Multiple Relationship-Management Roles Among Communicators in Not-For-Profit Organizations

Abstract

This qualitative study explores communication strategies and the multiple roles of 13 communicators at the agency and in nonprofit sector. Interview data were grouped into six themes with three factors: antecedent factors of organizational behaviors, contextual factors of the environment, and convergent factors that determine internal and external communication strategies. The communicators attended to internal and external dimensions of their roles when working on interpersonal strategies that fall into the areas of balancing their multiple roles to establish public relationships. Resolving conflicts created by these roles is an area for nonprofit leaders to consider in future staff training.

Keywords:

• communication strategies
• internal and external roles
• nonprofits
• public relations
• social work administration