Everyone has heard the expression “Failure to plan is planning to fail.
” Nowhere is this statement
truer than in PR Consulting. A good public relations plan will make the difference between an effective
campaign and failure. The following is an example of a very basic but effective plan.
Public Relations Plan for Center City Mission Center
Problem to Be Addressed
Funds are needed for necessary supplies, repairs to the building, payment of the mortgage on the building,
and a salary for a director. More volunteers are also needed to expand program reach.
Current Situation
The Center City Mission is a faith-based, non-profit, non-government-funded center that reaches out to
the residents on the east side of Boston. The Center provides help in areas of life skills training, such as
job skills, job search and interviewing, personal budgeting, and tutoring for children. Center City has
helped approximately 130 families since its inception in 2000, but without an increased volunteer base
and additional funding the Center is limited in its outreach capacity.
Description of Targeted Publics
1. Foundations
2. Churches and Associations
3. Individual donors
4. Health care providers
Goal
1. To increase funding by
a. $40,000/year – director
b. $10,000/year – mortgage pay off of $75,000
c. $15,000 – building repairs
d. $10,000 – computers and other supplies
2. Food bank donations
3. 25 Additional volunteers
4. Recruit health care providers for basic free medical care
Objective for Each Public
1. Foundations
a. Obtain Grants
2. Churches and Trade Associations
a. Regular monthly financial donations
b. One-time financial donations
c. Regular food and staples donations
d. Monthly food donations
3. Individual Donors
a. Regular monthly financial donations
b. One-time financial donations
c. Recruit volunteers
4. Health care providers
a. Recruit volunteers for monthly basic medical care
Action Plan for Each Public
1. Foundations
a. Submit grant applications to 25 foundations in 2009
2. Churches and Trade Associations
a. develop a team of speakers to address at least two church in metropolitan Boston and one association
per month
i. Solicit regular monthly donations as well as one-time donations
ii. Solicit regular monthly food donations as well as one-time donations
iii. Solicit volunteer’s
b. Send regular newsletters to emphasize the effectiveness of the Center
3. Individual donors
a. Hold annual fundraising events
b. Hold annual appreciation dinner for donors and volunteers
c. Send regular newsletter with thank-you’s from families that have been helped
4. Health care providers
a. Hold regular breakfast meetings for health care providers to present Center City and recruit volunteers
for a monthly free health clinic
Communication Plan Publics
1. Foundations
2. Churches and Associations
3. Individual donors
4. Health care providers
Communication Strategies
1. Foundations
a. Submit 25 grant applications
2. Churches and Organizations
a. Call pastors/directors to explain Center City and offer speakers
3. Individual Donors
a. Address church and associations
b. Hold annual fund-raising events
c. Sent newsletters describing results of Center City efforts
4. Health care providers
a. Talk to local AMA for guidance on how to approach health care providers
Media Strategies
1. Contact local reporters for feature stories in the local papers
2. Press releases about fundraisers
3. Look into being a guest on local radio talk shows.
Budget
Everything in this Public Relations Plan will be accomplished through donations and volunteer efforts.
Plan Evaluation
1. Funds collected by April 2010
2. Annual funds committed by October 2009
3. Number of committed volunteers by April 2010
4. Number of health care providers committed to volunteering
5. Increase in food bank. This is difficult to quantify.
Plan Implementation
1. Complete grant applications
2. Compile list of churches in metropolitan Boston
3. Compile list of associations in metropolitan Boston
4. Prepare mailings to churches and associations
5. Follow up mailings with phone calls
6. Prepare group presentation
7. Design brochures and have them printed
8. Contact Boston branch of American Medical Association
Feedback and Adjustment of Plan
1. Monitor presentations
a. Get feedback from speaker’s
b. Get feedback from pastors/directors
2. Make adjustments as needed
An Effective Public Relations Plan
As you can see, the public relations plan is very simple and basic. However, it is just the beginning, a map
to reaching your goal. You will build on this plan to develop your timeline and the details of each activity.
You can then use the plan to track activities and evaluate its results. This will give you a great beginning
to a plan for success.