Doing PR work for nonprofit and social enterprises has many similarities as doing work for commercial organizations . The main difference would be that social enterprise work needs an extra ounce of passion and believing in the cause both for the nonprofit organization and PR agencies that they work with . using digital advocacy , and collect real-time data on the performance of said activities which makes it easier for them to manage communications with their limited budgets .
COMPLACENT MARKETING
Delivering Communication Impact For Nonprofits
By Diana Obath
Nonprofits have for a long time kept a low profile in their social change initiatives and programs . Increased marketing and communication activity from nonprofit organizations has been witnessed in recent years , sparked by the rise of social media , increased investment by donor organizations into social change initiatives brought about by global demand to report on such activity and changes in governance structures .
However , nonprofits continue to face an uphill battle in getting their messages across to their intended audiences because of a number of challenges , the most obvious being limited budgets and staffing . The silver lining has been that since this accountability is demanded , nonprofits have also begun to work with PR professionals and agencies to ensure they develop marketing and communication strategies that will support their campaigns and deliver the right messages , to the right audience , and at the right time to get noticed and attract continuous support to their causes .
Doing PR work for nonprofit and social enterprises has many similarities as doing work for commercial organizations . The main difference would be that social enterprise work needs an extra ounce of passion and believing in the cause both for the nonprofit organization and PR agencies that they work with . Most nonprofit organizations are focused on delivering impact for people and communities rather than selling products and services , therefore , to get a truly impactful experience , the connection that needs to be created must be deeper and more meaningful .
Most PR work for nonprofits is dependent on the size of the organization . Larger organization have communications teams and require less direct involvement while majority are small and depend on external PR agencies to drive their messages for their advocacy programs .
A report by Luminate Group on How Change Agents , Funders , and Creative Agencies Can Harness the Power of Strategic Communications confirms that increased online options for smaller firms and ease of accessibility to digital media has allowed nonprofit organizations to increase their communication activity
“
Doing PR work for nonprofit and social enterprises has many similarities as doing work for commercial organizations . The main difference would be that social enterprise work needs an extra ounce of passion and believing in the cause both for the nonprofit organization and PR agencies that they work with . using digital advocacy , and collect real-time data on the performance of said activities which makes it easier for them to manage communications with their limited budgets .
While this may offer a solution for some of the activities , these organizations may still not achieve the intended advocacy results due to a lack adequate in-house resources with the requisite knowledge across the breath of communication and will tend to focus more on tactics rather than strategy , which leads to suboptimal outcomes .
Additionally , using digital platforms has led a number of nonprofits to assume that handling strategic communication internally through social media alone is a good alternative to having a holistic strategic communication strategy with dedicated personnel to execute it - which has also impacted the communication outcomes of some advocacy and change programs .
A lack of internal strategic communication skills also makes it challenging for nonprofits to work effectively . In some instances , the resource charged with communication objectives and outcomes hold two roles within the organization such as HR and Communications Officer , Administrative and Communications Officer or Program and Communications Officer . Often times , the communications output will become minimized by other daily activities and will in the long run fall short of the strategic intentions it was designed to achieve for the organization .
Larger organizations on the other hand , may be capable of strategic formulation but may still require execution support due to the nature of their programs . Their work often covers several regions and audiences ,
38 MAL55 / 23 ISSUE