Top 10 Reasons To Be Thankful Bill Ward Was Your Print Journalism Professor

The e-mail startled me about a year or so ago. Bill Ward, the professor of journalism (print) at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, sent an e-mail to me through Facebook.

 

“Joe, you look like a senator in the photo,” he wrote. (It’s the same photo I use on this blog.)

 

Professor Ward retired many years ago, but he left a tremendous legacy. Friday was his 82nd birthday and it was wonderful to see so many old friends wish him well on his Facebook page.

 

Hundreds of journalists and public relations professionals credit Professor Ward with helping them succeed. I was blessed to benefit from his instruction and counsel. After graduating with majors in print journalism and television and radio broadcasting, the professors at SIUE said I had a portfolio that would almost guarantee continuous employment.

 

After graduating in 1984, I’ve only been out of work for only three months during the recession of 1990. (Looking back, it was a blessing to move from newspapers to public relations at that time.) In today’s communications landscape, rarely a week goes by when I don’t use my broadcasting skills in combination with print journalism.

 

Here are 10 lessons that Professor Ward taught me and countless other communications and public relations professionals who are leaders in their organizations and industries:

1. Discipline: Meet the deadline and never lower your own expectations.
2. Thoroughness: Get all of the facts and then get more
3. Become an extrovert: Always be curious about others and their stories.
4. Remember your reader: The best writers don’t write for themselves; they’re always working to serve the reader. 
5. Be meticulous: The slightest sign of sloppiness communicates a lack of professionalism.
6. Take a good photograph: There’s no better experience than looking at a striking image while reading good writing.
7. Persistence: Never give up. Writing is rewriting.
8. Courage: Ask tough questions and pursue the facts. 
9. Develop a thick skin: Don’t take it personally when an editor is rewriting or reorganizing your text. Every story or article could be improved in some way.
10. Confidence: Work hard enough to show others you’ve done your best.

Thanks, Professor Ward, for caring enough to be a demanding teacher.

Slides From UMSL Continuing Education Course: Developing A Marketing Plan For Your Nonprofit

There were great conversations, questions and interactions during a University of Missouri-St. Louis Continuing Education class on developing a marketing and communications plan for your nonprofit organization on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010.

More than 25 people attended on Wednesday and there were some great questions and conversations.

I failed to include a link to one of the templates I used in the presentation. The four quadrants of developing a marketing and communications plan and committee can be downloaded by clicking here (PDF).

Here’s a link to my deck of slides:

Join Me For 2-Hour Course On Developing Your NPO’s Communications Plan

Many people who find themselves responsible for their nonprofit organization’s communications fall into one of two categories.

One, their organization doesn’t have a viable communications plan and they’ve been delegated that responsibility.

Or, two, their organization has a communications plan and they have no training or experience in communications.

If you fall into one of these categories, or if you would like to learn how to develop an effective communications plan for your nonprofit organization, you’re welcome to join me for a two-hour non-credit course at the University of Missouri-St. Louis Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program.

Developing an Effective Communication Plan for Your Nonprofit Organization
Wednesday, October 20, 3-5 p.m.
J.C. Penney Conference Center
University of Missouri-St. Louis
$30

Click Here To Register Online

Download A Printable Flyer (PDF)

Course Description: Nonprofit organizations are faced with an increasing demand for their services and a more challenging fundraising environment. Perhaps more than ever before, success or failure is determined by how successfully NPOs commuicate their mission and services. Whether you’re an executive director, board or staff member, plan to join us as we help you develop an integrated communication plan and strategy for your organization. We’ll look at ways to measure success and help you define and develop marketing and communication channels.

We’ll look at integrating traditional communications channels as well as social media into a plans for orgainzations of all sizes. We’ll also review some fundamental elements that must be in place for any communications plan to succeed in a nonprofit organization.

My goal is that every person who attends this course will leave with at least one or two strategies–if not an entire plan–that will help their organization achieve a mission-based goal.

See you then!

Ideas Shared, Strategies Developed At First NSC Communications Circle

Debby Edelman, Public Relations Director of Riverbend Head Start, Janelle Floerke, Operations Manager of The Clarkson Eyecare Foundation, L. Carol Scott, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Missouri Child Care Resource and Referral Network, and Carmen Garcia, Communications Manager at the Nonprofit Services Consortium, (from left) attended NSC's first Communications Peer Circle

   

The first Communications Peer Circle on Thursday, March 3, 2010, at the Nonprofit Service Consortium was great experience.  Participants reviewed how an organization can develop a communications plan in tandem with building a committee of volunteers to execute the plan.        

The most beneficial part of the two-hour session was the exchange of ideas. If one goes into this type of conference or seminar with an attitude that they can come away with something of value for themselves or their organization, they usually will. Plus, you might contribute an idea or solution that will help an individual or organization made a tremendous improvement in fulfilling their mission.    

NSC exists to strengthen the region’s nonprofit organizations and the nonprofit sector. It provides programs services and resources that inform, promote and connect nonprofits as they work to improve people’s lives. (Read more about NSC’s mission, vision and values…)    

A special note of thanks to Carmen Garcia, Communications Manager at NSC, for making the Communications Peer Circle a reality. NSC started with Development Peer Circles to assist those in all areas of fundraising for charities and nonprofits. (Donna McGinnis, MBA, CFRE, leads this group and their next is scheduled for Thursday, April 1.)    

Register for the next Communications Peer Circle. It will be from 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 6, 2010, at NSC. We’re kicking around the idea of talking about social media. As soon as we have the topic refined, we’ll publicize it.     

 You’re welcome to leave a comment on future topics or anything else you find on the blog. The slides that guided Thursday’s discussion are below.    

"Non-Profit Communications Are Boring"

Marketing and communications resources are everywhere on the Internet. But rarely do you find content that smacks you between the eyes when it comes to the most fundamental of tools–writing.

Another find in Guidestar’s March Newsletter was the article, The Dance of the Four Veils. It’s an excerpt from, “Seeing through a Donor’s Eyes: How to Make a Persuasive Case for Everything from Your Annual Drive to Your Planned Giving Program to Your Capital Campaign,” by Tom Ahern.

“For the most part, nonprofit communications are boring,” he writes. “Not on purpose, mind you. Still, they are almost always uninteresting, my vast exposure to them suggests. And why? Because they swaddle themselves in one or more of the following interest-draining veils.”

The four are:

1. They reject any mention of conflict.
2. A tendency to prefer weak, bland words to bold, vivid words.
3. Faint (if any) appreciation for the emotional basis behind all human response.
4. Jargon.

The article prompts one to conduct a quick mental review of recent fundraising brochures and annual reports. Competition for donations will be won by communicators who are the best story tellers. Avoiding the four veils is the first step. I’m looking forward to reading the book.