So what's the point of it all?

Hi everyone,

So as I'm now at the end of my placement and getting stuck in to my final report it's got me wondering what exactly the impact of Public Relations has been on Cancer Support WA.

After these years of study I was already of the opinion that Public Relations is an important component of any successful organisation. However, it was only after working at CSWA that I came to realise the integral role it plays in the success of not-for-profit organisations in particular.

With a limited budget and a number of other departments taking financial priority the promotion of the organisation and the services it offers is expected to be done through the acquisition of media coverage and stakeholder communication free of charge through Public Relations techniques.
This strategy being adopted out of necessity means that the organisation is dependent upon the PR department to perform.
 
As Grunig and Hunt put it "Public Relations is the management of communication between an organisation and its publics", and it is clear to me now that if PR was overlooked at CSWA there would be no effective communication between the organisation and its stakeholders which would inevitably lead to a huge decline in the number of new clients as well as donations and volunteers. Since CSWA is a charity and not profit driven this wouldn't just jeopardise their earnings, it would ultimately mean less people in need would receive assistance. 
The hard work of all of the other departments is backed up by effective public relations to make the most of the organisations potential to do good.

Well, that's about it. 20 days didn't sound like long going in, but I have learned SO much during my time with Cancer Support WA. I couldn't be happier with my internship experience and am thankful to have spent my time within such a fantastic organisation. 

Kelsey

Go bald 5.0 Launching

Hello everyone,

Today, I am going to share about the GO BALD 5.0 LAUNCHING event.

On the day, I was assigned to registration counter. Other than helping baldies to register themselves, I will also need to distribute the event mechandize (T-shirt, pledge card, badge and wristlet) to all the participants. 

Through the event, the organizer SCCS hope to raise fund and create awareness among the public about children with cancer. 

This was the first time SCCS collaborate with higher education institution to hold such meaningful event. 

Curtin Sarawak was honored to have the chance as part of the charity.

In our Pro Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Ian kerr welcoming speech during the event, he mentioned that although the university is formally supporting Go Bald for the first time this year, it will certainly not be the last!

There was hundreds of people turned up at the event to support 38 participants who had their heads shaved. 

Among the 38 participants, two were girls, Ngiam Loke Ming and Alvina Wong. They said they were fully aware of cancer children in Sarawak and they wanted to show support by going bald.

For me as a girl, this decision is difficult. I admire them for their courage! SALUTE!!!!!

Enjoy the pictures~~~

Group Photo before the Launching started

Group photo of baldies

Loke Ming was getting bald.

Bravest girls in Curtin Sarawak

Kindly Regards,

Joanne Ting 

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Press Conference for Go Bald 5.0 Campaign

Note: All the photos belong to Curtin University Sarawak.

Before I proceed to the press conference, I will first briefly explain what is Go Bald Campaign.

Go Bald campaign's main intention is to create awareness about childhood cancer and support children's fight against cancer by going bald. This event is firstly held in 2009 by Sarawak Children's Cancer Society. 

The event holds throughout Sarawak in the main cities of MIRI, SIBU and Kuching.

This year, SCCS decided to launch Go Bald 5.0 (Miri) in higher education institution. Curtin Sarawak was honored to have the opportunity to have this meaningful event launch within the campus.

In preparation for the Go Bald 5.0 campaign, a press conference was held at Curtin Sarawak.

It was attended by members of media, as well as SCCS representatives in Miri led by SCCS Outstation Liaison Jocelyn Hee. Also present was Curtin Sarawak's Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor Ian Kerr, Chief Operating Officer, Mr Nicholas Ching, Corporate communications team led by Manager of Corporate Communications, Mr Nicholas Leong.

This is the first press conference that I've attended. I am very happy and grateful to be able to learn about how to conduct a press conference. During the process, i noticed all the things that I've learnt in PR units are actually useful, for example preparing media kits for reporters.

Take Care!

Kindly Regards,
Joanne Ting
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Diary of a Public Relations Intern: Seeking Opportunities

 

Being an intern is more than just grabbing coffee and doing office work its expected more from an intern to deliver on what is learnt in the university. But what I have learnt from the work experience that wasn’t emphasized in books or in lectures was seeking opportunities. Currently I am involved in interning for an event company, Momentum Forum Events Australia.

Based on my opinion it is all about seeking opportunities. When there is an opportunity given, one must go out to earn it and make it happen. Being involved in the public relations department has taught me that it is crucial to know when to set a vision and take the chance to achieve it.

In such a scenario when Momentum had to find potential corporate sponsors to fund for their charity events, the interns including myself was asked to research on potential corporates for sponsorship which can help in supporting the worthy cause that Momentum Forums are delivering through hosting these events.

This is my first task delegated to me. It was daunting at first but to set out and make it work for the placement I am taught to gather my own research, set it up as a database network and all is ready to go to be contacted. I have worked on my first corporate proposal today, which is to be delivered to major potential sponsors.

Seeking opportunities to seek out corporate sponsorship. Hard work of a public relations consultancy is not based on pure good luck but it is based on seeking the opportunities and making it happen. One must turn the tables to see how the odds and you might never know when you hit the jackpot.

The CEO of Momentum Forums Australia, Barbara McNaught have hosted many charity events in the past 6 years. As an public relations intern I am proud to be apart in support of this non-profit organization to raise awareness for worthy causes within the community. Momentum Forum Events have hosted events such as International Women’s Day, Pink Ribbon Ball, The Melbourne Cup Luncheon and Men In Black. 

                                     

I am helping out in interning prior to prepare public relations materials for the upcoming event JDL Men In Black Ball 2013, which is on the June 15^th. So follow up on my blog posts as my diary of a public relations intern continues. 

KRISPY KREMES! Now that I've your attention...

I am at the end of my placement, and for the first time since I started, I’m behind on my work. There’s just so much to do, and the end-of-semester workload for my other units are piling up. I can’t believe that my time with the Global Good Foundation is almost over.

Well, technically I’ve already finished my 20 days, but I’m staying on till the end of the semester, and hopefully continuing after a 3-week visit home (Singapore). I guess going for a 3-week break feels like the end for me and it feels like I have unfinished business because things move so quickly at the GGF. Every week I’m working on something entirely new. I just can’t imagine what I’m going to miss out on when I’m gone. For a start, I’m missing out on our latest and probably most delicious donation drive – KRISPY KREME SALES! (For those interested in getting your hands on these amazing donuts, please comment on this post with your email so I can send you more details.)

My confidence has grown so much with my supervisor’s guidance and advice. I feel like I trust myself and can be trusted to produce quality work. I’m no longer just asking for work or asking how I should do stuff, but making suggestions and acting on them.

For example, my supervisor asked me to come up with an information sheet for the charity’s membership program. She asked me to put in all the stuff I put into all the other information sheets I’ve done.

The thing is, while I know information is important, I felt that slapping paragraphs and paragraphs of information and text on a piece of paper wasn’t the right way to get the message across to potential donors. Moreover, there was already so much information on the website, and if people were interested to find out more, that is where they could go (plus you have to go online to sign up anyway). It would be such a waste for words to go unread if I’d thrown all the information in, and it would not make sense for me to write something like “For more information, visit www...”, only for the potential donor to find the same information online.

Instead, I felt short, powerful copy should be used instead to inspire people to find out more first, and hopefully end up donating. If they don’t do the latter, at least they have been to the website. So I wrote some really short copy, and justified it with what I mentioned above…and my supervisor liked it!

This is probably going to be my last entry here. I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s posts, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my placement too! Remember, comment if you want to get your hands on some Krispy Kremes.

Going Somewhere and Seeing Things Happen: A PR practitioner's reward

I've been producing information packs, brochures, conducting interviews, writing sponsorship requests, writing media releases, writing, writing, and writing and writing...

No one really sees the work (and paperwork) that goes behind an event. Sometimes, it's hard to see it even when you're the one doing the work. I love what I'm doing, but in the past few weeks, I've been wondering where all the things I'm churning out are going to, what all the words I've spun together mean and how are they going to change anything. 

This week (just a little bit past my halfway mark), I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere. I'm starting to see things in action, see people consume what I have put together and hopefully, post-event, someone might be impacted by it. 

We are kicking off the Global Good Foundation's epic year with the very first Global Good Kids Camps this week. Children aged 8-12 who have been impacted by domestic violence will be attending the camp and soaking up all the wonderful skills and experiences that will help them become confident, strong individuals. I produced an information pack for the participants’ parents which includes information about the camp's development, as well as stories from children and parents who have seen lives changed tremendously because of similar camps. The interviews I conducted to get the stories in the info pack were both heartbreaking and heart-warming. One of the interviewees got back to me pretty late, and I just got the final copy in to my supervisor at close to 11pm last night! Talk about PR being a 24 hour job (checking my email has become a huge obsession)!

My supervisor said the media release I wrote for “Jump for GGF” (a program where people who raise a minimum of $500 get a chance to sky dive) was picked up by one of the community newspapers, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that’s going to turn out. Media wise, we've got something very exciting lined up this week, but I'm not going to say what yet. Hint: It is going to be on TV!

Sponsors have also been very supportive of our fundraising and educational programs which will be starting in the next (primary school) semester. That's going to be a big one, and it is one of the programs which I have come to really familiarise myself with because I hope to take it home to Singapore one day.

I know I am so lucky to be working for the GGF, that I’m seeing and learning skills beyond public relations, that what I do somehow helps bring hope to children and smiles to faces, that however small a part I play, at least I am a part of something big. 

I've attached a story written by a former camp participant which I included in the Kids Camp information pack. It's definitely worth a read.

Danielle Han

Bentley Campus

The Global Good Foundation

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The End

Last week I had my final day at AFWA. Leading up to it I thought I would be glad to be finishing up; perhaps it’s an early case of nostalgia but I can honestly say that I am going to miss it. Like most things, my placement wasn’t without its ups and downs but I am so glad I was given the opportunity to do it as I have learnt so much.

My time at AFWA ended on a real highlight, with one of my supervisors taking me out for lunch. This gave me the opportunity to ask a thousand questions about how she got to where she is and my plan for when I graduate. I left the lunch with a great reference and a pep in my step. She even said that she will keep a look out in case she hears of any opportunities that may be suitable for me! It is this experience that makes me glad that we have to complete a placement as I have gained so much more than just skills and knowledge.

Before completing my placement I wasn’t 100% certain of what industry I wanted to go in, but I was fairly sure that I never wanted to work for a not for profit, and definitely not for a charity. I took on a placement there because I knew that it was quite likely that I would end up in that industry at one point or another in my career. Now, at the end of my placement my view has completely changed. I can’t say that working for a charity is my dream job, but should the opportunity ever come my way I doubt that I would turn it down. The work you do is so fulfilling, you can really see the impact you are having. The people at AFWA have had a lot to do with changing my opinion. Everyone is so passionate, and the team is so small that it creates a really positive and friendly work environment; an environment very well suited to me!

I hope everyone has had/is having a wonderful experience like me. All the best with your placements (and that report!)

Nat
Bentley
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Feeling the opposite of the blues at West Coast Blues N' Roots...

Well, another fantastic festival run by Sunset Events has been and gone! And once again, I feel so lucky to have been a part of it!

Over 10 000 people enjoyed the laid back music at West Coast Blues n’ Roots last Sunday at Fremantle Park, with some of the crowd even getting up for a boogie as the sun went down! It was a great atmosphere with a more mature crowd than the other festivals, which is understandable as I didn’t know any of the artists but my Dad knew them all!

(A picture I grabbed on my phone of the crowd sitting down at the main stage as the sun was going down!)

This was my first time as a paid worker for Sunset Events, as Janelle’s communication assistant. I felt really lucky to be on the Sunset pay role after being a volunteer at the other festivals.

I didn’t really have a lot to do on the festival day, as was the case with Laneway, but it was still a great experience and there are always interesting things to observe and think about. It’s funny because it’s quite a different experience being at a festival on your own when it’s usually something everyone shares with their friends. I’ve seen an outside perspective of festivals which makes me really appreciate the effort put into them a lot more than I used to when I attended them.

I arrived at around 10.30am and after filling out the paperwork I went to find Janelle at the site office. I then did a coffee run for Janelle in Freo. Janelle gave me a tour of the site a bit later and I got my bearings and had a little wander around. I put up some posters promoting the YES concert Janelle gave me at the merchandise tent. At around 1pm Janelle sent me to the Fremantle Football Oval to take down one of the big Blues n’ Roots posters.

I then drove the poster back to the site and took it to the Artist area to give to Marie, the artist liaison officer for the artists to sign. I think it’s a great idea because the signed poster is being donated by Sunset Events for charity, to Telethon! It’s a really nice idea, good for the company’s image but also a kind gesture.

I think it is really important for companies to give back to the community through charities and sponsorship, and show support for worthy causes. I think it’s a very beneficial relationship because it enhances the reputation of the business and also helps not-for-profits do their job of helping people and ultimately the good deed helps the community! In terms of sponsorship, I think often companies do it just to improve their image, especially McDonalds! McDonalds does do great things with Ronald McDonald and sponsoring not-for-profits, but does this mask the not-so-healthy truths of the company?

I watched an interesting documentary recently called ‘The Greatest Movie Ever Sold’ which made a comment about product placement in movies and it made me really think about how companies have to be very careful about their corporate image in their mission to be an organisation that cares for the community. The movie made me think about the fine line between doing good for the community for a company’s own interests, and having a genuine desire to do good because they are in a position to. It’s a hard concept I would love to read more about and understand! Do the organisations you are working for put a lot back into the community?

There wasn’t a lot for me to do in the afternoon at Blues n' Roots so I wandered around and sat and watched a few bands. I went and saw the only band I knew at the festival - Husky, perform and they were absolutely amazing. Then I went and grabbed an organic donut and watched Steve Earle and Crosby, Stills and Nash. It was a really great vibe and the weather held off which was good, and everyone was well-behaved!

Later on in the evening Janelle asked me to remind the security guards at the pits of both stages that promo winners could only stay for the first 3 songs so I reminded them at both, then around 6:30pm I grabbed some event jumpers for two promo winners and waited at the VIP entrance for them to arrive. After that, it was around 7pm and Janelle said I was done for the day!

So all in all, it was a great day in the perfect location and, though I didn’t do any huge tasks, I was glad to be there!I’m still in awe of the work the company does to put such amazing events together and I have been so honoured to attend the past few festivals with Sunset Events! Sunset Events has mixed my love of music and interest in public relations and communications activities and I’m enjoying every minute of it.

I think this is crossing over from blog territory to an essay so I better sign off! Hope everyone is enjoying their internships and having some terrific experiences! Can’t wait to read more. Happy Easter!

Lisa

The Versatility of Language

Hi everyone!

I’m so excited about finally being able to blog about my placement. There were several things that got in the way of me starting my placement earlier, but I’ve finally started and it feels great.

I am doing my placement at the Global Good Foundation (GGF). The GGF is committed to helping those impacted by domestic violence by encouraging and empowering them to speak out about a topic that is not commonly addressed, as well as stopping the cycle of domestic violence. They’ve grown tremendously in such a short time. One of their campaigns, the Minute of Noise campaign, has already been brought overseas!

The week before I started my internship, the founder and the General Manager (my supervisor) of GGF were featured in the Weekend West. This meant that I started my internship in the midst of heaps of enquiries and opportunities flowing in! It was definitely a great way to experience the awareness and response that positive media relations can generate.

The GGF was also recently granted some, well, grants, so they now have the resources to carry out their programs in quite a number of schools. Hence, I was tasked with creating an information kit for the schools and their students’ parents. We’ve always learnt about identifying different stakeholders and using different language and tone to best drive the organisation’s messages across to each target group. Working on these kits made me realise how difficult this can be, especially when you are trying to convey messages about domestic violence in a delicate and non-confrontational manner. My work was edited quite a bit, but I was reassured I would be able to grasp the right and sensitive language and tone used in dealing with the issue in time.

I was also given the chance to look at how applications for grants and funding are written. Again, a totally different tone (more formal) was used in this document because it targeted another stakeholder (e.g. the government).

I’d love to hear if those working in consultancies also have to juggle different writing styles for various clients. I’ve always loved to write, but my first task has already proven itself a challenge! I can only be thankful that I have a good foundation in English, and will remember to stress to others that it is such an important skill (I’m sure your lecturers and tutors have told you this countless times! Well…believe it if you haven’t! Haha).

I am very honoured and privileged to be working with and for some very successful, dedicated, and inspirational people. I know it’s early, but I already know this will not be just another PR internship, but one that would make a real positive difference in the community.

Till my next update!

Danielle Han
Bentley Campus
Interning at the Global Good Foundation