PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR
FUNDRAISING EVENTS
DEFINITION OF PR

Building sustainable
relations with all
publics in order to
create a positive
brand image.
VALUE OF PR
PR Can
 Add credibility
to event
 Increase
awareness
 Build brand
equity
PR Cannot
 Replace recruitment
tactics
 Solely drive
participation
THE PR PLAN
Goals
 Strategies
 Target audience
 Key messages
 Tactics
 Timeline
 Budget

THE PR PLAN
 Goals


Measurable
Example

To support local event awareness efforts through
media relations tactics garnering at least 60 million
impressions.
 Strategies

Example

Identify and utilize personal stories of both children
and adults to put a face on arthritis, illustrate the
serious impact it can have on people’s lives and
highlight how walking helps relieve joint pain.
THE PR PLAN
 Target


audience
Primary/secondary
Example
Baby boomers, ages 41-59 who are at risk for
developing osteoarthritis
 Seniors who are showing symptoms

 Key

messages
Resonate with audience
 Tactics


Traditional
Non-traditional
CONSIDER NEW TACTICS
Social media tops list of new PR trends
RESOURCES
ARTHRITIS.ORG NEWS ROOM

Online media kit
News releases
 Fact sheets
 AF overview

Bios
 Statements

AF PR RESOURCES

Event Kits

Walk-in-a-Box
Template news releases
 Public service announcements
 Messages


Logo guidelines
THREE KEYS TO SUCCESS
1) Message strategy
2) Media access
3) Delivery of messages
STEP 1: MESSAGE STRATEGY
Develop key messages
 Create a news hook

DEFINE KEY MESSAGES
Sample Messages for Let’s Move Together

Let’s Move Together is a nationwide movement led by the Arthritis Foundation that encourages people
to move to prevent or treat arthritis. You can join the movement by committing to walk in your local
2009 Arthritis Walk. But don’t stop there…move daily for better health.
Start moving today: visit www.letsmovetogether.org.




Arthritis is a serious and sometimes deadly disease. Today, one in five people, or 46 million
individuals, suffer from the pain of arthritis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
projects that by the year 2030, 67 million people in the U.S., or one in four adults, will live with
arthritis.
Let’s Move Together is a nationwide movement led by the Arthritis Foundation that encourages people
to move to prevent or treat arthritis. You can join the movement by committing to walk in your local
2009 Arthritis Walk. But don’t stop there…move daily for better health.
Walking just 30 minutes a day can ease joint pain, improve mobility and reduce fatigue often
associated with arthritis. It also can reduce your risk of developing certain forms of arthritis. If
walking 30 minutes is too much, try 10 or 15 minutes at a time.
The vision of the Arthritis Foundation is a world free of arthritis pain. Let’s Move Together to reduce
the pain of:

27 million people with osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis.

1.3 million people with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that can lead to chronic
pain, loss of function and deformity.

300,000 children (or one in 250) with juvenile arthritis, which affects children between the ages of
infancy and 17.

Join Let’s Move Together and participate in the Arthritis Walk to raise funds needed to find a cure for
arthritis.

Let’s Move Together to prevent and effectively treat arthritis. Start moving today: visit
www.letsmovetogether.org.
CREATE A NEWS HOOK

Identify potential opportunities
STEP 2: ACCESSING THE MEDIA
Media list development
 Media pitching
 Media relationships

MEDIA LISTS/MATERIALS

Creating media lists





Appropriate contacts
Short leads and long leads
Special opportunities
Targeting reporters
Media kit
Format
 Contents

MEDIA PITCHING
Elements of a good story
 Developing participant profiles
 Making the pitch call
 Follow up

CULTIVATING MEDIA RELATIONSHIPS
Identify key media
 Establish yourself as a reliable source
 Accessible
 Quick response time

STEP 3: DELIVERY OF MESSAGE
 Creative/compelling
 Identifying
spokespeople
Honorees
 Experts
 Local celebrities

 Human


interest stories
Put a “face” on arthritis
Examples
REVIEW KEYS TO SUCCESS
1) Message strategy
•
Key messages/news hook
2) Media access
•
Media lists/pitching/relationships
3) Delivery of messages
•
Creative and compelling/spokespeople/human
interest stories
LEVERAGING MEDIA PLACEMENTS
Track and evaluate media coverage
 Compile wrap report
 Share with key stakeholders

Board
 Current and potential sponsors

LEVERAGING MEDIA PLACEMENTS

Benefits
Value of awareness efforts
 Track trends
 Benchmark

Questions?