By Suey Das, Interim Recruitment Specialist, The Talent Set
In today’s membership and not-for-profit organisations, the Head of Communications has evolved into one of the most strategically important leadership roles. These organisations are navigating growing expectations from members, policymakers and the public while, at the same time, balancing reputation, commercial pressures and the need to demonstrate clear value, often with limited resources and heightened scrutiny.
Communications leaders are at the centre of this complexity, ensuring that messages are clear, credible and impactful.
In membership and not-for-profit sectors, the remit of a Head of Communications has expanded significantly in recent years. Historically, the role was rooted firmly in media relations and PR, acting as the organisation’s voice to press, policymakers and stakeholders. Today, however, the function has broadened to include a far more complex mix of responsibilities. Content strategy, digital engagement and brand development - areas that once received little investment - have now become central to the role. As a result, Heads of Communications are expected to lead across a much broader, more specialised and strategically critical remit than ever before.
Reshaping what members want and how they choose to engage. Now, timely, personalised updates, seamless digital experiences and clear value-for-money for their membership fee is the norm. This requires leaders who understand user journeys, data insights and multichannel content delivery to provide tailored, timely content that reflects the interests and diversity of their audience.
Increasingly challenging, due to heightened scrutiny from members, policymakers, the media and the public who expect openness, accuracy and resilience, particularly when organisations face contentious policy issues or public analysis. Communication leaders, therefore, must be able to safeguard credibility and demonstrate transparency, even when resources are constrained.
Still a core priority, but has shifted beyond transactional communication and become more complex. Members expect not only information but dialogue, community and influence as well as a clear sense of how their organisation represents them. Head of Commss must create genuine two-way dialogue that translates organisational purpose into compelling, relevant messaging and supports stronger relationships and long-term loyalty.
Many organisations are pursuing a sharper commercial focus, whether that’s through events, training, partnerships or income-generating services. Head of Communications play a key role in articulating value propositions, supporting sales activities, driving demand and ensuring that commercial output aligns with organisational purpose.
Crucially, Head of Communications are also responsible for media relations, press strategy and crisis communications. Membership bodies are often adjacent to policy debates and public scrutiny which means that communications, policy and public affairs teams often collaborate closely to ensure that complex issues are communicated sensitively, clearly and with authority while protecting and strengthening organisational reputation.
All these issues make the role of Head of Communications both broad and highly specialised, and require leaders with deep expertise and wide-ranging capability who can balance strategic oversight with technical capacity. Effective hiring for these roles is, therefore, more important than ever before.
In light of these challenges, membership and not-for-profit organisations should look for candidates with the following attributes:
The best leaders see communications as a tool for organisational impact, not just message delivery. They recognise that comms should drive organisational outcomes and that comms strategy should align with membership growth, retention, revenue targets, policy objectives and ambitions, as well as brand health. They ensure that every action has purpose and measurable value while making decisions that are grounded in insight.
Membership and not-for-profit organisations have distinct challenges that include stakeholder dynamics, policy complexity and the high expectations of members’ representation. Strong leaders understand the context of governance and policy nuance and can navigate it with confidence, enabling them to communicate with authority across all audiences.
Today’s communication heads must be influential partners across the organisation, from the boardroom to frontline teams. They support leaders, collaborate with policy, digital, member services, and commercial teams, and provide calm, informed guidance during sensitive or high-pressure situations, providing clarity and managing media during crises.
Modern communications strategies rely heavily on data. Digital engagement, analytics, and insight-driven decision-making are essential for impact. Effective leaders understand how to use this insight to refine messaging, shape campaigns, measure effectiveness and demonstrate the value of communications to both internal and external stakeholders.
When the communications function is led well, organisations see tangible improvements:
In contrast, hiring the wrong leader can be costly. Poor communication can quickly erode relevance in a crowded landscape, where members expect timely updates, active dialogue and a strong presence across social and digital channels. When messaging is inconsistent or outdated, membership bodies risk disengaged audiences, weakened influence and reputational damage, all at a time when visibility and credibility matter more than ever. Ultimately, strong communications leadership is what keeps an organisation connected, trusted and relevant, ensuring that its voice cuts through and its value is clearly understood.
At The Talent Set, we understand the unique pressures, priorities and opportunities that face membership and not-for-profit organisations. We also recognise the distinctive demands placed on communication leaders in dealing with these issues. Our specialist knowledge and extensive talent network help us to identify senior communications professionals who can deliver strategic insight, operational impact, member value and the credibility needed to drive impact.
For more information or to discuss your next leadership hire, contact us.
