Why International Development Studies Students Should Study Communications & Marketing

Menno Simons College IDS grads

I’ve been asked to create a communications and marketing course for communications majors by a local university.

The goal of the course is to help prepare them for careers in the non-profit sector—to acquire some of the skills they'll need to be successful communicators and marketers.

This would include things like writing appeal and thank-you letters; creating communications and marketing plans; promoting and organizing events; media relations; internal communications; and crisis communications, among other things.

As part of course development, the department chair wanted to know: What other majors could benefit from this course?

It wasn’t hard for me to quickly identify a group: Those enrolled in International Development Studies (IDS).

In my experience, it is rare to meet anyone studying IDS who wants to do anything but actual development on the ground in the developing world. 

Communications and marketing is the last thing on their mind.

But it should be higher up in the list of priorities, in my opinion, for the following reasons.

First, it is rare that someone studying IDS will actually be hired to do development work overseas.

This isn’t because they might not be stellar students. 

Rather, it’s because most NGOs today increasingly require people with specialized education and training in things like agriculture, engineering, agro-ecology, hydrology, nutrition, etc.

In other words, an IDS degree is more like a general BA—after getting it, students need to specialize in something else to be marketable to an NGO.

At the same time, most NGOs today are increasingly hiring local people to do the work.

Everyone knows this is important; it's what good development is all about. But it means fewer opportunities for Canadians.

So if IDS students are going to catch on with an NGO, it is likely in the home office doing things like communications, marketing, fundraising, finance, HR and management—the important behind-the-scenes work that makes the work overseas possible.

And if that’s the case, what better way to prepare than studying things that will make them employable? 

Things like communications and marketing.

Second, if IDS grads do catch on with an NGO overseas, they will need to help the organization tell its stories in order to raise support from the public.

Even just one course in communications and marketing will help IDS students better understand the challenges of communications, marketing and fundraising today so they can help their colleagues achieve their important goals—such as raising enough money to ensure workers in the fields can keep their jobs.

A working knowledge of that area will help them be better co-workers, and ensure greater success for the overall goals of the NGO.

Third, IDS grads could end up working for a small NGO where staff have multiple roles—including communications, marketing and fundraising.

Knowing how to write an appeal letter or press release, solicit media attention, or do effective social media will be an asset—and make them more desirable at job interview time.

Plus, if they should rise to become the executive director of a small NGO, they will find that as much as 50% of their time is spent in communications, fundraising and donor relations—the sector average, these days.

Some grads may even end up working for agencies where they have to raise their own support—in which case knowing how effective storytelling and writing of appeal letters will be critical.

Fourth, at some point they may need to support efforts to secure government funding.

Getting a government grant is the holy grail for many NGOs—such support is critical for their success.

In addition to writing effective funding proposals, successful NGOs also know that visibility and recognition is an important part of government funding—it is usually written into the grant agreement.

Being able to effectively tell the story of how government funding is making a difference through an NGO is key to getting future grants. No publicity can mean no money.

Fifth, it will help them communicate better with the public.

Public support is key to not only fundraising success for individual NGOs, but also for ensuring the government feels it has enough support to continue increasing aid.

If the public doesn’t know what their tax dollars are accomplishing through aid, why should they want Canada to spend their money that way?

There are lots of important needs in Canada that the money could also be used for, as we all know.

The fact is nobody reads 50-page technical reports about project effectiveness (unless they have to because of their job.)

If we want more Canadians to support the aid enterprise, we need to share stories in the ways they are accustomed to receiving them—short, and about people.

Always about people.

Sixth, communications and marketing is a growth area for non-profits of all kinds.

More and more groups realize they need to be better at telling the story of their work, and of the people they serve. 

For too long they have starved their communications, marketing and fundraising departments, choosing to spend most of their funds on program.

But as fundraising challenges increase, they realize they need to spend more on storytelling if they are to have a future.

Someone who knows how to write a press release and appeal letter, do donor relations, attract media attention and fundraise will not lack for employment opportunities, in other words.

To put it another way, if an IDS student wants to be employable; see their organizations succeed; get government funding; and build public support for aid; they should learn how to communicate and do marketing and fundraising.

Then again, I'm a communicator and marketer; what would you expect me to say?