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Elements of Non-Profit and Grassroots Public Relations

Kristin Moffitt

Syracuse University

PRL 206: Public Relations Principles and Concepts

Professor D’Angelo

March 23rd, 2021

Public relations plays a key role in the communication between a company and its

publics. There are many sectors of public relations, such as counseling, education, sports,

entertainment, travel, and political PR. One prominent sector is not-for-profit public relations.

Nonprofit and grassroots PR have rich histories. PR work in these sectors requires many skills

and techniques in order for it to be effective. Nonprofit public relations poses an interesting

career path, especially for those who are inclined to represent organizations that serve those in

need.

There are many elements that make up the nonprofit and grassroots public relations

specializations. The four common characteristics of nonprofit organizations are public interest,

goodwill, members and volunteers, and fundraising (Page & Parnell, 2021, p. 323). Public

relations work in this field focuses on managing and coordinating these factors. Practitioners

work to raise public interest and bring awareness to their organization. In doing so, they foster

goodwill, helping those who are in need of their support. PR practitioners play a major role in

recruiting volunteers. In addition, their work involves serving the organization’s members and

keeping them up to date with new projects, events, and initiatives. Another key element of

nonprofit organizations is fundraising. Through fundraising, the organization is able to provide

financial assistance for research and aid for the cause that they represent. This puts great

importance on the role of PR practitioners managing donor relations and communication. By

being in close contact with financial sources, organizations are able to spread their missions and

expand the philanthropic work that they conduct. It is important to note the role practitioners

play in "supporting or directly soliciting corporate and foundation monetary donations, as well as

managing structured capital campaigns” (Page & Parnell, 2021, p. 324). These efforts are most

successful when there is a longstanding and strong relationship between the organization and its
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donors. PR practitioners are essential in establishing and maintaining these relationships.

Without them, donors may not remain loyal. Another nonprofit PR responsibility is managing

special events for an organization. Practitioners run events that aid in fostering relationships with

other organizations that support the cause, as well as networking with potential sponsors. Within

the realm of nonprofit organizations are NGOs, or nongovernmental organizations. An example

of an NGO is the World Wildlife Fund, which helps animals and their habitats to stop them from

going extinct. Page and Parnell explain that "NGOs are organized to perform a variety of service,

humanitarian, and investigative functions around environmental and social issues, economic

development, health care, and human rights” (Page & Parnell, 2021, p. 324). NGO tactics

include maintaining a global presence, lobbying to influence legislation, as well as fundraising.

Through these techniques, practitioners are able to work closely with an organization to connect

them to the government and other groups in order to voice their concerns.

A branch of PR that has similar elements to nonprofit work is grassroots public relations.

Grassroots organizations are special interest and community groups that form to advance a

particular cause, usually on local levels. People who participate in these groups are often

ordinary citizens who are not affiliated with the government or for-profit business (Page &

Parnell, 2021, p. 335). Some groups may be listed as nonprofits, while others are informally

organized in the same manner. Many grassroots organizations have missions that incorporate

governmental or social change. Because of this, PR practitioners utilize traditional tactics,

including writing letters, conducting phone campaigns, emailing, and managing social media.

Similarly to nonprofit organizations, grassroots movements host formal events to bring

awareness to their cause. Something that sets grassroots organizations apart is the way they

incorporate activism into their work. Some issues need urgent attention, which prompts these
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organizations to have demonstrations, boycotts, and rallies. PR work for grassroots organizations

also involves coordinating meetings with government representatives for members to share their

concerns and work towards resolutions to issues. A prominent example of a grassroots campaign

is Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Presidential campaign. Small-dollar donors and volunteers came

together to help Sanders gain support in the Democratic primary. The ways that grassroots

organizations utilize traditional PR tactics along with elements of activism allows them to further

their cause and produce their desired results.

Nonprofit and grassroots public relations have rich histories. Up until the late 19th

century, the term “press agentry” was often used in place of the term “public relations.” As for

the nonprofit sector, “nonprofit-like activities” can be traced back to the beginnings of

civilization (Lee, 2009, p. 320). Lee suggests that the nonprofit sector of PR officially came

about between the years 1950 and 1980. He writes that “Early nonprofits learned the importance

of circulating their annual reports as widely as possible, as a way of accounting to current

members and contributors, attracting new members and contributors, and, generally, influencing

public opinion” (Lee, 2009, p. 322). These annual reports were also printed in newspapers and

magazines, which drew attention of the masses and raised awareness for early nonprofit

organizations. In times before social media, this kind of exposure was crucial to the success of

organizations, because print news was one of the fastest ways to spread information. The social

services sector is one that utilized PR tactics early on. In 1909, at the National Conference of

Charities and Corrections, there was a session held on “press and publicity” (Lee, 2009, p.). This

allowed social services experts to learn about using PR to spread the word about the work they

were doing. Another key organization in the development of nonprofit PR practice was the

YMCA. YMCA colleges created courses and degrees centered around publicity and promotion.
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The organization brought nonprofit management training to locations around the country (Lee,

2009, p. 323). This sparked the growth of the nonprofit sector of PR. Lee refers to nonprofit PR

as essential to the success of “social work, health and welfare agencies, churches, community

chests, youth agencies, and various other charitable, educational, and cultural organizations”

(Lee, 2009, p. 328). These groups continue to operate in modern times, and as a result, nonprofit

public relations is just as, if not more, relevant now than it has ever been.

There are many advantages and disadvantages that come with working in any area of

public relations. A career in nonprofit PR brings certain rewards with it. It provides many people

with a starting place for their career in PR. This sector of PR has higher job satisfaction rates,

which can be attributed to people having a sense of accomplishment in doing work for the good

of the community or the less fortunate. In addition, practitioners also get to enjoy working

closely with passionate volunteers and donors (Heath & Leeper, 2013, p. 618). In grassroots PR,

practitioners are able to enjoy a hands-on component of the job, as well as interactions with

ordinary people who are trying to make a difference. When people feel that the work they are

doing matters, they are often happier in the position they are in. Despite the many personal

benefits of working for nonprofit and grassroots organizations, there are some disadvantages. For

example, salaries in the nonprofit sector tend to be slightly lower than salaries for corporate work

or in agencies (Heath & Leeper, 2013, p. 619). This is especially true for starting salaries, which

may make entering the nonprofit sector less appealing to some. In a study conducted on the

functions of communication departments, researchers found that “communication departments in

the nonprofit sector are about half the size of the departments in the corporate and governmental

sectors'' (Heath & Leeper, 2013, p. 619). With nonprofit communication departments being so

small, it may make it more difficult to enter the field or find a position with the potential for
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growth. Other sectors of public relations provide an easier path to higher-level positions and

salaries. Additionally, many workers in nonprofit organization communications attend graduate

school and hold higher degrees. This may be discouraging for recent undergraduate students if

they did not previously plan on attending graduate school. Another factor of a career in nonprofit

PR that may not be appealing to some is frequent traveling. Executives in planning and media

relations departments may need to travel to different cities to prepare for special events (Dhaka,

2014). Despite these disadvantages, many people do find their place in PR work for nonprofit

organizations, and find it to be very rewarding.

Nonprofit PR activities are both similar and different to those in other sectors.

Communication functions for nonprofit practitioners include “media relations, publicity, issues

management, public affairs, speech writing, publications, promotional writing” (Heath & Leeper,

2013, p. 619). This is fairly similar to the work put out by other sectors, as PR’s main goal is to

maintain communication with a client’s publics. Nonprofit organizational needs look very similar

to those for other sectors. Additionally, nonprofit PR can even entail crisis management. Leeper

notes that “Unfortunately, even nonprofit organizations are susceptible to crisis situations”

(Heath & Leeper, 2013, p. 620). For example, the leader of United Way of America was exposed

for committing fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. In these types of situations, it is crucial

to have experienced and efficient PR practitioners who know how to lead the organization away

from the issue and rebuild its reputation. All organizations that require PR to operate are

susceptible to crisis situations, and require traditional communication strategies to operate. As

for differences from other sectors, it is important to note that nonprofit PR is often focused on

promoting an organization’s mission. Any interactions with the media, the public, donors and

volunteers are all focused towards gaining support for a particular cause and the organization that
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represents it. This can bring about another level of passion and dedication to the communications

activities being carried out. NGOs, for example, do not work to bring about economic wealth,

but rather social wealth. They work towards the betterment of a social cause on both small and

large scales. Pasztor and Thomlison note that in order for nonprofit and social work to be

effective, PR professionals must advocate for the public and political leaders to address their

issues (Pasztor & Thomlison, 2011). This can be done through campaigns (print and social

media), as well as organizing events and rallies. In addition, PR work for nonprofits is not

limited by national boundaries (Heath & Taylor, 2013, p. 615). Unlike public relations operations

for a specific country-based client or single government, nonprofits can expand globally and

interact with other organizations without restrictions. These are just a few of the ways that

nonprofit PR work is different from other sectors of PR.

Working in nonprofit PR often requires having special skills and training. As with other

sectors, PR practitioners for nonprofits must have strong writing skills. Having good grammar

skills and knowing persuasive writing techniques allows nonprofit and grassroots PR work to

strongly influence organizations and their reputations. With information spreading so quickly in

the 21st century, public relations practitioners must operate in a “hyper-communicative

environment” (Flynn, 2014, p. 365). Nonprofit PR practitioners must be skilled in utilizing social

media to promote their organization’s cause and communicate with the public. Many nonprofit

and grassroots organizations have social media pages on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook which

allows them to maintain an online presence. These platforms can even aid in fundraising, as

projects can be digitally shared and users can donate money online. When PR practitioners know

how to effectively utilize social media, it can bring more attention to their cause. Strong writing
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and technology skills are some of the skills necessary to have a successful career in nonprofit

PR.

Technology has allowed for the global expansion of nonprofit organizations. Because of

this, work opportunities in the nonprofit PR sector are growing. Radford suggests that the future

of all PR lies in the incorporation of social sciences and communication into practice (Radford).

This strengthens the validity of practitioners’ work and allows them to directly appeal to certain

groups. According to the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations and the Association of

National Advertisers, research shows that “digital storytelling and social listening are the trends

that will most influence the future of the field” (MarketingProfs, 2017). They note that PR

professionals should adapt to this new environment by strengthening their written and verbal

communication skills, as well as their ability to create multimedia content.

Based on my research, I am possibly interested in entering the nonprofit or grassroots

sectors of PR work. I feel that there is a lot of value in working for organizations with a mission

that betters the world around them. As someone who likes to volunteer and support social causes,

I could certainly see myself working for a nonprofit organization. While I may not immediately

start my career in this area, it is one that I will keep in mind as a strong possibility to try in the

future.

The nonprofit and grassroots sectors of public relations are different from any other

sector of the field. They provide opportunities to do work on both small and large levels that

directly have a positive impact on people’s lives. With social media continuing to gain popularity

and take on different purposes, these sectors of PR are growing. PR professionals are needed to

expand organizations and promote their causes. Nonprofit and grassroots organizations will

continue to utilize PR tactics to expand their successes.

Works Cited

Dhaka. (2014, November 30). Pursuing Career in Public Relations. The Financial Express.
https://libezproxy.syr.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/pursuing-care
er-public-relations/docview/1628694318/se-2?accountid=14214.

Flynn, T. (T. (2014). Do They Have What It Takes: A Review of the Literature on Knowledge,
Competencies and Skills Necessary for 21st Century Public Relations Practitioners in
Canada. Canadian Journal of Communication, 39(3), 361–384.
https://doi.org/10.22230/cjc.2014v39n3a2775

Heath, R. L., & Leeper, K. A. (2013). In Encyclopedia of public relations (pp. 618–620). essay,
SAGE Reference.

Heath, R. L., & Taylor, M. (2013). In Encyclopedia of public relations (pp. 616–617). SAGE
Reference.

Lee, M. (2009). Historical Milestones in the Emergence of Nonprofit Public Relations in the
United States, 1900-1956. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 40(2), 318–335.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764009343021

MarketingProfs. (2017). The Future of Public Relations: Trends, Skills, PR vs. Marketing.

Page, J. T., & Parnell, L. J. (2021). Introduction to public relations: strategic, digital, and
socially responsible communication. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Pasztor, E. M., & Thomlison, B. (2011). Challenging Messages About Advocacy and Public
Relations. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 5(2-3), 139–144.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2011.566748

Radford, G. P. (2012). Public relations in a postmodern world. Public Relations Inquiry, 1(1),
49–67. https://doi.org/10.1177/2046147x11422143