Nonprofit organizations need to place more emphasis on communications, according to Suzanne Hawkes, director of communication services at IMPACS, the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society. Earlier this year, nonprofit leaders from across Canada gathered for Canadian Centre for...
Scenario One: You note with excitement as you read the morning paper that an issue which concerns you is making headlines. Reading further your excitement gives way to dismay as you realize that the news item provides only one angle,...
"If you can't tell a good story," says Bronwyn Drainie, "you'll remain invisible." Drainie made her remarks to more than 400 leaders from across the country gathered last week in Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal for the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy's...
Being a reporter at a major TV network for nearly a decade kept me on the receiving end of numerous charity invitations. As much as I wanted to give coverage to all these organizations, these charitable happenings were not always...
Much of this document is written from the point of view of a non-profit organization trying to do some fundraising. Any prices listed are in Canadian funds (CDN$ = $0.65 to $0.70 US$) and are used for example only. Securing...
So, your board has a concern with a government program and has some suggestions for changes. The board instructs you, as the executive director, to let the appropriate ministry know and to try to get a change in the program....
The concept of public relations (PR) seems to be a relatively new one for the voluntary sector. Save for a few notable exceptions, we didn't readily think about public relations as a part of our world a decade ago. We...
Want to get to know how a reporter thinks? Try analyzing your friendly local newscast. On a recent trip to Los Angeles to conduct media training for a client, I scrutinized the local news. With all the bells and whistles...
Your organization has decided that it wants its 15 minutes of fame. You've been doing great work and you want the public to know about it. You want your name in the paper and on the 6 o'clock news. You...
At first glance, the work of non-profits and the goals of the mainstream news media seem to be fundamentally opposed. Non-profit groups focus on the most compelling social and environmental issues of our day. Our issues are long-term and complex....
