We fall in love with every client. It’s such a privilege to get to know the amazing, impactful work done by the nonprofits who use our communications services. From educating children who have been displaced, to making sure girls’ voices are heard in crisis responses, to building social cohesion and encouraging young people to vote, we get to peek into different wonderful projects that are making the world kinder and better.
As a team, AMS is super conscious that our clients have to go to a lot of effort to outsource communications work – procurement, contracting, getting all the approvals – and that’s before we even start on the project! With all that necessary friction, when we collaborate, it needs to be awesome. Getting an extra pair of hands from your comms partner should be a strategic win: nonprofits can move faster, access new skills, and free up time and space to do more of their core work. Every project we undertake is a partnership between us and our clients – and we work together to make sure every project goes smoothly and reaches its intended result.
Success is how we work together.
What is a “project? Here are some examples we’re working on with nonprofits this week: a fundraising microsite, a digital strategy, social media templates, a rebranding, and a media outreach campaign, among others.
Every week in our team meetings, the core AMS team reviews each project, shares insight from the partner’s feedback, and then we discuss how to improve and refine our processes. We invest time in smoothing the path and doing our jobs creatively and with kindness and care.
What can we learn from our clients and partners?
Last week we also decided to review how awesome our clients are. We spotlighted five great habits our clients have shown us, that keep projects on track and elevate the final result.
If you’re planning to bring in external comms support this year, here are five ways to be a dream client, and get the best from your partner agency.
1. Great Partners Come Prepared
“The [client] team sent a really well-organised document with messages, resources, and audiences as soon as we agreed on the project, knowing we did not have much time to deliver.”
Getting a brief that’s clear, focused and packed with context, is like setting up your GPS for a long journey. We know exactly where we’re going and we have the information needed to plan how (and how fast) we can get there.
This client team gave us all the essentials: approved messaging, visual references, priority audiences, and context about internal expectations. We could start delivering right away, confident and equipped.
That emphasis on clarity reminds me of the practical habits I shared in Three weeks at AMS: what I’ve learnt and how I’m making life easier for our clients, where simple onboarding routines made all the difference.
2. Great Partners Trust Us
“The partner gave us quick feedback, then trusted us to liaise with their stakeholders directly, with quick cc intros.”
High-trust clients empower us to work efficiently. One nonprofit leader introduced us to their delivery partners, copied into an email, so we could quickly get their approvals for joint social media posts.
It sounds like a small thing, but it saved everyone time and work. No waiting on approvals for every small task, and no troubling our partner’s internal team. Momentum: high. Of course, trust doesn’t mean losing oversight. But it can be worth letting your trusted external team handle small things so your inbox can breathe. With this particular partner, we are like an extension of their team – in our experience, this is a sweet spot for momentum and results.
3. Great Partners Align Internally
“The client team discussed beforehand and gave us correct inputs (like links and a new name) that were finalised and 100% approved.”
Internal misalignment can be a major challenge for both the internal team and the outsourcing partner. Sometimes we can come in, with an external perspective, and help facilitate your team to come together. But we all realise that sometimes a senior stakeholder suddenly requires changes, even after we thought we were all on board with the plan.
Misalignment was just as much of a challenge for this team, as any other. But this team took a moment to align their internal team before the brief landed with us. That means key decisions are locked, stakeholders are bought in, and we can move forward from a solid foundation. The good news: this protects your timeline — and the budget.
This is also where a concise strategy comes into its own — The power of a plan shows how to keep teams aligned without overcomplicating the process.
4. Great Partners Get The Most From The Experts They Hire
“They listened when we told them how long the design process is and what we can and can’t do.”
We work with all kinds of nonprofit organisations including some who are reaching further than ever with their communications. For example, commissioning a key video or animation for the first time. Or implementing a major upgrade to a long-standing report or manual. Nobody can be an expert in everything – that’s often why organisations come to us, for specialist skills that are difficult or costly to bring in house.
So we try to always be upfront about what’s possible (and what isn’t) within a given timeline. The clients who listen — and adjust their timelines or expectations accordingly — get better outcomes, fewer revisions, and a more collaborative dynamic. It’s awesome to see partners building their own skills and expertise through our work together.
5. Great Partners Act Immediately on Agreements
“They delivered immediately on their actions from the meeting — no chasing up.”
Ahhh happy day! The best meeting is one that ends with no actions on my to-do list. This week we had a kick-off call with a new client, who follows through during and right after the meeting — sending assets, confirming decisions, replying to feedback. This kept everything moving. And we felt trusted and that we had a great partner who wanted us to succeed in the joint project.
One client sent follow-up materials within the hour after a call, which allowed our team to keep working without a pause. We can all work at speed and deliver results faster.
In Summary: Great Partners Win!
The most successful comms projects don’t happen by accident. They are the result of clear expectations, mutual trust, and small but meaningful habits, like fast follow-ups and thoughtful briefs.
We work every day to cultivate habits that make our partners’ and clients’ lives easier. And we love when we can also learn from our partners and share expertise mutually.
And because trust extends beyond the meeting room, Social media ethics: what do we need to know? explores how to maintain credibility in the online spaces where so many of our messages live.
If you’re a comms leader who wants support to communicate with clarity, creativity, and purpose, please get in touch. We’d love to talk with – and learn from – you.
