Specialist communications for NGOs
Ethical communications for social impact
Surefire Communications is a team of senior NGO creative professionals helping social impact organisations communicate clearly, ethically and effectively through grounded communication strategy, ethical storytelling and high-quality content.
Services
Meet the team
Surefire Communications is a team of three senior non-profit creatives who support NGO and social impact organisations in South Africa and internationally.
Jennifer Khumalo
Strategy, design, photography and data whizz
In the past 12 years, Jennifer has worked with a number of NGOs in South Africa. She holds a BA (Hons) in Photography and specialises in strategy development, design and layout, video editing and data & analytics.
Lotte Manicom
Strategy, design, video and creative nerd
Lotte has worked in the NGO space for over 10 years and holds an MPhil in International Human Rights Law. Lotte has specialised in the refugee and migrant sector, focusing on advocacy communication. She is at her happiest when she is in a ‘creative hole’ as we call it!
Olivia Terblanche
Strategy, writing, photography, storytelling enthusiast
Olivia has worked in the NGO sector since 2019 and holds a BA in Journalism and Media. Through writing and photography, she is interested in creating content that focuses on ethical storytelling.
Our Values
ETHICS
FWe make decisions that prioritise dignity, transparency and do not cause harm. We seek informed consent, question assumptions, and guide clients toward ethical choices.
JUSTICE
We choose to work with organisations advancing equity, rights and fairness. We create communication that supports people-centred change and helps build a more just, kinder world.
DEPENDABILITY
We work with, not for, our clients. We listen deeply, co-create solutions and respect lived experience. Once a plan is in place, we deliver quality work on time with consistency and reliability.
CREATIVITY
We solve problems imaginatively, explore new ideas and formats, and stay curious and teachable. We work with meraki: with care and intention, putting our hearts and souls into every project.
Who we are
With decades of combined experience in the NGO sector — across human rights, migration, education, democracy, climate and community development — they understand the pressures: complex issues, tight timelines, limited budgets and the responsibility to represent people with care.
We bring clarity, calm and a practical, human approach to every project, translating complexity into clear, accessible communication. Our work is rooted in dignity-first, rights-based practice, and we partner closely with organisations in South Africa and around the world as trusted, dependable collaborators who help teams move their work forward with confidence.
Testimonials
what our clients say
Working with SureFire’s team was such a pleasure! The plan of action and strategy were clear from day one and their work on the design and strategy for our organisation went both wide and deep. The report the team produced was clear and concise, with clear pointers to what we can do in the future (and how to do it), and above all – so useful! The SureFire team is engaging and committed to their work. They follow up after the job was done because they care about their clients.
Jen and Lotte have taken us from zero to hero with our Communications strategy and plans for the Innovation Fellowship. We had virtually no communications footprint prior to working with them, but a year later we are in a completely different place. What I have particularly loved about the way they work – apart from their warmth and humour – is how good they are at transferring skills to others. We have no intention of becoming the experts ourselves – which is why we will continue to work with them in 2023 – but we are able to make better communication decisions because of how they have grown and supported us.”
It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Surefire communications over the past few years. Jenny is outstanding and her attention to detail is remarkable as she captures the emotions in a amicable manner, that’s talent. The pictures you have captured are outstanding and truly demonstrates the magic of our work which is connection.
OBSID approached Surefire Communications to design our Annual Report for 2021/22. It’s sometimes difficult to convey the scope and breadth of work that we do in a way that is easy to read – but Surefire nailed it! The clean layout and use of visuals really lifted the report to a new level. We look forward to collaborating with Surefire on a wider range of communications activations in 2023.
We were impressed by the stellar work they did in hearing our needs and enhancing what we wanted to a level we had not anticipated at the inception of our campaign. The team conducted research into our target audience as well as took the time to fully grasp the content of the campaign. They were consistent in communicating with us throughout the developmental phase engaging us on our vision and ensuring their creative ideas incorporated this. We would certainly recommend Surefire Communications for those in need of experts to develop creative and impactful campaigns.
The SureFire Communications team has a deep understanding of the NGO sector and consistently brings this expertise to the communications projects they embark on. They are a dedicated and engaged team that invested time in thoroughly understanding our organisation’s vision, goals, and initiatives, and helping us craft a strategic communications plan. They then translated this into compelling visual content and written narratives that align with our brand identity, and support our strategy. This ranges from celebrating our 3 millionth book distribution with a quirky, fun video, to creating engaging visual content for our collaboration with Discovery Health to encourage members to donate their points to our project. The SureFire team is prompt, meets deadlines and are responsive to feedback and strategy adjustments. The team is always professional and has added great value to our organization. They are also fun to work with!
“Working with Surefire Communications is always a pleasure. They not only offer technical knowledge and creativity but most importantly a deep understanding of human stories and how to tell them.”
Surefire have managed LITASA’s communications excellently and added a lot of value. Surefire did an in-depth communications strategy at the outset and worked from this consolidated plan to achieve a consistent message. They have done well to balance upbeat posts with gritty topics and showed initiative on several campaigns.
Video highlight
We produce films and videos for our clients that include planning, production shooting and editing, from documentaries to explainer videos.
Our Clients
Here are just some of the impactful organisations we have worked with
Associates
Communications is only one element in making and NGO successful. We have the privileged of working with other professionals in the sector that support NGO’s.
Robin Pocock
Monitoring and Evaluation data consultant
Robin is and experiences Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) data consultant who specialises in data management and reporting systems for non-profit organisations. She has worked with a number of NGOs in the education, health, food-security and youth-development sectors.
NS Digital Consulting
Website design and development (WordPress)
NS Digital Consulting is a Web Design company based in Cape Town. They specialise in WordPress web design, as well as assisting clients with updates to their website content and website maintenance. We have worked collaboratively with Nicholas on a number of website redevelopment projects for our clients.
NPO service Providers Network
Website design and development (WordPress)
We are a member of this Network. The network members are largely based in Cape Town, South Africa, and provide services to local, regional and international clients. We are united by our common commitment to offering non-profit clients high-quality services and operating with the best interest of our clients at heart