Public Relations – a nice to have or a fundamental piece of your armoury

Public relations (PR) or communications is perhaps one of the least understood of marketing disciplines. Often dismissed as a rather ‘fluffy’ nice to have, PR is, in fact, one of the most critical functions for a 21^st century not-for-profit.

As (former) editor-in-chief of PRWeek, I used to invert the words ‘public’ and ‘relations’ in order to emphasise the strategic role of PR. Because, in a globally connected and digitally networked world, the business of managing an organisation’s relations with its public(s) could not be of more importance.

New messages, new channels

The 21st century not-for-profit communicates with an increasingly broad range of ‘publics’, simultaneously managing its relations with donors, campaigners, institutional funders, corporates, policy makers, partners, peer organisations, influencers and more. And these publics share an increasing expectation of authenticity and transparency, plus the communication of hard evidence to back up claims and demonstrate impact.

In recent years, not-for-profit communications have also shifted from an old paradigm around persuading and educating others to empowering, enlisting and mobilising, including movement building. Such communication is increasingly multi-directional – communicating to, but also with and among key publics, with a far greater focus on deep listening, all of which requires PR expertise.

There is also a greater emphasis on employing and combining multiple communications channels in order to engage audiences – online/offline, innovative/conventional. Such channels are used to help frame narratives that are essential to the business of catalysing social change, and PRs are the experts in framing narratives that create an emotional connection with a wide range of publics. As Jonathan Haidt, academic and author of The Righteous Mind, points out, the first principle of moral psychology is that intuitions come first, strategic reasoning second.

Reputation management

PRs also play a key role in proactively managing an organisation’s reputation. Media and key influencers are paying increasing attention to the activities and effectiveness of not-for-profits, and in this context, PR is key in terms of building awareness, understanding and trust in the organisation, its mission and its ability to effect change. An organisation’s reputation is a prized, and highly vulnerable, asset. It’s a critical enabler of influence, which effectively provides the credibility and licence to operate.

When an organisation’s reputation is damaged it severely impedes engagement, influence and impact; PR professionals are experts at recognising potential threats to reputation and mitigating them through issues management. And when an issue moves into the public domain and becomes a full-blown crisis, communication expertise is essential in messaging and managing that crisis in the media and social networks.

So next time you’re tempted to think of PR as a nice to have, remember the wisdom of Warren Buffet. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you'll do things differently.”

Action Planning’s PR experts can help your charity protect and promote its reputation. Contact office@actionplanning.co.uk