PR and NGO

Meaning of NGO organisation

NGOs are created by certain
individuals or groups through voluntary
efforts to bring about a change in the
system or to serve the weaker sections
of society.
 Total NGOs in India,
2023
 India is home to approximately 1.87 lakh non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) as per the NGO
DARPAN, an initiative of NITI Aayog, India has a total of
1.87 lakh registered non-governmental organizations
(NGOs)?

 The data from ngodarpan.gov.in reflects that Uttar

Pradesh has the highest number of registered NGOs,
followed by Maharashtra and Delhi.
 NGOs in India encompass various forms such as trusts, societies,
trade unions, cooperative societies, and Section 8 corporations.

 These entities operate under the regulatory oversight of both

state and federal government agencies.

 According to Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013[1],

Under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013[1], the hierarchy of
NGOs in states typically involves the Charity Commissioner (for
trusts), Registrar of Societies, and Registrar of Companies.

 Regulatory oversight is provided by the Income Tax Department

and the Ministry of Home Affairs, particularly for NGOs that
receive foreign contributions.
 Types of NGOs

NGO type can be understood by their

orientation and level of co-operation.

NGO type by orientation

 Charitable orientation;
 Service orientation;
 Participatory orientation;
 Empowering orientation;
• Charitable Orientation often involves a top-down
paternalistic effort with little participation by the
"beneficiaries". It includes NGOs with activities directed
toward meeting the needs of the poor -distribution of food,
clothing or medicine; provision of housing, transport,
schools etc. Such NGOs may also undertake relief activities
during a natural or man-made disaster.

• Service Orientation includes NGOs with activities such as

the provision of health, family planning or education
services in which the programme is designed by the NGO
and people are expected to participate in its implementation
and in receiving the service.
• Participatory Orientation is characterized by self-help
projects where local people are involved particularly in the
implementation of a project by contributing cash, tools, land,
materials, labour etc. In the classical community development
project, participation begins with the need definition and
continues into the planning and implementation stages.
Cooperatives often have a participatory orientation.

• Empowering Orientation is where the aim is to help poor

people develop a clearer understanding of the social, political
and economic factors affecting their lives, and to strengthen
their awareness of their own potential power to control their
lives. Sometimes, these groups develop spontaneously around
a problem or an issue, at other times outside workers from
NGOs play a facilitating role in their development. In any
case, there is maximum involvement of the people with NGOs
acting as facilitators
NGO type by level of operation
 Community- Based Organisation
 City Wide Organisation
 National NGOs
 International NGOs
• Community-based Organizations (CBOs) arise out of people's
own initiatives. These can include sports clubs, women's
organizations, neighbourhood organizations, religious or
educational organizations. There are a large variety of these,
some supported by NGOs, national or international NGOs, or
bilateral or international agencies, and others independent of
outside help. Some are devoted to rising the consciousness of the
urban poor or helping them to understand their rights in gaining
access to needed services while others are involved in providing
such services.

• Citywide Organizations include organizations such as the

Rotary or lion's Club, chambers of commerce and industry,
coalitions of business, ethnic or educational groups and
associations of community organizations. Some exist for other
purposes, and become involved in helping the poor as one of
many activities, while others are created for the specific purpose
of helping the poor.
• National NGOs include organizations such as the Red
Cross, YMCAs/YWCAs, professional organizations etc.
Some of these have state and city branches and assist local
NGOs.

• International NGOs range from secular agencies such as

Save the Children organizations, OXFAM, CARE, Ford and
Rockefeller Foundations to religiously motivated groups.
Their activities vary from mainly funding local NGOs,
institutions and projects, to implementing the projects
themselves.
 THEMATIC SCOPE
• Primarily concerned with the environment/ human
rights/social issues/other
• Could be campaigning groups, watch-dog organizations
• Could be concerned with education, Emergency relief, and
Reactive priorities, or emergency prevention and proactive
priorities.
• Could focus on single or broader, multi-issue portfolio
 On the basis of Sector
 Age care (care for the aged/Older persons)
• Agriculture
• Animal Welfare
• Art & Craft
• Child Education
• Cities/Urban Development
• Community Development
• Culture & Heritage
• Disability
• Disaster Management
• Education
• Environmental issues
• Health & Hygiene
• HIV/AIDS
• Housing & Slums
• Population
• Poverty Removal
• Rural Development
• Science & Technology Development
• Tribal people
• Waste Management
• Drinking Water
• Women
 On the basis of Size

• Large organizations.
• Large full time paid staff.
• Multinational bodies.
• Branch offices in several countries.
• E.g., Oxfam, International committee or the Red Cross,
Medecins Sans Frontieres founded in 1971 in Paris by a
group of journalists and doctors. Today, it’s a worldwide
movement of over 69,000 people
Need for PR in Voluntary Organisations

 Although the basic approach to PR in non-profit

organizations is not very different from that of
commercial enterprises, it can be fully
understood and appreciated only when one is
familiar with the problems and the working of
such organizations.
 NGOs need to communicate and
tell a story

 Today, visibility is a premium commodity.

 If you have a strong story to tell, you can grab the headlines!

 Having a unique brand story, helps you build brand awareness

and position strongly in the market.

 Brand awareness is a measure of how well your target audience

knows your brand.

 NGOs, like other organizations, try to raise visibility for their

groups.

 Like other organizations, they should work

with communications programs to ensure their message reaches
the masses.
 Like profit-focused organizations, NGOs face many
challenges and opportunities – including competing for a
share of voice in the media-clutter.

 They do have one significant advantage over corporate

peers: their perceived inherent credibility, not tainted by
the profit motive.

 Interestingly, the mission may be noble, but if an

organization is not telling its story consistently and
strategically, it is bound to fail!
Problems of Voluntary organisations:
 Dearth of staff

 Lack of finance

 Winning public support

 PR for an NGO is only a promotion of
communication both within and outside the
organization to project its image and to
eliminate all sources of misunderstanding.
 PR effort is to earn goodwill, present a
responsible image and motivate the public in
favor of the NGO.
 PR activity may be carried out by volunteers,
members, or outside professionals
depending on the size, needs and aims of the
agency.
One may briefly state the following to build a case for
PR in voluntary organizations:
 Voluntary organizations depend on public support

for funds and manpower.

 They need to keep people informed of their

activities to create a favourable image among the

masses.
 Awareness, Marketing and Advocacy campaigns

must therefore be carried out for public support.

 Only sustained communication can help generate

funds.
 Media relations must be cultivated for publicity.
 Relations with govt. need to be
established.
 Propaganda by vested interests
needs to be effectively countered.
 Tips for Building and Maintaining
Reputation

 Here are outlining five best practices to help NGOs organise a

PR program that will generate media attention and visibility
among target audiences.
 These can help NGOs leverage their expertise and communicate
their messages more effectively, enabling them to connect with
new audiences, widen their spheres of influence, and enhance
their reputations – all in the service of their mission. In order to
do good, an organization must first communicate well.

 Differentiate with a compelling message-driven story

 Every organization must be positioned differently. It must define
its unique story and value to the communities it serves,
whether it’s an MNC, a small NGO, or a start-up. This story
should be built on a foundation of sharply-defined messages that
clearly position the organization, bringing in a differentiator. A
core message platform is the key to any communications
strategy.
 In crafting the message, remember the 5Ws and 1H – the
“Who, What, When, Where, Why and How”.

 Once the core message platform is finalised, organizations

can create tailored versions for specific target audiences.

 Finally, message discipline is key: ensure the messages are

pulled consistently through all communications vehicles,
from website copy to interviews to speeches.
• When representing an NGO, the most important thing to
remember as a PR is how you are disseminating information
since there is no commercial gain.

Ensuring that the right people — such as campaign

members, charity sponsors and stakeholders — receive the
correct message at the right time requires a lot of
planning.

Your communication strategy should be based on:

• The type of information that needs to be distributed to
donors and supporters
• How you are planning to develop communities
• What supporters and donors stand to gain
• How people are benefiting from the NGO
 Use strategy to drive success
It is seen that NGOs may conduct a series of loosely
connected or unconnected communications activities to
drive immediate goals.

However, proactively executing a well-planned

communications strategy that maintains the messaging
consistency is far more effective in achieving long-term
objectives and creating a distinctive, enduring reputation.
 Identify and train spokespersons

 Today, we see many celebrities endorsing NGOs, when the

glamour quotient shoots up at NGO-sponsored events.

 It’s important that NGOs actively, consistently engage with

media, major patrons, influencers; they need to choose
spokespersons carefully, who have some expertise and
comfort with a variety of relevant topics.

 Spokespersons may also be given professional media and

presentation training, which will help sharpen the messages;
it will also make the messengers more comfortable and
ensure the organisation is speaking in one voice.
 Chart out the Communications Activity

 The communications plan must be rolled out. Execution,

which might include conducting regular media outreach
and issuing proprietary data and surveys – is vital.

 Plotting out these tactics against the strategic

communications campaign helps organizations both to
prioritize and generate awareness.
 PR helps NGOs engage with the community
• An NGO’s primary goal is to uplift society and raise
awareness about a serious cause. Community engagement
is arguably PR in literal form. Any campaign run by an
NGO affects a community directly and indirectly. As a PR
manager or campaign leader, you need to evaluate your
internal communication strategy

You can do this by asking yourself the following questions:

Are the volunteers well-equipped?
• Can they think creatively?
• Are they passion-driven?
• Can they work as a team?
• Are they eager to take initiative?
• For the external engagement (involving donors, supporters
and stakeholders), consider the following points:
• Talk to them, not at them
• Encourage them to give feedback
• Conduct surveys about the people the NGO benefits
• Form community advisory committees for your NGO

 In essence, the main objective of community engagement

by an NGO is to consult with beneficiaries and
stakeholders about their requests and plans and to explain
their strategies.
 Use social media to engage

 Social media has a democratized communications pattern,

that allow organizations to reach people on a broad scale and
in various creative ways, cost-effectively.

 Social media should be approached with the same strategic

mindset one would bring to traditional communications.

 Interaction should be message-driven, useful to your

audience and part of an overall mix of communications tools.

(Reputation Today)
 Publics of a Voluntary
Organisation
Internal Public:
 Board of Directors
 Members
 Office staff
 Volunteers

External Public
 Contributors or Donors
 Community
 Opinion leaders
 Related organisations
 Media
 Government
The role for PR in NGOs is basically four-fold:

•NGOs entirely depend for their finances on fund-raising

campaigns
•NGO has to attract the attention of charitable trusts and
donors for financial help
•NGO relates to the dissemination of information about its
services, plans as to enable the people to make use of them
for their betterment
•NGO has to maintain good media relations so that the media
carries their messages both to the donors and to the
beneficiaries besides building image f the organisations.
 NGO public relations tend to engage heavily in
relationship-building activities. With the help of various
activities like community outreach programmes,
participation in public events or hosting special public
functions, NGOs try to enhance their social capital and
distribute information about their activities within society.

 NGOs are mainly PR in themselves

 The most important social role of NGOs is in monitoring

and forcing local and world leaders to take care of others
and championing worthy causes such as democracy,
cultural appreciation, universal education and the
preservation of ecology.
 Major tasks of PR in an
NGO
 Information Services
 Image building
 Counselling
 Message production
 Co-ordination and leadership
 Providing motivation in training
 Fund Raising
 Evaluation
 Policy Making
 Publicity
 Relations with Government
 Community Relations
 Product Publicity
 Employee Publications
 Promotion Programmes
 Coordinate Activities
 Conveying and Interpretations
 Advisory Functions
 Public Relations Education Programme
 Organizing Ad and PR Campaigns
 Media for
communication
Internal communication media
Communication with the internal public is essential
to motivate the volunteers to work hard for the
cause.
Principal media for internal communication are:
 Regular group meetings
 Manuals
 Newsletters
 Bulletins
 House journals
 Training programmes
 Reprints of published articles
 Special reports
External communication media are:
 Audience Targeting
 Press publicity
 Press Releases
 Press Conference
 Radio
 Television
 Slides
 Films
 Photographs
 Public speaking
 Exhibits
 Conferences
 Booklets
 Folders
 Printed materials like periodicals, hoardings,
posters or even hand bills.
 Special events
 Traditional media
Fund Raising Campaigns/Publicity
Events
 Fund raising itself is an art and need a planned
campaign.
 Funds may be needed for a temporary cause or a
permanent cause.
 Temporary cause examples can be a destitute
home, a street children’s shelter.
 Drilling tube wells for drinking water needs
funding on a one-time basis.
 Various methods of Fund Raising

 Direct mailing
 Advertisements
 Involving celebrities to make an appeal for funds
 Sale of books, greeting cards, tokens, tickets etc.
 Charity benefit programmes like film shows, stage plays,
screening films, both in theatre and televisions or even by
arranging sports or games like a cricket match etc.