
                        PUBLIC RELATIONS:
                   A TOOL FOR CHAPTER-BUILDING
                         by David Milner

     From the Associate Editor: David Milner is an energetic
member of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas. He
recently had occasion to talk with several Federationists about
the importance of public relations. They asked him to put his
ideas on paper so that they could refer to them again. Here is
the letter he wrote; its advice is useful for  us all:

Austin, Texas
January 12, 1991

Dear Friends: 
     You have told me that you want to increase your chapter
membership and that you could use some ideas on public relations.
     Three things are necessary for the successful waging of a
public relations campaign. They are dedicated people, time, and
money. You should begin by finding people to work with you who
are dedicated to the principles of our movement. Time is
sometimes even more precious than money. And like money, the more
time you are willing to put into your PR project, the more
benefit your chapter will receive from it. Now all you need is
funding. It does not require a huge investment of money to run a
successful public relations campaign. However, if you limit your
PR budget, you will limit the number of techniques that will be
at your disposal. Public relations, as a means of attracting new
members, raising funds, or simply informing the public about the
organized blind movement, is well worth any reasonable
expenditure, and you should have little difficulty justifying
chapter support. 
     Once you have your funding, you will have all of your
basics. Begin by assembling press kits. These can be given to
radio and television station news directors, station managers,
newspapers, etc. In fact, they should be given to all contact
persons with whom you plan to deal on a regular basis. A
reasonably good one can be made by including the following
material in a plain file folder or an NFB document folder,
available from the national office for one dollar: (a) a chapter
business card, if you have one (the NFB folder has slits on one
pocket designed to hold a card); (b) our pamphlet, "What is the
National Federation of the Blind"; (c) "Do You Know a Blind
Person"; (d) your chapter or state affiliate's public outreach
pamphlet, if there is one or you can prepare one; (e) copies of
the latest state and national legislative agendas; (f) copies of
the most recent state and national convention presidential
reports; (g) copies of the latest state and national NFB
resolutions and (h) the most recent copy of The Braille Monitor.
This is a lot of material to read, but it will answer almost any
question that a contact person may have about the Federation. A
well-compiled press kit will provide a thought-provoking overview
of the movement, available more or less at a glance. The material
in these kits should be updated at least once a year. They can be
quite helpful in establishing and maintaining contact between the
public relations person and the media representative.
     Other material will be needed from time to time. Get a
literature order form and place an order to the Materials Center.
Order and read our public relations handbook, The Media and the
Message. This public relations primer will advise you in general
terms and in specific situations better than I can in one letter.
Also get a good supply of materials for handouts. Besides the
items mentioned for use in the kit, you can also distribute such
literature as "Why I am a Federationist" by Dr. Jernigan, "Why
the National Federation of the Blind," Future Reflections, Voice
of the Diabetic, and "The Student Slate." These are only a few of
our publications suitable for distribution. Your most difficult
task could be deciding what to order because there is so much to
choose from. You should not order more material than you believe
will be used, but certainly order a reasonable amount. In my
opinion NFB chapters and members should always have materials on
hand to distribute when the occasion demands. Bear in mind that
there may not always be time to order PR materials before an
event. (It takes at least two weeks to get material you have
ordered unless you want to pay the cost of overnight shipping.)
Be prepared for the unexpected.
     You will need a current press list. In Austin we have an
organization called American Women in Radio and Television. They
have put together a package called "Public Service: An Inside
View." This is a complete listing of all radio and television
stations, newspapers, and periodicals in the Austin area. This
list also details community affairs programs through which a
given organization can inform the general public about itself. It
might be productive to inquire about a branch of that
organization in your area. Other sources for prepared press lists
are the convention bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, the local
Republican or Democratic party offices, or the League of Women
Voters. I draw your attention to these possible sources of
prepared press lists, because compiling one yourself can involve
much time and drudgery. But if you must do it yourself, I would
suggest starting with your local Yellow Pages directory. If you
are going to wage a successful campaign, you must know the
territory you wish to conquer.
     You now have everything you need to begin. A good start
would be to find out what public service announcement formats are
used by your local radio and television stations and order the
right ones from the Materials Center. When they arrive,
distribute them in person to your local stations. This is a good
opportunity to get to know your contact people. Depending on the
size and management style of the station, the person you will
deal with may be called the program director, the news director,
the manager, or the public affairs or public services director.
Whatever the title, almost every station has a person whose job
includes dealing with community groups, and an acquaintance with
these folks is invaluable. See that they are informed about the
National Federation of the Blind. They have the power to keep our
PSAs on the air, which is important. If they come to know us and
believe in what we stand for, they can do other helpful things as
well. Contact people are good friends to have.
     Do not forget that your local radio and television stations
will run short announcements as a public service. These are
useful for advertising chapter meetings, membership drive get-
togethers, fund-raisers, etc.
     Your local cable television operator may offer public access
television service. If this is available, it may be possible for
you to produce or appear on local-access television programs. 
      Once you begin making contacts, you will find that more
opportunities reveal themselves. In large measure this is due to
the organization's increased visibility. If people have heard of
us, they will think to contact us when matters concerning
blindness come up. But it is also true that the more you think in
terms of public relations, the more opportunities you will spot
for yourself. Like so much else in life, successful public
relations is a matter of forming good habits. 
     Be willing and ready to give interviews at any time and
appear on all types of community affairs programs whenever
possible. Remember that a good media representative for the NFB
should be one who is knowledgeable about the movement, its goals,
its programs, and its philosophy. He or she should also be
reasonably attractive, intelligent, and articulate. In a perfect
world the message would have more appeal than the messenger, but
the mass media audience has been conditioned to the point where
it places more importance on the package than the contents. As a
result, the person who appears for the Federation on radio or
television must have enough personal appeal to make an audience
stay tuned and the ability to deliver our message at the same
time. Actually, I make this individual's job sound more difficult
than it really is. It is important, but far from unmanageable.   
     If you are short of time, personnel, or money (and who
isn't?), you might want to narrow your field somewhat and
concentrate on a few specific markets. This frugal technique is
used by advertising agencies to sell everything from insurance to
the latest miracle wrinkle treatment. Let us say, for example,
that you wish to attract new members between the ages of eighteen
and twenty-five. You would concentrate your efforts on the radio
and television stations and print media that appeal to that age
group, such as your local FM top forty station. Believe me, this
technique works well.
     Local newspapers and magazines might be persuaded to donate
space for local chapter promotion. Also you might consider
purchasing advertising in these for the promotion of chapter
activities such as fundraisers. One should hesitate before taking
this step because it is very difficult to persuade the media to
donate time or space once they have been paid for it. But there
are times when immediate need overrides the luxury of waiting
until donated space is available. 
     A very effective means of informing the public about the
Federation is the handout method. Get whatever permits are
needed, and pass out NFB information along with our Braille
alphabet cards, or tuck pamphlets in with things that your
chapter may be selling to raise funds. Doris Henderson, the
President of our Dallas Chapter, once told a group of us that
Dallas chapter members pass out our pamphlets when they sell
candy. In her words, "We wrap each bar up in a `What is the
National Federation of the Blind' pamphlet to keep the candy nice
and warm." Discount stores and malls are usually good places for
this technique.
     Speaking of malls, check with your local ones. Many of them
host public events that are sponsored by their stores. When they
do, it might be a good idea to staff a booth at these activities.
This is a good way to interact personally with large numbers of
the general public. I have participated in these efforts, and
they can be a great opportunity and lots of fun besides.
     Consider posting NFB information on bulletin boards, such as
those found in grocery stores, churches, shopping centers,
laundromats, and public buildings. These bulletin boards are
usually free for the use of the community, and you might as well
take advantage of them. Doing this takes a certain amount of time
and footwork, but it is well worth it. You never know how far our
information will travel before it reaches a blind person. On the
way it will educate people about blindness and the National
Federation of the Blind.
     Finally, be ready to capitalize on any and every chance to
promote the Movement. Opportunities may present themselves at any
time, and visibility is one of the keys to public relations.
     Above all, have fun. Yes, ours is serious business, and we
have much important work to do on our path to first-class
citizenship. But remember to have fun. Public relations can be
dull, boring, and tedious if you approach your PR activities with
the attitude that they will be dull, boring, and tedious. But if
you think about the good that you are about to do, if you think
about the people whose lives you are about to enrich through the
Federation, you will view all your public relations activities as
the fulfilling events that they are. Whether you are promoting
your chapter, recruiting new members, or raising funds to finance
the organization, you can turn these activities into times of
joy. Make a day of it, if you can. Recruit as many of your
chapter members, family, and friends as possible. You have the
ability to transform a mundane task into a productive team effort
which will not only get the current job done, but will also
create a sense of unity, pride, and purpose in chapter members.
Doing PR for the National Federation of the Blind should not be
considered a chore, but a chance to help change the meaning of
blindness. I find this exciting, and I am sure you do too.

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