writing/media placement/other

‘If a tree falls in the forest, and there’s no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?’ --American proverb

‘If a nonprofit organization attempts to serve the public, and no one hears about them, do they make a difference?’ --Amy Hooker, maven communications

Face it. You can have lofty goals, a noble vision and a grand set of plans. Your organization could change the world, make the nation aware of issues or make your community a better place to live. Nevertheless, if no one is aware of your existence, all of your goals, visions and plans are for naught. That’s where the role of public relations is essential.

When considering PR alternatives for your nonprofit organization, you have plenty of options. The most widely recognized options are to enlist the services of a PR agency, or to hire someone in-house to promote your organization. Each option has benefits and disadvantages you’ll want to consider before making your final decision.

PR Agencies--Advantages

A team of professionals-Within an ad agency you'll have account executives, professional copywriters, designers, media placement specialists and others who make up a team devoted managing your communications needs.

Contacts, with media and vendors-Reputable PR agencies have Rolodexes full of reporters, editors and journalists…not to mention reputable printers, event planners and multimedia specialists.

The outsider's perspective-Being outside your organization means that they're less involved in the 'politics' that inevitably happen within organizations, and more able to give you an objective view of your offerings.

PR agencies, however, don’t come without a certain set of disadvantages. For PR agencies working with nonprofits, these include:

PR Agencies-Disadvantages

Mark 'em up-Most agencies mark up services that they provide through their vendors, either by adding a certain percentage to the cost of a job (appending 40% to the cost of a brochure print job, for example) or by charging extra 'project management' fees.

Division of time and labor-Account executives are often assigned multiple accounts, and depending on the financial level of your account, your assignments may consistently fall to the bottom of the 'to do' list, or may not receive all of the attention they deserved.

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