Wrapping it all up – PR and charity events

Throughout my time at Cancer Support WA, I’ve been exposed to tasks to refine my skills in Public Relations, marketing and event management.

The key skills I have learnt/honed during my internship include the following:

Writing to suit the organisational house style. Since I wasn’t working in a corporate setting, I had more creative leeway and didn’t have too many restrictions on how I wrote fact sheets and media releases.

However the basic rules of correct grammar, punctuation, and structure had to be followed in order to maintain quality and professionalism in my work. I was appreciative of the honest and constructive feedback I received from the helpful staff at CSWA.

I also became familiar with the importance of networking and communication whilst in a professional setting and beyond. One of the main ways CSWA raised funds was by contacting previous event sponsors, ie: Individuals in the community, organisations and public figures across the state. From there we contacted people in their professional circle, and so our email database (of sponsors) began to grow.

This reinforced in my mind the importance of maintaining strong professional relationship with clients and stakeholders even after said business transactions are completed. You never know when their assistance (or contacts) may be needed in the future.

Today I attended an afternoon tea as part of 2014 National Volunteer week in Australia (12-18^th May). It was basically an opportunity for the team at CSWA to get better acquainted, and reinforce that sense of community that has been established in our organisation over time. It was a really enjoyable experience as it added that personal touch to the organisation, and solidified our motives for being here (ie: to support a good cause, break into the media industry).

All in all, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here at Cancer Support WA. From the moment I started I was welcomed into a professional, friendly and team oriented environment. I have not only honed my writing skills, but adapted new skills which will assist me in being an even better PR practitioner for future years to come. 

Natasha Scekic 15498315
Curtin Bentley 

Creativity Galore! PR and Marketing

Whilst in a professional working atmosphere, I’ve learnt to flex my creative muscle in more ways than one. I’ve been introduced to so many new programs which I’d never heard of throughout my study of Public Relations and Marketing.

 These programs consist of the following:

·         Mailchimp

·         CiviCRM

·         Adobe Acrobat and InDesign

Mailchimp and CIVICRM are our primary online databases for storing contacts, such as sponsors/clients of Cancer Support WA. This is so we can keep track of our supporters and keep in regular contact via a well organised system.

I’ve also been given the shot at a more hands on approach to Charity Events. I was assigned to search for potential sponsors for an upcoming fundraising event called “Meetings of the Minds – Coffee for a Cause.” It’s a cocktail party and celebrity auction occurring in June to raise funds and awareness for Cancer Support WA.

 

I used a contact list of event participants I made for a previous task as point of reference. I chose the sponsors who I felt were most relevant to the event. This made me feel more involved in the process of event planning and the skill of networking; which is paramount to maintaining longevity in a career in the PR/media industry.

Here is a screenshot of the promotional poster for the event on our website: http://www.perthmeetingoftheminds.com/

So far I feel this internship has equipped me with a larger skill set and informed me of how much variety is involved in the PR industry. No day is ever the same; there is always a new fundraising event, marketing campaign or admin task to work on. It requires full cooperation of a team, combining their clerical and PR/media relations skills to achieve the organisation’s goals.

Natasha Scekic 15498315

THE INS AND OUTS OF PR

My first impressions of public relations in professional practice were of a positive nature.

Since I'm working in a non for profit/charity based organisation [Cancer Support WA], I was very appreciative of the warm welcome I received from the entire team. In particular the PR, marketing and fundraising volunteers who I deal with on a regular basis.

They were quite willing to offer me advice and assistance where necessary. Some of the various tasks I have learnt so far include the following:

•      Learning to use the CRM and Mailchimp email databases.
•      Creating contacts lists and segments of corporate and local sponsors
•      I also had to create a collective thankyou email letter and send it out to a group of sponsors for a previous fundraising event.

Writing media releases: I was given the opportunity to write up a media release for the charity event "Concert under the stars: Divalicious."

It was sent off the Fremantle gazette. This was due to the fact that one member of the singing duet grew up in Fremantle. 

CONCERT UNDER THE STARS: DIVALICIOUS

CSWA Charity event I attended at North Cottesloe Primary school.

I made sure the donation tins were being passed through the audience, and I also assisted with post event pack up. 

I also contributed my spare time to assist with fundraising events/activities by:

·         Collecting and distributing donation tins across Fremantle

·         Attending charity events to help monitor during and pack up after

·         Sold raffle tickets for a car competition in my local shopping centre where I work.

In the time that I have been in this internship, one of the main lessons I’ve learnt is skill management. It’s become clear to me that in order to have a successful career in PR and marketing, you need to have a willingness to also learn less media related skills, i.e.: administration/clerical work, graphic design. There’s more to it then writing media releases and fact sheets. 

Natasha Scekic 

15498315