Holding a press event is a tricky thing. It can generate great media coverage and public exposure, but you also run the risk of throwing a party where no one shows up.
If the key to your event is getting press to come, then you need to be able to get their interest and participation. That’s why I’ve jotted down the following tips to help you get the word out to the press in a way that will give you a high percentage shot at having them attend.
Media Alerts
Getting a television crew to your event requires some finesse, and the format of the pitch is different than that of a press release. A media alert is the appropriate tool which gives a TV producer or assignment desk editor all the information they need to decide on whether the event you’re holding is of interest to them. Write the media alert in five sections: Who, What, When, Where and Visuals.
■Who: Name your company and any key executives or dignitaries who might be in
attendance. Include only those who will be available to speak on camera.
■What: What is the announcement or the reason for the event? Include all material you consider news.
■When: Make certain to include the date and time of the event, and how long it will run. Also include the schedules of any on-camera spokespeople, and if they will be available before the event.
■Where: This is key. You need to include an address, directions, and a link for Google Maps or MapQuest if you can. Getting a reporter or a crew to an event can be won or lost in how well you direct them there. If security personnel will be at the event or venue, make sure they know the media might be coming.
■Visuals: TV is a visual medium, so make sure you have something for the cameras to shoot. Talking heads does not a press event make. Have demos, graphs, lots of people around, so they’ll have something other than an executive in a suit to shoot.
Communication
To get a television crew at your event, you should follow these instructions precisely, to ensure the highest level of communication possible without annoying the producers and assignment editors.
■First, send the media alert out two weeks prior to the event. Then, one week prior. Then send it to them each of the three days just before the event. The reason for this is that there are different desk editors on different days and different shifts, and they delete all their emails frequently to make room for new alerts.
■Two days before the event, call the assignment desks at all the TV stations you want to cover your event. Ask them if they received your alert – they’ll say no. That’s okay. If it doesn’t grab them right away, they’ll toss it. Send it again, and then call him back immediately afterward, and pitch your event. They’ll give you instructions on how to proceed, which will usually include them asking you to call the morning of the event. That’s okay – you’re going to do that anyway.
■Call on the morning of your event. By now, they know your event, and they know who you are. If your event is interesting enough for them, they’ll tell you. If your event is on a Saturday or Sunday, please be advised that most TV stations only have one crew on duty on the weekends. They’ll be stretched thin, so you reduce your chances for success with weekend events.
Use the right tools, making sure the producers and assignment desk editors are fully informed, but do it in a professional way so as not to drive them crazy, and you’ll have a much better shot at getting coverage for your event.
Marsha Friedman is a 20-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations, a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. She also hosts a national weekly radio talk show, The Family Round Table, and is author of the book, Celebritize Yourself.)
http://www.pnnonline.org/marsha-freidman-how-to-get-local-tv-to-cover-your-event
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Businesses urged to rethink social role
Businesses urged to rethink social role
June 28, 2010
In an increasingly complex world, corporations need to change the way they do business by changing the way they address social problems, a new report says.
To compete in the global marketplace, it says, companies must develop integrated strategies to cope with big changes, including the growing shift in economic activity to Asia, rising stress on natural resources, social problems that are becoming more complex and widespread, and rising expectations that companies play a big role in addressing social issues.
Companies can prepare themselves to make greatest impact on social problems and their own bottom line through a strategy known as "sustainable value creation," says the report, prepared by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, based on research by McKinsey & Company.
That strategy consists of a "self-reinforcing state of trustworthy, pro-social corporate behavior that simultaneously delivers bottom-line results and community benefits," says the report, Shaping the Future: Solving Social Problems through Business Strategy.
"To bring about sustainable value creation in their firms," it says, "companies must challenge the tacit assumptions that underpin the functioning of their value chains, seeking to understand where social issues impede progress, and then work to engage others in ameliorating those issues for the good of business and society alike," the report says.
"Corporate involvement is required whenever the cost of inaction exceeds the cost of action," it says.
Companies should take a hard look at social issues on which they "lead and engage," the report says, and make sure those issues are "integral to the achievement of larger business goals."
A key question, it says, is whether working to address a particular social issue also will "help my firm creative a tangible competitive advantage."
Companies should pick social issues "that drive growth or reduce costs, all while demonstrably helping local communities and broader societies address their own development priorities," the report says.
The report suggests that people who mistrust business likely will criticize the proposed strategy of sustainable value creation as "corporate greed in sheep's clothing."
While the level of trust in business "is not wholly within the control of companies, the report says, the "integrity with which companies execute their strategies for sustainable value creation is of the utmost importance in earning public confidence."
Corporate and CEOs and thought leaders interviewed for the research that led to the report believe that "shaping the future through sustainable value creation is a mandate," the report says.
And developing those strategies demands new ways of business thinking, it says.
Leadership toward sustainable value creation "requires stepping outside typical business planning cycles and acknowledging the need for (and growth possibilities inherent in) new ways of thinking," it says. "It also entails embarking on new forms of collaboration."
Margaret Coady, director of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, says in a statement that, by moving beyond their traditional levels and models of corporate community involvement, "the zero-sum tension faced by corporate executives of increasing shareholder returns and doing the right thing for society can be dissolved."
http://philanthropyjournal.org/news/businesses-urged-rethink-social-role
June 28, 2010
In an increasingly complex world, corporations need to change the way they do business by changing the way they address social problems, a new report says.
To compete in the global marketplace, it says, companies must develop integrated strategies to cope with big changes, including the growing shift in economic activity to Asia, rising stress on natural resources, social problems that are becoming more complex and widespread, and rising expectations that companies play a big role in addressing social issues.
Companies can prepare themselves to make greatest impact on social problems and their own bottom line through a strategy known as "sustainable value creation," says the report, prepared by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, based on research by McKinsey & Company.
That strategy consists of a "self-reinforcing state of trustworthy, pro-social corporate behavior that simultaneously delivers bottom-line results and community benefits," says the report, Shaping the Future: Solving Social Problems through Business Strategy.
"To bring about sustainable value creation in their firms," it says, "companies must challenge the tacit assumptions that underpin the functioning of their value chains, seeking to understand where social issues impede progress, and then work to engage others in ameliorating those issues for the good of business and society alike," the report says.
"Corporate involvement is required whenever the cost of inaction exceeds the cost of action," it says.
Companies should take a hard look at social issues on which they "lead and engage," the report says, and make sure those issues are "integral to the achievement of larger business goals."
A key question, it says, is whether working to address a particular social issue also will "help my firm creative a tangible competitive advantage."
Companies should pick social issues "that drive growth or reduce costs, all while demonstrably helping local communities and broader societies address their own development priorities," the report says.
The report suggests that people who mistrust business likely will criticize the proposed strategy of sustainable value creation as "corporate greed in sheep's clothing."
While the level of trust in business "is not wholly within the control of companies, the report says, the "integrity with which companies execute their strategies for sustainable value creation is of the utmost importance in earning public confidence."
Corporate and CEOs and thought leaders interviewed for the research that led to the report believe that "shaping the future through sustainable value creation is a mandate," the report says.
And developing those strategies demands new ways of business thinking, it says.
Leadership toward sustainable value creation "requires stepping outside typical business planning cycles and acknowledging the need for (and growth possibilities inherent in) new ways of thinking," it says. "It also entails embarking on new forms of collaboration."
Margaret Coady, director of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, says in a statement that, by moving beyond their traditional levels and models of corporate community involvement, "the zero-sum tension faced by corporate executives of increasing shareholder returns and doing the right thing for society can be dissolved."
http://philanthropyjournal.org/news/businesses-urged-rethink-social-role
Monday, July 5, 2010
Building a fundraising board
Building a fundraising board
Keith Curtis | June 25, 2010
Will the board members of your nonprofit do anything but ask for money? When asked to make a donation themselves, do they point to their time as their gift?
For most nonprofits, the board of directors has two roles: governance, which involves making policy and stewarding finances; and support.
The support role is where boards sometimes fall short because, frankly, it's harder. Providing support, especially in this time of reduced government funding, requires that a board member be a participant, donor and fundraiser.
Your board is your link to the community, so it must lead your fundraising.
Here's a compelling reason why. A 2009 survey by Cygnus Applied Research found that 42 percent of respondents would give to a nonprofit they had not supported in the past if someone they knew asked them for a gift.
More than 80 percent of all U.S. charitable giving comes from individuals.
That's why the most successful boards are involved in planning, executing, and evaluating their nonprofit's development efforts.
They understand their organization's case for support and know how to make "the ask."
They identify, cultivate, and recruit potential donors and new board members.
They would never assume fundraising is a staff function.
And they give not only time but money. How can board members justify asking others to give if they haven't yet made a gift?
But effective boards don't just happen. Building them begins with the recruitment process, which must be strategic.
It's not just filling open positions. Being asked to serve on a nonprofit board should be considered an honor by the prospective member.
Once that's established, present the prospective member with a job description that spells out expectations. Be clear that every board member must support your events and make a gift.
If a prospective member isn't willing to give, don't ask her to serve.
Before a new member attends her first board meeting, orient her by reviewing your mission, programs, role of the board, role of the staff, financial picture, development program and fundraising plans. Offer a tour; introduce her to volunteers and staff leadership.
If a board member has little experience in fundraising, involve her slowly.
Arrange for board training and role-playing. Send a new member with an experienced one to make a gift call.
Untrained members making gift calls are likely to fail, and that's a disservice to the board member, the prospective donor, and the people served by your organization.
A board member sharing his or her story with a potential donor is one of the most effective ways to raise money.
Another 2009 survey, this one by our colleagues at the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy and Campbell & Company, found that donors asked to give in person by someone they knew gave 19 percent more than if asked another way.
Board members also can identify people who might be interested in your cause, engage attendees at your organization's events, make thank-you calls to donors and bring potential donors to cultivation events.
If your board members aren't willing to do all of the above, it might be time for this question: Why are they on your board?
Keith Curtis is a board member of Giving USA, board member of the Giving Institute, and president of the Hampton Roads Gift Planning Council. He is also president and CEO of The Curtis Group, a fundraising consulting firm based in Virginia.
Keith Curtis | June 25, 2010
Will the board members of your nonprofit do anything but ask for money? When asked to make a donation themselves, do they point to their time as their gift?
For most nonprofits, the board of directors has two roles: governance, which involves making policy and stewarding finances; and support.
The support role is where boards sometimes fall short because, frankly, it's harder. Providing support, especially in this time of reduced government funding, requires that a board member be a participant, donor and fundraiser.
Your board is your link to the community, so it must lead your fundraising.
Here's a compelling reason why. A 2009 survey by Cygnus Applied Research found that 42 percent of respondents would give to a nonprofit they had not supported in the past if someone they knew asked them for a gift.
More than 80 percent of all U.S. charitable giving comes from individuals.
That's why the most successful boards are involved in planning, executing, and evaluating their nonprofit's development efforts.
They understand their organization's case for support and know how to make "the ask."
They identify, cultivate, and recruit potential donors and new board members.
They would never assume fundraising is a staff function.
And they give not only time but money. How can board members justify asking others to give if they haven't yet made a gift?
But effective boards don't just happen. Building them begins with the recruitment process, which must be strategic.
It's not just filling open positions. Being asked to serve on a nonprofit board should be considered an honor by the prospective member.
Once that's established, present the prospective member with a job description that spells out expectations. Be clear that every board member must support your events and make a gift.
If a prospective member isn't willing to give, don't ask her to serve.
Before a new member attends her first board meeting, orient her by reviewing your mission, programs, role of the board, role of the staff, financial picture, development program and fundraising plans. Offer a tour; introduce her to volunteers and staff leadership.
If a board member has little experience in fundraising, involve her slowly.
Arrange for board training and role-playing. Send a new member with an experienced one to make a gift call.
Untrained members making gift calls are likely to fail, and that's a disservice to the board member, the prospective donor, and the people served by your organization.
A board member sharing his or her story with a potential donor is one of the most effective ways to raise money.
Another 2009 survey, this one by our colleagues at the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy and Campbell & Company, found that donors asked to give in person by someone they knew gave 19 percent more than if asked another way.
Board members also can identify people who might be interested in your cause, engage attendees at your organization's events, make thank-you calls to donors and bring potential donors to cultivation events.
If your board members aren't willing to do all of the above, it might be time for this question: Why are they on your board?
Keith Curtis is a board member of Giving USA, board member of the Giving Institute, and president of the Hampton Roads Gift Planning Council. He is also president and CEO of The Curtis Group, a fundraising consulting firm based in Virginia.
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