What prompted you to write the book?
Many people encouraged me to write another book. However, it wasn’t until Dr. Marcella DeVeaux contacted me to locate copies of Using Public Relations Strategies to Promote Your Nonprofit Organization that I seriously considered undertaking such a project.
Although published several years earlier, Dr. DeVeaux said the basic communication principles, understandable writing style, easy-to-implement tactical approaches, and extensive bibliography continued to make this book a “must have” for those interested in nonprofit communication. Given my passion for teaching and mentoring, these remarks inspired me share my knowledge and research through a second book.

Is there a difference in PR practice between not-for-profit organizations and for-profit organizations? And if so, are there distinctly different channels accessed or approaches adopted by the two types or is the PR more similar than one might think?
Although nonprofits and businesses have different purposes, there are significant similarities.
Whether selling a car, enticing someone to dine at your restaurant, asking an individual to use your accounting service, making a donation request to a nonprofit, or requesting a person volunteer time as a committee chair, the reputational components leveraged as well as the strategic communication planning and measurement processes are essential.
Whether for-profit or nonprofit, the organization’s image must be portrayed consistently and steps taken to proactively enhance as well as protect this reputation. Strategic communication planning efforts must be holistic in nature to ensure consistent organizational image. This helps minimize the risk of an inconsistent reputation as well as identifies weaknesses and possible reputational detractors. Also, relationships must be built with critical stakeholders through honest and open communication. And, collaborative opportunities with key audiences must be identified and executed. Without these, a business or a nonprofit may limit itself through “tunnel vision,” causing major goals to be missed and a lesser degree of success achieved.

What would you say the most difficult barrier facing the PR for nonprofit organizations was? Why? And, how might it be overcome?
A major PR challenge for nonprofit organizations is to think in reputation management terms. Nonprofits automatically receive a significant amount of goodwill because they are thought of as being dedicated to good causes, working toward the common welfare of all, and committed to making the world a better place in which to live.
A business, on the other hand, must work hard to earn trust and to be awarded such a positive and altruistic reputation.
Consequently, nonprofits may overlook the important role a positive and well defined reputation plays in generating donations; recruiting and retaining volunteers at all levels; and protecting credibility and trust during a crisis.
Since it is not a question of if but when a crisis strikes and since the nonprofit environment has become extremely competitive, not-for-profit entities cannot take their reputation for granted. They must be aware of how they are perceived, proactively strategize how they can enhance and capitalize on their reputations, and vigorously protect their images when crises or sensitive situations arise.

How would you describe the main differences between your first publication with us, Using Public Relations to Promote Your Nonprofit Organization, and Promoting Nonprofit Organizations?
Promoting Nonprofit Organizations focuses intently on the reputation management approach to nonprofit branding and public relations. Collaboration is another key theme in this book as communication with important publics and relationship building with critical stakeholders are a necessity for strategic and proactive reputation management efforts.
Although each chapter takes a deep dive into a particular communication channel or tactic, which is similar in writing style to my first publication, Promoting Nonprofit Organizations approaches subjects from an overarching, strategic vantage point and always links to some component of reputation management.

If you were pressed, what would you say was the number one lesson to take away from reading this book?
Proactive enhancement and protection of an organization’s reputation is critical, if a nonprofit intends to:
*maximize fundraising potential;
*leverage relationships with key stakeholders;
*collaborate to its benefit with business and government; and
*recruit and retain engaged volunteers.
To achieve such results, strategic reputation management must be foundational in the strategic planning and tactical communication implementation process.

If you could go back in time and recommend a chapter or segment to your earlier self, which chapter would it be and why?
I’d recommend the strategic planning chapter.
In the course of a busy day, one is pulled in numerous ways. These distractions can tempt one to short change the strategic planning process. When this occurs, adequate time is not spent on a comprehensive and strategic review of the organization. Instead, it is essential to:
*take a holistic view to see how all aspects interrelate to the organization’s reputation,
*analyze the critical elements in this equation,
*dedicate time and resources to proactively shape and achieve this desired image, and
*measure to determine the degree of effectiveness and success.
Care also must be taken to determine how the nonprofit’s brand can be protected by avoiding crises and mitigating risks.

Do you have any anecdotes you would like to share in relation to the book, perhaps from the researching process or your communication experience in the corporate and consulting arenas?
It was particularly rewarding to see the comments of my interviewees fully mirror my research, personal experience, and conclusions. Plus, their written remarks are extremely effective in illustrating key points within the book through the “real life” examples they provided and the insights they shared.