At The California Wellness Foundation, our work revolves around our mission to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, disease prevention and wellness education. Staying focused on our mission requires a clarity of purpose among our board and staff. If we are to be successful, it is also vital that our grantees and other key audiences have a clear understanding of our mission and how we work to achieve it.

For these reasons, communications for us is not simply an afterthought or a department established to support the needs of our programs. Rather, we seek to weave communications into the very fabric of our organization so that we can speak with one voice — conveying messages that clearly and effectively represent the goals of our grantmaking, spotlight the work of our grantees and share the lessons we learn with our colleagues.

Other foundations have used communications in myriad ways, including positioning themselves as the primary resource of information for media and policymakers and providing communications technical assistance to grantees. These are appropriate approaches to achieving their goals and are tactics we have used as well.

But for us, it comes down to using communications strategically as a common thread to further the work of the whole that makes up the tapestry of our Foundation: our grants program, finance, administration, and communications departments are all united in their desire to provide resources to the underserved through the work of our grantees.

For example, our eight priority areas and Special Projects Fund have distinct goals, yet each one relies on the common communications activities outlined in this issue of Reflections — namely, telling the stories of our grantees through our core publications, website, media relations and advertising. And this includes providing media training to our executive staff, communications officers and program directors to ensure that we are consistent in our responses to the news media.

Our communications program did not develop overnight, and we have learned several lessons along the way. We have implemented policies that require attentiveness to enforce and flexibility to adapt when necessary. But the commitment to a unified communications strategy is steadfast and strongly embraced by our Foundation’s leadership.

As we continue in our efforts to keep our communications clear, thoughtful and effective during these difficult economic times, we hope we can also contribute what we have learned to others who are striving to integrate communications within their organizations. We encourage your comments and feedback.

Gary L. Yates, President and CEO
The California Wellness Foundation