Role Of Public Relations In Ngo Management

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The basic idea behind selecting the topic “Role of Public Relations in NGO
Management”
To study how public relations play a vital role in efficient management of NGO, what is
the process conducted by various NGO organizations in practical. Many NGO’s are
coming up with their own PR strategies to attract funds and social attention.

Previously, many NGO organizations functioned in a very traditional way and didn’t take
special assistance of public relations for attracting social attention, funds and financial
assistance to the organization. The primitive functioning of NGO organizations were
influenced by superstitions, beliefs, personal prejudices of managers looking after the
workings of the organization. The primitive NGO organizations lacked professional
touch.

The net result of such unscientific NGO management was lack of adequate funds for
conducting their welfare programmes, non development of organization, deviation from
the goal, lack of proper infrastructure and failure in arrangement of funds etc.

The importance of public relations in NGO management is now accepted world
wide.
Non-governmental organizations need healthy relationships with the public to meet their
goals. Foundations and charities use sophisticated public relations campaigns to raise
funds and employ standard lobbying techniques with governments. Interest groups may
be of political importance because of their ability to influence social and political
outcomes. At times NGOs seek to mobilize public support.pr proffesionals therefore use
various strategies to conjure funds and to create awareness about the organisation’s aims
and objectives.

Thus this project aims at finding out and analysing the public relation process and
strategies carried out by various non- government organisations.this project provided a
valuable insight to management students like me and also to certain extent to
organisations.

This project also helped me to get practical know how about the public relation process
involved in governing a NGO organisation.above all this project has also enlightened me
and equipped me for my future in public relation management and helped me for the
betterment of my knowledge.

Visiting to Ma-Niketan (NGO organisation) helped me to gain the practical knowledge
about the public relation process used in the organisation. A case study related to the
problems faced during public relation operation is explained herein to understand the
concepts better.

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This has been a great opportunity to present this project with which I can exhibit my
knowledge and calibre. Therefore it gives me immense pleasure to present my project
report.

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC RELATION

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1.1) CONCEPT OF PUBLIC RELATION

Public relation as a concept was critically evolved in business and industry and it
subsequently spread to other areas of human activity. This profession is immensely
applicable in government and public institutions like corporations, municipalities,
universities, hospitals, professional and social service organizations. Public relations were
in practice in people’s daily life even before the emergence of industry, business and
government. Public relations are the result of the action inherent in an individual, an
institution or an organization.

Public relation is never a monopoly of pr practitioners. In fact members of an
organization and especially those in leadership, management and supervisory positions
have a very important pr role to play. People who adopt the art of public relations stand
better chance of survival and success since they can always find areas of mutual interest.
They can use modern methods of communication and persuasion which go a long way in
establishing mutual understanding.

a) Meaning of public relation

Public is a group of similar individuals, an assortment of persons having similar interest,
problems goals and circumstances. It is generally from such sources that opinions
emerge. Public comes in many forms and sizes. They have a multitude of desires and
wants.
Public has its own likes and dislikes which sometimes can even be strong. Employees are
one form of public and employers other form. Other members of the public are dealers,
wholesalers, brokers and investors. Each of these groups tries to attract a distinct
audience with its varied tools and techniques.
In short public is any group of people who share a common interest.

b) Relations:

It is the outcome of mutual understanding which is derived from the process of sharing of
the common interest. The need to establish relation with o9ne another is created because
of human wants. The respective wants of two individuals will affect their relationship.
Therefore one must understand the wants of those involved in order to understand any
relationship.

c) Public relations:

By the integration of the above two human element viz. public and relations we get
public relation. It is a profession that is a part and parcel of management function.

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Definitions of PUBLIC RELATIONS:-

• The business of generating goodwill toward an individual, cause, company, or
product.
• The acts of communicating what you are to the public. This is not to be confused
with publicity, which is just one of the methods used in communicating the
image.
• Activity, communications, or press coverage that is designed to enhance the
prestige or goodwill of a company.
• Any activities or events that help promote a favorable relationship between a
company and its customers and prospects; activities used to influence the press to
print stories that promote a favorable image of a company and its products or
services.
• The promotion of a person, company, idea, public body etc. Pictures may be used
to assist in this.
• Communication with various sectors of the public to influence their attitudes and
opinions in the interest of promoting a person, product, or idea.

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1.2) OBJECTIVES OF PUBLIC RELATION

1) To promote mutual understanding.

2) To persuade individuals, groups etc.

3) Help in fund raising.

4) Change the behavior and attitude of the public.

5) Influence people.

6) To win friends.

7) Avoid risk involved in misunderstanding.

8) Prepare and supply the public with information about the organization like price,
quality, export, employment and other special features.

10) Provide information about the activities of the company, to the press
and writers.

11) Liaise, counsel and advise.

12) Improve internal staff relations.

13) Help the public to love life and work for better or for worse without conditions.

14) Undertake a public relation education programme.

15) Forestall attack by the competitors or opponents.

16) Create and maintain image and reputation of the company.

17) Promote goodwill.

18) Correct misconceptions and clarify on criticisms of its policies and practices.

19) Establish relations with the federal and state legislators, agencies.

20) Undertake a campaign of public education about an industry or profession
and its contribution to the public.

21) Communicate with the employees on their benefits, accident prevention, labor
relations and collective bargaining.

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22) Establish press relations, publicity articles preparation, press release,
photographs.

23) Undertake programmes like sales training courses for retailers, whole sellers.

23) Undertake programmes like sales training courses for retailers, wholesalers.

24) Sponsor dealer and distributor relations schemes.

25) Ascertain public opinion, conduct opinion research and understand public
attitudes on the organization, profession and practice.

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1.3) NEED FOR PUBLIC RELATION

In the present age the human society has become so complicated and differentiated that
individuals at least in the develop countries is no longer able to live without adequate
information and communication. It is a fact that in this increasingly automated world man
can no longer exist incomplete isolation. The need for public relation arises due to the
following three fundamental factors.

1) Communication:
To be the means of communication have reached to almost a stage of perfection. It
is possible to receive information at any given period of time. Though the
adequate information is theoretically but no means it is guaranteed in each
individual case so public relation is needed.

2) New information order:
It is very difficult to answer we are correctly inform. There are various sources
like countless lectures, books many discussions in radio and television. But we
can not guarantee the correctness of the information. The information is without
direction and it is incomplete or inaccurate. Information is without direction and it
is incomplete or inaccurate. Information must be prepared essential information
must be separated from three wheel matter. The interest of the receiver must be
aroused in the right direction. Here there is a need for public relation.

3) mutuality and understanding:
Mutuality is based on interaction between consideration for public opinion and
the need of communicator to inform and establish contact. Understanding is
created by providing inside into a reporting on all necessary matters. Confidences
cultivated by bringing the aim of the organization into harmony with public
interest. In these ways the goodwill of the company is won among the general
public.

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1.4) SCOPE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS.

There has been misconceived opinion about the scope or field of public relations
activities. In lectures and articles published one is apt to gain the impression that public
relations concern industry and commerce only. In such an instance it can only be said that
one tends to overlook the
fact that public relations, particularly in this decade, has entered all sectors of public life,
not excluding religion, and that it how has a virtually unlimited field of application. The
following examples demonstrate the wide field of public relations activities in industry
and commerce.

In our market economy there are information gaps which cannot be filled by the
interaction of supply and demand via prices, costs or wages.
This is when public relations activity steps in. It provides information on Planning
technical and organizational developments, inventions and their potential utilization, or it
issues at regular intervals company reports which provide a deeper insight into the
structure of the corporation than the public can otherwise obtain.

The relations activity is becoming increasingly necessary for the procurement of
economically essential production factors. It makes it easier for corporations to tap the
money-market or to finance their projects by issuing bonds or shares. It can also help
them to find new personnel when necessary, and thus level out personnel fluctuation
without reducing the desired working mobility. Finally it is easier for a corporation to
acquire land from a community if the corporation cultivates public relations and
endeavors to bring its own interests in harmony with those of the community.

Public relations activity may support marketing. In its various forms it may contribute
decisively to successful frictionless business activity. The principles of reciprocity
underlying public relations is for the corporation an incentive to improve performance,
because it helps the Corporation to overcome a difficult situation. Today the public
relations profession has entered even in to the fields of hospitality, tourism, institutes, in
education and to a variety of others.

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1.5) PROFESSIONAL CODE-PUBLIC RELATIONS .

CODE OF ETHICS
International Code of Ethics for Public Relations as adopted by the Public Relations
Society of India at the Ist All India Public Relations Conference, New Delhi, April 21 ,
1968 :
Considering that all member-countries of the United Nations Organization have agreed
to abide by its Charter which refines "its faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity
and worth of the human person" and that having regard to the very nature of their
profession, Public Relations practitioners in these countries should undertake to ascertain
and observe the principles set out in this Chapter.
Considering that, apart from "right", human beings have not only physical or material
needs but also intellectual, moral and social needs, and that their rights are of real
benefits to them only in so far as needs are essentially met.

Considering that, in the course of their professional duties and depending on how these
duties are pardoned, Public Relations practitioners can substantially help to meet these
intellectual, moral and social needs.
And lastly, considering tell the use of techniques enabling them to come simultaneously
into contact with millions of people gives Public Relations practitioners a power that has
to be restrained by the observance of a strict moral code.

On all these grounds the Public Relations Society of India hereby declares that it
accepts, as its moral charter the principles of the following Code of Ethics, and that if, in
the light of evidence submitted to the Society, a member of this Society should be found
to have infringed this Code in the course of his professional duties, he will be deemed to
be guilty of serious misconduct calling for an appropriate penalty.

Accordingly, each Member of this Society Shall Endeavor
1. To contribute to the achievement of the moral and cultural conditions enabling
human beings to reach their full stature and enjoy the indefeasible rights to which they
are entitled under the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights";

2. To establish communication patterns and channels which, by fostering the free flow
of essential information, will make each member of ' the group feel that he is being kept
informed, and also give him an awareness of his own personal involvement and
responsibility and of his solidarity with other members;
3. To conduct himself always and in all circumstances in such a manner as to deserve
and secure the confidence of those with whom he come into contact;

4. To bear in mind that because of the relationship between his profession and the
public, his conduct even in private will have an impact on the way which the profession
as a whole is appraised.

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5. To observe, in the course of his professional duties, the moral principles and rules of
the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights"

6. To pay due regard to, and uphold, human dignity, and to recognize the right of each
individual to judge for himself;

7. To establish the moral, psychological and intellectual conditions for dialogue in its
true sense, and to roguish the right of the parties involved to start their case and express
their views;

8. To act in all circumstances in such a manner as to take account of the respective
interests of the parties involved; both the interests of the organization which he serves
and the interests of the publics concerned;

9. To carry out his undertakings and commitments which shall always be so worded as
to avoid any misunderstanding and to show loyalty and integrity in all circumstances so
as to keep the confidence of his clients or employees, past or present and of all the
publics that are affected by his action.

Shall Refrain From
10. Subordinating the truth to other requirements;
11. Circulating information which is not based on established and ascertainable facts;

12. Taking part in any venture or undertaking which is unethical or dishonest or
'capable of impairing human dignity and integrity;
13. Using any 'manipulative' methods or techniques designed to create subconscious
motivations which the individual cannot control of his own free will and so cannot be
held accountable for the action taken on them.
Personal Credo of Bateman
(General Chairman of the Public Relations World Congress)
August 11 to 14, 1976.
1. I believe that public relations are a profession which should concern itself not with
the manipulation of the people, but with their continuing enlighten.

2. I believe that public relations practice should strive to elevate its audiences rather
than to degrade them, and our communications should be addressed to reason judgment
rather than to emotion and prejudice.
3. I believe that sound public relations comprises policies and deeds as well as words;
that it must deal in truth rather than in Celestin; that it must seek to clarify the issues of
our times rather than confuse them.
4. While I may understand to present one point of view for public consideration, I
believe in the inalienable right of those with opposing points of view to present their

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cases also. For Ire cognize my right to speak can be assured only if the guarantee exists
for all, including those whose causes are unpopular.
5. I believe that the democratic process must prevail in the market place of ideas, as
well as the political and economic affairs.
6. I believe that the public interest takes precedence over the interests of those I
represent; and I conceive my function as being to assist in confirming the interests of
those I represent to the interests of the . Public when the two do not coincide.
7. I recognize that the consequences of my actions are affected in the minds of men;
and because the human mind has immeasurable potentials for good and for evil, I must
approach my task in reverence and as for the inviolable right of the individual to make his
own judgments.

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1.6) Public Relations in Indian Economy

The Houses of Tata, Mafatlal, Bajaj, Hindustan lever, Colgate Palmolive, Indian Oxygen,
Goodyear, Hoechst, DCM, Godrej, TVS, ACC, Mahindra & Mahindra, Birlas and the JK
Group of Kanpur, to name a few, have contributed a great deal to the economic
development of India by faithful implementation of corporate relations programmes.
Owing mainly to tile progressive and enlightened programmes and policies of these
'corporate citizens’, abundant employment opportunities have been generated, and
sizeable foreign exchange has also been earned. The following are .the elements involved
in the Corporate (Public) Relations Policy which have helped these companies gain the
esteem of the various segments of the Indian and overseas public.
1. Adoption to counseling based on an understanding of human behavior.
2. Analyzing future needs and predicting their consequences.
3. Research into public opinion, attitudes and expectations and advising on
necessary action.
4. Establishing and maintaining two-way communication based on truth and full
information.
5. Preventing conflict and misunderstandings.
6. Promoting mutual respect and social responsibility.
7. Harmonizing the private and public interests.
8. Promoting goodwill with staff, suppliers and customers.
9. Improving industrial relations.
10. Attracting good personnel and reducing labor turnover.
11. Promotion of products and service.
12. Maximizing profitability.
13. Projecting a 'Corporate Identity.'
14. Encouraging an interest in international affairs.
15. Promoting an understanding of democracy.

• FUTURE

The good news is public relations job openings are expected to increase faster than
other industry averages through 2008. The bad news is the number of PR aspirants
entering the field is growing faster than the new job openings.

This makes for some stiff competition ahead for those trying to break in to the PR
profession.

Furthermore, as communications become ever more specialized in both content and
media outlets, PR professionals will have to bring ever more Job opportunities in Public
Relations will remain strong in the upcoming years, so predicts the United States Bureau
of Labor Statistics. Growth in PR jobs is expected to increase at a higher rate than the
average for all other jobs combined.

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The future looks especially bright for PR professionals with particular expertise in
science, technology, finance, medicine, international affairs, and other such specialized
fields.
Key present and future employers for PR workers include businesses, government
agencies, schools, universities, hospitals, and other larger organizations that require their
own internal public relations department. Thousands of public relations agencies large
and small provide services to clients locally and worldwide, employing tens-of-thousands
of PR professionals.
Some of the largest U.S. public relations firms are based in business, media, and
government centers of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
There are more than 122,000 PR professionals working in the United States. About
two-thirds of those work in service industries such as public relations firms, advertising
agencies, health care organizations, educational institutions, and social service
organizations. Others work for manufacturers, financial institutions, and government
agencies. About 13,000 PR consultants are self-employed.

The median salary for a PR specialist is about $35,000 -- though the upper 10 percent
of PR pros earn $71,000 and upwards.
Public relations positions around the world provide new opportunities with ever
increasing international business and cross-cultural relations. Global organizations such
as the International Committee of PR Consultancy Associations represent some of the
largest international public relations employers.

There will be no shortage of opportunities for public relations professionals with the
proper education, experience skills to the employment table. No longer will a journalism
degree and a few news clips impress too many employers.

Along with a glut of PR applicants, the economic pressures to raise pay levels for entry-
level public relations employees will be minimal.

While fresh engineering graduates may land a six-figured salary soon after graduation,
most PR professionals will have to work many years before they reach that realm, if ever.

Salaried PR workers can also expect to work long (and often unpaid) extra hours, travel
frequently, and be prepared for late-night and weekend duty in the middle of a crisis or
during special organization events.

And, of course, there's always the instance where you might have to bite your tongue
and broadcast the company line, in spite of your own personal distaste on a topic.

Fortunately, there are many means and plenty of professional support to minimize the
worst of it and maximize the best aspects of a future in public relations. We'll visit some
of those in the next two sections ahead.

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There are many ways to start and advance through a career in public relations, from
opening your own firm, to simply having it plop on your job description one day. But the
most straightforward preparation is through a fairly formulaic scheme:

• A related college degree (journalism, public relations, advertising, communications)
• Demonstrated skills and aptitudes (writing, public speaking, outgoing personality)
• Specialized expertise (technical, financial, business, international)
• Some pre-entry level experience (reporting, internships, volunteer work)
• Successful networking (professional associations, personal connections, legwork)
Once the first PR job is landed, the advancement-oriented novice will have to
demonstrate consistent excellence in elementary areas:
• stay on top of the current news related to your industry
• develop good working relations with the target news media
• prepare sharp promotional materials and internal communications
• represent the organization well to key constituencies and the public
• demonstrate self confidence and enthusiasm for motivating people
Some public relations professional organizations, such as the Public Relations Society of
America and the International Association of Business Communicators, offer
professional development support and accreditation for demonstrated levels of
professional performance. This is a nice addition to your resume or a useful talking point
at an upcoming performance evaluation.
A typical career path in public relations may progress from job titles such as entry-level
account assistant, upwards through promotions to account executive, account supervisor,
vice president, and senior vice president. Many seasoned PR pros eventually open their
own firm.

There are more than 200 American colleges and 100 graduate schools offering degrees in
public relations, often within a school of journalism or a communications department.
Many other colleges offer related coursework outside of a degree program.

A PR student can expect to study topics such as principles of public relations, writing,
desk-top publishing, organizational management, theories of communications,
journalism, advertising, research, sociology, and any of many specialized subjects
depending on a student's particular career interests.

A good place to begin researching educational options is the PR career center at
SchoolColleges.com.

The PR job seeker can find lots of employment leads at sites offering career guidance,
internships, public relations job listings, professional development, and general PR
industry connections.

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Aspirants mulling a future in public relations may want to look at some fundamentals of
the PR industry. A dose of PR ethics may help with the difficult decisions when the
heat hits. A wise adage says the journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step --
make sure yours are in the right direction!

And be sure to return often to the About Public Relations subject and article pages for
current and comprehensive information on the PR industry and employment.

Points to Ponder:
A. PR is for others and not for self.
B. Every PR officer needs to develop the communication and the convincing power.
C. He is expected to work for the welfare of the public at large.

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CHAPTER 2

INTRODUCTION TO NON GOVERNMENT
ORGANISATION (NGO).

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2.1) CONCEPT OF NGO.

A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is a private institution that is independent
of the government although many NGOs, particular in the global South, are funded by
Northern governments. Anheier places the number of internationally operating NGOs at
40,000. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have become increasingly influential in
world affairs. They often impact the social, economic and political activities of
communities and the country as a whole. NGOs address a host of issues, Including, but
not limited to, women’s rights, environmental protection, human rights, economic
development, political rights, or health care. In numerous countries, NGOs have led the
way in democratization, in battling diseases and illnesses, in promoting and enforcing
human rights, and in increasing standards of living.

Thousands of NGOs are also active at the international level; according to one estimate,
some 25,000 organizations now qualify as NGOs. Some of these NGOs only impact a
small region of the world, while others have spread across multiple continents. Amnesty
International, for instance, has more than a million members and affiliates in over 90
countries and territories. In the field of international relations, scholars now speak of
NGOs as “non-state actors” (a category that can also include transnational corporations).
This term suggests NGOs’ emerging influence in the international policy arena where
previously only states played a significant role. Though NGOs have few formal powers
over international decision-making, they have many accomplishments to their credit. In
recent years, they have successfully promoted new environmental agreements, greatly
strengthened women’s rights, and won important arms control and disarmament
measures. NGOs have also improved the rights and well-being of children, the disabled,
the poor and indigenous people.

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2.2) TYPES OF NGO’S

NGOs can be distinguished into two groups:
1) Operational NGOs
2) Advocacy NGOs.
This may be interpreted as the choice between small-scale change achieved directly
through projects and large-scale change promoted indirectly through influence on the
political system.

1) Operational NGOs have to mobilize resources, in the form of financial donations,
materials or volunteer labor, in order to sustain their projects and programs. This process
may require quite complex organization. Finance obtained from grants or contracts, from
governments, foundations or companies require time and expertise spent on planning,
preparing applications, budgeting, accounting and reporting. Major fund-raising events
require skills in advertising, media relations and motivating supporters. Thus, operational
NGOs need to possess an efficient headquarters bureaucracy, in addition to the
operational staff in the field.

2) Advocacy NGOs will carry out much the same functions, but with a different balance
between them. Fund-raising is still necessary, but on a smaller scale and it can serve the
symbolic function of strengthening the donors' identification with the cause. Persuading
people to donate their time is necessary, but, in addition to a small number of people
giving a great deal of time, it is also necessary to be able to mobilize large numbers for
brief periods. External donors may not impose onerous administrative burdens, but
supporters still have to be supplied with information on an efficient regular basis. Major
events will aim to attract favorable publicity rather than raise funds. Therefore, despite
their differences, both operational and advocacy NGOs need to engage in fund-raising,
mobilization of work by supporters, organizing special events, cultivating the media and
administering a headquarters. Only the defining activities - implementing projects or
holding demonstrations - serve to differentiate them. In reality, the distinctions are not as
sharp as the labels suggest. Operational NGOs often move into advocacy when projects
regularly face similar problems and the impact of the projects seems to be insufficient.
All the large development and environment operational NGOs now run some regular
campaigns, at least by supporting campaigning networks. Similarly, advocacy NGOs
often feels they cannot ignore the immediate practical problems of people in their policy
domain. Human rights NGOs and women's NGOs end up having programs to assist the
victims of discrimination and injustice.

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2.3) Range of NGO Activities

In case of India, NGOs have an active role in the following areas:

1)Community Health Promotion and Education Contraception and Intimacy
Education.

• General Hygiene
• Waste Disposal
• Water Usage
• Vaccinations
• Youth Counseling Services
• Emerging health crises
• HIV/AIDS education and support
• Hepatitis B education
• Drug Addiction recovery

2)Community Social Problems.

• Juvenile crimes
• Runaway girls
• Street Children
• Prostitution
• Environmental
• Sustainable water and energy consumption education
• Keeping mountains and forests
• clean Economic Microenterprises and Micro-loans

3) Skill training (Computers, technician training, Catering services, clothing and
textile, etc.)

4) Product promotion and distribution (Bazaars etc.)

5) Cooperative creation.

6) Financial consulting.

7) Career services and job search assistance.

• School construction

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• Infrastructure construction
• Cultural center construction and operation
• Agriculture and Aquaculture expert assistance

8)Women’s Issues

• Women and Children’s Rights
• Battered women assistance center
• Group therapy for sexually abused women

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CHAPTER 3

PUBLIC RELATION ACTIVITIES IN NGO
MANAGEMENT.

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3.1) FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN NGO
MANAGEMENT.

The functions of public relation department differ in different NGO organizations
depending upon their nature and activities. However there are certain standard functions
which are common to most of the organizations. They are as follows:

1) Policy:
a policy is a statement of guidelines to be followed in the company .public
relation policy is required for every organization .it has to develop and
recommend corporate public relation policies and has contribute the public
relation viewpoint which helps in the formulation of decision. Its function is not
only to provide the policy to the top management but also to the other sections
and divisions.

2) Publicity:
In order to interact with the public it is necessary to have corporate publicity. The
department has to undertake the issuance of announcements of corporate activities
to the external communication media. It also has to handle inquiries from the
press. It is one of the important functions of the department to develop and place
promotional publicity about the organization as a whole or any of its units.

3) Relations with Government:
It is necessary to maintain healthy relationship with the government policies as it
helps in conjuring funds in form of government grants and donations etc.

4) Community Relations:
Community contacts should be well planned and co-ordinate. Activity such as
environmental protection standards, equal employment opportunity and co-
operating in urban improvement programme should be undertaken.

5) Shareholders Relations:
In order to attract public money it is necessary and important to maintain good
relations with corporate stockholders. This can be done in the form of
communication between the company and the shareholder including the investors.
The company can be made more acceptable among the investors by broadening
the exposure of the company policies and financial results in the investment

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community. These includes preparation of annual reports, etc. it has also to plan
and stage the annual meetings of the shareholders.

6) Product Publicity:
The public relation department has to develop and execute the promotional
product publicity campaigns. In case of NGO organizations, they promote their
product as the cause for which the NGO is operating e.g. welfare, child welfare,
nature and health awareness, aids awareness etc .in these publicity the focus is on
the cause and how to popularize them. It includes announcement of new cause or
products through the editorial channels of communication media.

7) Employee Publications:
The public relation department has to prepare a corporate donation policy for the
company contributions various aspects involved in this function include
processing request for donation, administering company’s foundation etc.

8) Promotion Programme:
The public relation programmes broadly covers institutional promotion
programmes design to build corporate acceptance of key policies, special events,
public relations, literature and institutional advertising other functions include:
a. Public relation education programme.
b. Advisory functions.
c. Co-coordinating activities.
d. Conveying and interpretations.

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3.2) AN NGO APPROACH TO SOLVING COMMUNITY
PROBLEMS WITH THE HELP OF PUBLIC RELATIONS.

When an NGO approaches solving a problem, they can pursue
the following structure:

• Gather information on the issue
• What exactly is the problem?
• What is causing the problem?
• Who are the persons/organizations
• Responsible (for e.g. it could be a particular department of the government/an
industry)?
• What are the consequences going to be? Assess magnitude, quality and
prevalence.
• What are the alternatives/possible solutions?
• How much would they cost? Is it better to invest the money in other
projects?
• Talk to people in the community to hear different views that will enable a
holistic view of the issue.
• Talk to people who are in-charge and hear their side of the issue. Tell them
about the problems that you see.
• You may be able to work towards solving problems together if you do not see
yourself as hostile parties.
• Connect with people to increase awareness
• Ask older, influential or respected people in the community to address public
gatherings.
• Use the media (newspapers and the internet) to generate interest,
communicate the facts and discuss options.

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• Write polite, succinct articles for magazines and newspapers identifying the
issues.
• Include people from diverse backgrounds, so that your organization is not
linked with any particular political party or religious sect.
• For fundraising purposes, let people know why funds are needed and how
they will be used. Transparent and detailed accounts are imperative to build
trust.
• Link up with other NGOs to maximize the effect of the effort.

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CHAPTER 4

TOOLS OF PUBLIC RELATION

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P R & Publicity are not synonyms. Publicity is the spreading of information to gain
public awareness in a product, service, candidate, etc. It is just one technique of P R as
listed here.

4.1) Audience targeting

A fundamental technique used in P R is to identify the target audience, & to tailor every
message to appeal to that audience. It can be a general, nationwide or worldwide
audience, but it is more often a segment of a population. Marketers often refer to
economy-driven "demographics," such as "white males 18-49," but in P R an audience is
more fluid, being whoever someone wants to reach.

In addition to audiences, there are usually stakeholders, literally people who have a
"stake" in a given issue. All audiences are stakeholders (or presumptive stakeholders), but
not all stakeholders are audiences. For example, a charity commissions a PR agency to
create an advertising campaign to raise money to find a cure for a disease. The charity &
the people with the disease are stakeholders, but the audience is anyone who is likely to
donate money.

Sometimes the interests of differing audiences and stakeholders common to a PR effort
necessitate the creation of several distinct but still complementary messages. This is not
always easy to do, and sometimes – especially in politics – a spokesperson or client says
something to one audience that angers another audience or group of stakeholders.

4.2) Press conferences

A press conference consists of someone speaking to the media at a predetermined time &
place. It usually take place in a public or quasi-public place. Press conferences provide an
opportunity for speakers to control information and who gets it; depending on the
circumstances, speakers may hand-pick the journalists they invite to the conference
instead of making themselves available to any journalist who wishes to attend.

It is also assumed that the speaker will answer journalists' questions at a it, although they
are not obliged to. However, someone who holds several of them on a topic (especially a
scandal) will be asked questions by the press, regardless of whether they indicate they
will entertain them, & the more conferences the person holds, the more aggressive the
questioning may become. Therefore, it is in a speaker's interest to answer journalists'
questions at a press conference to avoid appearing as if they have something to hide.

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But questions from reporters – especially hostile reporters – detracts from the control a
speaker has over the information they give out. For even more control, but less
interactivity, a person may choose to issue a press release.

4.3) Press releases

Press release format The typical press release announces that the statement is "FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE" across the top (some may instead be embargoed until a certain
date), and lists the issuing organization's media contacts directly below. The media
contacts are the people that the release's issuer wants to make available to the media; for
example, a press release about new scientific study will typically list the study's lead
scientist as its media contact. The bottom of each release is usually marked with ### or
-30- to signify the end of the text.

Five "W"s and an "H" There are 6 vital facts to convey in the first paragraph of a
release to ensure that it doesn't end up in the bin.

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why
• How

A press release is a written statement distributed to the media. It is a fundamental tool of
P R. Press releases are usually communicated by a newswire service to various news
media and journalists may use them as they see fit. Very often the information in a press
release finds its way verbatim, or minimally altered, to print and broadcast reports. If a
media outlet reports that "John Doe said in a statement today that...", the "statement"
usually originated in a press release, or a direct quote from an interview with a John Doe.

The text of a release is usually (but not always) written in the style of a news story, with
an eye-catching headline and text written standard journalistic inverted pyramid style.
This style of news writing makes it easier for reporters to quickly grasp the message.
Journalists are free to use the information verbatim, or alter it as they see fit. PR
practitioners research and write releases that encourage as much "lifting" as possible.

Many journalists believe it is unethical to copy from a press release—they believe it is a
lapse of good judgement (for instance, a direct quote, as in: Senator Smith said, "This is
the most fiscally irresponsible bill that the Congress has passed since the Buy Everyone
A Mercedes Act." In this case, a journalist may copy the quote verbatim into the story,
although ethical reporters prefer to try soliciting an individual quote from the speaker
before filing their story). P R professionals believe that press releases and other collateral

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material aid a journalist's job, and it is the job of the journalist to decide whether or not
reprinting material verbatim tells the real story.

Since press releases reflect their issuer's preferred interpretation or positive packaging of
a story, journalists are often skeptical of their contents. The level of skepticism depends
on what the story is and who's telling it. Newsrooms receive so many press releases that,
unless it is a story that the media are already paying attention to, a press release alone
often isn't enough to catch a journalist's attention.

With the advent of modern electronic media and new technology, press releases now
have equivalents in these media_video news releases and audio news releases. However,
many television stations are hesitant to use VNR's that appear canned and are not
newsworthy.

A new kind of press release—"optimized" for the Internet

The advent of the Internet has ushered in a new kind of press release known as an
optimized press release. Unlike conventional press releases of yore, written for
journalists' eyes only, in hopes the editor or reporter would find the content compelling
enough to turn it into print or electronic news coverage, the optimized press release is
posted on an online news portal. Here the writer carefully selects keywords or keyword
phrases relevant to the press release contents. If written skilfully, the press release can
rank highly in searches on Google News, Yahoo or MSN News (or the many other minor
news portals) for the chosen keyword phrases.

Readers of optimized press releases constitute far more than journalists. In the days
before news search engines, a press release would have landed only in the hands of a
news reporter or an editor who would make the decision about whether the content
warranted news coverage. Although the news media is always privy to online press
releases in the search engines, most readers are end-users. Optimized press releases
circumvent the mainstream media which is formerly—but no longer—the gatekeeper of
the news.

4.4) Lobby groups

Lobby groups are established to influence government policy, corporate policy, or public
opinion. These groups purport to represent a particular interest. When a lobby group
hides its true purpose and support base it is known as a front group.

4.5) Astroturfing

Creating an artificial "grassroots" movement is known as astroturfing. A typical e.g.
would be the writing of letters to multiple newspaper editors under different names to
express an opinion on an issue, creating impression of widespread public feeling but
being controlled by one central entity.

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4.6) Spin

In P R, spin is a, sometimes pejorative, term signifying a heavily biased portrayal in one's
own favor of an event or situation. While traditional P R may also rely on creative
presentation of the facts, "spin" often, though not always, implies disingenuous,
deceptive and/or highly manipulative tactics. Politicians are often accused of spin by
commentators and political opponents, when they produce a counter argument or
position.

The term is borrowed from ball sports such as cricket, where a spin bowler may impart
spin on the ball during a delivery so that it will curve through the air or bounce in an
advantageous manner. The techniques of "spin" include:

• Selectively presenting facts & quotes that support one's position (cherry picking)
• Non-denial denial
• Phrasing in a way that assumes unproven truths
• Euphemisms to disguise or promote one's agenda

Another spin technique involves careful choice of timing in the release of certain news so
it can take advantage of prominent events in the news. A famous reference to this practice
occurred when UK government press officer Jo Moore used the phrase It's now a very
good day to get out anything we want to bury, (widely paraphrased or misquoted as "It's a
good day to bury bad news"), in an email sent on September 11, 2001. The furor caused
when this email was reported in the press eventually caused her to resign.

4.7) Spin doctor

Skilled practitioners of spin are sometimes called "spin doctors", though probably not to
their faces unless it is said facetiously. It is the PR equivalent of calling a writer a "hack".
Perhaps the most well-known person in the UK often described as a "spin doctor" is
Alastair Campbell, who was involved with Tony Blair's P R between 1994 & 2003, also
played a controversial role as P R officer to the British and Irish Lions rugby side during
their 2005 tour of New Zealand.

The American radio & T V talk-show host Bill O'Reilly, who is often considered a
spokesman for conservatism, has called his television show The O'Reilly Factor "The
No Spin Zone", emphasizing his own purported dislike of the phenomenon. ("Despite the
mix of views in the letters selected for on-air reading, columnists and news broadcasters
routinely call him a conservative pundit, a label whose accuracy he denies" (Bill O'
Reilly).) Some other American talk and radio-show hosts and commentators, such as
Keith Olbermann, who maintains an on-going "feud with Bill O'Reilly", and who himself
has been tagged with being more liberal in his views, mock O'Reilly's epithet "no spin

31

zone" suggesting his own avoidance of "spin" to be just another instance of spin from
"the other side". (Olbermann frequently labels O'Reilly as "The Worst Person in the
World" in one of his segments on his own show Countdown, which airs at the same time
as The O'Reilly Factor on rival cable network MSNBC.) Such commentators on politics,
despite their prominent roles in mainstream-media journalism, which purports to
maintain objectivity, at times and sometimes even often seem engaged in the very
phenomenon of spin that they deride. Many such commentators and their featured on-air
media consultants, commonly termed "talking heads" or pundits, come to programs on
radio, television, and in publishing from prior professional careers in P R and politics,
sometimes even as former political campaign directors or speech writers for political
figures; for those who do, mastering the "art" of spin has already been an important part
of their past work experience, and it may lead not only to their acute understanding and
critique of the phenomenon but also to their supreme ability to continue practicing it in
ever-more subtle ways.

State-run media in many countries also engage in spin by selectively allowing news
stories that are favorable to the government while censoring anything that could be
considered critical. They may also use propaganda to indoctrinate or actively influence
citizens' opinions.

4.8) Meta-semantics

Meta-semantics is the rapidly growing study of group interactions providing a model for
P R.

4.9) Other

• Publicity events or publicity stunts
• The talk show circuit. A PR spokesperson (or his/her client) "does the circuit" by
being interviewed on TV & radio talk shows with audiences that the client wishes
to reach.
• Books and other writings
• After a PR practitioner has been working in the field for a while, he or she
accumulates a list of contacts in the media and elsewhere in the public affairs
sphere. This "Rolodex" becomes a prized asset, and job announcements
sometimes even ask for candidates with an existing Rolodex, especially those in
the media relations area of PR.
• Direct communication (carrying messages directly to constituents, rather than
through the mass media) with, e.g., newsletters – in print and e-letters.
• Collateral literature, traditionally in print and now predominantly as web sites.
• Speeches to constituent groups and professional organizations; receptions;
seminars, and other events; personal appearances.
• The slang term for a PR practitioner or publicist is a "flack."

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CHAPTER 5

FIELD WORK (INTERVIEW)

33

As a part of field work I interviewed Ms.Sunanda Naik, active social worker and a
member of ‘MA NIKETAN’ society of helpers of the Mary.

5.1) ORGANISATION PROFILE

NAME OF THE ORGANISATION MA NIKETAN (SOCIETY OF
HELPERS)

TYPE OF ORGANISATION NON GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANISATION

ADDRESS: 2ND POKHRAN ROAD, POST BOX
NO197, THANE (W) 400601.

E-MAIL: maniketan@vsnl.net

5.2) AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF MA-NIKETAN

To work for the overall welfare of children. To work for the upliftment of street children
and young people who have left home. To conduct programmes on preventive and
curative health care and make them aware of the need for proper nutrition. To make the
people aware of the various saving and income generation schemes. To provide better
educational and training facilities for the needy with the aim of making them self reliant,
and independent. To understand and analyze the social, economic, physical and
emotional needs of street children. To network with Government Agencies and mobilize
community resources. To enable street children to raise their own voice towards
fulfillment of their rights. To reunite children with their families wherever possible. To
undertake research on problems faced by street children.
The main focus of MA-NIKETAN has always been to integrate the marginal street child
into mainstream society. This is done through enhancing the children’s capacity to solve
their own problem. Models of intervention have been developed to suit each child’s need
at various levels. These levels are outreach programmes, contact centers; he/she can be
repatriated from any of these stages.

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5.3) INTERVIEW

1) How important is public relation for your organization?

Ans: public relation is vital component in running a non governmental organization as
NGO activities are related with people. Therefore healthy interaction with various
people is an essential criterion. Public relation helps in achieving those criteria.
NGO’s work for the people, with the people and by the people. Therefore maintaining
healthy relations with society in order to make awareness about the organization
amongst the people is very crucial factor, which in turn helps in fund raising for the
noble cause.
Non-governmental organizations need healthy relationships with the public to meet
their goals. Foundations and charities use sophisticated public relations campaigns to
raise funds and employ standard lobbying techniques with governments. Interest
groups may be of political importance because of their ability to influence social and
political outcomes. At times NGOs seek to mobilize public support.

2) What are the various strategies used by PR proffesionals to conjure funds and to
create awareness about the organisation’s aims and objectives to the society?

Ans:

 Proposals and Reports.

NGOs depend upon funding to carry out their activities. Their ability to get funding is
usually related to submitting articulate, succinct proposals that have carefully followed all
of the guidelines required by the donor -- a process also known as grant writing.
Retaining funding is likewise dependent on carrying out the activities outlined in the
proposal, and in describing them to the donor in timely, well-written reports.

Good proposal and report writing is an art form. It requires an economy of word and
clarity of meaning that experienced writers are accustomed to producing. Following
proposal guidelines is not unlike following writer's guidelines, although proposal
guidelines can be far more exacting.

Writing proposals and reports for NGOs often requires technical knowledge about the
type of project activities the NGO performs, including specialized terms and development
strategies. Since many proposals are written as a team, a lack of specialized knowledge
may not be a problem; however, this is an important point to clarify as you market your
skills.

 Proofreading and Editing.

For many Ingo’s, a primary objective is to "nationalize" the country office, meaning that
all projects and activities will eventually be managed and carried out by local staff while

35

this is an important goal, it can create linguistic challenges for both Ingo’s and NGOs:
Non-native English speakers may be required to submit proposals and reports in
professional and often technical English. Here is where a native English- speaking writer
can be of tremendous assistance in editing and proofreading materials that will be
submitted to or shared with a primarily English-speaking audience. Proofreading and
editing is needed for training materials, survey reports, project evaluations, proceedings
of major meetings/workshops, professional presentations, technical papers, employee and
policy manuals, brochures, newsletters, websites, and translated materials.

 Public relations Material.

NGOs need PR materials for a variety of reasons: to raise money, to describe services to
their beneficiaries, to inform the public (both locally and abroad) about their
accomplishments, and to distinguish themselves from other NGOs.

Writers experienced in producing public relations materials may find a ready market for
their skills, particularly if they have additional talents in photography, desktop publishing
or website development. Brochures and newsletters are a common type of PR material
produced in-country; locally developed web sites are also becoming more widespread.
Keep in mind that there is usually a certain amount of PR copy generated by an Ingo’s
headquarters; tapping into their PR department can also be a source of potential writing
assignments. Many INGO headquarters produce magazines or newsletters that are open
to freelance submissions.

While writing for NGOs may be one option, writing about NGOs is another possible
avenue. NGOs combating social, economic or environmental problems in unique ways
may be good candidates for stories submitted to national or city papers and magazines.
Also consider publications near an NGO's international headquarters. If the headquarters
is in Minneapolis, would a Minneapolis-based paper be interested in the story?

Lastly, look for less obvious "tie-ins" that may lead to other markets. Did an NGO
distribute eyeglasses that were donated by the Lions Club? The Lions Club (as well as
other service organizations) has its own magazine that might be interested in the story.
Was a forest saved because farmers were taught new agricultural practices? An
environmental publication could be interested in a write-up.

 Assisting with IEC Development.

High-tech media changes are reaching the most remote areas on earth, and many NGOs
are attempting to adapt their teaching and training approaches accordingly. IEC
development -- Information, Education and Communication -- is a growing field amongst
development strategies. Projects that formerly relied on flipcharts or blackboards to
convey information on family planning may now be using videos or audiocassettes;
employee-training videos are also widely accepted. Information that was taught in lecture
style is now presented in engaging scenarios or melodramas on television. Radio and TV

36

public service announcements (PSAs) may be employed by NGOs addressing issues with
broad social implications (deforestation, stopping the spread of AIDS, etc.).

To be effective, all of these IEC formats must be in the language and cultural context of
the country in which they are to be used. In countries lacking sophisticated national
media and communications, there may be a lack of experienced people to act as technical
advisors for these projects. That's where you, the writer, can help. Do you have
experience in scriptwriting? Developing PSAs? Designing educational materials? Market
these skills along with more traditional writing approaches and you may create your own
unique niche as a freelance NGO consultant.

3) Does your organization outsource the public relation activities?

Ans: Yes, MA-NIKETAN outsources its public relation activities to pr agency it helps in
minimizing the cost of managing NGO organization. It also helps in providing
professional touch to the public relation activities rather than operating it from the
organization itself. It also provides competency advantage.

4) What can I expect a PR agency to cost?

Ans: Usually, PR costs far less than advertising.
If you are accustomed to advertising, then you’ll realize that the development costs
(strategy, creative materials etc) are usually much less than the cost of implementation
(media buy). In PR it’s normally the other way around - the costs of strategy and
development usually outweighs the cost of implementation (media engagement).

Because PR agencies charge by time, most of the PR agency costs will relate to their
people rather than their hard costs or disbursements. So the bulk of the budget will
depend on the number of hours it will take to work with you - either on an ongoing basis
or for a project.

5) How does your organization work with a PR agency?

Ans: Essentially it should be no different than working with your advertising agency, or
market research firm. It’s important to have a clear understanding between you as to
what exactly PR has to achieve. Ensure you have good lines of communication and clear
reporting guidelines.

It is also important to get to know the team that will be servicing your account. Make
sure the team is not too ‘top heavy’ but rather, is made up of senior and more junior
consultants so that you achieve a better average hourly rate.

6) How can PR support and promote your cause and values?

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Ans: Because PR is based heavily in message development, you will find a myriad of
ways in which PR can support and promote brand values. Remember also that PR is a
whole lot more than just writing and issuing media releases.

It’s often about connecting with your audience in creative ways such as sponsorships,
events & corporate social responsibility campaigns. These are all great ways to help drive
brand values.

7) How does your organisation quantify PR results and review their performance?

Ans: Quantifying PR performance is often initially one of the hardest things for product
marketing people to come to terms with. This is partly because they are usually familiar
only with measuring in finite terms things like advertising reach and frequency or
response rates to special web promotions.

8) What do you feel about the nexus of pr and media?

Ans:
 PR all about media contacts?
PR was all about media contacts, but that was when PR was in its infancy, and this was
partly because many of the people who first practiced it came from the media itself.
Whilst it’s true that media contacts are still important, what’s more important is an
understanding of how different branches of the media work. Gone are the days when
journalists work for one publication… for life! Additionally, PR professionals have
developed tools and techniques outside media such as influencer mapping and
engagement, crisis and issues management and corporate counsel.

 Conventions of the PR agency and the media?

The PR agency should be seen by media and clients alike as a facilitator. Most media
acknowledge that between 50% and 90% of what is published comes via PR agencies.

Media expect to be fed ideas and information about clients that will be relevant to their
readers, so it’s up to the PR agencies to work with clients to sort out what is newsworthy
and what is not. After all, journalists today receive many hundreds of emails from PR
people a week and most are deleted within 30 seconds of being opened. What the media
want is access to relevant info and contact with company representatives who can speak
honestly and knowledgably about that information. That’s the role of PR in the media.

9) What criteria do I use to select a PR agency?

There’s been many articles written on this, indeed PR Influences has published a number
as well.

Obviously relevant experience counts for a lot, as does size (you don’t want to be a small
client of a large agency) if you want to be properly respected and serviced. Other aspects

38

to consider include the quality of their strategic work, special skills you may require such
as technical or scientific writing and the caliber and fit of the team the agency proposes.

10) What are the various considerations in outsourcing your P R?

Ans: These days it’s rare for an organization of any reasonable substance not to need a
PR function. Many organizations choose a fully-equipped internal PR department. Others
choose to only have a PR Manager (with or without minimal internal support).

For those organizations that already have bought into PR as a necessary function, and
have some kind of internal capability, reasons to still outsource PR to an
agency/consultancy include:

 Specialist Skills/Expertise

Often when staffing internally it’s not possible to cover every specialist area so an
external agency/consultancy can be used to ‘fill in the gaps’. In this way it is no different
to bringing in specialist legal or accounting services.

 External Perspective

When an organization faces stakeholder issues an external agency/consultancy with
experience in the relevant area can be invaluable in helping devise strategies that can be
sold to senior management and/or the Board.

 Additional Resources

Some organizations with a ‘PR Manager’ structure will use an agency/consultancy for
most implementation work. In this role PR is treated much like advertising has been for
many years, with the PR agency/consultancy charged with running an annual program or
campaign in the same way as advertising agencies do (and subject to periodic scrutiny as
ad agencies are!).

For organizations that are more fully resourced internally, they may still use an external
agency/consultancy for special projects or times when the internal resources can’t cope.
Where an organization has identified a need to outsource there are some points to bear in
mind:

1. If PR is treated like advertising, and an agency is required on an ongoing basis,
then the appointment needs to be permanent. Best practice suggests that:

o The PR agency/consultancy needs to be hired on an annual contract basis.
A three-month trial simply will not work

39

o The agreement has to be exclusive; i.e. the agency/consultancy is unable
to work for any competing company or product
o The arrangement should be reviewed from time-to-time even to the extent
of putting the business up for competitive review.

2. If PR needs are going to be project driven - either regular or spasmodic - it’s
preferable that the organization be proactive in identifying agencies/consultancies
well in advance rather than on a case-by-case basis.

o Organizations that use PR agencies on a case-by-case basis often get a
restricted choice of agencies/consultancies. That’s because they often find
the best firms are already working for competitors - possibly on a retainer
basis. It also takes a lot of management time to go through choosing an
agency every time there is a new project.

One way around this is to choose one in advance, or create a roster if the needs are
diverse, of ‘preferred’ agencies/consultancies that meet the organization’s needs. If they
don’t already work for a competitor, and there is a real prospect of project work in the
course of a year, you have the chance to secure them. Do this in a quiet time and you
have the added advantage of being able to make a considered selection?

Here are two points to bear in mind about dealing with agencies/consultancies:
1. They prefer ongoing relationships to ad hoc projects as this gives them more
certainty in selling the time of their staff. So the more continuous the work an
organization can give them, the more bargaining power the organization has
regarding hourly rates. In short, ad hoc project work normally costs an
organization more than ongoing work.
2. They hate the constant time-consuming and emotional effort of competitive
pitching for work. So, if an organization is likely to make them a preferred
supplier or put them on a roster, and they are guaranteed of getting some work as
a result, many would turn down competitive opportunities. This enables a smart
organization to virtually have an agency/consultancy ‘on tap’ without cost.

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5.4) VISIT TO PUBLIC RELATION AGENCY (RIGHT
PUBLICITY)

As a part of field work we interviewed Mr. Dale Bhagwagar. Following is the profile of
his agency “right publicity” and a brief about himself.

Right Publicity
M-14, Cusrow Baug,
Colaba Causeway,
Mumbai – 400 039.

North-India Branch: Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab
South-India Branch: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Central-India Branch: Nagpur, Maharashtra, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

RIGHT PUBLICITY taps the Media for:
• Interviews
• Articles / Features
• Write-ups / Snippets
• Photo Opportunities
• Shooting Coverage
• Press Meets
• Premieres
• Press Shows
• Film Sponsorship etc

RIGHTPUBLICITY.COM is the 'World's First Free of Copyright Site'.
Inaugurated by the all-time veteran PR Bunny Reuben, it is maintained by Virtual
Marketing (IndiaFM), hosted on a high-speed US-based server and visited by film
journalists from all over the world. It was relaunched with a new corporate look last year
and Madhur Bhandarkar did the honors.
RIGHT PUBLICITY is also the only PR agency which is enrolled as a member of the
'Public Relations Society of India' (P.R.S.I.), the foremost institution leading the PR
brigade to better times in the country.

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RIGHT PUBLICITY is the only agency which has a regular column 'Right News'
devoted to its clients in all of the three leading film-trade publications namely:

• Film Information

• Trade Guide.

RIGHT PUBLICITY also has the privilege of sharing its thoughts and experiences in a
monthly column called 'PR Talk' on film publicity, in the official industry publication
‘A.M.P.T.P.P. News', belonging to the 'Association of Motion Pictures & TV
Programme Producers'.

RIGHT PUBLICITY has tied-up with major sites on the Internet for the effective
promotion of its accounts across the World Wide Web. Apart from this, the agency's
material is also used regularly by the most prominent websites namely:
• 123india.com
• apunkachoice.com
• bollywoodabroad.com
• celebnceleb.com
• cybernoon.com
• ebolly.com
• hindustantimes.com
• indiafm.com
• indiatimes.com
• mid-day.com
• moviesabsolute.com
• msn.com
• radiosargam.com
• rediff.com

In the year 2002-2003,
RIGHT PUBLICITY made more than a double-hatrick of sorts when it was
presented various awards by:
• Suvidha Gaurav Awards,
• Zigma Awards for Excellence
• Hum Log Showbiz Awards and
• Lions Club Awards for Outstanding Film PR.
All the awards were presented in appreciation of the agency's performance in the field of
publicity.

The RIGHT Team:

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Dale Bhagwagar (Mumbai)
Proprietor

Shailesh Giri (Ghaziabad)
North-India Representative

A.P.S. Noorpuri (Chandigarh)
North-India Representative

M.A. Salam (Hyderabad)
South-India Representative

Vinita Mathur (Nagpur)
Central-India Representative

Jai Singh Raghuwanshi 'Jay' (Indore)
Central-India Representative

Profile of the proprietor:-

Mr. Dale, owner and proprietor of RIGHT PUBLICITY AGENY, discussed with us his
vision. His vision was that he wants to be able to handle the best in the industry with
maximum impact on the public.
His mission is to make the world a better-informed place to live in.

Mr. Dale established RIGHT PUBLICITY AGENCY in 1997. RIGHT PUBLICITY
consists of Media managers, office assistants and media representatives all over5 the
country.
His media representative in Delhi manages north India, in Secunderabad the media
representative manages south India, in Indore the media representative manages central
India, and the Nagpur media representative manages central provinces. One media
representative is also located in Chandigarh.
Mr. Dale started as a journalist at the age of 14. He worked for The Hitavada, a local
newspaper in Nagpur. When he was in the 1st year of college he was the sub editor in
Lokmat Times, an English newspaper.
He joined Cineblitz in 1995 as the chief sub-editor. In 1996-97 he worked for Showtime.
Both the magazines were about film industry.
In 1997, he started as a PR because he felt that income is much higher in PR. He also
feels that the responsibility of a PR is 100 times greater than that of a journalist.
According to him journalism is a profession, where as PR is a business. He also feels that
PR earns more where as a journalist has limited earnings.
Mr. Dale has 5 media representatives, 2 assistants and 1 media manager working under
him.
He believes in less manpower and prefers working using technology.

43

Questionnaire

Q1: Do you recommend any one to take PR as a profession. Why?

A: Mr. Dale recommended PR as a profession because he thinks that as new generation
comes in they bring new ideas. He also thinks that new generation adapts to new
technologies much faster.

Q2: What has been your milestone due to which you are where you are now?

A: Mr. Dales’ milestone was the very first event that he had organized as a PR. It was
on INS VIKRANT. He was extremely proud of himself as the news of the event was on
the front pages of all the leading newspapers.

Q3: What are the qualities of a successful PR?

A: On asking about the qualities of a successful PR, he quoted 'the better the manipulator
e better the PR.According to him a PR must have a presentable personality , very sharp
news sense and a very good networking abilities with clients and journalists .

Q4: You said you have no subjective knowledge on PR, now all the upcoming PR's
are professionally qualified, will it make a difference?

A: He said that he definitely felt the effect because one learns PR he gets acquainted with
different methods of PR he has the basic knowledge but the practical knowledge is very
necessary.

Q5: How do you make your clients and how do you maintain them?

A: According to MR. Dale’s, networking is one of the most important factor to be a
successful PR. He quoted that 'Networking is a daily commitment not a monthly ritual.

Q6::How do u handle crisis?

44

A: MR. Dale handles the crises by staying cool. He says that one should work without
getting 'affected' because if u get affected you wont be able to tackle it.

Q9: What are the 5 traits that make you a better PR?

A: .MR. Dale said that he had few traits which make him a successful PR . Few of them
he mentioned that he is street smart , he has a very vast knowledge about media , he
easily adapts to new technologies as soon as they arrive , he thinks few years ahead . He
also said that he is very well networked and has huge list of people and contacts in media.
He also said that he has a very friendly nature.

Q: 10. What is your personal ethics code when it comes to your profession?

A: He said his agency didn’t follow any written rules. How only followed his conscience.

Q11: Media-net says 'TIMES' is a product and they are selling it, so does that mean
that masses can't rely on media anymore?

A: Finally we asked him to comment on PR as a profession. He said that PR is a
challenging profession because a PR has to face something new everyday as there are lots
of changes. He says PR has various options as he has all kinds of issues, different types
of people to deal with. He also said that it is quite stressful but it also depends on the
person how he handles the stress.

45

CHAPTER 6

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOLVING
ORGANISATION PROBLEMS IN NGO.

46

Recommendations for Solving Organization Problems in
NGOs.

Problems Recommended strategy

47

1) Demand has declined, and capacity to Reassess the needs of target audiences, and
deliver services is under-utilized. revise programs to meet current needs. Or, add
new offerings to the program mix, and
eliminate outmoded ones. Re-staffing or
retraining may be required to deliver new or
revised services.

2) Management is unable to think Enlist help from external advisors to generate
creatively about the organization’s mission fresh alternatives and provide objective
or approach. perspectives. A change in leadership may be
appropriate.

3) The staff is torn by infighting and turf
Consider reorganizing staffing structure,
wars.
including reallocating responsibility and
retraining people. Retain consultants to help
clarify disputed issues and assess staff
members’ capabilities.

4) The same few board members show up at Contact all board members and discuss their
every meeting to rehash familiar issues. commitment to the organization. Revise
Board’s structure to reflect present-day needs.
As part of this process, some board members
may resign voluntarily and new members with
critical skills can be recruited

Review your systems requirements in light of
5) Administrative systems are needlessly
changing programs and technologies. This may
complex, confusing, and outmoded.
require the expertise of outside management and
information technology consultants.

6) The organization is “chasing dollars” by Clarify the mission, and revise programs to
inventing new initiatives primarily to make them more relevant. Concentrate on
attract available funding, contorting funding opportunities that clearly fit this new
existing programs to match funders’ direction. Adopt a more proactive approach
special interests, or responding to to funders.
Requests for Proposals indiscriminately. 48

CHAPTER 7

ANALYSIS OF THE PROJECT

49

ANALYSIS OF THE PROJECT

In this project I have tried to portray the importance of public relations in governing a
NGO organization. It is clear that every Ngo organization needs the help of professional
public relation in order to strengthen their cause for which they are operating. Ngo’s
work for the people, by the people and with the people, therefore public relations deal
with society and larger group of people. Public relations are not only useful for outer
public but also to ensure harmonious conditions within the organization amongst the staff
and workers. Public relation in its real sense is used in every organization big or small.

Public relation activities takes place in all the organizations big or small but it depends on
the organization either to have its own PR department or to outsource it to PR agencies.
In case of Ngo’s the major reason for having PR assistance is to attract funds from
society in form of government grants, donations from various section of people and also
non monetary donations of financial value. It also to attract human resource in order to
help in the noble cause by being a part of the organization and work for them.

I visited a NGO named Ma-Niketan where I learnt the practical aspect of the working of
Ngo organization and its PR activities. In practicality the standard considerations of
public relations have very little significance. As when it comes to public relation
activities , it focuses more on external environment and the internal public are
neglected .in order to correct this problem one must emphasis more on having ones own
public relation department rather than outsourcing. Since outsourcing of PR activities will
have minimum attention towards internal public.

“PR is a challenging profession because everyday we have to face something new. There
are a lot of changes. In this profession there are various options, all kinds of issue, and all
kinds of people. It also has its downfall like stress, but it depends how we tackle with
stress. Every crisis can be solved, but we have to learn to calm down and keep ourselves
out and tackle the problem. He kept stressing “Do your work without getting ‘affected’
because if you get affected you wont be able to tackle it.” PR is all about manipulation of
news, should have the knowledge of what can be news. A good PR has to have a good
network of people and should keep networking everyday. A good PR should be able to
adopt new changes in technology since, this industry changes rapidly.

Ethics is one part, where things became debatable. But PR “is only about
‘perception’ what is right or wrong is debatable.”

PR has to have a plan strategy and should be focused. He should have his own
point of view. He should be strong minded and knowledgeable.

50

Thus, we learnt that a good PR has to have thorough knowledge about media.
Adapt to new technology as soon as it arrives and have the knack to think few years
ahead. Personality traits of being street-smart and friendly. He should be very well
networked and a good list of contacts in media.

51

Role Of Public Relations In Ngo Management

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