Survival and Distinctiveness: The Impulses Shaping the Communication Practices and Rhetorical Strategies in Hunger Relief Organizations

Nonprofit organizations exist in a unique tension between survival and distinctiveness. Relying on interviews with staff members at hunger relief nonprofit organizations, we investigate how these nonprofits’ communication and rhetorical practices are being shaped by the tension between survival and distinctiveness, as well as the pressures/impulses of civic action, voluntarism, professionalism, and commercialism. Ultimately, we present a more nuanced understanding of how technical communication happens within nonprofits, specifically within the hunger relief sector, as well as offer takeaways for researchers, instructors, students, and community partners.