The Cost of Poor Communication
Communication is not decoration, it is infrastructure. When communication is unclear or reactive, it strains people, systems, and community trust. This page names the kinds of strain many nonprofits carry every day, often without having language for it.
Who Is This For
This is for nonprofits, grassroots groups, and coalitions serving communities impacted by historical oppression.
If your team is stretched thin, juggling competing priorities, relying on unpaid or invisible labor, or struggling to keep everyone on the same page, the patterns on this page may feel familiar.
How This Works
Communication problems rarely show up as “bad communication.” They appear as burnout, confusion, slow decisions, staff tension, or community frustration.
This framework helps you see those issues as communication strain, not personal failure, so you can address the root causes rather than blame individuals.
You can’t repair what you can’t name. Making communication strain visible is the first step toward easing it.
What We Look At
We look at three kinds of strain that often overlap:
-
Structural strain – blurred roles, urgency-driven workflows, no clear communication hierarchy, chronic understaffing.
-
Capacity strain – emotional overload, reactive work, burnout, turnover, and invisible labor filling gaps.
-
Community impact strain: inconsistent messaging, delayed responses, program disruptions, and reduced mission effectiveness.
Our Approach
We treat communication as a structural issue, not a personality issue.
Instead of asking “who dropped the ball,” we ask “what in this system made it easy for the ball to drop.”
We listen to staff, map how information really travels, and surface where expectations, roles, and capacity are out of alignment.
What You Receive
A plain-language report explaining what's working, what's straining your team, and why patterns keep repeating. Includes a visual map of your communication system and realistic recommendations aligned with your actual capacity—not the imaginary team you don't have.
What Comes Next
Understanding the cost of poor communication is the foundation. From here, you can explore our guiding principles and services, which are designed to reduce strain, protect staff, and strengthen how your organization communicates internally and with the communities you serve.
