Marketing that follows the charity’s strategy
Strategy alignment checks that everything your charity does in marketing serves the goals in its strategic plan. Where it does not, we rebuild the priorities, the plan and the measures so that trustees can see the connection between the work and the mission.
The problem: marketing that has drifted
Most charities have a strategic plan. Many also have marketing that has quietly drifted away from it. The plan was written by the board and the senior team. The marketing is run by whoever is in the office, responding to what is in front of them.
Nobody chose to drift. It happens when a campaign is added because a funder asked, an event is repeated because it always runs, or a channel is kept because someone started it years ago. Over a few years the two come apart.
Signs of drift
- Busy marketing nobody can tie to an objective. Ask what a piece of activity is for, and the answer is “we have always done it”.
- Messages that differ between places. The website says one thing, the newsletter another, and the annual report a third.
- Reports that count activity. Posts published, emails sent and followers gained, with no line to income, reach or impact.
- A new strategy with no marketing plan. The board has approved the direction, and nobody has worked out what it means for communications.
- A team pulled in too many directions. Every department asks for something, and there is no way to say no.
Only 28% of charities have a strategy in place for digital, according to the Charity Digital Skills Report 2026. For many, the gap between strategy and marketing is the norm, not the exception.
What we do
- Read the strategy. We start with your strategic plan, your objectives and the way your board talks about success.
- Map current activity to each objective. Every piece of marketing is placed against the goal it serves. What does not fit becomes obvious.
- Decide what to start, stop and continue. We recommend what to do more of, what to drop and what to begin, with reasons you can explain to colleagues.
- Rebuild the plan. A plan for the next twelve months with priorities in order, owners named and a realistic calendar.
- Set the measures. A short set of measures that show the board whether marketing is serving the strategy.
What you receive
| Deliverable | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| A one-page alignment map | Each strategic objective, the marketing that serves it and the gaps, on a single page your board can read in five minutes. |
| A rebuilt twelve-month plan | Priorities in order, who owns each, what it needs and when it happens. |
| A set of board measures | A few measures tied to your objectives, with a plain-language way to report them. |
| A start, stop, continue list | Clear decisions about the existing work, with the reasoning behind each. |
See whether alignment is what you need
A free 30-minute discovery call with a founder. Bring your strategic plan and we will tell you what we would look at first.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call
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When it helps most
- A new strategic plan. The board has agreed the direction and needs the marketing to follow.
- A new chief executive. They want a clear view of what marketing does and how it connects to the plan they have inherited.
- A change in funding. Income has shifted, a major grant has ended or a new funder has different expectations.
- A merger or restructure. Two sets of messages and activities need to become one.
- Pressure from the board. Trustees are asking what marketing achieves and nobody can give a clear answer.
How it connects to the other services
Alignment works best with evidence. If you do not have a clear picture of what you do now, start with the marketing health check. It supplies the facts that alignment builds on.
Once the plan is in place, someone needs to carry it forward. That can be your team with training and mentoring, or a fractional marketing lead who owns the plan and reports to the board.
Measures that satisfy funders
A strategy that cannot be measured is hard to defend to a board or a funder. For impact measures that stand up, social return on investment is one approach, and it comes from the same record behind this page. Our guide to social return on investment explains how it works and where it goes wrong.
Alignment does not replace the hard conversations a board must have about direction. It makes sure the marketing is working on what the board has decided.
The board view
Adam Graver is a trustee of the Nikki Waterhouse Trust, so the board-side view informs this work. He knows how a board pack is read, which questions trustees ask and how little time they usually have. Our trustee guide to charity marketing is written from that position.
How fees work
Fees are not published. They depend on the size of the charity, how many strategic objectives there are and how much of the plan you want us to help carry out. We agree the fee in writing before any work begins.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between strategy alignment and writing a new strategy?
Writing a strategy sets the charity’s direction. Alignment starts from the strategy you already have and checks that marketing serves it. We do not rewrite your mission or objectives. We make sure the communications work follows them.
How long does alignment take?
It depends on the size of the charity and the number of objectives. We agree the timetable in writing before we start, including the dates when we need access to people and information from your side.
Do we need a marketing team for this to work?
No. Many charities that use alignment have one person doing marketing, or none. The output is a plan and a set of measures, which can be carried out by a small team, a fractional lead or a mix.
Who needs to be involved from the charity?
Usually the chief executive, whoever runs marketing or communications, and a trustee or two for the board view. We keep demands on people’s time low, and we plan the sessions around your calendar.
What happens after the alignment map is delivered?
You decide. Some charities carry out the plan alone. Others ask for training and mentoring for the team, or for a fractional lead to own the work. Some come back a year later to realign after a change.
Can alignment help with a funder report?
Yes. A clear link between objectives, activity and measures makes it easier to report to funders. Where outcomes need evidence, the measures can include social return on investment, which we explain in our guide.
What if our strategy is out of date?
Then we say so. Alignment is only as good as the strategy it follows. If the plan no longer reflects where the charity is heading, we recommend the board revisit it first, and we can work with the revised version.
Is this the same as a marketing audit?
No. An audit, which we call a health check, looks at what you do now and what it achieves. Alignment starts from your strategy and asks whether the work serves it. They work well together, and many charities do both.
Do you work with charities that have just merged?
Yes. A merger or restructure is one of the clearest cases for alignment. Two sets of messages, supporters and activities need to become one, and the new strategy needs a marketing plan that reflects it.
Will you tell us to stop things we care about?
We will tell you when something does not serve your goals and explain why. The decision is always yours. Sometimes a piece of work matters for reasons outside the plan, and the board can choose to keep it knowingly.
Sources
- Charity Digital Skills Report 2026, Charity Digital Skills Report. Published July 2026. Survey 5 March to 20 April 2026, 807 responses. Read 5 October 2026. charitydigitalskills.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Charity-Digital-Skills-Report-2026.pdf
Talk to a founder
Thirty minutes with one of the two founders. We listen, say what we would do first, and tell you plainly if we are not the right fit.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call
No spam. No automated phone system. Just us.