How I Appreciate You, Public Relations!

In yesterday's Winnipeg Free Press, I've read an article about the successful fundraising effort of Raise-a-Reader  which took place Wednesday, Sepember 29th. The local event was part of a national campaign that started in 2002 by the Asper family with their chain of newspapers. This campaign is now run by Postmedia Network. The local event saw the support of many volunteers stationed at 17 locations around the city who were hawking copies of the Free Press. The event raised $46,000, including corporate sponsorships, donations, and money raised from the RAR concert series.

This may sound like a simple event but I believe (just like any PR peep would agree), that a lot of planning and preparation were involved in coming up with a successful endeavour. If I were to rewind and give a flashback of what probably took place behind the scenes, the people responsible for this event did their job really well. So what makes this event successful? Research including evaluation from the previous Raise-a-Reader event, and a strategic communication plan.

A year ago when I started on my first year in creative communications, I would never have thought of the bulk of work involved in coming up with an event. Not to mention the dynamics of coming up with a publicity plan and the logistics of sorting out and managing the different areas, which I believe is a real challenge to anyone who is focused to meeting the objectives and achieve the desired outcomes. What inspires me to look into the different fundraising  events in the city (and elsewhere) is the creativity involved in reaching out to the  target audiences. Who is it for ? Why would they care? What's in it for them? As an aspiring public relations practitioner, I would know for sure that these are not the only questions I would be asking myself. I would undoubtedly get right to work and do a thorough or comprehensive study of the situation considering the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved. I also want to make sure that a solid foundation is established for my communication plan and the only way to do that is to come up with a solid research that will pave the way to a strategic plan.

As I continue to read and find out more about different 'creative' initiatives done by different organizations in helping raise funds for various causes, the more I appreciate the role of public relations and effective communication in the life of a community.