By Darren Gilbert

This is especially true for charities that rely on the kindness and generosity of the public. In their case, it’s more about staying away from anything negative that could affect their reputation.

Don’t be soft, be loud

Whether you are a business or an individual, the best way to get people to know about you is to introduce yourself. The same can be said for an NGO. As much as the cause may be close to your heart, you can’t expect someone else to know about it unless you introduce yourself.

In other words, don’t be soft, be loud. As Tarryn Corlett, CEO of The Sunflower Fund points out, you need to be loud to get media attention. “Because we achieve great media coverage, people often think that we are this massive organisation with millions of people working for us. In actual fact, we are 24 staff member nationally.”

Loud doesn’t necessarily mean being annoying. Instead it’s about ensuring that you are top- of- mind when people think about giving to a charity. For example, when you think about a charity that deals with leukaemia, you would probably think about The Sunflower Fund. If you think environmental causes, Greenpeace would probably be the first name that comes to mind. This is because they are all loud.

Don’t just use press releases, look out for more

As much as a press release is a great way to get the word out about what your NGO is doing, it’s not the only way. In a world where there are so many platforms available for you to utilise, you can’t only pick one and hope that it gives you results. Jude Habib, founder of digital media and training company sounddelivery, suggest that you rather keep your eye on what is happening in the news.

“I try and spend at least 20 minutes at a weekend looking at what's going on across radio and TV for the coming week and see what PR opportunities there might be for my work or the work we're doing for clients,” writes Habib.

Not only does this link to the idea of being loud, it allows your NGO to remain relevant and up-to-date. After all, the last thing that you want is to be passed over by donors who have opted to support a more relevant NGO. There are plenty of opportunities to get the word out. What is important is that you use them.

Don’t ignore people, involve them

If you want someone to be interested in something, you need to get their attention. One way of doing that is to include them. Or at the very least, include something in your PR strategy that connects with them on a personal level.

According to Pressat, you can never go wrong by involving children or young adult. “Why not call a local school or college and ask for their communication department to help you with your PR campaign?”

They continue, “Maybe students could work on a special advertising project for you? They could get involved in designing and creating posters or flyers to advertise your cause while to the same time exposing them to your generous mission.”

What are your thoughts? Do you have any other tips that NGO’s should consider? Tell us below.