Independence through diversification: Strategic communication policy of the NPO Ishintai UNESCO Club

In both the international and Japanese nonprofit sectors, competition for financial resources, volunteers, and media attention has increased significantly. This underscores the importance of a stakeholder-specific communication policy for NPOs, including professional marketing, a clear brand image, and strategic fundraising. Guided by Bruhn and Herbst’s theoretical framework for the NPO sector, this paper contextualizes micro-level proceedings within the NPO Ishintai UNESCO Club providing learning support for children from low socio-economic backgrounds. To address specific challenges of smaller NPOs in contemporary Japan, this research combines rich description with theoretical questions of financial stability, actor-stakeholder relations, and organizational agency. While traditional communication channels remain very important, it argues that Japanese NPOs must expand their use of diverse (online) communication instruments, maximizing cost-effectiveness, to successfully interact with stakeholders and develop a diverse donor portfolio. Such diversification is crucial for reducing reliance on government funding and maintaining operations during crises. The paper fills a gap in research on Japanese NPO communication strategies and fundraising, emphasizing the need for systematic assessment of organizational practices to achieve autonomy and stability.