Dissemination Strategies to Sustain Partnerships with Philanthropies

Once a program has developed partnerships with philanthropies, different dissemination strategies can be used to help sustain these relationships. Strategies to inform philanthropies about the impact of their funding on program outcomes include:

• Sending thank you cards to philanthropy board members, donors, and other funders, outlining the different program goals that the funding has helped achieve
• Reaching out to local media sources, including local newspapers, to publish stories about the program and sending copies of the publication to funders
• Sending progress update emails periodically throughout the year when there is something important to report, such as achieving an important milestone
• Creating an annual report and sending to philanthropies with a note about how their contribution helped throughout the year

Rural organizations should consider using different approaches that meet their goals and creating a dissemination plan. Some steps to consider when developing a dissemination plan include:

• Outlining the information to be shared
• Deciding on the audience
• Developing the targeted message and deciding on a timeline for dissemination
• Identifying the appropriate resources and channels for dissemination

A donor engagement plan may also be helpful in establishing regular points throughout the year where the program is sharing results directly with donors. This plan might include creating annual reports and/or tailored donor letters to share outcomes from the program with individual donors.

Resources to Learn More

Dissemination Toolkit: Product-Driven Dissemination Strategy
Website
Information about a 12-step approach to successfully disseminate products. Includes a workbook to help develop a dissemination plan for specific audiences.
Organization(s): Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education