Relationship this, Relationship that
Public relations is the "management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its publics on whom its success or failure depends" (Cutlip, Center, Broom, 1994, p.2).
Fundraising is "the management of relationships between a charitable organization and its donor publics" (Kelly, 1998, p. 8).
Okay, I'm sure by this point, you've had it drilled into your heads that public relations is not just media relations. We keep saying we're working to build relationships with donors, investors, communities, customers, etc.
We've made some pretty good progress in measuring relationships by focusing on the key components of relationships: trust, satisfaction, commitment, and the balance of power.
But something is missing. Any ideas as to what else could be measured to evaluate a relationship between an organization and its stakeholders? Do you think that virtual relationships (e.g., donating via ePhilanthropy) is the same as "real world" relationships?
Fundraising is "the management of relationships between a charitable organization and its donor publics" (Kelly, 1998, p. 8).
Okay, I'm sure by this point, you've had it drilled into your heads that public relations is not just media relations. We keep saying we're working to build relationships with donors, investors, communities, customers, etc.
We've made some pretty good progress in measuring relationships by focusing on the key components of relationships: trust, satisfaction, commitment, and the balance of power.
But something is missing. Any ideas as to what else could be measured to evaluate a relationship between an organization and its stakeholders? Do you think that virtual relationships (e.g., donating via ePhilanthropy) is the same as "real world" relationships?
posted by Richard @ 4:54 PM
1 Comments:
At 1:39 PM, September 04, 2006,
Giselle said…
I think ePhilanthropy is an excellent supplement to more traditional fundraising techniques. National and international organizations especially can benefit from the universal power of the internet, as people around the globe with a computer and a credit card can now make donations with just a few clicks of the mouse.
But it's harder for smaller organizations to harness this power, as there are significant expenses associated with maintaining an online presence. The price of servers, credit card processing, and website maintenence can be daunting, especially if the technology is implemented and the amount of online donations is less than expected. We ran into this problem at my old job when we finally stepped out of the "middle ages" and integrated donation capabilities into our website. Our board of directors had been against it for a long time, as they felt it would be prohibitively expensive for the little use it would get. I don't know how it is now, but during my tenure they were exactly right - our donors preferred the more traditional methods, such as mailing a check.
Now, I'm not saying that online donations aren't worth the trouble - on the contrary, when utilized properly they can be a significant fundraising tool. In the cases of 9/11 and Katrina relief efforts, online donations worked best because there was no realistic way for most people interested in helping to physically go down and tour the affected areas, and it was the best and easiest way to contribute. However, in my old organization, you didn't get a true sense of the impact your donation would have until you came to our facility and met our children - I had many a donor whip out their checkbook and make a sizeable contribution right in the middle of a tour because they were so moved as to what they saw. In instances such as this, no website on earth can have the impact that actually meeting the children you're helping can.
So more power to you if you're able to effectively implement ePhilanthropy and/or online donations - but I don't think it's time to totally scrap the old ways, either. The ideal situation is a blend of the two, with each reaching out to different publics and donor segments.
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