ENGOs and environmental communication: Examining communication strategies of one Brazilian and one US American ENGO

Abstract

This cross-national study draws from the GPDS framework to explore the outreach strategies of two environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) – one in Ohio, United States, and the other in Paraná, Brazil. The study examined and compared ENGOs’ targeted communication practices and their efforts to engage with racial/ethnic and socio-economic minorities within charged political climates. Semi-structured qualitative interview results with ENGO employees and board members show similarities in public outreach strategies, challenges operating in politically charged environments and intentions to address the needs of low socio-economic and minority members of local communities. Many of the communication strategies described as being used by participants correspond to the social marketing theory (SMT) framework. However, ENGO employees reported low levels of confidence in effectively engaging their audience, mostly due to lack of strategic communication training and resources.