October 2016
 
NonProfitTalk
Communications & public relations advice for nonprofits                                                                                                                                                                                                

  Brought to you by your friends at Anat Gerstein, Inc.  

The Benefits of Recycling: 
PR Version

Recycling  isn't just good for the environment.  I t's a good, smart strategy for your organization's communications efforts.

In the case of public relations, recycling means repurposing content. Organizations recycle to get more exposure for an issue, program, or announcement, with little additional effort.

Let's say you issue a press statement about a breaking news story.   Even if it doesn't get picked up by a media outlet, it's still good for reporters to see your name and your organization's name. And with a few extra minutes, you can do even more. For example, you can:
  • Develop the statement into a letter to the editor.
  • Supplement the statement with a few facts, and turn it into a guest column or opinion piece.
  • Post the statement on your social media platforms to engage your followers.
  • Add a personal note and share the statement with your audiences through an electronic newsletter. Make sure your Board, staff, and key donors see it so they can remain abreast of your efforts.
  • Distribute the statement to elected officials and agencies when it involves a cause that they also support.
This is exactly what we did for AARP-NY. In August, the Mayor signed into law a bill that AARP had advocated for, and we issued a statement. Yet, no outlets wrote about the bill signing. It was time to recycle. We turned the statement into a  letter to the editor,  which was picked up by multiple newspapers in Queens and the Bronx. We also crafted an  op-ed,  which was picked up by four Straus Media outlets.

See, recycling isn't only good for the environment - it's good for your organization, too!



Our clients in the news


This fall is off to a great start. Our clients have hit the ground running - they have been all over the news. Here are just a few examples:

AARP NY

NBC 4 New York

Asphalt Green

Huffington Post

Today Show

Community Access

Fox 5

Women's City Club of New York

New York 1 News

Workmen's Circle

JP Updates



Welcome our newest client: Goodwill NYNJ

We recently began working with Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey. We are excited to work with a nonprofit that was ranked No.  1 in the 2016 Brand World Value Index this year!



Pitching notes:
Pat Kiernan
Anchor,
New York 1 News

This month, we introduce you to Pat Kiernan, New York 1's morning anchor. He joined New York 1 as the Fortune Business Report anchor and producer in 1996 before stepping into the morning anchor seat a year later. Pat's new children's book "Good Morning City",  which captures the things he sees on his early-morning commute, hits bookstores on November  15.

When did you get bitten by the journalism bug?

I loved reading the paper and watching the news on television from about the age of six. And I would listen to the radio for hours --  not for the music but to hear the announcers. I'd call in to try to win the contests on the radio, and I'd make my own "radio station" on my cassette recorder.

What was it about television news that appealed to you?

Television news combined my interest in broadcasting with my interest in the news. I was an afternoon newspaper delivery boy when I was 12. I was terrible at the job because I would get distracted from the intended pace of my deliveries whenever I flipped to an article I wanted to read.

What types of stories interest you most?

I like to be surprised or learn something new. Man bites dog stories are always interesting to me. And so are quirky stories that shed new light on some aspect of New York.

You just moved your morning reports to the US Open, which was a deviation from previous years. Any challenges in doing so?

It's tough to take a four-hour long morning show on the road. So we rarely do it. But we wanted to show the US Open from the fan perspective rather than the sport perspective. One of our biggest challenges was the rising sun each day. It made for some spectacular pictures, but what seemed like a good camera location at dawn turned into a squinting-at-the-sun location in the space of about 20 minutes.

Big tennis fan?

I play tennis as often as I can. I love watching professional tennis. And, I just like the atmosphere at the US Open. It's one of the great New York City events.

You've been with New York 1 for two decades now. What is your most memorable story or moment?

This is probably the obvious answer, but September 11th stands alone as the most memorable moment -- not only that day, but the three weeks of non-stop live programming that followed. It was heartbreaking, challenging, and exhausting all at the same time. But we served an important need.

You're also a trivia buff. Please share some surprising New York 1 trivia.

NY1's agreement to sign a long-term lease in our Chelsea Market space meant the HBO series "Oz" got evicted, since they had been renewing one season at a time. So the space that's now our newsroom was once a mock-up of a prison. And before that, it was a cookie factory.

You often have a lot of fun with Roger Clark, Annika Pergament, and Jamie Stelter in the mornings.

We're the only single-anchor morning program in New York. So Roger, Annika, and Jamie provide moments when I can interact and be more conversational than when I'm reading the headlines. They all work on those moments to make sure I've got something to react to or weigh in on.

On a more serious note, New York City's nonprofit sector is a crowded one, so please offer some advice on how nonprofits can best pitch newsworthy stories for television.
 
The best stories aren't about fundraising or mission statements or statistics. The best stories are about people. Find a good "people" story and the details about who's doing the good work will fall into place.
 
You obviously have a number of people pitch you. Please offer some advice on what works - and what doesn't - when trying to sell you a story.
 
Many of our stories in the morning are gathered the day before, so we're not like the typical morning show with a parade of in-studio guests. But my overall advice is to actually watch the program. A regular viewer can see what types of stories we do well and craft a pitch that matches the format.
 
We always ask: what is a common mistake people make when pitching a story ?
 
Fake familiarity. If you actually watch and know the program, I'm all for a pitch that says "I thought of you and Jamie when I learned about this story." But nothing hits my "deleted" folder faster than a pitch that immediately shows faux sincerity -- like when people open with "Hey Patrick" because that's how my name showed up on their media list.
 
If people do want to send you a morning story idea, how should they get in touch with you or a colleague?
 
The best way to pitch NY1 is through our assignment desk. Most of the early crew is on the way home by late morning. The assignment desk prioritizes news of the day with interesting pitches and tries to strike a balance for the next morning. The executive producer of morning programming at NY1 is Kim Winston.

Introducing Joanna Gallai

We would like to introduce you to our Account Manager, Joanna Gallai. Joanna has been working on the Amud Aish Memorial Museum and Workmen's Circle accounts. She also pitches in on other accounts and new business when needed.

Joanna began her career at Shandwick Public Affairs (now Weber Shandwick) in Washington, D.C., where she worked on the team that supported the U.S. government and a client in a case at the World Trade Organization. She later moved to the New York office, where she staffed and managed a variety of consumer goods and food accounts, including Ferrero USA, Kodak, Gas-X, and Burger King. 

When she left full-time paid work to stay home with her children, she continued freelancing and spent seven years as the Vice President of Communications for PennNYC, the University of Pennsylvania's Alumni Association. At PennNYC, she created content for and launched the organization's website and crafted all communications materials. Joanna joined Anat Gerstein, Inc. part-time in January 2013. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Art History. She lives in New York City with her family.





Anat Gerstein, Inc. is a full-service communications firm that works exclusively with nonprofits, big and small. Our clients represent a range of organizations, including social service, health care, education, and youth service groups; cultural, arts, and theater institutions; business and community development nonprofits; advocacy organizations; and, foundations.
 
We specialize in helping nonprofits build brand recognition and reputation, and deepen and expand stakeholder relationships and partnerships. All of our work is focused on assisting organizations to reach their goals, including increased fundraising, volunteerism, client recruitment, attendance and participation, and furthering an advocacy agenda.
 
We currently work with 16 nonprofit organizations on a retainer basis --providing them with year-round services ranging from media relations to functioning as their outsourced communications department.  We also work with nonprofits on a project basis.  

If you want to learn more about how we can help your organization, contact Anat Gerstein at 718-793-2211, ext. 100 or anat@anatgerstein.com. Or check out our website at www.anatgerstein.com .


anat gerstein inc.

Engaging stakeholders.
Connecting people to causes.
Building brand recognition and reputation.