Аннотация:The article analyzes modern communicative practice in the nonprofit sector in the context of the theory of strategic communications. The novelty of the ideas lies in the fact that, firstly, the strategic planning of social communication is poorly comprehended in comparison with a commercial one, secondly, the certain methods of designing communication strategies are still the subject of debate. The author identifies three research traditions, on the basis of which the methods of developing communication strategies have been formed: positivistic psychological theories of behaviourism and cognitive science, Gestalt psychology and semiology. The article is concerned with the possibilities and limitations of three groups of methods in the practice of social communication.