Update – Aug 29, 2011: Whether it’s an earthquake or something like Hurricane Irene … when you can tie your message to a major news story in a relevant way, you’ll naturally get more publicity. And that leads to more donations – directly or indirectly. [End of update.]
If your nonprofit is located in the vicinity of Maryland, Virginia or Washington D.C., then you can zip out a press release on how the 5.8 magnitude earthquake impacted your mission.*
Breaking News
Of course, if there was no impact then you can’t make something up.
On the other hand, don’t assume you need to sustain major damage to be newsworthy. Or the impact had to be catastrophic.
Any impact will be interesting to read.
“Interesting is the key. Earthquakes aren’t as commonplace in this region as in California. So this topic is definitely interesting news for today and tomorrow.
◊ Perhaps the food was rattled off the shelves in your food pantry. Snap a photo. Publish an online press release asking for volunteers to help clean up. Or for donations to replace damaged goods.
◊ Perhaps the residents in your elder care facility were frightened more than other folks. What did your staff have to do to calm them down? How can donors help? What happened?
Tying into a current news event is a terrific way to get additional publicity. The press is hungry for examples (including photos) of the impact of this event. Act fast and zip out that press release!
* [Note: On August 23, 2011 at approximately 1:50PM Eastern Time, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck about 40 miles NW of Richmond, VA. I’m located roughly 85 miles away (as the crow flies) and it shook our house, caused a chandelier to sway, and rattled some objects on shelves.]
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 0 comments… add one now }