Getting More Media Coverage for Fund Raising Activities


Does your favorite charity or organization wish for more publicity? Getting publicity is an important tactic to use to help drive public awareness of fundraising activities.

There are plenty of charitable and philanthropic organizations getting news coverage out there. You can be one of them.

Publicity can help establish your organizations image and reputation in your community. You can be perceived as beneficial to society and helpful to individuals in need. You can use publicity to support and enhance fund raising activities.

However, when you analyze current media coverage of non-profit and philanthropic organizations in newspapers and magazines, and on radio and TV, you will realize that special tactics are needed if you are to be effective and successful in getting the right type of publicity. The path to success with the media is more like a gauntlet or a field filled with landmines.

There are things you can do to maximize your chances of publicity success.

There are things that you must avoid doing or you will fail to get the news coverage you want or need.

This article zeroes in on the do’s and don’ts of writing effective fund raising news releases and how to conduct a publicity campaign to help you improve your success with the media.

Create and Implement a Simple Publicity Plan

You must schedule announcements and outreach actions to support your schedule of activities.

Basically you send news releases to the radio, TV and newspapers in your area and the surrounding communities. You then interact with media to follow through, interview, and provide them with any additional information they need to write and publish a feature story or do an interview on the air, in the studio, or live on location at the event.

Media publicity before the event is timed to enhance public knowledge and involvement. Publicity acquired after the event informs the media. Both can result in greater public knowledge, acceptance, and improved fundraising.

The steps to creating a simple publicity plan are this:

• Know your goals and objectives
• Arrange your critical facts and data
• Study existing news coverage to learn media preferences and style
• Write your news releases to fit in and fulfill media needs
• Transmit your news releases to your target key media
• Follow up to fill informational gaps and to confirm coverage

To maximize media support of an event or campaign, your news releases must be sent to the right media a minimum of ten days to two weeks before the event date. In the case of weekly newspapers, be aware that they need to receive a news release two to three weeks before the date of the event.

You should send out news release two or three times at weekly intervals prior to your event and follow up to make sure media acknowledge your event and that you confirm that they plan on doing some coverage. You transmit your news releases to a custom targeted media list by fax, email, street mail and even in person.

Your key spokesperson and point of contact for the media will need to be briefed in on the details of the publicity outreach. They should be trained and ready to deal with media questions and inquiries. Media kits need to be prepared and readied for distribution to key media upon request.

Understand What the Media Needs

You will benefit from studying existing media coverage of other non-profit organizations. Read the newspaper, listen to the radio, and watch TV. Identify the types of media you are interested in targeting. Then find and study the articles you see about other organizations. Learn what the media publishes. Get familiar with the realm of possibilities. Use the articles as success models for your own publicity efforts.

The lesson you must learn is that the information about your organization and fundraising effort is of secondary importance to the media, who are much more interested in the entertainment and human-interest news angles you can offer. They want and need fresh news that is entertaining and informative to a large number of people in their audience. That is what matters to them. This is what their audience demands of them. This is what they want. This is what you must supply them.

You must put yourself in their shoes to realize what this means. Media executives are in business as publishers and they survive and thrive because of paid subscriptions or advertising dollars. They need to publish information that their audience will pay for. They therefore look for newsworthy material to drive sales revenues up. They will reject materials that don’t fit their needs when better material is available to them.

When you send the media a news release, you ask them to publish your news. If you are to be successful it has to be presented in a way that fits their needs better than other competing news releases. To them this is a business decision. To you it is do or die.

So it is crucial for you to study what media publish, so you can decide what to present to them in your news release.

If you do you will see that there is a simple formula that defines the elements needed for media success. It boils down to this:

DPAA + H.

This stands for:

Dramatic, Personal, Achievement in the face of Adversity, plus a little Humor.

These elements are the bottom line motivational factors you see in media everywhere. It's a common thread that is used by media to command the attention of the public. This is what the public wants and craves.

The elements of this formula may factor into any situation to a varying degree, but if you look at today's paper, or watch tonight's news, you'll begin to see these elements in nearly every media event or feature everywhere you look. Almost every feature story the media runs contains these elements to some degree.

You will even see some of the finest advertising seek to achieve this. Pay attention to it when you find yourself captured by a media event or production. Analyze your own emotions and response when you are motivated to buy something or act a certain way in response to a media communication.

You may be driving your car and listening to the radio when this happens. The radio announcer will say something so powerful and so intriguing that you literally take your eyes off the road and stare at the radio dial.

What did he say? What was so powerful that it grabbed your attention and forced you to focus and listen so intently?

This is the DPAA + H spark.

The lesson learned is that you, as a publicist for your organization, must find out what creates the spark of interest that drives and motivates people to action. I can cite example after example where sales products follow this same formula. The same psychological dynamics work when it comes to getting publicity and fundraising.

When you make a presentation and get a positive response to donate money in one out of ten people, you can repeat the presentation elsewhere and be assured a ten percent response. This is a very high rate of return.

Why did someone buy your product? Why did someone donate to your organization? Why did someone get media coverage?

Pay attention to what motivates people. Pay attention to what motivates you to take action. Pay really close attention to what motivates your clients, customers or patrons. Identify the reasons that prompted people to take action. If you don’t know what you did exactly, ask them to tell you why.

This is crucial intelligence that you need to be successful. You must identify what works and do more of it, and identify what doesn’t work and stop doing it.

Identify the emotional triggers that people experience when they listen to you, watch you or read what you wrote. These are the hot buttons you want to replay in your news releases. These are the motivational factors are what you need to bring into your news releases. The same triggers will produce the same responses in media.

Analyze your actions and identify these factors and incorporate them in your news releases using the DPAA+H formula. Media success will translate into fundraising success if you get to use the DPAA + H formula. This is because the message is reinforced when people hear it from the media.

If you give the media this information, you can succeed, because this is what they want and you've made it easy for them to run with it. Tell them a story where you lead people through a story of dramatic personal achievement in the face of adversity, plus a little humor (only if it’s appropriate).

The bottom line results show amazing similarity in media expectations. If you had "The Supreme Penultimate Maximum Editor" right there in front of you, and asked her, "what do you want from me that will get me a feature story,” she'd likely say:

“Send me a news release, make sure it has the essential facts, and then does as many of the following as possible on one page, in 300 words or less, in 30 seconds:

• Tell me story (a short, bed time story with people, a plot, drama, and an ending),

• Give me a local news angle (of interest to my particular audience),

• Make me laugh or cry (hit an emotional nerve),

• Teach me something I didn't know before (educate me),

• Amaze me or astound me (like in WOW!),

• Make my stomach churn (in horror or fear),

• Make me want to help (inspire me to take action).

These are the necessary elements of a news release that captures an editor’s attention.

What does not get media attention is an outright plea for money and donations. Other issues that produce less than enthusiastic response are a detailed report of how poorly a fundraising effort is going, or the incremental progress that is being made along the way to a financial goal. You may be inclined to come out with news releases announcing 25 percent, 50 percent, and 75 percent completion, but don’t expect the media to jump up and down over these minor self-centered milestones. Wait to the final miraculous achievement. Don’t come out with the dry facts. Make it a memorable human, social and cultural experience worth sharing and being part of.

Key Information Needed In A Fund Raising News Release

A one-page news release should be no more than 400 words. It must include all the information needed to persuade the editor to inquire about doing a feature story.

You are not writing the story for the media. Your news release needs to contain just enough information to convince the editor or producer to call and get the rest of the information. The goal is to entice and persuade the editor to do a feature story. But you have to make it easy for the editor to do their job with a minimum investment in time and energy. You do this by giving them what they need to do their job.

Your one-page news release contains and demonstrates to the editor that the appropriate details and information, everything the editor needs to do a newsworthy feature story, is readily available upon request. You must paint a word picture that makes it easy for the editor to see the end product, and want it, right now. Your news release needs to include the key information the editor needs.

Here is a checklist of the essential information you should include in your news release to help an editor write a feature story designed to support your fund raising effort:

 Headline: Who does what for whom?

 Who -- The name of the organization doing the fund raising

 Why – what will the money be used for?

 How much money is needed – per person/per activity/goals/objectives

 How many people are involved?

 What civic and community leaders or organizations are participating?

 What will the fundraisers be doing?

 Why is it important?

 What’s special about your organization?

 Why is it especially important NOW! What is the crisis? Spell it out.

 Who benefits and how?

 What can people do to help?

 When is the event?

 Where is the event?

 How long does it go?

 What will happen when the goal is attained?

 How much is a donation? What incentives are available?

 Name and phone and email of the local contacts for more information

 Website URL for more information

You can indicate that high quality photography is available of people showing:

• Fundraisers in action
• Organizers headshots and action pictures
• The needy people receiving and experiencing the benefits and the emotional outcome of the organizations efforts.

You should focus on special facts and circumstances to make the story more newsworthy:

• Unusual people, experts, cultures, celebrities, etc.
• How children are involved in the effort
• How special case people are involved in the effort
• Abnormal circumstances warranting that people take notice.
• Facts, figures, data, statistics, and numbers
• Key cultural and emotional hot buttons
• Miserable failure
• Dazzling success
• Unusual legal restrictions affecting fund raising activities

If you are providing notice of a special event, provide specific information:

• Designed for people who love the events.
• Explain who the event is for.
• Explain who will enjoy doing it the most

Make sure you include a specific media call for action. Tell them what you want and offer to give them an interactive value-added incentive to get involved with you:

• Offer more information, samples, data, photography, interviews, etc.
• Invite them to attend and cover the event.
• Schedule a special news conference and presentation.
• Offer up people for interview and unique photo opportunities.

To get the media involved with you in a meaningful way, give them a specific time and place to receive full data and information. Stage an event or demonstration for their benefit. Give them special attention. Treat them well.

You can even ask them to donate time, energy, money, people to your cause, but if you do, make it easy and fun. Don’t be too demanding of their time or impact them in a negative way.

23 News Release Mistakes You Must Avoid

There are several things you must not do in a news release if you want it to be successful. When you write a news release review it against these criteria to see if you’ve made any of these errors.

1. You wrote an advertisement. It’s not a news release at all. It sells product. It fails to offer solid news of real tangible interest, value-added information, education or entertainment.

2. You wrote for a minority, not for a majority of people in the audience. You simply won’t compete with other news releases that clearly are written for a larger demographic of the media audience.

3. You are the center of attention, not the media audience. You focus on your organization’s business and needs, instead of things the editor and his or her audience will be interested in.

4. You forgot to put the five W’s up front. (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WHY THE AUDIENCE WILL BE INTERESTED). You didn’t clearly and succinctly tell the media which part oh the audience would be interested in this.

5. You are too wordy and text dense. You focused on details and minutia, instead of the most important ideas, issues, factors, facts, and news angles. You fail to address the real significant impacts your story has on people.

6. You place too much information on one page ¬ the one page news release has a font size so small an editor needs a magnifying glass to read it. Don’t go over 400 words per page.

7. You included corporate logos and other non-persuasive low value added graphics that distract the editor from your key message. You may have also used an unusual fancy font or a file format that turns to gobbledygook when it goes through a fax machine.

8. You wrote a personally biased article for the media to publish, instead of pitching the idea to the media and the objective reasons why the media audience will be interested.

9. You wrote about features and facts, and forgot to explain what it means to real people. Tell a story about real people. Add in real life human interest.

10. You wrote about how your news ties in to someone else’s fame and glory. Forget it. Never stand in the shadow of someone else. Make your own light. Tell your own story.

11. Your news release responds to something that just happened. You’re too late. You’re behind the eight ball. Forget it. Get out in front of the news.

12. You included too much hype, self-laudatory praise, pithy quotes from organizational leaders, useless testimonials, jargon or gobbledygook. Get rid of it.

13. You may have also identified prior media coverage, which indicates it’s no longer a new issue. Get rid of it. Let each news release stand on it’s own two feet.

14. You tried to impress and be clever or innovative but you come off naïve, less than expert, biased, flippant, arrogant, or crazy. Tone it down. Get straight.

15. You made vague and unsubstantiated claims, or wild and outrageous claims, or you included a statement that simply rubs the media the wrong way. Get rid of them.

16. You are trying to be different, just for the sake of it, but you come off eccentric. Forget it. Don’t create a false or inflated image. Be yourself.

17. You wrote a rant and rave, worthy of a letter to the editor, instead of a problem solving tips article, worthy of a feature story. Decide what you want, put your best effort into it.

18. You are simply not credible. It could be your ideas are simply not well thought out, or that you’ve offered old well-worn material, or that you are too extreme or controversial, or not qualified. You may not be expert enough, or sufficiently qualified, to make the statements, compared to others in your field. You need to present information that qualifies you properly and adequately.

19. You provided poor contact information. You need to identify the best single point of contact and the correct phone number so interested media can reach you and get the best possible attention and response from you to meet their needs. One key contact person, one contact phone, no fax, one email address, and one URL (with no long string addresses). Double check the data. Make no errors.

20. You did not include a clear media call for action. You didn’t tell the media what you want them to do with your news release. You need to tell them what you are asking for or suggesting or offering. Do it. Then you need to offer the media incentives value-added reasons to do so, like free review copies, free test samples, interview questions and answers, media kits with story angles and stats and data, relevant photographs, etc.

21. You did not incorporate and integrate a primary response mechanism. You need to include a value-added reason, which motivates the editor to publish or mention your contact information, which will generate calls, traffic, interviews, or requests for more information. This usually means something unique and of special value to the audience, that the editor feels good about mentioning.

22. You sent the release to the wrong media. Target the media that your clients read, watch and listen to when they are in the right mood, that is, receptive to hearing about your news, and willing to take action when they get your message. Work with your publicist to target the right media.

23. You rely on a single fax or an email to produce an avalanche of media calls. You conduct no follow up. Get real. Follow up properly and you can triple or quadruple your media response rate. Better still, you can ask the editors “what can I give you to support a feature story and meet your needs”.

You need to be aware that you are entering into collaboration with the editor as he or she writes the article. You may end up sending an editor material several times, talking with the editor several times, and getting into areas where you are feeling lost and uncertain.

Media editors are very good at zeroing in on inconsistencies and areas of weakness. Be prepared. Do not turn hostile. If you need to defer a question, say, "I think I need to do some research and get back to you with the information about that question".

Be patient, be considerate, be as helpful as you can, be honest, and be professional.

Just remember to give the editor what he or she needs. Do that and you will get what you are asking for.

Free publicity.

Successful news coverage in media to develop this article:

Bakes sales
Musical events, charity concerts
Door knocking candy sales
Gourmet food fests
Block parties
Washing cars
Selling books, gifts, candy, drinks, etc.
Auctions
Bingo and card game nights
Benefit performances (music and theatre).
Barbeques
Memorial funds
Balloon rides
Boat rides
Golf, fishing & hunting, and other sports tournaments, contests, and derbies
Walking & running events, athletic challenges.

Organizations or sponsors identified in media from the past three months to develop this article:

Dance teams for money for trips
Sports teams for money for trips
Music groups for various causes
Theatre groups for capital building funds
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for patient care
United Way organizations for charity
Child Cancer Foundation for patient care
American Bangladesh Association for Flooding Victims
American Red Cross for Disaster Relief
Jerry’s Kids for Sick Children
Christian Outreach Relief and Development for Disaster Relief
Fire Services National Benevolent Fund for personal disaster relief
Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) for charity
Lemonade Stand charity for cancer leukemia victims
Labor Day Parade Committee for town promotion
Brenham Fire Department for the volunteer fire department
Wings of Hope Hospice for patient care
AIDS Community Resource Network for patient care
Relay for Life for patient care
Government agency disaster relief
Personal home building fund for personal disaster relief
Personal college fund for personal college fund
Knights of Columbus for charity
Ambulance services for volunteer ambulance fund