Planning / Budget

2. Determine Your Budget.

Budget is an important consideration, because it will determine which communications tactics you use. Glossy ads, for example, can be very expensive, while sending a press release can cost much less—and still reach a significant number of people.

You will want to weigh the cost of your proposed communication against its expected benefit—which audience it will reach, the size of that audience, and how the audience is likely to respond.

Remember that communicating the availability of child support services is an important task and may be well worth an investment of funds. To pay for this effort, you may choose to draw up a communications plan and seek funding from grants or other sources, or to partner with an organization that can provide communications support.

Being creative in your approach can also resolve funding issues. If funds are limited, you may concentrate your efforts on low-cost activities. For example, you may decide to forego a large, formal special event for a smaller, inexpensive series of meetings held at community organizations.

Choosing an affordable and effective plan of action also involves knowing which types of communications are likely to elicit the best response from your audience. Next, learn about your audience.