A Public Relations Overview for Nonprofit Organizations

True or false? Public relations consist of sending out press releases and making sure the press covers your latest event. A resounding "False!" However, at many organizations, this statement is all-too-often true. For many of these groups, time and money is tight and getting the press release out the door and a call into an over-utilized local reporter is last on the development office's to-do list at best. Let's create a new vision for what public relations activity can become at your organization. Re-conceptualizing this field will help you spread the word about your good work to a wider and wider network of people and service recipients. Accomplished in conjunction with your overall strategic planning, this will ultimately help you raise more money for your nonprofit.

The most common pitfall in the practice of public relations is that many people believe that one newspaper story or one all-purpose brochure will create the public awareness a group will ever need. In actuality, public relations consists of a much more diverse array of approaches and methods. It is an ongoing process, comprised of 10% of the big and splashy and 90% of the slow, persistent and consistent broadcasting of a few key points. It's taking every opportunity to seek out potential supporters and recipients and tell them why your organization's work is important to them and why they should and can be involved.

The practice of public relations involves building relationships with these people. You can do this in a number of ways, including obtaining favorable publicity, building up a good organizational "image," handling or heading off unfavorable rumors, stories and events, creating consistent public-oriented policies and strategies, as well as more professional written and oral communications.

Here are the major avenues through which this activity is pursued:

• Press relations and agentry: Creating and placing newsworthy information in the news media to attract attention to a person, program, or service
• Program or service publicity: publicizing specific programs and services
• Public affairs: building and maintaining local and national community relations
• Lobbying: building and maintaining relations with legislators and government officials to influence legislation and regulation
• Development: public relations specific to donors, members and volunteers of your organization

Public relations practice is often appealing to many nonprofits because it can have a strong impact on public awareness at a much lower cost than traditional advertising. Word that gets out through this avenue tends to have more credibility than advertising as it is seen to be more objective. News stories, features, and events seem more real and believable to readers than ads do. They even dramatize your work. Public relations will also resonate and reach people who you might not otherwise be able to directly contact or people who avoid such communication.

There are many tools within the public relations toolbox. However, before diving in headfirst, you should set PR objectives, and choose the most appropriate PR messages and vehicles. Once this is accomplished, then you can implement the plan and evaluate your success.

Implementing the plan will require many tools. These include but are not limited to news, speeches, special events (friend-raisers), written materials, online materials, audiovisual materials, corporate-identity materials and even public-service activities. Think about using mailing lists, newsletters (print and online), brochures, email campaigns, audio-visual presentations, speakers bureaus, open houses, special events and tours, flyers and posters, t-shirts, bumper stickers and decals and certificates and plaques to their best advantage. And don't think about using only one of these tools in isolation. That will never work. A mix of approaches will be your best bet in achieving public relations success.

Remember, public relations is all about building relationships. To be effective, public relations strategies must be diverse, consistent, and ongoing. You will not benefit your organization by sending out a scattered press release here and there. A strong public relations program will take time and creativity to establish and maintain. It is all about creating connections among people: people who know and believe in your work, people who want to know you, people who should know you, and people who can tell others about you. It is a reciprocal process that will press your people-skills into service. The result will be great goodwill for you and your work. And in turn, this will transform into more money for your mission.