FundClass Archives:
Public Relations & Marketing

Ask the Expert: Public Relations & Marketing

Edited Digest of FundClass Topic #31, August 2002

Facilitated by Liz Brown

Unlike our regular classes, this is a short, fairly open question & answer opportunity for you to receive advice and guidance to all those burning marketing questions. (Even though this is a different format, please focus your questions on the topic while we are in session.) So think about what you'd like to ask and get ready to chime in!

We are fortunate and grateful to have Liz as our expert this month. She is a marketing and development consultant and freelance writer in Rochester, NY. Her business, "Advance To Go" provides public relations, marketing and
development services to area businesses and nonprofits. Liz has more than 20 years experience in educational, environmental, and religious organizations. On a consultant or pro bono basis, she has worked with a wide range of human
service, business and professional organizations. Currently she works part-time as the director of outreach and development for the Finger Lakes Land Trust's Western Lakes Chapter.

Thanks to Liz for volunteering her time and energy on our behalf.

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Linda

While we have done a great deal to improve our marketing and public relations there is so much more we need to do. For one thing we need to develop a plan with goals, objectives, time lines, etc. - how do you recommend starting this? What advice do you have for establishing beneficial relationships with the media? How can we cultivate them to our team and then maintain that relationship?

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Yvette

I am also interested in the same topics as Linda. Our agency has been in the same community for 22 years. The first ten years, they had great relations with the media. I have found old articles and pictures. Somewhere along the way, with a change of administration and staff we have fallen out of sight to the general public (not the clients we serve). We are about to begin a building campaign. We already have one million dollars seed money for the project but will need to raise more. First we need to get our name and mission back out to the public. Any information on the best way to get started will be of great assistance.

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Amy

I am interested in any information you have on this subject. We are in exactly the same situation as Yvette.

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Liz

Linda and others chiming in on this perennial issue. As with any "constituency", I'd start with 'them' and not with 'us'. Find out who covers higher education (or nonprofits, or religion, or whatever 'beat' you fit into) at the 10-12 media you MOST want to be in. (Don't try to be everywhere all the time, you can't, and you don't need to, just in those media that are important to your students, members, donors, legislators (whoever your 'key publics' are). Once you've identified the education reporter at the local daily, e.g., study what s/he's written...about you, your competition, and other topics. Get a feel for what s/he finds interesting: research breakthroughs, human interest features or controversy? Call and invite him/her to campus, or see if you can drop by. Have no more than 3 story ideas with you, in your head or on one sheet of paper - just the basic idea, the person to get more info from, and contact info. When you meet, listen more than you talk. Find out about deadlines, whether s/he prefers to be contacted by email, phone, fax or snail mail, and best (and worst) times to get in touch with an idea. Find out about any upcoming special issues you might tie into. What does s/he like in dealing with PR people or other organization reps and pet peeves? Find out all that you can about how s/he likes to work, interests, and how you can best work with him/her. (Ok, I've driven myself right up the PC wall with the he/she stuff. From now on you get one or the other!) Probe his reaction to your story ideas. This will help you do better next time, even if all 3 bomb. Learn some personal stuff too, such as maybe she loves rowing and you have a regatta coming up. Maybe the two or you just read the same book, or his son collects beer bottles and your brother in Rhode Island can send you a local brew you can present as a gift (a whole other subject, the ethics of gifts - later for that). Then respect her wishes, follow up promptly, and keep in touch on a regular basis, sometimes with story ideas unrelated to your campus/organization, sometimes with a funny card. In other words, cultivate this relationship just like you would cultivate a major donor or prospect.

What if the reporter can't take time to meet, or you're targeting out-of-town media? Stay tuned. I'll get back to you with more tomorrow night on this, but in the meantime, some of this 'how do you start' stuff is covered in an article I wrote for PR Fuel - I'll ask Tim about posting it in the shared files.

Hope this is helpful.

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Thomasin

We are the oldest municipal water district in California, and our primary mission is to provide high-quality drinking water to the public. Most of our water comes from local rainfall, and we own and take care of 20,000 acres of watershed lands, including seven lakes (reservoirs.) These lands are open to the public for "passive" recreational purposes, such as hiking, biking and fishing. We have a full-time staff of park rangers and watershed workers, who do everything from trail maintenance, habitat restoration work, responding to medical emergencies, to fighting fires. We are located in an affluent part of California and also in an area with a relatively high awareness of and concern for environmental issues.

The funding needs we have are broad, including areas such as acquiring defibrillators for our ranger trucks, preservation of historical buildings, re-vamping picnic areas, controlling invasive plant species, trail maintenance, educational programs, etc. etc. The dilemma: even though our public is wealthier than average, and even though there is a high level of environmental awareness, and even though the Mount Tamalpais watershed recreation area is highly valued among Marin County residents, the prevailing attitude seems to be that people feel their water bills are too high already, and that the water district is the farthest thing from their minds when it comes to imagining a worthwhile charity.

I would be interested to hear any suggestions for approaching this PR issue. Thank you!

•

Liz

Thomasin, you raise a great question - raising money when you're a public agency. A bit beyond the scope of PR, so I hope others on the list will chime in (any one out there from a state-supported college that's started a foundation?)
But, I'll take a crack from a public relations angle.

1. You're a grant developer, from your sig. Is the general public really your target audience, or is it key decision-makers in corporations and foundations? If the latter, that narrows your media priorities. What publications and other news sources do these decision-makers read/rely on? Business pubs/shows, the Editorial pages of the local papers? Find out, and target these. (If you want me to expound on meeting with editorial boards, give a holler).
2. You have some great projects going. I'll bet you package them for going after grants. And I'll also bet that there are, at least, a dozen story ideas just in what you've listed. I'd take advantage of every opportunity to publicize the work of the agency, whether or not the need for funding ever comes up, just to raise the profile as high as possible, and create a climate where your reputation is one of doing great things for the community. (Again, if you want me to get into how to turn your normal work into news, just say so).
3. Could you interest a local PR/ad agency in taking you on as a pro bono client? It's hard to imagine anything more important than water. An agency could come up with some creative and dramatic ads, billboards, radio spots. A public awareness campaign would supplement the publicity you generate, further raising your profile.
4. If you decide you need to concentrate on those key decision-makers, I'd move beyond media relations and into the arena of community relations and donor/prospect cultivation. An annual breakfast with local foundation directors/corporate giving directors, for example; or an invitation to a guided hike or a day with a ranger.
5. Finally, totally beyond the scope of this topic and my expertise, I just finished a great book on business/nonprofit partnerships written from the point of view of the business, so it really gives you insights into how 'they' think; it's called "Making Money While Making a Difference." Your projects strike me as having great possibilities for the kinds of entrepreneurial ventures that the authors describe. I know this is a big step for any nonprofit, especially a public agency. But it's a great read, and might give you some ideas. The lead author, I think, is Steckel.
   
   Good luck!

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Thomasin

Thank you for your generous response to my question!

My work has consisted primarily of writing proposals and administering award procedures for State and Federal grants. There has always been a clear RFP to which I respond, and although I must make the case for a given project, I haven't had to "make the case" for our agency. However, as I compare my list of needs to current government funding opportunities, it has become apparent that local funding sources might be more appropriate for some of the smaller projects. (These are projects that would directly benefit our local residents, such as supplying our rangers with improved medical emergency equipment), so I am attempting to gear myself up for this.

I have thought of approaching private foundations and local service organizations, but prior to doing so I felt I should be ready with a clear response to the question, "Why should we give money to the water district?"
"Your rates are so high, you must have plenty of money!?!" The straightforward answer: "This is outside our mission - we don't have to be concerned about anything but providing high-quality drinking water, but you want to be able to hike in safety, don't you?" - but I don't want to come off as a smart-aleck!

I like your suggestion of doing all we can to publicize the good work we do (and we do a lot!!). If you do have particular suggestions as to how to "turn our normal work into news," I'd love to hear them. Perhaps I could take your suggestions to our Public Information Officer, and work with her in their implementation.

Again, thank you so much!

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Vivian

I work for a foundation facing the, "Why give to this organization?" questions, just as Thomasin of the water district does. The Foundation I work was established and has been funded primarily by the Christian non-profit publishing house it supports. The problem is, our "constituency" is the subscribers to the 11 magazines published by Christianity Today International. The subscribers don't know about the Foundation (just formed last year). We are planning online and direct mail appeals (to piggyback with renewal and other subscriber offers) as well as special events in the form of focus groups, special presentations, etc. to provide some visibility. We also want to put some reader-friendly ads and perhaps articles in our publications, but this ministry has always been self-sustaining and they are having trouble with promoting the concept that they need funding.

As a magazine subscriber, even a religious one, I would figure that my subscription fee would cover all expenses. In today's publishing world, it does not. Printing and mailing costs, diminished advertising revenue, etc. make it impossible to fund a magazine solely through subscriptions. Moreover, there are multiple ministry opportunities that our publisher could advance with the help of outside funding and a capital campaign showcasing our 50th anniversary (and asking for funds for a new communications center) are all part of our long-range plan.

However, getting everyone on the same page on all of the above issues has been difficult, as ministry leaders are accustomed to their "business-management" of the ministry and proud of their fiscal strength.

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Liz

Wow, Vivian, that's a full plate of questions/issues! Let me bite on a few:

1. You mention focus groups in the context of "special events - to provide visibility". I'm not sure how you are using the term. But if you intend them in the traditional sense of providing feedback to you from various constituencies, e.g. subscribers, focus groups can be used to probe why readers would (or would not) be likely to give. Test reaction to proposed messages and images that you are thinking of using in ads or articles, and learn what they THINK the subscription covers. (They might surprise you. I would check out your idea that readers believe the subscription pays for the publication. They are used to other publications that are 75%+ ads, (which I'm guessing you're not). Their own postage costs go up, many of them get magazines from other nonprofits - alumni magazines, e.g. They know, if they think about it, that these magazines aren't produced and mailed without costing somebody. They could be more sophisticated than you think.
   
   The limits of focus groups could be the subject of a whole other class, but for getting inside your publics' heads...getting at the 'why' and the nuances of an issue, they can be very helpful.
2. It sounds as if you have some internal consensus to build before you can go to readers. Could you involve people from the ministry in helping you identify the 'key messages' that would be conveyed in your ads and articles?

   Perhaps this discussion could lead to a thorough airing of the discomfort of appearing 'needy' or 'not good stewards/business people.' With that out in the open, you could show how the case for giving can be stated in positive terms (what the increased funds will enable you to do), rather than negative ones (subscriptions are insufficient).

3. A 50th anniversary campaign for a new communications center sounds like a great opportunity to present this issue of supporting the publication as just one part of a broader project. Again, can you bring your ministry folks around to the positive view of things...get them to see that the very fact of conducting a campaign is evidence of their good management skills and forward thinking - they are placing the organization on a sound footing for the future? Possibly this could come out of involving them in developing the case statement for the campaign (see the FundClass archives for a great class on this led by Gordon Talley).
   
   You are right...giving for publications doesn't have the intrinsic appeal of feeding hungry children. But your subscribers value what you do. When you tap into what it is they value, and why, I believe they'll support you.

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Vivian

I appreciate your thoughtful and thorough answer, and I wholeheartedly agree with your recommendation that internal consensus must be built before we can take our case to our subscribers.

And, you are not far off target with the 75% figure as advertising support for the magazine. It may be more like 60% in today's economy but we get significant revenue from list royalties, as well.

Gratefully, we have some limited initiatives that do have intrinsic appeal -- providing online training and resources for indigenous pastors through alliances with partners in nine language groups in 11 nations. This is the first "Give to CTI" appeal we intend to roll out. And, the 50th Anniversary is a great to "sell" our case well, especially since by that time the needed internal consensus should be established.

As for the focus groups, they will not be THE "special events," but we may piggyback some events onto other ministry's conferences, etc. and we may also host focus groups to explore the "Why give" question.

Again, thank you for your excellent response. I am enjoying the topic and look forward to using many of your recommendations to others and me.

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Tom

"If you want me to expound on meeting with editorial boards...give a holler."

YODEL-LADEEEEEE-HOOOOOOOOO! (You said holler!)

We just did an editorial board workshop with members of our local transportation alliance. It was an eye-opener for everyone! This is a great PR tool and few non-profits are even aware that it exists.

Even (and especially) in small markets, these boards can be a great way to influence local opinion and get your message across to your community's opinion makers.

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Liz

WELL YEE-HA back atcha, Tom!

Not sure what you mean by "workshop". Did you invite the media to meet with your alliance or bring your members to their table?

If the latter, I agree, not many NPOs use this tool. Some how-tos for those who asked for more:

1. Find out what the paper's agenda is, by following the editorial pages, by asking, or by saving any special columns they may publish outlining the issues they feel are important for them to cover. (Our local paper does this at the beginning of each year - they announce half a dozen or so topics such as health care, education, the business climate, etc.) If you have a program that ties into one of these agenda items, chances are they'll be interested in hearing from you.
2. How to get in front of them? Call up and ask. Give a brief outline of your proposed topic. Is there a reporter who often covers you, or an editor you've gotten to know? Ask them if they think your idea would get a hearing at the Ed. Bd.
3. Plan the time wisely. They'll give you no more than an hour, and your opening presentation should be short to leave most of the time for questions & answers.
4. Use the forum to give background on an upcoming public policy issue, explain a position on a controversial topic in the news, or expand on something too complicated to cover in six column inches.
5. Editorial boards demand meat in your argument. Be prepared to back up your case with statistics, examples, and anecdotes.
6. They like having the chance to meet face to face with VIPs who are rarely available to the media. And if your CEO is under fire, they respect him/her for coming out and being open for questions. S/he needs to be well prepared. It's a no holds barred situation, and they'll expect candor.
7. The reporter who covers the beat is usually present, and will have fed background to the board. A news story as well as an editorial may result. If for some reason you want the topic NOT to be in the news (maybe you're giving background on something you can't announce yet) you can request that; but in that case, they may decline the meeting.
8. You can bring handouts and leave them as background information, but don't read from them or expect the Board to read them in the meeting.
9. If you don't have a particular piece of information at your fingertips during the session, get it to them ASAP afterwards.
10. Follow up with a thank you for the time, an internal debriefing, and start planning the next one.

Tom, any adds?

•

Stacy

I would like more descriptive narrative on an editorial board. Also, I would
greatly welcome anyone sharing a strategy/plan for me on how to initiate
media relationships.

Thanks!!!!!!

•

Yvette

How does the editorial board workshop work? Please give more detail.

Thank you

•

Kate

This question might better be asked in a grant writing class, but I think it also has some PR implications, so I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I work for a theatre company that has experienced rapid growth in the past few years. Each year, ticket sales hit new records. We're experiencing tremendous success in that department - even though there is still room for growth and more seats to be filled. But of course, ticket sales are just one piece of the pie and do not cover all of our expenses. And as our audiences grow, we also increase the quality of our shows and our expenses are higher.

So my question is: Should we promote our success to the public and to funders based on the idea that people like to be on the winning team and will feel better about supporting a company that is successful? Or should we hold back, fearing that they won't need to support us because everyone else is?

I suppose there is no right answer to this question, but I'm anxious to hear your opinion.

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Mary O.

I haven't paid enough attention to know if this is a discussion or what but I'd like to respond.

Put yourself in your donors' shoes. I think it's a no-brainer that you promote your success with the theme, "Your support got us here!" which has enabled you to improve programming, a growth process made possible by on-going support. You're right -- people like to join a winning team.

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Mary C.

Kate,

I've been in a very similar situation, having worked in development for theaters for many years. There are only so many "fire sales" you can hold. By that, I mean to say that success definitely sells, and that crying poor usually doesn't except in the most desperate of circumstances. Since things are seemingly on the upswing, you should ride it for all it's worth. People do want to be involved with a winner. (Plus, new bodies in seats mean new potential donors.) 

You just have to make your case about why you still need money. I assume it's a variation on the ticket sales don't cover our costs, and to raise ticket prices would be counter-productive as it would "price-out" parts of our audience. To keep a broad section of the community in the seats, support is needed. Are you well managed? Can you show the money is being/will be used in a responsible way? Success also means your supporters can feel more comfortable about your stability -- something that can be an issue with performing arts organizations.  

Good luck!

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Tom

Kate,

I agree with Mary. Make your case for why you need money clearly and rationally. Make sure you're well managed and improve the quality all along the way - year after year. People will support high quality. Corporate sponsors especially want to hitch their name to a rising star not a waning moon! Avoid looking poor at all costs. Even when you have to do a relatively inexpensive production, use volunteer power to make the audience's experience a thoroughly wonderful one.

You can even offer media outlets special "behind the scenes access". This works especially well in small markets with amateur productions. We used to get a whole week of freebie publicity with our amateur theater group's summer shows because we let the local paper's reporter hang with us for a week. We fed her fascinating stories about the gang of odd old ducks and talented children who made up our cast and crew. In return the paper ran pictures and stories for a week before the opening weekend.

With smaller theater groups and amateur troupes, you have to do a lot of guerilla marketing. Offer to give away a few tickets on the radio. Find a media partner to help you sell radio or TV ads. You can often get advertisers to pay for your ads in exchange for a thank you mention in the ad. Sell a major sponsorship and make it for enough money to pay for the advertising too. You get more tickets sold and the advertiser gets to piggyback on your event for some goodwill publicity.

Collect interesting stories about your cast and crew and feed them to media & news outlets in the area. Don't underestimate your service area either. If you have a good show with a good reputation, you may find your audience coming from a surprising distance.

Read the book "Guerilla PR" it's a great tool for generating ideas. Break a leg!

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Liz

Kate, I'm joining the chorus of those saying, yes, there is a right answer...and it's sell your success. People like to be on the winning team, as you say. They want to give to you because being part of theatre, even if only as a donor/audience member, is part of who they are, or who they want to be, or who they want to be seen as... not because you need help. It's that old PR saying, "everyone is always tuned to radio station WIFM - What's In it For Me." Just as a newspaper won't write a story about you because you deserve it, but because you have a good story of interest to their readers...whatever audience you're talking about, donors, reporters, members, it's about THEM, not about YOU.

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Liz

Thomasin,

There's no 'perhaps' about it...you should definitely be talking with your PIO. Work together on using the media to establish a fertile ground for you to plant seeds in. You may be in a better position than she is to uncover those great stories that she knows how to tell and to pitch to media. If you approach her on the basis of 'how can we work together to do this' (as opposed to 'here's some more work for you to do for me'), I'll bet she'd welcome your ideas.

Just a couple of examples of 'turning normal work into news' - because this is something your PIO does all the time, I guarantee -

1. You mention fighting fires. One way PR people do this is tying the agency work into something that's in the national news. Media folks always want the 'local angle.' When the fires in the Southwest were in the news, perhaps you have a local expert who could talk about what your agency is doing to prevent such disasters.
2. A Labor Day feature on someone who doesn't get that day off... a park ranger or emergency worker.

And yes, you should prepare for the 'why should we give...you're tax supported' question. It's SOO tempting to give that flip answer, isn't it! But look at it as an opportunity to educate. I'd treat this as a 'mini-case statement' assignment: what are the facts, who benefits, how far does government support go, what's possible with your contribution...

Your PIO is used to handling negative questions from the media. When she preps your Director for a news conference, one of the things she does is dream up the questions he/she hopes NOT to get...and then they practice the answers. Take her to lunch. I bet she'd help you turn that question around.

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Stacy

Hello Liz,

I posted a question earlier in the week and I think it got lost between the theater and public utility groups. Do you have some suggestions on how to initiate first contact with media where no relationship already exists? Also, what is a good resource to draw upon (i.e., books, website, etc.) when I sit down, alone, to develop a media relations plan?

Thanks!

•

Liz

Hi Stacy,

I addressed your first question a bit in my response to Linda et al, and in case that got lost, I've asked Timothy to re-post. (The short answer in the meantime is Just Pick up the Phone!)

Let me get into your second question. First, don't do it alone. You may be the one with PR in your job description, but there are others, staff and volunteers who can contribute. In the process, you'll be building support for what you do, getting specific ideas on stories to tell, identifying useful relationships already established and you'll feel less isolated. Maybe you'll even end up with an Outreach Committee.

What can others contribute? For starters, they all live somewhere and read/watch some media. Someone who lives in an outlying suburb, e.g., can save a few sample papers for you, bring in clips, pass on names of likely reporters and editors to target. They know their programs/services. They may not think they are doing anything newsworthy, but once you start talking about 'what makes news' they can help you make a whole list of story ideas, and help create a calendar. (Upcoming events or milestones that you can turn into a news release or a phone/email pitch to a reporter).

They know what media coverage the organization or their program has gotten
in the past (especially helpful if you're new), and what similar organizations in the community have gotten. This will help you get a sense of what the media, or specific reporters, interested in.

They can go away from your brainstorming/planning session(s) with a better news sense, and a better understanding from you of what you need from them. They know how much lead-time to give you, and how you can work together to become more visible.

Look in the community for resources as well. Is there an organization of PR or marketing pros, or a college class that would take you on as a project? There may be a nearby chapter of PRSA or Women in Communications or a communications group specifically geared to your field. There are organizations for school PR folks, PR people in ministry and others. The larger organizations like PRSA have sections (environment, tourism, etc.) for people specializing in those areas. Watch for conferences and meetings sponsored by such groups even if you can't join. You'll get useful information and make contacts.

As for resources: For basics, try the nonprofit.about.com site. One good item there is a very detailed Do It Yourself PR manual which I think is designed to promote a class learning about the Vietnam War, but easily adaptable to other situations. Charitychannel.com has a PR forum where you can ask questions and search archives. I hesitate to suggest a book without knowing more about your situation, current knowledge base, and how much detail you need. Tell us a little more and I'm sure that either someone on the list or myself can make suggestions.

Thanks for the question.

•

Gene

Liz has asked that we post a PR Plan document to the FundClass website. I have done so, and in a manner that should make it very printable. You can find that document at: www.FundRaiserSoftware.com/library/fundclass/prplan.html

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Liz

An afterthought: In another response, I mentioned getting a local PR/ad agency involved. I'd like to repeat that to you. Call on your lay ministers or supporters with relevant expertise and get them involved (if you haven't already) in things like leading focus groups, developing key messages, drafting case statements. That can help you with your internal folks. Sometimes if you are trying to do it all yourself you are like the 'prophet without honor'. The ministers appreciate the attention from outside 'experts'. They may have no more expertise than you, but somehow coming from outside and from the 'business' world they can carry more weight.