When community relations is done correctly, it becomes a social investment with big returns for the company and the community alike.
When community relations is done correctly, it becomes a social
investment with big returns for the company and the community alike.
Community relations can also be an insurance plan, serving a company
well in the event of a crisis. In addition, volunteer opportunities give
the corporation a chance to develop employees’ leadership and teamwork
abilities as well as other skills they may not have a chance to gain on
the job.
How can companies put muscle into their community relations
practices?
Here, experts in the field suggest 10 ways to build stronger ties in the
areas where you do business or where you’re looking to educate the
public.
1 Do the right thing
Get involved in something the community really needs. Find out what
interests management and employees through surveys. Since companies are
partially looking for training opportunities for their employees,
nonprofits should develop meaningful programs, ones that go beyond
stuffing envelopes for an annual drive.
2 Choosing partners
Pick the right partners, advises Scot Marken, president of Miami-based
community relations consultant Coalescence. Building relationships
starts with answering the quintessential marketing question: What is in
it for me? Generally companies benefit by bolstering their image,
improving vendor relations and gaining in recruitment and retention of
employees, which in turn boost the bottom line. Not-for-profits stand to
garner media exposure, leadership and technological and financial
aid.
3 Reach out beyond trade groups
Donna Lucas, president of land-use specialist Nelson Communications
Group in Sacramento, encourages companies to work on issues that affect
infrastructures, such as the local school board. This can keep companies
in touch with government officials and other decision-makers.
4 Do your homework
Mutual gain begins with mutual respect. Businesses should study
community organizations just as nonprofits should go to meetings having
read materials like the corporation’s annual report, suggests Steve
Turnbo, CEO of Tulsa, OK-based Schnake, Turnbo & Brookey Associates.
5 Throw away the cookie cutters
Peter Webb, president of Peter Webb Inc. of Englewood, CO - who
developed a traveling song-and-dance show to promote a state seat belt
law - stresses that community relations should be created with original
tactics. Brainstorm to get to something beyond the expected, then
field-test. Listen to the community, and give it something it will
remember.
6 Get everyone involved
Having a CEO sit on a not-for-profit board isn’t enough - get a group of
volunteers together. Steve Wilson, president of Wilson Group
Communications in Columbus, OH, recently helped a plant in South
Carolina improve its community standing by having workers promote state
tourism. Crews of volunteers handed out donuts at the state line. They
also put up historical billboards and markers.
7 Consider outsourcing
Outsourcing community involvement may sound like a contradiction but a
consultant can bring a company up to speed quickly, says Mary Ann Pires,
president of the Pires Group, Chappaqua, NY, who represents many public
utilities. A consultant can help with research, strategic planning and
advice, but the commitment must be companywide and include the top
executives.
8 Keep it rolling
Make community relations ongoing. The most costly and least effective
community relations programs are episodic, says Pires. When companies
suddenly show up in the community with their own agendas, they have a
difficult time succeeding. Not-for-profit groups that make occasional
requests for donations won’t earn as much as those who cultivate
relationships.
9 Don’t forget the branches
Firmly rooted community relations should extend beyond corporate
headquarters to the outer branches; ’branch’ towns are in special need
of community relations because they may not have sufficient support for
services. Turnbo points with pride to the fact that contributions and
support for the United Way in Tulsa are greater than in Oklahoma City,
where more headquarters are found. ’Corporations come across like
carpetbaggers when they make only small donations to branch locations
and don’t get involved in local politics,’ he adds.
10 Have a plan
Shareholders are holding businesses more accountable for their
contributions and their community activities, says Linda Gornitsky,
president of LBG Associates, a community relations consulting firm in
Stamford, CT. Community relations should be part of the company’s
business plan and be in line with the nonprofit’s mission statement.
Make objectives and expectations clear - put them in writing. Assign a
realistic budget. Monitor the activities and evaluate them in the
end.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS: A SUCCESS STORY
Minneapolis has some big things to celebrate this holiday season - crime
is down and the city has an exemplary example of collaboration between
the public and private sectors.
The peace on the streets is due in great part to a huge community
relations effort spearheaded by hi-tech company Honeywell. The program
began three years ago when The New York Times dubbed the corporation’s
hometown ’Murderopolis.’ The city’s image was tarnished and many
Honeywell employees didn’t feel safe driving to work or walking to the
building. Something had to be done.
Michael R. Bonsignore, chairman and CEO, rounded up a posse of local
business partners and, together with community and governmental groups,
they started the HEALS (Hope, Education and Law & Safety) coalition,
which developed changes that made the city safer, such as later
dismissal time for public schools and extended hours for recreation in
city parks. It also introduced legislation that made dollars 1 million
in state funds available for technology improvements so law-enforcement
agencies could coordinate their efforts.
The initiative was about an investment of time, talent and technological
know-how, maintains Pat Hoven, VP of social responsibility at
Honeywell.
Melissa Young, PR director, agrees: ’If we just made yearly donations to
charity groups, they would not solve problems and they’d also probably
send the wrong message - they would look superficial, like a Band-Aid on
a serious wound.’
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