project originated in a specific context, it raises a central and universally relevant question: What message does an organization’s communication convey?
This question is also gaining importance for grantmaking foundations and nonprofits. After all, credibility is no longer derived solely from a foundation’s mission or successful projects. It is equally evident in the language used, in how different perspectives are handled, in transparency, in accessibility, and thus in the willingness to engage in dialogue. The way an organization communicates becomes, in itself, an expression of its organizational culture.
Stories build trust; data provides guidance
Nonprofit organizations have countless stories that explain why their work is important. Yet their communications often focus primarily on describing funding criteria, services, key metrics, funding amounts, or successfully completed initiatives. While this information is important, it is no longer enough to connect with people on an emotional level.
Only careful storytelling creates the context and foundation needed to be heard and seen amid the competition for attention. Good stories highlight the change behind a project, the people who benefit from it, and why getting involved actually makes a difference.
At the same time, effective communication also requires guidance: transparent information, transparent decision-making processes, and the open exchange of knowledge. Trust is built where emotion and transparency come together.
Communication as the Infrastructure for Collaboration
The major societal challenges of our time can hardly be solved by individual organizations alone. Impact is increasingly created through the collaboration of different stakeholders. For this collaboration to succeed, we need communication that unites rather than divides, makes knowledge accessible rather than withholds it, and facilitates cooperation rather than fostering competition.
The Berlin Code exemplifies how communication can open up such a shared space: It does not start with established positions or institutional interests, but with fundamental values that people can use as a basis for dialogue. It is precisely in this that its unifying power lies. Differences remain visible, but they do not become a starting point for division; rather, they serve as a basis for exchange and understanding.
For platforms like Spheriq, this is precisely the core of their understanding of communication. It creates visibility, makes knowledge discoverable, connects people with shared interests, and facilitates exchange within the sector and beyond. Communication is thus not merely a byproduct of impact, but one of its central prerequisites.
In other words: Communication does not begin with the first post. It begins with the mindset behind it.
Online Workshop “Storytelling & Social Media”
How do stories that build trust and inspire people come to be? In our three-hour online workshop, we’ll demonstrate and guide you through how to strategically use storytelling and social media to position your organization authentically and highlight its impact.
