Organization: Bickel & Brewer Foundation
Agency: Carter Public Relations
Timeframe: Throughout 2005
There is an old and cynical saying that insists bad news is good news in the media business. There is also the popular image of lawyers as being somewhere in the zoological
chain between vultures and sharks.
So here's a real PR challenge: Promoting ten years' worth of good news, with a focus on a future of more good news to come, on a foundation created and run by a law firm.
The focus here belongs to the Bickel & Brewer Foundation, the nonprofit created by the Dallas-based law firm Bickel & Brewer. Last year marked the
foundation's tenth anniversary of raising the bar of corporate citizenship in the legal community. However, 2005 was also being positioned as a turning point for the foundation
as it broadened its horizons and goals. Clearly there were plenty of positive stories to pursue.
Coordinating these efforts was Travis Carter, founder and president of Carter Public Relations in Dallas. "Trying to bring attention to your professional cause or
foundation is difficult since it is very crowded in this field," he says. "The challenge for PR people is to break free of the clutter and make sure the client receives the
recognition he deserves."
Actually, Carter was no stranger to the story: He managed Bickel & Brewer's PR efforts internally for two years before branching off to start his own agency in 2003.
Having an inside knowledge of how the firm operated helped erase any learning curve delays, as he was able to map out a complex strategy of individual stories for promoting while
keeping the greater story of the tenth anniversary in constant consideration.
The Kids Are Alright
Carter sought to emphasize the foundation's commitment to education. A main component of this was the Bickel & Brewer Future Leaders Program, in which the foundation
partnered with the Dallas Independent School District for an expansive after-school curriculum. One of the key elements for the 2005 schedule was an academic recognition program
that was capped by a special appreciation ceremony. As a keynote speaker for the event, Carter reached out beyond Dallas and tapped David N. Dinkins, the first African-American
elected mayor of New York City. The choice of Dinkins a guest speaker resonated strongly among the program's students and also received considerable media attention in
Dallas.
"He was honored for his extraordinary work in community service and for his long and outstanding public service career," explains Carter. "We introduced him to the program and
he offered to come to Dallas to meet the young people enrolled in the program. He was actually our first choice as a public speaker."
While Dinkins came to Dallas, the foundation's leaders went in the opposite route to New York for a ceremony honoring high school students participating in the National
Public Policy Forum. The forum is a national contest that gives high school students the opportunity to participate in written and oral debates on public policy. The
foundation created a finals program that took place in April 2005 at New York University and it also secured formal endorsements for the forum from two leading academic
agencies, the National Forensic League and the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues.
The visit to New York University also allowed Brewer to unveil the new Bickel & Brewer Latino Institute for Human Rights, which provides full tuition scholarships to
law students attending NYU.
Media Ready, Willing And Able
For William A. Brewer III, a co-founder and partner in the foundation and its parent law firm, the real media stars for this campaign were the young students benefiting from
these programs. "They are our future leaders and I love for these young people to get attention for what they're doing," he says. "Our fundamental strategy is to keep kids in
school by communicating how crucial it is to stay in school, and what a difference it makes in the trajectory of their lives. In a few short years, they will be gaining an
education at the best colleges and universities in the United States, and it is an enormous value for them to see a news clip on themselves. We also had TV reportage as well and
the students just beamed and loved it."
Dallas-area media coverage for these efforts spanned daily and weekly newspapers and a lengthy segment on the Fox News affiliate; national philanthropic publications also took
notice.
For Carter, there was also the need of getting some of that glowing attention shined over Brewer's way. Through his efforts, the Texas State Board of Education named
Brewer a "Hero for Children" in a November 2005 ceremony.
"We assisted in sharing the story with the State Board," adds Carter on the genesis of that award decision.
That wasn't the only award that came in. Last month, Bickel & Brewer and Carter Public Relations shared the PR News 2006 Legal PR Award for Excellence in Social
Responsibility.
Contacts: Travis Carter, [email protected]; William A. Brewer III, 214.653.4811.
Lessons Learned: Philanthropic Promotions
The trick in promoting philanthropic endeavors is not to come across as being self-serving. If the PR focus is too heavy on the giver and not the receiver, the initial
altruistic concern behind the charitable act becomes lost. To avoid that from happening, here are some tips that you need to remember:
- Stress results. Whether it involves the distribution of scholarships, the creation of new homes and jobs, or the opening of a new civic center, always emphasize
the positive aspects of the philanthropic endeavor and how it improves the quality of life for those who benefit from its offerings (including the communities where the recipients
work and live).
- Focus on the recipients, not the givers. Recall the example cited in the neighboring article of the students who found themselves featured in newspapers and TV
coverage as part of the Bickel & Brewer Foundation's PR push. When the focus is on the recepients, they are the ones who feel special for the attention being paid to
them. The emotional ROI on that is peerless.
- Stay connected with political agencies. You don't need a PhD in political science to know that government spending (on federal, state and municipal levels) has not
been entirely benevolent when it comes to social program funding. But the philanthropy should not be seen as doing government's job. If you do the PR work for a philanthropic
group that can plug some gaps that politicians won't fill (whether it involves scholarships or job training), make sure you connect with the government agencies who are supposed
to oversee these endeavors. Having an outside force agitate for change may help those bureaucrats remember who they are supposed to be serving.