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Working for and with not-for-profit organizations

Vogl Communications has provided advice on many aspects of communications to not-for-profit organizations. In addition, we have developed a special workshop program for an individual organization or a group of organizations that highlights the critical issues of media relations - the aim is to assist not-for-profits to strengthen their own programs and effectiveness in this area.

As development and fund-raising becomes harder, and as the competition to win the media's attention intensifies, so not-for-profit organizations must strengthen the effectiveness of their PR.

The Workshop involves participants completing a detailed questionnaire. It involves a discussion of 10 critical areas of PR activity and concludes with the initiation of work to develop a new Action Plan. Participants are encouraged to share their experiences in each of the 10 areas highlighted below that combine to establish a comprehensive approach to communications. The 10 areas are:

CEO. What is the CEO's role in an organization's work on communications now? Does the funding crisis demand that the CEO play a larger public role? Does this mean that the CEO must become more engaged in setting strategy, defining key messages and evaluating implementation of communications approaches? Does it mean that the CEO risks boosting funds now on greater awareness campaigns? Does the situation require that the CEO seek to become a "public personality" and will this sit well with the Board? Are there risks in the CEO moving to secure a higher public profile?

Confidence. Does the CEO have the confidence to go for a higher public profile for herself/himself? Is the CEO willing to risk being misquoted and misunderstood in public? Is the CEO confident about being controversial in the media? Does your communications' staff have the self-assurance and sense of security to deal with top leaders in the media directly? Does the staff have the confidence to call major media columnists, to give TV interviews, and to hustle the press for coverage? Does your organization have communications experience in-house?

Audiences. When was the last time your organization listed external audiences in terms of priority? Are you targeting your communications' efforts sufficiently to your most important audiences? Do you have strategies set for increasing your visibility and impact with your key audiences? Have you refined the coordination and synergy between the ways you strengthen communications to your key external audiences and, at the same time, ensure excellent communications to your prime internal audiences, such as your Board?

Internal. Have your reviewed your internal communications recently to ensure that impact is maximized? Is your staff, your volunteers, your Board and members of your advisory groups, clearly aware of the new messages you are communicating externally and the new approaches you are planning to enhance your communications' impact at a time of actual and/or prospective funding crisis? Or, do these internal audiences just feel that Śit is business as usual' around your organization these days?

External. What are the key aims/goals that you have set for your communications' programs directed at your priority external audiences? How do you evaluate the success of your programs? Yes, there are probably multiple goals concerned with sources of funds, actual and potential partner organizations, and outreach to broader publics. But have you defined a strategy for each goal (the more we can breakdown the goals relative to audiences the more likely we are to find effective strategies)?

Messages. Is your basic "image" message sufficiently effective? Does your organization get confused with others? What are you doing now to sharpen the message about who you are and why your organization is vital? Beyond this – are you comfortable and confident about the ways your organization is defining complex themes into tight and effective messages? How much thinking has gone on recently in your organization to determine the prime messages and to refine them? Who should be at the leadership table when critical issues of defining messages are made?

People. Is your PR staff experienced enough for the tasks at hand and is your PR work well managed? Can you combine the development, marketing and public relations functions? Can you out-source for special campaigns – and should you? Are you building a strong communications team?

Tools. Have you recently reviewed the tools you use to ensure that your messages have maximum impact with your priority audiences? How are you setting priorities between the use of newsletters, e-letters, websites, conferences and seminars, sophisticated 'intranet' systems, press releases, audio and video releases, press conferences, media interviews, speeches, advertising? You cannot afford all of these tools! Which ones can you cut now to save funds for use in beefing-up other tools? Who is making these tough choices now? Which tools are most effective when funding is getting tighter and tighter?

Costs. How much does it cost to mount effective communications' approaches? Most PR firms are expensive – does your organization need such external assistance? If so, do you need it for everything or only for special projects? Can you build a low-cost effective communications team within your organization? Can you use interns in your approach? What functions can you outsource in the most cost-effective manner? Are you finding that some initiatives are expensive, but difficult to quash because tradition dictates that "this is the way it has always been done"? Have you gone to your Board for special funding for an emergency campaign?

Media. Do you believe your organization is getting the media attention it deserves right now? And, is it getting the media attention it needs? If not, then what are you doing about it? Are you reviewing your media contacts? Are you involving your Board in media outreach? Are you providing the media with the kinds of stories that are very topical and that dovetail with major news developments? If not, why not? Do you use regional, national and international media enough? How strong are relationships between your organization's leaders and the local key media and the prime trade media – and have efforts been made recently to strengthen ties?