Communication
Frequently Asked Questions about Communication
A community foundation is a tax-exempt public charity that can assist a community in maintaining and improving the quality of life enjoyed by its citizens. Contributions from individuals, corporations, government sources, and other organizations are used to create a collection of permanently endowed funds within the foundation. Community foundations distribute income from the endowments throughout the community by making grants to various organizations and projects that will benefit the community and reflect the wishes of the donors. Though the word "foundation" is in the community foundation name, its tax treatment is not that of a private foundation but of a public charity. The Iowa Council of Foundations has information on what community foundations are doing in Iowa.
A press kit once referred to a written package of information about an organization, however, many organizations now create online press kits or media rooms. This works especially well for nonprofits with limited budgets, plus your information is immediately available to the media. Whether printed or made available online, the components of the media kit are, for the most part, the same. The kit should contain the following:
- an introduction letter that summarizes what your nonprofit does and what it stands for along with names and contact information for persons to be contacted for more information;
- a page listing all enclosures;
- one or two recent press releases about events or programs representative of your organization's activities;
- a one- to two-page fact sheet which can be a bulleted list stating when your nonprofit was started, relevant statistics, and notable achievements;
- a biographical sheet with biosketches of important people in the nonprofit such as the executive director or the keynote speaker for an upcoming event with a photo if possible;
- copies of published articles or clips of newspaper coverage of your organization;
- literature that supplements the above information such as promotional pieces about upcoming events or a copy of the most recent annual report;
- a business card for an executive or the communications director.
Many radio and television stations allot a portion of their air time to broadcasting public service announcements (PSAs) for nonprofit organizations. Check with local media outlets on their policies regarding PSAs. A PSA is usually 30 to 60 seconds in length. The who, what, when, where, and why should be the focus. Be clear and concise to make it easy for people to get more information about your organization or event.
The basic definition of lobbying as presented in the Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) is “carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation.” Two categories of lobbying are identified: Direct lobbying is “any attempt to influence any legislation through communication with any member or employee of a legislative body or with any government official or employee who may participate in the formation of legislation.” The communication must be about pending legislation to constitute lobbying. Note that the focus is on legislative bodies. This does not include judicial, executive, and administrative bodies. As a result, an organization that encourages an executive or administrative body to do something will not normally be considered to have engaged in lobbying. Grassroots lobbying, on the other hand, is “any attempt to influence legislation through an effort to affect the opinions of the general public or any segment thereof.” To be grassroots lobbying within the terms of the Internal Revenue Code, there must be: (1) reference to specific legislation, (2) a specific viewpoint on the legislation, and (3) encouragement of the recipient to take action with respect to the legislation. The tax code has more restrictions on grassroots lobbying than direct lobbying.
Public relations focuses on the relationship between the organization and the public. The relationship includes news, information, crisis management, and government relations (Principles and Practices IX.C.2.).
According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), these terms are all concerned with the donor’s intent. The AFP offers these definitions. Planned giving frames a donation within a structured system. The donation is usually transmitted through some sort of legal instrument, such as a trust or a will. Many planned giving programs include some elements of deferred giving. A deferred gift is a gift that has been pledged to a nonprofit but will not be available until some future date, such as the donor’s death. A major gift is a significant gift to an organization. The amount before a donation is classified as a major gift is left to the discretion of the organization.