Foundation News and Commentary (FN&C), the flagship publication of the Council on Foundations (a major membership association of foundations), has a subscriber base equally split between foundations and nonprofits. It is one of the premier publications of the nonprofit sector.

As we all know, reaching and meeting the needs of two somewhat diverse audiences can be difficult. It is challenging to be specific enough to address issues that are segment-specific while general enough to cover areas of common interest. Foundation News and Commentary does a great job.

In mid-2003, Managing Editor Heather Peeler found herself facing a real challenge. The FN&C staff was eager to make some significant changes to the magazine, on both the content and design sides. Peeler recalls, "We were planning on doing a number of new things with the magazine – including re-design, possible content additions and more. When considering these changes, I realized that it would be a great help to have a group of readers that I could turn to and check in with on new ideas as they come along."

Peeler decided she'd act on this idea and incorporated a call for help in the next online and print issues of FN&C. It read:

"LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD READERS: Foundation News & Commentary is putting together a Readers Panel to help the magazine through a redesign, test out a new resource directory, and more. Panel members should be available to answer questions, preview new services and share their opinions. The time commitment is no more than a few hours per quarter. And as a "thank you" for their service, panelists will receive a 15% discount on all Council publications."

In a recent conversation, Peeler reported that response to her invitation has been strong. "We have more people than we can use who have expressed interest in participating and even have a waiting list should replacements be needed. We've established an ongoing dialogue with the group and plan to involve participants via survey, phone and online no more than one or two times a quarter so that it's not so burdensome for them to be involved."

Peeler continued, "We've worked hard to choose a panel that's representative of our readers -- online (an abridged edition available at no charge to nonsubscribers) and print subscribers, all types of foundations and nonprofits, from CEOs to program staff and assistants."

FN&C has already put the advisory panel to work. The first task was a web-based survey on the proposed editorial line-up for 2004. The panel conveyed their interest level on various topics, from 1 ("red hot", I can't read enough on this topic) to 5 (snore). Peeler and her colleagues found the panel's input to be an invaluable ingredient in finalizing content decisions.

The FN&C advisory panel will next be tasked with testing the usability (efficiency and ease of use) of a planned online buyers' guide. Results will be collected via an online survey tool supplemented by one-to-one calling when needed.

Peeler is pleased to have the panel on board and comments that, "although it took some work to get this set up and rolling smoothly, the group is a hugely valuable addition to our team."

FN&C's development of its Readers Panel is a great best practice for use in your organization. By launching your own advisory panel, your organization will gain an understanding of stakeholder perceptions of the organization and its programs and services.

You can put this input to use in evolving programs and services and as the essence of your marketing and communications materials. There's no better source for learning what's most important to your audiences and even the language that they use to describe these elements. With this knowledge, you will connect with your audiences and motivate them to act, leading to stronger marketing and communications results. But, as Peeler muses, the benefits extend to increased audience loyalty. Peeler recalls that "people really wanted the opportunity to weigh in and support our effort." Audiences do want to be involved with an enterprise that they care about, and are generally flattered to be asked for input. When you do so, you're not only getting great data, you're strengthening your relationships with key stakeholders.