How to Create a Public Relations Campaign for a Non-Profit Organization
Non-profit organizations, or NPOs, are a special type of business that works to promote the public good and does not distribute profits to shareholders. There are many types of NPOs operating in the United States, including churches, hospitals, other charities, colleges and universities, sports leagues and so forth. Because they operate for the benefit of the public, NPOs are exempt from the income taxes other corporations pay. Most NPOS operate based on grants from various government entities and donations from for-profit corporations and private individuals. Public relations and marketing are therefore the lifeblood of non-profits.
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Instructions
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Create a list of objectives for your public relations campaign. A list of objectives should include both the message to be communicated and the target audience. While you do not want to narrow your target demographic too much, most NPOs are working with limited resources and one-size-fits-all PR is probably not what you are looking for.
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Brainstorm for a compelling concept for your public relations campaign. Having a creative eye- or ear-catching concept is the backbone of a successful PR campaign. This is especially true for NPOs as Americans are saturated with requests for contributions, and you need a catchy concept to get people's attention.
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Consider bringing in partners in the mainstream business community to assist your PR campaign. This can be approached in several ways, from co-branding or a strategic partnership with another NPO to convincing a large business to sponsor the PR campaign. Approaching local advertising agencies, marketing or PR firms to help you plan and produce your campaign can also save a lot of time and money.
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Decide what media will be most effective in delivering your message. Consider traditional print, TV and radio ads as well as online advertising, especially if you are working on a limited budget. Social media like Facebook and Twitter should also be considered as PR tools, and accounts and homepages can be set up quickly and easily.
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Evaluate the success of your PR campaign afterward. How far to take the evaluation is up to the individual NPO, but it should include objective measures like dollars brought in, new volunteers signed up and so forth. Many NPOs don't bother with this final step and thus never really learn how to improve their future PR campaigns.
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