Ensuring Effective Community Relations
The Board’s Role in Community Relations:
Boards need to ensure that they are responding effectively to the changing needs of their community. Developing marketing and public relations strategies to promote awareness of the organization in the community is essential. Even if community relations are well-established, it is important that boards remain up-to-date on new challenges and opportunities in their community and that board members regularly investigate opportunities to collaborate with other organizations.
The board should ensure that:
- The community is aware that the organization exists
- The community is aware of the mission/ purpose of the organization
- The organization is well-represented in the community, within government and among other funding agencies
- The membership receives information on programs and services
- There are clear principles and objectives to guide collaborations with other agencies
A Basic Understanding of Public and Community Relations
Public and community relations are about image. Consider:
- What image do you want to convey?
- What is your current image?
- What changes (if any) must be made?
Public and community relations can help your organization to define, announce, and maintain its image in the eyes of those you serve in your community and the community at large.
Public Relations can:
- Inform the general community about services
- Include the promotion of your organization through a variety of media
Community Relations can:
- Provide an opportunity for the organization to interact with its environment
- Include relationships with other organizations
- Offer an opportunity for your organization to respond to turf issues
Planning your communication strategy
Why Communicate?
To inform – you may need to let interested parties know who you are; what you can do for them; what they can do to help you, or even just how to get in touch with you. You can ensure good communication by putting yourself in your audience’s position, paying attention to their needs and getting to know them. Communication can also be designed to persuade, prevent misunderstanding, present a point of view or reduce barriers. Decide which of these will be the goal of promoting your organization.
Communication Strategy
- Research, analyze, and take stock of your current situation so that you are ready to answer questions that will be posed by various audiences after you have initiated your communications campaign
- Set goals and objectives of what you are trying to achieve
- Determine your target audience(s)
- Make sure everyone involved in the strategy understands the key message you are trying to convey
- Determine how you will evaluate how successful the communications strategy has been; for example, follow up with other community organizations to see if your message has reached them, and how it has been interpreted by them
Developing a Public and Community Relations Plan
Once the Board has determined what kind of communications plan it will work on, the following questions should be addressed in order to create an action plan.
RESOURCES
- What resources do our board members have in the area of public and community relations?
- Do we have staff to support these activities? Who? How much time can they devote? Which activities can that person stop doing in order to take these on?
- How much money can we allocate to these activities?
- Should we do the work ourselves or hire an outside consultant?
SCOPE
- What activities are really needed? (Newsletter only? Public Relations staff? Board Committee? Cable TV Show?)
- What resources are available? What resources do we lack?
MEDIA RELATIONS
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of our current media relations?
TIMING
- Based on the requirements of our communications strategy, other commitments and resources available, what is the appropriate timing? (Create a tentative calendar)
ISSUES
- What is Board policy on “taking stands”?
- On what issues will a stand be taken?
Advocacy - What to consider
The board has a major responsibility to advocate on its behalf and on behalf of the underlying values and beliefs of the organization. A board is always an advocate for the organization but sometimes organizations go beyond this role to become advocates for issues and sometimes for individual clients or members.
Advocacy is a complex matter. The following four steps will help clarify the role of an organization when it comes to matters of advocacy:
- Redefine a problem as an issue. A problem, once seen as personal but shared by others, can be redefined as an issue.
- Research the issue. Gather the facts together and state them in a coherent manner. Conclusions must only be drawn after this step has been completed.
- Set goals. Match short-term goals with specific solutions to problems that have been identified. Devise a strategy for reaching each solution.
- Work with others. Join others who are working on the issue and actively looking for allies.
Boards must make sure that the issues for which they choose to advocate are consistent with their mission and values.
Here are some helpful links regarding advocacy regulations for Canadian charities and non-profits:
Advocacy On the Agenda: Preparing voluntary boards for public policy participation
Volunteer Canada (2003)
The Art of Advocacy: A Handbook for Non-Profit Organizations
Canadian Community Economic Development Network (2004)
Policy Statement: Political Activities (CPS-022)
CRA Charities Directorate (2003)
Not for Profit and Charity Law FAQs
LawNow (2007)
Glossary of Public and Community Relations Terms
MARKET – Any person and/ or organization that has an actual or a potential interest in exchanging resources for the services offered by the organization
MARKET SEGMENT – A distinct group of people and/ or organizations that wants to, or might want to, exchange resources for distinct benefits
MARKETING – A process by which an organization manages the exchange relationships with its market and market segments in an effort to attain the organization’s objectives
PUBLIC RELATIONS – Organized means of communicating effectively with the market. Public relations must take place within the context of a greater marketing plan if they are to be effective
COMMUNITY RELATIONS – The interaction of the organization with its environment. This involves relationships with other organizations such as basic coordination, joint ventures and networking