The Importance of Nonprofit Public Relations: Guest Post by Elizabeth Yacus


Nonprofit public relations, or not-for-profit, make up a broad area of public relations. In the United States, there are 1.8 million groups recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), according to GuideStar, which is an organization that gathers information of nonprofits(Think, Wilcox). The main purpose of nonprofits is to serve the public’s interests. This means that a strong relationship should be held with the public and truly know how to help and better the audience.

To establish a nonprofit organization, the Foundation Center described 12 tasks you will need to accomplish as part of the process establishing a nonprofit organization:

File the certificate of incorporation
Select individuals to serve on the board of directors
Develop vision and mission statements
Establish bylaws and board policies
Obtain an employer identification number (EIN)
Open a bank account and establish check signing procedures
File for federal tax exemption
Follow state and local nonprofit regulations
Find office space and obtain office equipment
Recruit staff and prepare a personnel manual
Establish a payroll system and procure necessary insurance coverage
Develop an overall fundraising plan

The importance of fundraising is something that nonprofits depend on and is a highly developed technique in organizations. The National Council of Nonprofits explained that many fundraising strategies focus on businesses and consultants that help nonprofits identify and cultivate individual donor prospects. One way to be successful in fundraising is to stay informed about the major issues that shape fundraising.

As of April 3, 2013, top 10 nonprofit organizations are as followed:

National Public Radio- NPR
United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF)
Smithsonian Institute
Kiva
World Food Program USA
American Cancer Society
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
ACLU
Feeding America
Save the Children

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