End-of-Course/Campaign Reflections

For my campaign evaluation, I chose to explore the partnership of Penn State and RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) in light of the recent scandal with Jerry Sandusky. I felt this campaign was relevant and inspiring, and so far they have done a tremendous amount of work to put an end to child sexual abuse. The duo originally had a goal of raising $500,000, and surpassed that amount in less than a month's time. This is an incredible feat. They now have their sights set on $1,000,000 and I feel confident based on their current success that they will definitely be able to pull it off. In my evaluation, I looked at the social media efforts of the collaboration and overall, I was impressed. Both parties (RAINN's Facebook/Twitter pages and the pages for Proud Penn Stater) do an excellent job of posting relevant, interesting topics. They are also not obnoxiously posting dry facts and statistics like many nonprofits do. This is something I can really appreciate as a social media patron. We have learned from our textbooks that collaborations are usually excellent opportunities for cross-promotion of names and this evaluation serves as a prime example. Through the use of social media tactics, merchandise (t-shirts), and being active in the community, this partnership has really taken off and accomplished a lot in a little amount of time.

One main criticism that I had was the lack of engagement on YouTube. As we know, YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google as of recent years. RAINN has a YouTube channel, but it really only features a few public service announcements from years ago with outdated celebrity endorsers. I would encourage the organization to get out in the Penn State community and capture raw footage of students, faculty, alumni, and other Penn State supporters working for the duo's efforts. Since the organization also has experience with public service announcements, it might also be nice to issue a new television campaign with prominent Penn State figures or a new set of celebrity endorsers relevant to the cause. Online presence is great, but we need to remember that there are still those individuals out there whose main means of obtaining information does not involve the internet or social media.

More information about RAINN and its efforts with Penn State can be found here.


Overall, I really enjoyed taking COMM 456. It was great to be involved in class projects that allowed me to be actively engaged in public relations, the career I wish to pursue. I think that I learned a wealth of information from Claiborne and the class projects and discussions that will aid me in my endeavors after college. I will be taking Stakeholder COMM in the Spring which is another PR class taught by Claiborne and I am excited to see what tasks are in store!

Friending and Funding & Governing Through Networks

Chapter ten opens with a story of a man named Scott Harrison who utilized friending to fund his creation, charity: water. It is apparent by the actions of this one man that the social aspect of "friending" ultimately leads to "funding" for an organization. Scott was able to utilize a number of personal characteristics to help him accomplish his goals such as:

• Being Transparent: operating an organization out in the open including annual reports, financial statements, and audit reports. Also includes how money is used by an organization and contact information for staff. All of this information should be available to the public via some sort of online medium (an organization's website, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
• Being Simple: an organization need to have a simple message and set of goals so as not to confuse the public. This is particularly true with social media outlets including status updates, tweets, etc.
• Listening, engaging, and building relationships: it is crucial for organizations to reach out and engage as many people as possible. This is made possible by listening to the thoughts and opinions of the public, and adpating to suit them.

Many of these aspects are reminiscent of topics I studied in a leadership seminar several semesters ago. Most of the curriculum focused on effective leadership and included characteristics like being a good listener, adapting to followers/subordinates, and building strong relationships with those who support you. This will lead not only to effective leadership, but success of the group as a whole. The same is true for nonprofit organizations.

In regards to funding, I thought it was important that the text pointed out that donors to the organization should be treated with respect. This includes an organization refraining from hounding people for money and not treating them like ATM machines. I think the success of many companies who depend on their donors for survival relies on these practices. No one likes to feel as if they are being harrassed for money, and more organizations would be wise to remember that.

Chapter 11 focuses on governance within organizations. The three boards discussed are the Rubber Stamp Board, Muddle-Through Board, and Fiduciary Board. There are a variety of characteristics held by each group that can be applicable to a variety of nonprofit organizations. Governance determines how recruits for support are gathered.

I thought that the aspects of governing a network of individuals was very interesting and relevant to the ever-changing face of job positions. Making sure that people who deal with social media actually know what they're doing is crucial to a company or organization's reputation. A very recent example of a social media slip-up happened last week with the South Africa branch of Durex Condoms (see this link). This is an ideal case study where governance of social media training fell through and the company had to scramble to pick up the pieces of their reputation.

Crowds & Loops

The reading from Chapter 8 pertains to the impact that crowds have on networked nonprofit organizations. One method of organizing both large and small crowds to work for the good of an organization is called crowdsourcing. The text lists four distinct categories of crowdsourcing:

• Collective intelligence/crowd wisdom: refers to a "cloud' of information that each member of a group can contribute to. Data may be "mashed up" and organized into a slew of different uses for the collective group. When I worked for the Chamber, all board members, interns, and the executive director had access to our online marketing site, Vertical Response. Therefore, we were able to all contribute ideas, key dates, and upcoming events to send out to members in the form of eBlasts. These items were all cross-checked for accuracy and distributed to mass amounts of people, which increased our presence in the community
• Crowd creation: refers to the act of crowds creating original works of knowledge or art; For our class projects with Safe Harbor, we each utilized social mediums in a variety of ways to promote events. An example of this would be our promotion of the Chick-fil-A fundraiser via an event invitation on Facebook. Closer to the event, we tweeted the event as a reminder for the community to participate. By including outside members through these promotions, the ideas and goals of an organization can reach out to even larger groups of people.
• Crowd voting: refers to having crowds vote on their favorite ideas, artwork, essays, people, etc. During my internship with the Chamber of Commerce, I was lucky enough to participate in the planning and execution of the annual awards banquet. We formulated several awards categories and distributed it to members to make nominations and vote. This was beneficial not only in that it gave members a chance to recoginize outstanding business leaders in the community, but it also increased involvement and allowed them to have their voice heard. Though this differs from a poll (as is mentioned in the book), there was still alot of positive feedback and participation from members of the Chamber. In turn, we ended up hosting a fantastic awards dinner with high attendance from both Chamber members and other individuals in the community.
• Crowd funding: refers to the "collective pocketbook and encouraging groups to fund an effort that benefits many people. This category is also relevant to our class' work with Safe Harbor. I was involved with the Homecoming project, and one of our main tasks was setting up a booth on Bowman Field during game day to raise awareness about domestic violence to fans walking around and looking at the floats. As a group, we had little to no budget to work with, so we had to get really creative and resourceful. Luckily we were able to utilize Julie from Safe Harbor for display banners and educational pamphlets to hand out to patrons. We also got creative and made our own signs promoting the Facebook and Twitter campaigns we decided to host. Finally, we offered a raffle for a football signed by Clemson football players if an individual decided to make a donation or participate in one or both social media campaigns. Surprisingly, we earned a substantial amount of donations and were even able to reimburse ourselves for supplies!

Chapter 8 also discusses the importance of microplanning with crowds. The text describes microplanning as an "iterative process of small experiements that lets organizations change, scale, or scrap them easily, quickly, and inexpensively." Microplanning is not to be confused with being unplanned. Rather, it allows for organizations to begin easily and leave plans open and and changeable to crowds. This breathing room allots for more change over time, ending in a more adaptable group. I feel that a majority of the success our class groups have experience from our work with Safe Harbor is due to our openness to new ideas and change. This may also relate to our overall ability to have reached out to large groups of individuals on campus and in the Clemson community, and increase domestic violence awareness.


Moving on..


The information found in Chapter 9 pertains to learning loops. That is, the need for organizations to have a strong hold of their central goals and objectives of using social media before even considering to begin a project. The text notes that it is imperative for organizations to reach out to a specific target audience before attempting to take on the whole world via social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and more. Microplanning comes into play again with the process of learning loops, and may include small periods during the day in which organizations allot time to focus on social media campaigns. There is also the aspect of measuring the success of a campaign. As the book notes, it is very simple for an organization to make these measurements incorrectly. As an intern at the Chamber, I was in charge of social media campaigns on Facebook and Twitter. When I started, the Chamber had a limited number of followers on Facebook and no Twitter account at all. I think I definitely underestimated the task of gaining fans and followers, especially since I was required to submit a montly report on the success of the pages. I was also dealing with board members who were not actively involved with social media outlets, so there was also a need for education there. I started by seeking out all of our members who had Facebook and/or Twitter accounts and expressing our support of their pages. In turn, most of them reciprocated by becoming actively involved with our pages. Where I fell short was by assuming that the individuals who decided to follow or like us in return would automatically become actively involved in our social media activity. I found that stats were actually quite low in regards to interactions and feedback. Therefore, I utilized a number of multimedia tools; videos from Business After Hours and Ribbon Cutting events, pictures relevant to the community, and small blurbs that would get viewers involved. The result was greater interactions and higher response from our fans and followers, but it took virtually a whole summer of interning to reach that point. I think alot of people fail to realize that a social media campaign is like any other campaign or project; it requires planning and a lot of thought to be executed correctly and yield success.

I found these two articles that relate to Facebook and Twitter presence of organizations.. Enjoy!

9 tips for a successful Facebook presence

Avoid these 10 time-wasting tweets

Methods for Building Relationships and Trust: Reflections from Chapters 5 and 6

Chapter 5 offers a lot of information about ways that an organization can open up and foster beneficial relationships. It is noted that listening is the foundation for success in any organization when building relationships is the goal. I thought the authors made an excellent point when they said that an organization should never talk at their audience. Instead, it is important to get on the level of audience members and find out their individual questions, interests, and concerns. By doing this, trust is instilled in the organization and its fan base is sustained and even increased in size. Today, one of the best ways that companies and organizations can listen to their audiences is via social media. Virtually all major companies are utilizing outlets like Facebook and Twitter to promote their products and services to consumers.This is due in part to the fact that it is inexpensive advertising and can reach out to massive amounts of people at once. By "liking," or "following" these organizations on social media outlets, friends of friends and followers of followers will also see activity associated with supporting various pages and thus, increase supporters and consumers. It's a genius idea, especially considering social media is clearly not going anywhere.

Engaging the public can also have a positive effect for organizations online. I think it relates to virutally any kind of leader-follower scenario in that by making followers feel included, loyalty to a company/organization/product will flourish. It is also a great way for organizations to say thanks to their supporters, which is also a nice touch. There are a number of businesses I can think of in Clemson alone that engage their supporters via social media. This includes everything from fast food restaurants to retail stores. They offer specials or encourage feedback from customers about topics as simple as what they did over the weekend. Criticism is also accepted and harped on so as to improve products or services. I think by creating this sense of involvement, companies increase their success.

Chapter 6 discusses the need for nonprofit organizations to have transparency. According to the text, this involves, "engaging more honestly and openly with the networked world." This includes the three categories of transparency that nonprofits can be categorized as:

• Fortress: Very exclusive; build walls to keep "invaders" out. Self-protection to insure that secrets are kept. Very much an "us vs. them" mentality. This is not a good mindset to have because it leads to paranoia within the group, which can ultimately be detrimental to the organization itself.
• Transactional: provide services to the public, selected by the public, based on cost. These individuals are continuously crunching numbers and making comparisons based on who attended what function or who donated x amount of money to an organization. This is not the only way in which the organization can function, but it should be known that transactions are the basis for prime focus in organizations that adopt this mode of transparency.
• Transparent: The opposite of a fortress; a "glass house" though there is still a wall present. These organizations are compared to sponges in the text because they are straightforward in their intentions and plans, people are allowed to come and go as they please, and members are enriched in the process.

By inhibiting more transparency within, an organization can break down those walls that may discourage increased support from the outside world. This can in turn increase revenues collected and information posted by individuals everywhere. One quote I really liked from this chapter was on page 83: "The future of an organization has to be as transparent as the past." This pertains to planning for future methods of success such as reaching out to more people. It also relates to learning from the past-what worked and what didnt, and what new ideas could be utilized to increase the success of the organization

Just for Giggles...

Also, I wanted to add this little gem since we have discussed apprehension towards Facebook. My mother complains all the time that Facebook is too complicated for her because of its ever-changing nature. That's why I deemed this appropriate to the topic:

Enjoy!

Social Culture & The Dragonfly Effect

Chapter 4 of the text pertains to the transformation that many organizations make towards the status of a social culture. This is a shift that takes a great deal of patience and practice to perfect. This phenomenon is revolutionary in that it views values and operations of organizations in a whole new light. Page 43 of the book lists these characteristics as those that define social culture organizations:

• Social Media is used to engage in 2-way conversations about the work of the organization with people inside and outside the organization.
• Mistakes are embraced rather than dwelled on. Risks-no matter how calculated-are taken.
• Learning and reflection are rewarded.
• A "try it and fix it as we go" mentality is utilized - emphasizes failing fast.
• Overcome organizational inertia ("We've always done it this way" through open and robust discussions
• Understand/appreciate that informality and individuality to not indicate a lack of caring, professionalism, or quality.
• Trust staff members to make decisions/respond to situations rapidly, rather than attempt check-off and approval processes that take up precious time.

I think these aspects are an effective and rational way to approach the logistics of nonprofit organizations. I think it pertains especially to the rising generation of individuals (our generation, to be exact) that will be heading said organizations in the near future. My particular favorite characteristic from the list above is the fifth bullet point (overcome the "we've always done it this way" mentality). I can relate this to a plethora of different situations. In a leadership seminar class I took last spring, we examined this notion in regards to effective leadership. It has become absolutely necessary for members of organizations not to get stuck in routine practices that are outdated and useless. It is also crucial for these members to engage in "open and robust" discussions. This causes morale of the group to be high, a feeling of involvement amongst members, and a greater likelihood for creative thinking to be brought to the table. As the book also illustrates beginning on page 47, change for an existing organization is never easy. Many organizations can get hung up on the thought of potentially losing control, or "vertigo." I thought of Sara's example in class when she told us about the difficulties she faced trying to introduce social media to the company. This may have been due to a fear of looking unprofessional. For example, MANY Facebook users do not uphold their most endearing qualities when posting on their or others' pages. I think that these are the aspects of Facebook and Twitter that have given social media bad reputation amongst organizations, leading to a hesitance to use them. However, I also think that as the Millineal generation moves into the forefront, these apprehensions will subside because it is obvious that the rise of social media has only just begun.

We also discussed The Dragonfly Effect in class. This is a novel that explores the use of social media and how it can lead to social change. What I found fascinating about the naming of the book was that it relates to the anatomical features of an actual dragonfly; all four wings can move separately to maneuver its body in different ways. I thought it was really unique that the authors used this analogy to relate the model of the book itself:

These are all crucial aspects of social media practices, and if used correctly, have been proven to propel an organization in to the spotlight of an online presence. These are the methods that we have utilized with Safe Harbor, as well as other organizations we have encountered while interns or employees at a variety of companies/businesses. By mastering these core skills now, I think we will be much more effective at directing our knowledge of social media towards public relations related fields.

Social Networks for Networked Nonprofits

The information in the reading from chapter 3 focuses primarily on defining social networks and how they pertain to/make up a networked nonprofit organization. According to the book, the main social networks of focus are:

• Personal (family, friends, neighbors, congregants, hobbyists)
• Professional (colleagues, individuals who work at collegial agencies, funders, government agencies, associations, etc.)
• Self-organized (Facebook friends, Twitter followers, etc.)
• Networks of People (created by specific nonprofit organizations: members chosen from databases and are connected via online social networks, websites, etc.)

Prior to reading this chapter, I was not fully aware of the different dynamics of social networks. I think it is much easier to understand when applied to a real-life situation, so I compared the factors that make up social networks (nodes and ties) to the building blocks of our class projects with Safe Harbor.

• Hubs: "The larger nodes within networks; the people or organizations that have lots of connections." Aka: Julie and the rest of the staff at Safe Harbor. Each staff member would be able to help us out with establishing connections in the upstate to sponsor or support our projects/events. They also have provided us with a plethora of information and educational materials to use at events.
• Core: "the inner cluster of people who do most of the work on any project or effort." Aka: each particular group that is planning and executing a project. There was the Homecoming group, the Guest Speaker group, and now the remaining groups' projects to be carried out over the course of the rest of the semester.
• Clusters: "groups of people who are connected to one another, but who have few connections to the rest of the network." An example of a cluster that comes to my mind would be the different individuals working in the College of Architecture, Art & Humanities that all aided in spreading the word about our Homecoming project. There were a number of individuals within that college that worked to get our press release out, and include information about the event on the college's website. They would be considered colleagues because they probably all work somewhat closely together on a day to day basis. However, they are not particularly close with our class. They just aided in our project process.

I think by understanding each of these factors in a way that relates to our class projects, we can more clearly understand how vital they are to impacting the success of our endeavors.

Networked Nonprofits: A Definition + Challenges & Trends

Based on the reading, Surfrider is defined as a Networked Nonprofit because it is more like a social network than a "tradtional stand-alone organization." I thoroughly enjoyed the comparison of surfers and other ocean enthusiasts to unherded cats. As we have seen with the other text (SCfN), a major aspect of networking nonprofit organizations stems from the social media revolution. By utilizing mediums such as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, the organization is able to reach out to-and obtain support from-a more diverse demographic of people who share similar interests. The characteristics of a Networked Nonprofit is different from our experience with Safe Harbor in several ways:

• Safe Harbor and other organizations like it have a slightly more firm grasp on their logos/brandings, messages/messengers, and services offered than that of a NN. For example, with our class projects (Homecoming, guest speaker, Chick-fil-A fundraiser, etc.) projects, it was necessary for us to go through both Claiborne and Julie to get the ultimate approvals for our ideas.
• Though Safe Harbor is getting more fans/followers on their Facebook/Twitter pages everyday, they still have a long way to go before they are on the social networking status of a NN. In fact, NN's typically utilize social mediums to accomplish most of their communication amongst supporters or members, where as Safe Harbor raises awareness primarily through educational seminars/speeches/tools.

Part of our job(s) with the class projects is to help raise awareness for domestic violence to our peers, as well as the programs offered by Safe Harbor. Because our generation constitutes a large majority of those using social media, one of the primary objectives of each group is to raise awareness via social mediums. On Twitter, Safe Harbor is now up to 283 followers and on Facebook, 659 fans. We are well on our way to accomplishing the numbers we originally set out to reach, but I believe by inhabiting several practices of Networked Nonprofits, we could go above and beyond our original goals.

The second chapter of the text focuses on challenges and trends amongst Networked Nonprofits, both of which I found fascinating. The unfortunate effect of our economic recession on organizations is an issue that almost all nonprofits face at some point or another, forcing them to either downsize or shut down completely. There are other aspects that lead to the success-or not-of NN's, such as the presence of Millennials and Free Agents. This reading was my first interaction with the idea of a Millennial, which is comparable to the Baby Boomer generation. I found this section particularly interesting because my mom is a Baby Boomer and I would be considered a Millenial, so it was cool to see the comparison of the two generations and the effects each had/has on society. Going back to the social media revolution, Millennials are considered "digital natives," in that we were brought up with ever-increasing amounts of technology being thrown at us. We are far more adaptable to the introduction of new mediums through which to communicate, Facebook and Twitter being a prime example. Therefore, my generation will utilize a variety of different mediums through which to promote an organization, which ultimately changes up the scope of nonprofits as a whole. Another aspect of Millennials that was interesting was the fluid nature of support for a cause/organization. Thus enters a problem for Networked Nonprofits in that they must constantly mold and reshape into an appealing factor for consumers to gain their support.

In contrast, Free Agents might be considred allies for NN's in that they are capable of attracting large groups of individuals and getting news/questions/etc. to mass amounts of consumers. However there is also a list of "rules of engagement" necessary to follow when working with free agents. Some of these include becoming familiar with FA's, or those using Facebook, Twitter, or writing blogs. Though not entirely related, I can't help but think of the PR blunder that took place with The Bloggess that Claiborne showed us in class...

Selecting Spokespeople/The Power of Partnerships

The information found in Chapter 9 pertains to selecting and training spokespeople for a given organization. I'm sure we could all think of an organization that utilizes celebrity sponsorships to appeal to mass amounts of the public. However, this option can be tricky due to famous figures having their own agenda, being involved in a scandal, or making outrageous demands of the organization in return for their cooperation. One of the first examples that came to mind was the infamous Kanye West rant during a Hurricane Katrina relief telethon..

Clearly, Kanye had his own agenda by participating in the Red Cross event, and one might argue that he even distracted viewers from the real reason why they were watching/participating in the organization's fundraiser because of his inappropriate statement that "George Bush does not care about black people." I just feel bad for poor Mike Myers.

Aside from having a positive supporter from the outside, it is also crucial to select a member from within the organization that will be an effective communicator in the spotlight of the media. According to the text, this involves a person who is willing-and has the time-to meet with media in the form of answering questions and doing press interviews. He or she must also be able to stand their own and deliver a positive image on TV, radio, or in print. Taking lessons in this area is encouraged, and can be done in a number of ways from pro bono coaching to setting up mock television/radio interviews. I liked that the reading compares this position to someone interested in learning to play soccer or golf... the training and lessons are necessary!

Chapter 10 focuses  on the concept of partnerships/collaborations amongst nonprofit organizations. Due to the ever-growing presence of social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and more.. it is almost a necessity for organizations to partner up in order to stand out from all of the other "contending interests" present. I think this idea would be beneficial for the causes held by these organizations in that by partnering, they ideally be able to reach out to more demographic than one. In a way, our class could be considered to be in a "collaboration" with Safe Harbor because we are planning an executing several projects through the course of the semester that will better allow us to promote domestic violence awareness on Clemson's campus. For the Homecoming project, it was necessary for my group to check in with Julie and Claiborne to make sure we were communicating the right messages to the public. That brings me to my next point about the text that involves internal communications within partnerships. I believe that communication amongst organizations is vital to the partnership they share. Memos were a suggested method of updating those involved. Utilizing an online marketing program to keep members informed on upcoming events, meetings, etc. can also be helpful and isn't time consuming. Keeping those invovled within a particular organization is also key so that members do not feel disconnected from what is happening. This is a point that has been stressed in most of the classes I have taken at Clemson; from interpersonal communication to leadership seminars, and it holds true with most other aspects of life as well.

Media Coverage is Key

Much of the information found in Chapter 7 is reminiscent of that found in Chapter 5. Forming relationships with those individuals who make up the media is a crucial step in promoting any organization to the public. By having familiarity with local reporters, one has a multitude of promotional opportunities at their fingertips. For the Homecoming project, my group had a very short window of time in which to accomplish our tasks, including getting our press release sent out to the media in time for it to be featured in various publications. Because of my internship from the previous summer, I already  had a pretty solid media list and was acquainted with many of the reporters on it. Therefore, in a time when I needed a press release sent out quickly, those contacts were willing to help out. I'm not saying that if I had not known them on a professional basis that they would not have assisted me, but I definitely believe that those relationships helped push our case. The Seneca Journal's LaDonna Beeker is currently workingn on a piece that focuses on Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so I also plan to follow up with her and send her pictures and any other info from the success of our project to include in her report. I feel confident that these individuals would also help our class out with the remaining group projects of the semester.

Here is a page featured on the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities news reel. Though not necessarily press-related, the story was still able to reach a large number of students and faculty at Clemson University by being listed on the website.

Another aspect from this chapter that struck home with me was the maintenance of press lists. This was also one of the many tasks I had as an intern over the summer, and I quickly learned how important it is to have an up-to-date list of media contacts. We primarily used an Excel sheet organized alphabetically and pertaining to what type of media (newspapers/newsletters, radio stations, social media, blogs, and so on). Specifically, the reading focuses on blogs, which is unique in that by following one blog,  there are tons of opportunities for reaching out to other individuals (blogrolls that may introduce other bloggers relevant to the organization at hand). We also utilized an online marketing tool called Vertical Response. This software not only allowed us to send eBlasts to mass groups promoting upcoming events or Chamber activities, but it also maintained a very well-organized member list of who was receiving our news.

Finally, I recently read an article on PR Daily titled, "Alternatives to sending a press release." I thought it was very interesting in that the author explores more creative ways to get news to reporters who may not necessarily want-or have time to-read through a million press releases a day. One of these included a pitch email that utilized bullet points to make the information simple, to the point, and easy for the receiver to copy/paste/release to the public. Here is the article.

Tools to Anticipate the Navigation of an Ever-Changing Industry (Reflections from Chapter 5 and More)

Chapter 5 struck a alot of familiar chords with me, particularly in regards to our current projects promoting awareness about Safe Harbor. Developing relationships with professional and citizen journalists (on the web and in person - page 58) is stressed as being crucial to the success of a developing organization. This summer I was an intern for the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce in Seneca, SC. I was responsible for sending out press releases to a slew of local papers, including the local paper in Seneca. Due to my regular contact with these individuals, I began professional relationships with them that were incredibly beneficial to my completion of various tasks and projects with the Chamber. Today, I sent a press release to my contact, Brett, at the Seneca paper, and he was more than happy to help. I was also able to get in touch with several other contacts from my media list with the intership, and several of them also agreed to run the release. This will aid in our goal of spreading awareness not only to Clemson University students, but also to the surrounding communities. What's more, builidng rapport with local media figures can also lead to additonal connections which may further spread awareness about our client, Safe Harbor.

When my classmates and I were first instructed to research our client, I feel confident that many of us turned to a major search engine such as Google to provide us with information regarding domestic violence statistics and the like. Chapter 5 discusses the impact off the internet on nonprofits in that the majority of information regarding these organizations can be found online in the form of websites, social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, and blogs. Safe Harbor has all of these things. Aside from having an incredible impact on individuals' daily lives, the internet is also re-shaping the role of journalism in society. Information comes at a more rapid rate, and news is delivered almost instantaneously. Twitter is now being used by major corporations as a news reel constantly providing and updating information for consumers. I found this article on PR Daily and I found it really interesting. It discusses Google's new position as the third-largest social network, and what this status means for the future images of corporations around the world.

Check it out:
http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/9627.aspx

Valuable Info Strikes Home

I found the information provided in the readings (chapters 3 and 4 in SCfN) to be incredibly useful and relevant to the goals we as a class are trying to accomplish. Chapter 3 discusses conducting research and reaching target audiences. In regards to our client, Safe Harbor, I think it would be very beneficial to employ the idea of thinking up segments or "clusters" (page 36) to more accurately determine our audiences. Different groups of people have different agendas, and we need to work on reaching all of those dynamics in order to raise awareness about our client and succeed in our goals. In particular, we want to reach full-time college students. This is a dynamic of individuals who has little to no awareness about the ugly truths of domestic violence-not to mention they make up the majority of the population in Clemson-so they are an ideal candidate.

The information pertaining to qualitative and quantitative research struck a familiar cord with me because I am currently taking a qualitative research methods class. I always find it interesting when materials from my different classes overlap.. learning the information is easier if I can see it in action in various settings in life. One of the main facets of qualitative research is polling or interviewing individuals so that conclusions about a topic can be drawn from the data. One of the other types of research listed was online research, which we all do on a daily basis. In fact, we as a class employed online research for our first blog post regarding statistics about domestic violence in our state and country. It may even serve us well to get to know our client better through the use of some of these research tactics.

The values that people hold near and dear to their hearts is something that we need to explore in order to more effectively reach our target audiences. Obviously, our client is one that already utilizes an emotional appeal to reach out to the public for support. However, the individuals who lack awareness about domestic violence also have personal values that need to be discussed. Page 46 of the text lists primary and secondary values that people hold. These values influence beliefs that they may have, and decisions that they may make. I found it interesting that most of these values can potentially tie in with the mission of our client, Safe Harbor. Some of these may include responsibility to care for others, honesty and integrity, fairness and equality, and personal liberty. If we appeal to the values of Clemson students, we should be able to successfully pull off whatever projects we decide on.

At the same time, we want to make sure that we don't make our projects seem too outlandish so that our audiences don't experience the "glazed over" effect (page 50). We need to concentrate on making our audience feel like they CAN help us accomplish our goals, and that the projects themselves aren't too overwhelming. I feel like many large nonprofit organizations experience this at one point or another, particularly when dealing with a problem that is unpleasant or uncomfortable for the public to talk about (such as domestic violence, rape, etc.).

I found this public service announcement on YouTube.. It's graphic but I think it definitely pertains to the emotional appeals we need to reach with our audiences.

Ideas that I find Ideal

I really enjoyed reading all of the ideas posted by my fellow classmates for projects that promote Safe Harbor and domestic violence awareness.

Myself and others suggested a purple drink night in downtown Clemson that may reach out to our peers. I do still maintain that we should encourage patrons to wear purple and possibly receive a discount on their drink or food purchase(s) at establishments like the Esso Club, 356, Tiger Town Tavern, and others. I know many sororities, fraternities, and other campus groups utilize this idea often for philanthropy purposes and it seems to be successful.

Another idea that I thought would be awesome was the one posed that we encourage a purple out in favor of promoting the color that represents domestic violence awarenss for the month of October. This might be a bit tricky to pull off and would require us to start planning immediately, especially since September is already halfway over. We would need to speak with coaches or other people of authority in the athletic department. We could also talk to sorotities and fraternities who are pomping floats for the halftime show and encourage them to include the color purple, a purple ribbon, etc. to raise further awareness. This would reach out not only to Clemson students, but also everyone else at the game (and as we all know, attendees come from all over).

Finally, making progressive moves to re-vamp Safe Harbor's Facebook and Twitter pages is a crucial project we need to take on, and soon! These would be fantastic tools to raise awareness in the form of event invitations, sharing pictures from events, or providing statistics and facts about domestic violence. We must realize that we would reach not only our Clemson network, but addionally networks around the country. We have students from all over the globe. If their friends in their network see what we post or what is re-posted, upcoming events, etc., the awareness raised would be substantial. Additionally, these social media tools would allow us to be more ogranized as a group when tackling these projects for our client Safe Harbor.

Chapter 1: SCfN

Prior to reading the first chapter of Strategic Communication for Nonprofits, I really had little to no knowledge about the details of what makes up a nonprofit organization. However, I feel that the reading provided a lot of helpful information that will come in handy when dealing with our client, Safe Harbor.

Having a strong familiarity and relationship with the media-as we also see in our other textbook, The Networked Nonprofit-is crucial to working with a nonprofit organization. With this strong relationship comes positive media exposure in a way that is helpful when promoting events, fundraisers, or raising awareness to the community about your cause. In my work with the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce this summer, we had great relationships with our local radio stations and newspapers. This allowed us to have (usually free) promotion of business after hours, ribbon cuttings, or other Chamber-sponsored events.

Additionally, making sure that you are aware of your audience is also a major key to success when working with or for a nonprofit. The text says that strategic communication is typically more effective with nonprofit organizations than those working for profit. This is partially due to the fact that nonprofit organizations are mostly about making our society a better place, working to find a cure for a disease, or aiding those in need. They are looked highly upon for their good work in communities, despite those individuals’ lack of profit for their work.

In terms of collaborative relationship mentioned in the book, I feel that we will be utilizing this term quite a bit this semester. With many of the ideas I have seen my classmates discuss in their blog entries, most of them include working with other groups. These may include Greek organizations, local restaurants and bars, and other campus organizations. Having relationships with these people will also aid in our success to helping spread awareness about domestic violence, as well as gain support for our client, Safe Harbor.

Safe Harbor Visit and Project Ideas

Visiting Safe Harbor was a very interesting experience for me. There were things I expected and things that I did not expect at all. My first reaction to the location of the shelter was one of surprise. I guess I was assuming-given the top secret nature of the shelter's whereabouts-that it would not be located in downtown Greenville. In fact, I was anticipating the shelter to be out in the country and not off of a main road. However, when I thought about it later, maybe there is a method to choosing that location. From what I gathered from my fellow classmates, they were predicting the same thing as I was initially. I was also expecting to see much more graphic evidence of domestic violence on the victims staying in the house. While I'm sure they are going through alot of personal issues that I cannot even begin to imagine, the atmosphere of the house was not nearly as depressing as I thought it might be. Instead, it was a very warm, welcoming place and I believe most visitors feel at home there.
Julie Meredith seems like a very sweet, compassionate person who thoroughly cares about the victims of domestic violence that stay at Safe Harbor. I think she will be a fun client to work with. The main thing that I took away from our Q&A session was that she wants to make progressive moves towards raising awareness about domestic violence in the upstate. Since education equals awareness, it seems crucial that there should be some kind of educational materials created that could reach out to various groups of people. Julie also stressed the importance of reaching out to the college-age crowd. She also made it obvious that she wants us to reach out and be the key educators about domestic violence for our peers.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The outline of events that Safe Harbor has created featured a pretty impressive lineup. I really like the idea of various restaurants featuring nights dedicated to awareness, and donating a portion of their proceeds to the cause. To reach out to a more college-age crowd, I think it would be cool if restaurants or bars specific to Clemson could participate. For example, The Esso Club (or another local Clemson restaurant) could sponsor a night in which all patrons wearing purple (the color for domestic violence awareness) could receive a discount on their purchase. Additionally, bars downtown could feature limited time specials on a purple drink that they created or also offer specials to those wearing purple. Of course there would also be promotional items set up in the facility for patrons to see. Most people are unaware that purple is the color for domestic violence awareness, so offering an event like this could raise a large amont of awareness amongst participants. We could use these promotional events in restaurants/bars to fund the next idea....

Last year, Clemson Football coaches promoted a "purple out" for one of our home games, and everyone was encouraged to deck themselves in purple to raise school spirit. Last week, many of us suggested that we discuss this idea with the coaches again, and take time during the halftime show to make an announcement about Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The announcer could even provide information regarding donations or volunteer opportunities with Safe Harbor. Additionally, we could work with Tiger Town Graphics (or another company like it) to have t-shirts promoting the "purple out" game and awareness about domestic violence to sell to students and faculty, with the proceeds going towards Safe Harbor. I think this might be a good idea, considering how much college kids love t-shirts. For this project to be most effective, I believe we should shoot for a home game in October, which gives us the option of the Boston College game on October 8 (could be problematic because this is also homecoming), or the UNC game on October 22 (could be ideal because it gives us more time to plan and we still be able to hit the month of October).

For both of these events, we could divide into small groups to accomlish tasks leading up to the events in question. This might cut down on the amount of time needed to carry out our plans. Ideally, we could promote events both on and off campus. High-traffic areas such as Library Bridge, Hendrix, the Union, etc. could potentially be good locations to set up a tent featuring educational infomration about domestic violence.

These are just rough-draft ideas, but I think with the right amount of planning and promotion, our class could definitely pull it off. We seem to have a great deal of enthusiasm, and with the guidance and support of Julie and the rest of the staff at Safe Harbor, we can help spread awareness about domestic violence  to the Clemson area.

The Truth About Domestic Violence

I feel that domestic violence situations are grossly overlooked by a large majority of people in our country. I personally am guilty of the same thing. Sure, I always knew that there are women and men out there involved in abusive relationships, but after looking up a few statistics on the matter, I was really surprised at how present these unfortunate situations are in our society. South Carolina alone has one of the highest ratings of domestic violence in the United States. There are certain stigmas associated with a view of a "battered woman," but according to the SCCADVASA website, most of those are myths. For example, I had always assumed and heard that most domestic violence occurs much more in a lower socioeconomic status and the victims are typically not highly educated. This is not the case. Domestic violence can occur on any socioeconomic level, and women who are battered have educations ranging from completion of 5th grade to doctoral degrees. What's so unfortunate about these stigmas is that it decreases the amount of awareness by the public because people get stuck on their own assumptions. I know that there is no real way to understand a situation unless you are in it (though I would never wish such a thing on anyone), but in order to move forward and make progressive changes against domestic violence situations, we must step outside our comfort zones and sympathize with the victims of such horrendous crime.