Just spin or a strategic voice?
February 2011
The recent adverse publicity facing RSPCA when they fought Christine Gill over her mother's legacy highlights the impact poor public relations management can have on public confidence.
Alastair Campbell (former communications adviser to Tony Blair – and some would argue master of spin) argued at the recent Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) local public services conference that that public service communicators who could grasp, articulate and implement strategy would prosper in a far more challenging world.
He says that the four major changes that present the most challenges to communications professionals are:
- distrusted politicians are seen as responding to, rather than leading the agenda;
- the role of of citizen and customer is converging;
- a radically changed ‘participatory’ media environment; and
- the ‘infinite’ quantity of information we are now expected to process.
Whether one is a fan of Mr Campbell or not, these are powerful arguments for the importance of communications as we enter the post-CSR world. Although the public appears to have partially endorsed the government’s strategy – protect health and education while targeting welfare – their views will probably change as service cuts become real and lead to the withdrawal of care workers and refuse collectors.
But does this hold true in the charity sector?
But does this hold true in the charity sector?
The (CIPR) voluntary sector group Fifth Estate launched an online survey, ‘Get Heard’, which explores the extent to which senior charity communications professionals are heard at a strategic level within their organisations. In other words, what influence do they have on executive and governing boards?
‘Get Heard’ will be used as the basis for a report looking at the way communications is valued at senior management levels within the charity sector. The findings will be published in spring 2011, together with qualitative research based on a range of telephone interviews.
The research is being conducted in partnership with charity communications agency Amazon and will run until the end of January 2011.
Set up in 1990, Fifth Estate is a sectoral group of the CIPR and aims to support anyone in the not-for-profit sector who has public relations in their job description. The group holds regular meetings with speakers from the media, not-for-profit organisations and other relevant sectors. Chair, Gill Dandy explains:
“The strategic role of public relations professionals in the not-for profit sector is, we believe, undervalued. ‘Get Heard’ is designed to give our members and others working in senior communications roles the opportunity to tell us what influence they really have. The extent to which communications is fully understood and valued at the most senior levels has the potential to make or break an organisation.”
Louise Morriss, managing director of Amazon, explains the relevance of the research in the current economic climate:
“In difficult and changing times, communications professionals can add real value in helping to establish where an organisation fits in its new environment. By overlooking or undervaluing their opinions with regards to overall strategy, charity management teams will find themselves missing a trick.”
Caritas magazine managed to track down another PR guru, Martin Bostock chair of NelsonBostock. He observes:
“The battle for funding in the third sector has never been more bloody. Organisations which fail to convince funders, service users, employees, partners and stakeholders of their value may, sadly, not survive the next couple of very difficult years. It has never been more important to maintain a carefully-targeted programme to communicate to all stakeholders the needs which the organisation uniquely meets, and the solutions it offers.Professional, structured communication will not guarantee survival, but its absence will pretty well guarantee failure.”
To take part please go to www.surveymonkey.com/GetHeard
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