How to Get Free Publicity for Your Nonprofit Organization

By Amy Detwiler

How do you spread the word about your nonprofit organization? I considered this question recently when I had the pleasure of attending a daylong seminar in which the closing keynote speaker represented an incredibly compelling nonprofit. Listening to this young man speak for an hour on his passion and the beloved father who served as the inspiration for the movement excited me about what he is doing.

This rather stimulating afternoon caused me to think about you and your nonprofit. What are you doing to create awareness? While not every effort of yours will cause the soul stirring excitement of the aforementioned gentleman, there’s no reason that you can’t get more people aware of what you are doing. In the mundane “real business” world this is called publicity.

Publicity is media coverage for your nonprofit for which you don’t pay one red cent. Think about all the paid advertising that for-profit businesses do — print ads, radio spots, television coverage — and the hoped-for sales they expect. Now imagine getting that same attention for free.

Frequent mentions in the newspaper, on TV or online translates into more awareness, donations, volunteers or what have you. However, to obtain publicity (save for the ubiquitous PSAs), your  nonprofit must do something worthy of media coverage, and you have to let editors and reporters know about it.

The process of getting publicity is simple, but it’s not easy. The simplicity of it begins with truly understanding what publicity is. It’s positioning your activities as newsworthy.

That small statement alone stymies about 90 percent of nonprofits. They spin their wheels sending out press releases on things that simply aren’t news. For instance, an animal rights nonprofit working to protect animals is not news, it’s your regular mission. Hiring a volunteer coordinator for your nonprofit is somewhat closer. It may be news, but it isn’t really exciting. Hosting a “Paws in the Park” 5K run… now that’s news.

Think of it this way. Editors and reporters are in the business of writing and publishing interesting articles. If you bring them stories – real stories, not fluff – you’ve just made their jobs a lot easier. Publicity is the classic quid pro quo; you get exposure and they get a story.

To begin the process of getting publicity, think about activities or actually create events that are newsworthy. Start by considering what you are already doing. Is there a way to find an angle that makes it a news story?

When you have your angle, put the information in a compelling news release to your local newspapers and televisions stations. Again, it could be about an event your are running or a feel-good story about how your non-profit is making a difference in the local community. Make it easy for editors and reporters by supplying them with everything they need to know – the who, what, when, where, why and how. Include photos if possible, as well as contact information so they can call for more details.

Sending a very newsworthy release in advance of the actual activity could even get a reporter onsite to cover the goings on!