When the membership organization Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) took on DC Children's Advocacy Center (also known as Safe Shores) as a pro bono client,
it had more than a few barriers to overcome. For starters, the nonprofit for child victims of physical and sexual abuse didn't have a PR function; instead, it relied on the
already-overburdened executive director for publicity efforts (a scenario all too many PR professionals are familiar with). To further complicate matters, protective legislation
prohibits the use of the children in interviews, making it difficult to promote the organization's good work.
Despite these drawbacks, WWPR embarked on what became a successful three-year partnership that elevated Safe Shores' visibility. But what sounds like a heartwarming case study
actually has larger implications for PR managers in the non-profit sector - and those with agencies, corporations or associations like PRSA or IABC - who take on pro
bono clients. The circumstances in each case will be different, but all pro bono work invariably shares a few common threads: the complexities of time management, low funds and
challenging fundraising needs. So what's a senior PR manager to do?
Thanks in part to the lessons learned by WWPR and others, there are tactics to avoid the combustion of well-intended but misguided pro bono efforts. The first step once the
client has been identified: Sit down with the key players and establish the terms of contract. This includes the number of hours you can guarantee the client and the end results
you can promise, whether it is a certain number of fundraisers or an interview with a key media outlet. Always predetermine the time your work for said client will come to an
end, as this prevents the case from dragging on indefinitely and the client from feeling shortchanged.
"In order to have a partnership, it has to be equal on both sides," says Lauren Lawson, pro bono chair of WWPR. "Initiate the same formal procedure as you would with a normal
client."
Once the expectations have been ironed out, the meat of the work begins. This requires an understanding of the client's needs, abilities and mission. "PR professionals bring
the ability to assess shortcomings," says Michele Booth Cole, executive director at Safe Shores. "They have to understand the organization's capacity and what they can
realistically do, then assess the brand or 'face' that can be promoted."
The needs of a pro bono client can range from relatively simple assistance with press release dissemination to a complex project such as building a PR department from the
ground up. Because so many PR agencies and corporations accept pro bono cases - for reasons ranging from community relations to tax benefits - a PR team's strengths can be
matched up with a client's weaknesses based on size and scope. Hill & Knowlton, for example, was able to extend its pro bono reach to Washington, DC-based
CharityWorks, the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the law firm Latham & Watkins (the latter campaign prompted a resurgence of the death penalty
moratorium and, in turn, freed a wrongly convicted man from death row).
In the case of WWPR, Safe Shores' needs were twofold: It did not have a strong infrastructure to begin with, nor was its main beneficiary - abused children - available to be
the face of the brand. These complications are not unusual for many nonprofits, which often operate on a shoestring and cater to emotionally sensitive issues. To circumvent
these challenges, the PR professional needs to pinpoint the places where protected communities of people are appropriate to use (in annual reports, for example, which are immune
to privacy restrictions) and where they're not (television interviews, Web site photos that are for public viewing). Good replacements include interviews with the nonprofit's
board members (translation: media relations training should be on the menu) or photographs of its facility.
The development and implementation of a plan is the crux of every campaign, and this step is the most multifaceted. Building a team with a range of skills - from media
training to Web-site renovation to employee relations - allows the most comprehensive improvements to take shape. For Joel Ranck, who has done pro bono for his own agency -
Lincoln Park Communications - and the Washington chapter of the IABC, the most important thing is alignment.
"Make sure your pro bono is in line with your own business model," he says. "Facilitate an overall strategy and develop key messages."
Ranck's work with the IABC currently focuses on pro bono client N Street Village, the largest nonprofit for chronically homeless women in the nation's capital. Their
main objective: Shape communications-supported fundraising and messaging for the nonprofit while also engaging junior and senior members of IABC. Thus, the relationship between
association and client is symbiotic.
"Look at what you can offer as a baseline," Ranck says. "As [PR professionals], we use our skills as communicators for a good cause."
Contacts: Lauren Lawson, 202.360.2406; Michele Booth Cole, 202.638.2575; Joel Ranck, [email protected].