Giving Compass' Take:

• Malia Bachesta Eley explains how organizations can ensure that the reports they create are read and used by improving content and presentation. 

• How can philanthropists help organizations improve their report creation process? How can existing reports benefit from reframing and republishing? 

• Learn more about the importance of communication. 

The analytics from the big report you wrote are finally in. You sit down at your desk, excited to see the results, when suddenly your jaw drops: Only 50 people read it?!

For anyone working in global development, this feeling is familiar. Whether striving to end global modern slavery or build new markets for smallholder farmers, the global development community spends millions of dollars conducting research to fill knowledge gaps and solve big global challenges.

Yet, despite our best efforts, much of this research fails to reach or influence the people who can drive the needed change. For instance, the World Bank reported in 2014 that nearly half of its 1,600 policy briefs were downloaded only 1 to 100 times in the previous five years, suggesting a serious misalignment between research investments and actual impact.

To bridge the connection between publishing research and changing behavior, the global development community needs to approach the question of “how do we communicate our research?” with renewed intention and rigor.

  1. People want less talk and more action. Publishing learnings in simple, usable formats—such as case studies or toolkits—makes it easier for readers to take away learnings quickly and tailor them to their contexts.
  2. Shorter is always better.
  3. Know your audience and tailor the content accordingly. Before you dive into your next project, take the time to segment your audience and ask them directly, “What new research or knowledge will help you achieve your mission?” 
  4. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Instead of using limited resources to develop the next big thing, first try investing in your existing “bread-and-butter” channels to meet your audience where they already are.

Read the full article about reports by Malia Bachesta Eley at Stanford Social Innovation Review.