Flacks Can Flex Muscles with Non-Profits

by lisa ~ June 4, 2009

June 4, 2009 - Interesting in volunteering for nonprofit organizations is growing, possibly inspired by Pres. Obama, and driven by the large numbers of unemployed professionals in the U.S.

“While much of the focus has been on getting volunteers to provide direct services, such as to prepare meals, paint schools, and clean up rivers, that is not the type of volunteer help that nonprofit leaders say they need the most. Instead, they say they need donations that will strengthen their organizational structures - services from skilled professionals who spend their days working in marketing, human resources, accounting, information technology, finance, strategy setting, and other areas of management,” according to an editorial in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

It was written by Aaron Hurst, founder of the Taproot Foundation, a New York organization that links professionals with charities. The editorial mentions a national study released earlier this year by Deloitte, which found that 95% of nonprofit groups reported that they needed more pro bono services.

It’s not only lawyers who can provide valuable services pro bono publico (from the Latin, meaning “for the public good”). There is a need for public relations professionals, as well. Flacks can pitch stories and write Web site copy, for example. Marketers can offer low-cost ideas to improve a nonprofit’s community visibility.

The full article that ran in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, “Making the Most of a Wave of Volunteers,” is only available to subscribers. However, Taproot’s Web site provides links to many stories from broadcast and print media about the increasing popularity of volunteering.

Lisa Tibbitts  is a New York-based corporate communications professional with an MBA in marketing, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Westchester Philharmonic in Westchester County, N.Y. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FinancialPR.

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