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.