Helping out a worthy cause is good for the community and boosts a company's visibility

More and more companies are getting involved in charitable work and fundraising, with increased volunteerism benefiting people from all walks of life locally and across the globe. This trend is good news for charitable organizations and businesses alike, according to Sheila Watnick, associate director of development/special events manager for the Alzheimer's Association, Massachusetts Chapter.

"Since 9/11, volunteerism has been on the upswing," said Watnick. "It's made people take a good, hard look at what we as a society are doing. The past few years have been a turning point for many people."

"For nonprofits, volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization," said Watnick. "The people who want to make a difference in their communities allow us to meet our financial goals, which enables us to better provide services and resources to those who need it."

"Businesses also benefit in a number of ways," she said, "Charitable work not only makes people feel good, it's also good PR for a company. It significantly helps raise an organization's visibility as one that cares and is civic-minded."

But if the prospect of getting involved in a worthy cause seems daunting, it doesn't have to be, according to Watnick. Large corporations may have the resources to oversee its charitable efforts, but small and mid-sized firms can also play a significant role in fundraising by participating in large events.

"Companies don't have to start their own event, they can volunteer as a 'team' at a big event and still make a difference," she said, citing the Alzheimer's Association's Memory Walk, where company teams are needed to help the event run smoothly, from manning water stations, to cheering on walkers to passing out food. These teams can do their own fundraising for the larger event by holding bake sales, collecting bottles and cans, or having a yard sale, for example.

For companies wanting to participate in fundraising efforts or start their own event, Watnick offers the following guidelines:

Set a timeline.
Ask the question: How much time can my company devote to this organization? Is it a year, a few months, a day? Much depends on your company's goals, interests, and time constraints, just to name a few. Allow for enough time when planning, as such efforts usually take two to three times longer than expected.

Get Leaders.
Form a committee or task force to research nonprofits and their volunteer opportunities. Is anyone in your company personally connected to a cause that has benefited a family member? Determine level of interest and availability among colleagues, allow time for brainstorming and strategizing, develop clear job descriptions for people when they sign up to volunteer, and don't give one person too much to do.

Partner with the nonprofit.
Invite a representative from the nonprofit to come speak to your company.This will provide first-hand information about the organization and give valuable statistics such as there the money will go, what the funds are used for, who it will serve, and how the event has helped people in the past. Being able to talk with someone from the organization will reinforce peoples' goals, validate their efforts, and generate new interest and ideas.

Set goals and make it fun meeting them.
Decide on how much money you want your company to generate, or how many people you want to participate in an event. Offer company incentives such as lottery tickets, movie tickets, or gift certificates. This will help keep people motivated and generate some fun competition, which keeps it interesting.

Raise funds within the fundraiser.
Many successful events have mini activities that can help raise substantial money. Examples include advertising books that showcase businesses from the community, silent and/or live auctions, raffle drawings, and balloon pops (in which one pays for a balloon and pops it to see if there's a prize inside).

Stay connected.
Keep everyone informed and updated about your involvement and progress. This is done via email bulletins, company newsletters, and regular meetings. Some companies include their charitable activities on their web sites so clients and prospective customers are aware of their involvement.

Get press.
Use this as a good opportunity to draw attention to your company. Organizations that are lucky enough to have celebrities participate in their event or serve as chair or committee members usually draw media coverage. Other ideas include promoting human interest stories connected to the charity or innovative ways in which money is being raised.

Hold a de-briefing.
Shortly after the event is over, gather everyone for a meeting on what went well, what could have been done differently, and what you would like to do for the next year.

"Different people volunteer for all different reasons," said Watnick. "Help match people with volunteer responsibilities that best fit their individual time constraints, personal preferences, and even job descriptions. This will help make your efforts more successful. Remember that ultimately, everyone wants to make a difference."

The Alzheimer's Association is the world leader in Alzheimer research and support. The Alzheimer's Association nationwide network of more than 300 points of service offers a broad range of programs and services for people with the disease and their families, care partners, residential care professionals, and professional health care providers. The 2006 Memory Walk in Massachusetts will be held Sept. 16, 17, 30, and Oct. 1. Last year, thousands of walkers participated in 10 Memory Walks across Massachusetts, raising more than $1,100,000. For more information, visit www.alzmass.org.

Authoring an article for a trade publication is an effective way to get your message circulated to a large group of potential customers. Most industries have trade publications that are read by targeted groups of niche professionals. These publications, often small in circulation, free of charge, and specific in content, cover a wide variety of industries that range from corporate procurement, medical management, and pharmaceutical trends, to information technology, insurance, and banking.

By authoring an article for a niche publication, you gain the opportunity to position yourself as an industry leader. In addition:

• You will give your company more credibility and visibility.
• A positive message about you and your company will be sent to your existing clients and increase the potential to generate new business.
• Your story will attract the attention of editors, colleagues, and other industry leaders.
• Your article can be reprinted to use in marketing materials such as in handouts at trade shows, media kits, or mail pieces.

Here are some suggestions when pitching and writing a story.

First, conduct research to determine which trade publications target your desired audience. Web sites such as www.publist.com and www.gebbieinc.com (click on "Media Links") offer good resources to explore possible publications. After establishing your short list of potential magazines, research issues over the past year to make sure you're not going to pitch a story that was recently published. Look ahead at the publications' editorial calendars to see what is being featured over the next several months. Once you've narrowed your search, perhaps you can develop your story idea as an interesting side article to the main feature of the magazine.

Before developing your story idea, become familiar with the publication. Pay special attention to how stories by other companies are positioned and written, get to know the tone of the publication's content, and ask yourself why the articles are of interest.

Editors are always on the lookout for good content. But keep in mind your article cannot be a sales pitch for your company. It must cover a specific topic of interest and be positioned to offer advice, insider tips, information on trends, or effective business practices. The publication will most likely include a short bio about you and your company following the article, which is one of the best ways out there to be sited as an expert and get free publicity.

Your query letter also should not be self promoting. Tell the editor why your story idea would be of interest to readers, explain how you're going to write the article and what numbers/trends you're going to use, provide your resources for the statistics, and simply state your credentials, experience, and what your company does.

When you get the go-ahead from the editor, be sure the article is written as though it was submitted by an experienced journalist. Ask a professional writer to review it and be sure to proofread and fact-check thoroughly. The less work an editor has to put into your article, the more likelihood you'll get a positive response the next time you send out a query letter.

By following these guidelines you can promote your company to a large audience without spending a dime, unless of course you hire a writer to craft the article for you - in which case you’re still coming out ahead.

Entrepreneur.com is running a short article on the Shock PR franchise this month. The article is called "Spreading the News: 7 Sales and Marketing Opportunities." Check it out at http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,326972, 00html. In June, their print issue will feature Shock PR International as one of the interesting new franchises that has been introduced this year.

We're excited that we're getting many inquiries from around the country on the franchise. We'll let you know when we finalize arrangements with our initial franchisees!

We continue to run a flash ad on the O'Dwyer's PR newsletter site. You can see us there at www.odwyerspr.com.

Shock PR welcomes two new clients this month:

GigaSpaces Technologies, a fast-growing provider of new generation infrastructure software solutions that deliver unparalleled dynamic scalability for high-volume transactional applications, without the overhead and complexity inherent in traditional multi-tier development & deployment environments. www.gigaspaces.com

American Glass & Mirror, a company based in Minnesota that provides window replacement and repair services. Shock PR will be assisting them with the launch of a new window de-fogging service in the Twin Cities area. www.americanglassandmirror.com

Before a company or product launch, allow yourself enough time to create your messaging, identify your top media targets, develop necessary supporting materials, and conduct pre-launch briefings with industry experts and selected members of the media. Planning ample time in the roll-out for these activities helps you avoid the stress of a schedule that is too tight and will maximize your opportunities for coverage and success.

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