It’s a challenge I’ve seen throughout more than a decade leading communications for Toronto non-profits. Over the past year, I’ve seen the same pattern emerge while supporting organizations across Canada as a fractional communications leader.
At Goodluck 13, we believe communications should give leaders more time to lead and fundraisers more time to raise money.
That belief shapes every engagement because communications has the power to create momentum across an organization when leaders have the capacity to focus on the work only they can do.
Increasingly, I’m seeing organizations embrace fractional communications leadership as a practical way to strengthen communications capacity while keeping strategic priorities moving forward.
What is fractional communications leadership?
Fractional communications leadership gives organizations access to experienced communications leadership on a flexible basis, allowing them to strengthen communications capacity without creating another full-time executive position.
A fractional communications leader becomes part of the leadership team, helping establish priorities, guide decision-making, support implementation, and build the systems that allow communications to succeed over the long term.
Every organization is different, but the focus is consistent: providing experienced communications leadership that helps important work keep moving.
When does it make sense?
Fractional communications leadership is often a strong fit for organizations experiencing growth, change, or an increase in communications demands.
- Launching a strategic plan
- Preparing an annual report
- Strengthening fundraising communications
- Building an internal communications function
- Navigating organizational change
- Supporting an executive transition
- Refreshing a website or brand
- Expanding communications capacity during a particularly busy period
Across each of these situations, the opportunity is the same: creating the leadership capacity needed to move important communications work forward.
What organizations gain
- Senior communications leadership: Experienced communications leadership helps organizations set priorities, make informed decisions, and align communications with broader organizational goals.
- Greater flexibility: Communications needs naturally evolve throughout the year. Fractional leadership allows organizations to scale support alongside those changing priorities while maintaining continuity and momentum.
- Stronger communications capacity: Every engagement is designed to strengthen the organization’s communications function by building practical systems, clearer processes, stronger messaging, and greater confidence across the team.
- Momentum: Communications creates momentum by helping strategic priorities move forward, strengthening fundraising, supporting leadership, and creating the clarity that allows teams to focus on the work they do best.
What I’ve learned
Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to support executive leaders, fundraisers, communications teams, boards, and program staff through annual reports, fundraising communications, strategic planning, internal communications, organizational change, digital marketing, and communications capacity building.
Although every organization has different priorities, they often share a common challenge: communications work continues to grow while internal capacity remains limited.
Fractional communications leadership creates space for organizations to move important work forward without losing momentum, while strengthening the communications function for the future.
Looking ahead
Communications has become an increasingly important leadership function within Canada’s non-profit sector.
As organizations continue navigating financial pressure, growing stakeholder expectations, and ambitious strategic priorities, I’m seeing more leaders rethink how they build communications capacity.
For some organizations, that means building an internal communications team. For others, it means accessing senior communications leadership on a fractional basis. The right approach depends on the organization, its priorities, and where it is in its journey.
What matters most is creating the capacity that allows leaders to lead, fundraisers to raise more money, and organizations to communicate with clarity and confidence.
Because the best communications work creates space for everyone else to do theirs.
Ready to move important communications work forward?
If your organization is exploring how to strengthen its communications capacity, I’d be happy to talk about whether fractional communications leadership is the right fit.