June 17, 1999 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Jossey-Bass Guide to Strategic Communications for Nonprofits
By Kathy Bonk, Henry Griggs, and Emily Tynes
To executives at charities who wonder why no one talks about their work, why reporters skip their press conferences, and why fund raising has stagnated, the authors of this book offer a possible answer.
Your communications strategy needs shoring up.
“Media relations should be managed as carefully as finances,” say the authors, founders of the Communications Consortium Media Center, in Washington.
They write that a public-relations plan should not consist of writing the occasional press release or op-ed piece, but rather should serve as a fully functioning, integrated part of a group’s everyday operations. As a model to managers who run charities with tiny budgets, the authors cite the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines — a small but media-savvy group that won the Nobel Peace Prize five years after its founding.
The authors explain how they perceive the news media to work, and provide advice on how to tailor a story to fit the needs of print, television, or radio journalism.
Ms. Bonk, Mr. Griggs, and Ms. Tynes then provide a step-by-step plan for building a successful framework for media activities. They cover how to produce eye-catching printed materials, hire a trustworthy spokesman, handle a public-affairs crisis, tape public-service announcements, and communicate with reporters.
Appendixes include a bibliography of books on public relations, addresses of polling organizations, and checklists and forms to help prepare for press briefings and interviews.
Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 350 Sansome Street, San Francisco 94104-1310; (415) 433-1767 or (800) 956-7739; fax (800) 605-2665; World-Wide Web http://www.josseybass.com; 188 pages; $27.95; I.S.B.N. 0-7879-4373-8.
