I
provide communications that support your public relations campaign,
through direct mail, collateral print materials, and web content.
Public relations may sound like a complex idea, but for most
organizations, it's simple. The key is to determine the problem
your audience of constituency is having understanding the case
for support, and then building bridges of communication.
Building
an effective communications program begins with standing in
your prospect's or donor's shoes, identifying the things they
need to know about your mission or activities, and then finding
the most effective ways to convey the information. The following
two success stories illustrate the principles.
SUCCESS STORY #1
PROBLEM:
A
community hospital was in the process of merging with another
hospital. Although the merger would result in superior care
for the patients of both, by combining resources and achieving
economies of scale, the public perception was that it would
threaten their community's hospital. It became
hard to raise funds in this atmosphere. They needed to change
the perception of the effects of the merger.
SOLUTION:
A
brochure was developed to explain the benefits of the merger
to all patients and members of the community. The brochure was
included with three successive fundraising mailings that year.
The result: A 12% increase in donations.
SUCCESS STORY #2
PROBLEM:
A
nonprofit organization wanted to increase awareness of the number
of ways a charitable contribution could not only memorialize
someone, but also honor birthdays and anniversaries, or provide
a memento of appreciation to those who had provided exceptional
service. The goal was twofold: (1) to increase affiliation between
donors and the institution, and (2) to increase contributions
from this source. They had a special envelope for these donations,
but the options were hard to read. The envelopes were distributed
only to people who thought to ask for them.
SOLUTION:
Create
a flyer explaining the many ways a donation could be used to
honor or memorialize a loved one, caregiver, physician, friend,
or family member. It highlighted the two-way benefits of recognizing
someone and benefiting the organization. The flyer was included
in all mailings and distributed at events. The result was an
increase in memorial contributions and the use by many donors
of memorial or in-honor-of gifts as a regular part of their
annual support.
I
would be happy to send you samples.
Email for a free estimate on your next
public relations project.
Email
Rachel Dacus
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