Supporting the Community through Public Relations

When public relations professionals can still thought of as “spin doctors,” “cherry pickers” and “sensationalists,” Lerii Smith, president and co-founder of Project Partners Inc., serves a beacon, championing community causes through marketing, fundraising, event management, program development and volunteer engagement.

Smith, a Texas Tech graduate, co-founded Project Partners, Inc. 16 years ago because she saw the need for a business that would work to advance community causes. As a former employee of the American Heart Association, the Texas Cooperative Extension Program and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Smith brought ten years of experience with nonprofit organizations, event management and public relations to the new company. Project Partners Inc. now has over 50 clients, seven employees and has been named the Fort Worth Chamber’s Small Business of the Year.



Smith said that the most valuable skills for working with businesses and nonprofit organizations are writing and attention to detail, however she also said that you must have a love for what you do.

“The best part of our job is the people we get to work with–nonprofit executives and community leaders…these folks are focused on promoting good.”

When asked what project she was most proud of, Smith replied, “Well, we are pretty darn proud of everything.”

She said, however, that she was particularly proud of her work with the North Texas Clean Air Coalition, a client for over ten years.

“We helped them move from an initiative to a 501 (c) (3), which is a really big shift,” Smith said.

Throughout her years as a professional, Smith has seen a lot of resumes and admits that it is the attention to detail that “sets the really good professionals apart from the not so good.”

She also said that social media is doing the next generations of college graduates a disservice as many people have forgotten, or never learned, how to communicate professionally. She remarked on the importance of a “personal touch,” in professional communication in the form of a phone call or in-office follow-up visit.

Smith acknowledges that the job marked is tough and encourages students to not expect to get their dream job right out of college.

“You must be willing to accept a job within the industry you are most interested in and then work your way up,” Smith said. “Take whatever job and show your worth, then move into the roles you really want to play.”

Smith has definitely proved her own worth as the president of a successful small business owner, who spends her office hours helping others through a job she loves.


Image: Lerii Smith (center) recieving recognition after bring nominated for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award for 2010. Source: http://www.yourprojectpartners.com/

Non- Profit Public Relations

Non- Profit Public Relations

Amanda Pardee

Some of the largest and most well- known public relations efforts, that are not profit related, are the efforts focused on causes. These non- profit organizations have grown in number and size over the last twenty years and utilize the same techniques and principles of sound public relations firms across the world. From the nationally known Susan G. Komen run to Lance Armstrong's yellow Livestrong arm bands, public relations is all around and increasing awareness of several causes that deserve much recognition. 

This field of public relations has expanded greatly not only in size, but also in competitiveness. The competition for support, volunteerism and donations requires much media involvement and creativeness. It has been seen at several benefits and other events that celebrities and other entertainment figures attend which in itself increases public relations efforts. There is actually an organization that is committed to increasing celebrities participation and support for various non-profit organizations. The basic techniques used by public relations practitioners such as publications, events, etc., increase awareness for these causes, but there have actually been some steps made to create specific non-profit techniques to increase desired results. The non-profit PR team of 2007 was Mission Children's Hospital who took on their challenge and reached an outstanding donation amount of $11,016,000.

Non- profit public relations is an opportunity for practitioners to establish prestige due to the benefits these efforts in the end provide. Non- profit efforts might not provide the tangible results sometimes desired in public relations campaigns, but they provide measurable increases in contributions to something beyond that. Having success in these efforts not only causes a boost in public relations, but a sense of satisfaction for helping a cause that is truly worthwhile.

Balancing Act

Balancing Act
By Michael Maldonado







On Thursday, October 4, Team Heroes attended the official presentation/tour for the Center for Children & Families, Inc. During the presentation, several directors within the organization spoke to us about the mission, needs and general operations of CCFI. Many other students in the class have probably heard the two CCFI groups lament over the somewhat contradictory objectives that have been presented to us. CCFI wants everyone in the community to instantly think of them when discussing organizations related to children and family development but they do not want to raise any funds or take on any more clients or volunteers. While overcoming this challenge is at the top of our groups’ priorities, an entirely different challenge occurred to me during the CCFI visit. How do the people at organizations that witness some of society’s most heartbreaking issues put their judgments and emotions on hold to do this kind of work?

CCFI is no stranger to seeing some horribly traumatic cases come through their doors. Our group was briefly told some examples of cases where children are neglected, abused and underdeveloped. Working on the public relations side of the organization, we do not even witness these things first hand. This is just a group project for a campaigns class for us. However, this is not just a project for Whitney Russell, the person in charge of communications at CCFI. She sees these things every day when she goes to work and is expected to put her sadness and anger aside in order to do her job.

Thinking about Whitney’s job brought me to yet another realization. The idea is not to leave one’s emotions at home but, rather, to bring them to work and incorporate them into the job. CCFI is one of Norman’s largest family development organizations and it is constantly seeing clients and helping families. Executive Director Linda Terrell told our group that she has seen miracles happen at CCFI. This is because everyone at the organization puts so much passion into what they do—from the Executive Director to the child therapist to the person in charge of communications. Linda Terrell explained that part of the CCFI philosophy is to treat all people involved in incoming cases (whether they are abusers or the abused) with a loving attitude. This is where the healing begins.

When considering a career in public relations, many people are somewhat hesitant to enter the non-profit arena. Not only do opportunities in the non-profit world seem less glamorous than some of the more sensationalized PR careers that seem to get more media attention, but they also occasionally deal with clients with very upsetting issues. Imagine doing PR every day for an organization such as Bryan’s House which helps children who are infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. The emotional strain of doing work for an organization like Bryan’s House is undoubtedly difficult. However, it is important to understand how doing PR for such an organization has an immensely positive outcome for everyone involved.

The CCFI visit really gave me a different perspective on the work Team Heroes is doing for them. While it may be painful to hear about some of the issues that they have to deal with, the rewards of sharing CCFI’s message and aiding in the mission of the organization seem priceless. Having an emotional tie to them may also help us do an even better job.

The Wonderful World of NonProfits

The Wonderful World of Nonprofit Organizations
By Dr. C

I bet a lot of us do not often think about how much nonprofit organizations are a part of our daily life. For instance, as a faculty member at the University of Oklahoma I am constantly reminded about how vital a contribution this “nonprofit” makes to the community, the state, the nation and beyond. Our big events, from athletic games to commencement and graduation ceremonies, have enormous social and economic impact upon our home town of Norman, OK, for instance. Our faculty members and researchers impact people throughout the world. Our students take their places as employers, entrepreneurs, citizens and leaders of the world. If you multiply our impact by hundreds of other leading institutions of higher education, you can get a genuine sense of awe about the impact of this one nonprofit sector.

Another nonprofit organization that plays a key role in the life of our community is the local YMCA. I usually venture into this facility’s wide halls during the wee hours of the morning, as I try to squeeze in some exercise. But as I peruse bulletin boards and watch activity around me, I notice it is some much more than a gym. This organization offers daycare and aftercare support for parents and families, athletic sport competition, an source for information about nutrition, diet and health issues, and a social network for friends who have shared interests.

But this is just a local snapshot that is limited to my own experience. What does current research say about the state and wellbeing of nonprofits generally? Perhaps, not surprisingly, national research shows that nonprofits face continual challenges to fund and support their services economically. For instance, the Corporation for National and Community Service recently completed a trends study that show many factors, including corporate mergers and increased federal spending for homeland security, challenges some of the traditional revenue sources that such organizations have used.

One consultant, Nancy E. Schwartz, offers one type of support through an online network of resources, tips and conversation about nonprofits. Getting attention is the theme of her blog, and getting attention will be part of the efforts of my PR Campaigns class this semester. The real question, though, is not only how to get attention, but to understand the “whys” and “whats” such attention entails.

All of our clients for class represent nonprofit organizations and initiatives this semester. Stay tuned for more details!