Youth for Christ Leadership TrainingCOMMUNITY RELATIONS Module Outcomes As a result of completing this module you will be able to: Outline the key foundations of effective Community Relations Develop an effective Community Relations Policy Identify your key Community Relations pathways Identify your key Community Relations opportunities Develop effective Community Relations publicity materials
YOUTH FOR CHRIST LEADERSHIP TRAINING Community Relations is a management function that involves monitoring and evaluating your public image and maintaining mutual relations and understanding between YFC and its public. CR means getting people to talk, think and pray about your ministry in a positive way so as to generate a positive public image. Also, if there's ever a time your ministry faces a problem with its public image it helps to have good collateral in the community. CR can be used to attract and impress possible ministry personnel and support partners. Even the smallest ministry programme can use publicity opportunities to catch the eye of its local community. The Foundations of Sound Community Relations Include: The development of a Community Relations Policy Identifying your key publicity pathways Cultivation of a relationship with the community The development of publicity materials The development of a strategy to deal with negative publicity The development of a Community Relations Policy It is imperative that the YFC Leader develop a community relation policy that is ethical, effective and practical. It needs to follow basic guidelines: The national chairperson needs to designate a spokesperson for YFC. The national director is the obvious choice. However, in their absence or under specific circumstances an alternate representative needs to be appointed. Individual staff members need to refer all public relation enquiries to the designated person(s). All outbound materials must be screened and approved by the national director or their appointed representative. All representations to the public need to be transparent and presenters must state that they work for YFC, use their real name, identify their role and purpose for contact. Keep within legal bounds in all respects and particularly, gain written permission to report on or refer to a young person s involvement in YFC. Give serious consideration before any participation in social media when the topic is provocative or controversial. Even benign comments can create a public relations crisis. 2
Identifying your key publicity pathways The first step to getting coverage for your ministry is to decide who is to be your target audience and which media is the most effective pathway to them. Ask yourself who will be most interested in your story and which publications or media will reach them? High school students will usually respond to SMS or blog messages while businesses more often use websites and quality printed materials for their information. A sound strategy is If you ve got information to share, put it in the digital sunshine. This makes it imperative that the YFC leader ensures the YFC national website, and printed materials are regularly updated with encouraging information and images. Your list for publicity materials may also include: parish newsletters local and national papers denominational magazines radio and television Email or postal mail notices. Cultivation of a relationship with the community Your community is your constituency. Your relationships with the government, business and spiritual leaders in the community are the key elements in your community relations strategy. You need not agree with their politics, business practices or bases of faith. You do however; need to respect their authority and position within the community. Naturally there will be some instances when the public image of such persons is very negative and you would not want to harm YFC s image by association with them. There are many opportunities through which the national director can promote the profile and image of their ministry to the community, including: Inviting key community figures to participate in major YFC sponsored activities: The installation of new staff members The launch of a new ministry programme The partnership with a charity fund raising event The opening of new premises Significant anniversary events Attending key community events: The opening of new schools, churches and public facilities etc The installation of key national and local dignitaries Special school and sporting events Major denominational conventions National days of celebration Creating your own publicity opportunities: Sponsor a community event such a Charity Run or music festival Give talks on youth culture to organisations and groups Submit articles for publication to local and national media Conduct a national youth event and invite the press to attend Make guest appearances on a regular radio or television show As a YFC leader, always be alert to the opportunities to build bridges with the media, gain visibility at a credible event or through association with a credible person. The development of publicity materials Remember, you never get a second chance at making a first impression and first impressions count. So, be sure all publicity materials are edited and approved prior to release. Because the writing and editing of publicity materials is so important to the goodwill and Community Relations 3
YOUTH FOR CHRIST LEADERSHIP TRAINING financial sustainability of a ministry, it may be wise to consider outsourcing the production of these materials or finding someone to assist you if it is not an area of strength for you. Plan your publicity materials to match your ministry cycle When you conduct your planning meetings for the foreseeable future be sure to identify those with Community Relations potential and begin to formulate the best way to capitalise on the events. If YFC young people will be involved with a project to assist a particular community then plan to have your announcements ready ahead of time. If there are people of interest involved with your ministry events, arrange for photo opportunities prior to their involvement. Ensure you obtain their permission before you alert the media. The editorial pages of your target publications offer you a number of different opportunities for coverage, ranging from a major feature with a front cover to small oneliners in the appointments page. There are a number of key print-based opportunities: Feature articles A feature article in the main publication is the most valuable in terms of the strength of the message. These can include interviews with key members of staff. Feature articles involve a vast amount of preparation to ensure that the result is as good as it can be. Be aware that it is very unlikely that you will have the opportunity to view the copy prior to publication. During any interview ensure all points are made clearly. Ask the journalist to explain his understanding of what has been said. Make sure that if you are planning to submit copy for a feature that you have made contact with the editorial department or specialist writer involved to establish general interest and a copy deadline before you prepare copy, organise photography, plan a site visit, or arrange one-to-one interview. Press releases What's important to you may not grab the media organisation. For instance they may be less interested in the actual ministry than the benefits it provides to the community. News releases are ideal to reach your target audience. Material that is published is typically: Of current community concern Affects the communities children or taxes Involves celebrities or dignitaries Is amusing Has human interest impact Your release needs to have a strong headline and contain a maximum of 200 words and, if possible, images. If the editors like the story they will dispatch a reporter to make a fuller report and perhaps take more images. Most press releases are now delivered electronically via email. All releases need to presented on a branded document headed 'Press release', followed by the date and the headline. The headline must be active, understandable, convey the main point of the story and make people want to continue reading. Tailor the introduction to the publication - a church newsletter is attracted by how the issue connects to their congregation while a local paper is interested in local youth. Always check the release has been received and if further information is needed. Your material has a higher probability of being published if you have made personal contact with the key members of the media with whom you communicate. 4
Picture captions Your local publications are always on the lookout for good pictures. Good captioned colour photographs of national or community events add immeasurably to the chances of a news release being published. They are also a good way to bolster coverage for a ministry project with the minimum of effort by issuing several pictures with a one or two paragraph caption explaining the event and the local participants in the photograph. Supplements or Inserts Supplements or inserts into local publications or Christian bookshop catalogues etc., offer useful opportunities for the publication of less targeted information. They are a very useful way to distribute brochures for events or general ministry materials. Be aware of the cost involved as most organisations/businesses have a set price for such insertions. The development of a strategy to deal with negative publicity Disgruntled parents, youth, former staff members, and critical incidents can all generate negative publicity. Therefore ensure staff members know to whom they should refer journalists' enquiries and ensure that only authorised personnel respond to them. If a journalist contacts you, check their deadline, carefully construct a written statement, and respond in time. It isn t good for your image if you refuse to comment. It's not a good idea to speak informally off the record when there's bad news. Answer truthfully to any questions. However, be aware that any response you give may carry legal implications. In the worst case scenarios it might be worth seeking legal advice before responding or making statements through your legal representatives. Community Relations 5
Community Relations Workbook Youth for Christ Leadership Training
Community Relations Biblical Study on Community Relations Community relations can change the way the public thinks and responds to your ministry. If you do it well, the public will trust you and be more willing to support you. If you do it poorly, the public will distrust you and won't show you any support. Jesus was aware of this and showed that he understood how to relate well with the public. Read John 2:1-12 This is an interesting story and interaction between Jesus and his mother, Mary. The two are attending a wedding with others when the wedding party runs out of wine. A wedding feast lasted one week, so it was understandable that this would happen. But it would be extremely embarrassing and shameful for a family to have this happen to them. Mary understood this and knowing who Jesus was, she asked him to do something about it. But, this was not in Jesus' plans, as it wasn't his time to start his ministry. Mary, almost ignoring him, just tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. Jesus no longer argues with his mother and tells the servants to get some water. In the end he turns the water into wine. Why do you think Jesus decided to obey his mother even though he was not ready to reveal himself and his ministry yet? Jesus didn't just make ordinary wine, he made great wine! In fact, the people at the wedding commented how good it was and that usually this quality was only served at the beginning of the wedding (towards the end of the week people would be drunk and the quality would not matter). This in turn made the family of the wedding look very good. Jesus had turned a potentially embarrassing situation into one where the family came away looking good in the eyes of the people attending. 1
Youth for Christ Leadership Training How do you think Jesus' actions impacted his relationship with the community? When you have the opportunity, you should do the same thing Jesus did at the wedding. Anytime you can help others look good in the public eye you should take the opportunity to do so. Jesus wasn't even ready yet, but he realised that it would do far greater damage to his ministry if he became known as the guy who wouldn't help. Helping when asked will help build strong ties to the community and with the individuals you help. Just think of the impact it would have on your ministry if your YFC program was known as the people to go to when help was needed. The ministry opportunities would be endless. What are some ways that you can get out in your community and help meet needs? List three other examples of Jesus relating to the community in ways that improved his public image. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God s law but am under Christ s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. What is Paul modeling that would be great for you to replicate in your ministry situation? 2
Community Relations Becoming like those you are trying to minister to means that you need to know their culture and ways. You can't become like them if you don't know them. List five ways you can get to know new people groups in the communities you serve. Give three examples of people in your community and how you can become like them. Sometimes you will run into resistance from others, even within the Christian community, when you try to become like those you are ministering to. What might others say to you when you try to become like the people you are ministering to? What are possible dangers in becoming like those you are trying to minister to? Read 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 Both of these passages list qualifications for those the church were considering to be elders/ overseers and deacons. Although YFC is not a church, we are part of the Church and should consider people who have similar qualifications. 3
Youth for Christ Leadership Training Why is it important that you should look for staff who have similar qualifications as those mentioned in Timothy and Titus? 1 Timothy 3:7 says that a person must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and the devil s trap. If you have a person on your staff who does not have a good reputation with outsiders, you are running the risk of bringing disgrace on not only the person but also on the ministry. Why will a person with a bad reputation bring disgrace upon the ministry? How do you handle a situation in which a staff person has brought disgrace upon the ministry? 4
Community Relations Community Relations Tasks Task 1 Brainstorm among your board members and key staff to draft or revise your own Community relations policy (refer to The Development of a Community Relations Strategy section in this module). Write a one paragraph summary of the draft/revision process and attach a copy of the proposed policy to the pages of your workbook. Task 2 Identify the key publicity pathways for the national programme with key contacts. TV/Radio Print Media Church Media Contact Person Contact Person Contact Person 5
Youth for Christ Leadership Training Task 3 Compose a one page draft News Release for print or radio distribution announcing the appointment of a new key staff person in your nation s YFC programme. NEWS RELEASE Share this news release with someone who can edit and critique your effort. 6
Community Relations Task 4 View your ministry calendar for the next six months and decide which two key events have the best opportunity to build better community relations. For each of the events follow the outlined procedure and record your decisions. Event 1 Determine the aim of the community relations exercise Determine the target audience Decide which media pathways are best suited to your target audience Compose a draft plan and schedule for the promotion of the events Complete or outsource the graphics and copy Name of person responsible Undertake edit and approval process Name of person responsible Distribute material to the media outlets Name of person responsible Repeat exercise for Event 2 Send your completed workbook to your area or regional director for feedback. 7