Marketing - Getting the Word Out About You
Public relations can be an important part of any nonprofit's work. It is one thing to have a noble mission and plenty of vigor. It is another to enlist support in either the local community or the donor world.
In his book The Public Relations Handbook for Nonprofits, Art Feinglass writes that the first part of public relations is having a plan, and he offers eight steps to create a winning public relations plan for any faith-based or community initiative.
- Know your audience. Be clear about who you want to reach. Learn about them.
- Know the results you want. What do you want your audience to do?
- Develop a clear message. Know what you want to communicate to your target audience in order to achieve the desired results. Develop key message points.
- Choose the appropriate media. Different media reach different audiences.
- Target specific individuals within each media outlet. Find out which reporters cover the area that includes you (geographically or topically) and cultivate them.
- Develop the tools to reach out to the media and the individuals you have targeted.
- Develop a plan for using your outreach tools.
- Review, re-evaluate and refine the planning process as necessary, for maximum results. Set concrete goals and objectives. To gauge your level of success, you must be able to measure results.
If you have trouble reading this e-newsletter due to formatting issues, or visible HTML code, or if you would like to discuss content-related issues, please contact Bill Freeman, NRC e-Newsletter Editor at wjf@daremightythings.com.
Hypertext links and other references to non-CCF products and services are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement or warranty, express or implied, by the CCF, DHHS, or U.S. Government, as to their suitability, content, usefulness, functioning, completeness, or accuracy.