downloading information

It’s been interesting how I have gotten this placement with this non-for-profit organization.

The organization, Independent Living Centre of WA does not have any existing marketing communications or public relations department. Communications efforts were undertaken by the Managing Director to whom I report to.

So how did I land up here? The organization is having an Open Day for the local community to come and get to know the organization and what the organization has to offer to them.

The organization received my application and thought that it’s very timely how I could come in and contribute to their Open Day committee team, taking charge of all marketing and publicity efforts, which include internal and external, advertising and all the nitty gritty details to get this event out to the public and major stakeholders.

At first it was an area of concern that my job scope has to be very much from a PR angle. Bearing that in mind, I set off and got started at the organization.

I would begin with saying that the managing director that I am reporting to is really someone who has a good understanding of public relations and marketing. Being a small organization (staff strength of about 50), everything is hands-on. When I first started, she made arrangements for me to get to know the organization, what they do and how they do it.

I got to sit in, in one of their client sessions, where the occupation therapist conducts a personal face to face session with a client advising them on all the different equipment that will assist them in the daily activities, in this case would be the walker and kitchen tools.

As the organization is also going through a rebranding phrase, I was also in the meeting when the branding consultancy came to talk to the organization. Basically everything, from branding guidelines, branding strategy, website redevelopment, to the Open Day event, I was involved in all of it. It was great to be able to sit in, listen and provide my comments and feedback from a PR perspective such as suggesting for a media page in the new website.

I was also given the all their past press articles and previous public relations strategy plan when they outsourced it to a PR agency. It’s been interesting to sit there and download all the information. Personally it’s important for me to get to know them and who I am working for so that I can truly contribute to the organization from a PR perspective. Thus I am very thankful and appreciative to work under someone who understands the scope of the job and provides the means to succeed in it.

More updates next time!

alison