As Gram Vikas scaled threefold over five years, Wordmatter’s Priya Pillai built a communications function that raised visibility, strengthened team capabilities, and drove strategic storytelling to attract partners, mobilise resources, and bring in new talent.

In a prior role, Wordmatter’s Robin Abraham rebuilt a large development organisation’s communication team to gain strategic clarity, boost media presence, and deepen donor engagement across multi-state programmes.

Liby Johnson, Executive Director of Gram Vikas, reflects on seven years of building the function from the ground up — and the lessons it holds for others in the sector.