A non-profit event can be a great way to help a group/people along with assisting in brand building. A press release for a non-profit event must be distributed through the right channels along with basic details of the event to get wide coverage. The company/companies involved in the nonprofit event also get noticed by people and it, therefore, helps in getting more visibility and credibility. In this article, we will be covering all the dimensions that one must know for successfully writing and distributing a non-profit press release.
Aim: Making people, relevant industry and media aware of the non-profit event through press release announcement.
Tools: The tools required to achieve the above aim are template, sample, writing and syndication tips. Brand building and trust factor are two intrinsic outcomes if the entire process is conducted successfully.
Template:
The template for writing a non-profit press release is given below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Headline] /*Non profit name + event + attractive news angle*/
[Sub-heading] /*A summary of 2-3 sentences.*/
[Location City], [Date]. [Name of Non-Profit Organization or the organization holding nonprofit event] will be hosting [name of the event] on [date] at [location]. The event is aimed at [cause]. [Explain why it is important].
[Mention any special guests attending it + background of its begining]. [How event attendees will benefit from it].
[Person Name from organizing group], [position/role in event] of [event name] said “[Quote]”. He further said “[Quote]”.
[Achievements of similar events in past either by this organization or other].
[Quote/message from any previous attendee of event]
[Explain how people can participate in the event and how it will impact community/region/industry].
About [Name of Non-Profit Organization]
[Background of the organization with establishment year + mission and vision].
Media Contact:
[Name]
[Job Title]
[Email address] /*official email, not free ones like gmail, yahoo*/
[Phone number]
[Website URL]
[Location city and state]
Non Profit Event Press Release Example
[Headline] Non-Profit Organization “Helping Hands” Hosts Fundraiser to Support Local Animal Shelter
[Sub-heading] Helping Hands, a non-profit organization dedicated to animal welfare, will be hosting a fundraiser to support the local animal shelter. This event aims to raise awareness about animal welfare and generate donations for the animal shelter.
San Francisco, Nov 7, 2022. Helping Hands, a non-profit organization dedicated to animal welfare, will be hosting a fundraiser to support the local animal shelter on Nov 7, 2022 at San Francisco. The event is aimed at raising funds for the animal shelter and creating awareness about animal welfare. Animal welfare is an important cause that deserves the attention from society, and this event is a great opportunity to support it.
The fundraiser will be attended by various special guests and dignitaries, including the mayor of the city and local celebrities who support animal welfare. Helping Hands has been working for the welfare of animals in the community for over a decade and has organized several successful events in the past, including pet adoption drives and animal rights awareness campaigns.
Martin Jerry, Chairman of Helping Hands said “We are excited to host this event and hope to create a positive impact on the community. By supporting the animal shelter, we can ensure that animals receive the care and attention they deserve”. He further said, “Our goal is to create awareness and raise funds for animal welfare so that we can continue to support these important causes in the future.”
The previous events organized by Helping Hands have been highly successful, generating significant donations and support for animal welfare. One of the most significant achievements of the organization has been the creation of a dedicated animal welfare hotline, which allows people to report cases of animal cruelty and receive assistance from trained professionals.
Susy Tindall, a previous attendee of the event shared her experience, “I had a great time at the event and was happy to see so many people coming together to support animal welfare. It’s heartening to see that there are people who care about this cause and are willing to take action to make a difference.”
The event will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn about animal welfare, interact with animals, and participate in various fun activities. Attendees can also make donations to the animal shelter and contribute to a good cause.
About Helping Hands
Helping Hands is a non-profit organization that was established in 1999 with the aim of promoting animal welfare. The organization is committed to supporting local animal shelters and providing care and support to animals in need. The organization’s vision is to create a world where animals are treated with compassion and respect.
Media Contact:
Johnny Brand
Director of Public Relations
johnny.brand@helpinghands.org
555-555-5555
www.helpinghands.org
San Francisco, CA
Why sending out a non-profit press release is important?
The advantages for such press release distribution are given below:
Builds and Promotes Good Gesture
The company/companies involved in the non-profit event get good reputation in their respective sector. It is also one of the traits of good moral and ethical traits of a business. There are chances that media houses can notice it and make the event go big which additionally helps in brand building. When journalists and industry experts write content about a company/sector, they research the information available online and being actively involved in non-profit events helps to get noticed and published on other platforms too.
Affects Choice of Customers
With so many choices for all types of products and services, people are more inclined to search for reviews and ratings of various companies. Being published on various online portals (by the virtue of being involved in such events) creates a good impression about the company and affects the choice of customers.
Gives SEO Value
A press release gets distributed to 100’s of sites and blogs. Due to this, it creates a web of backlinks that point to the company website. These backlinks help the linked site to grow in search engines and to attract more traffic and conversions.
Recurring Value Creation
Big press release platforms are subscribed through feeds by journalists, subject-matter experts and bloggers. If the content is framed with an interesting and attractive angle, then more people are likely to notice it and publish it on their own portals which gives an added advantage for traffic and link building.
What you must and must not do?
For a non-profit press release, you must take care of the following things
1. Don’t use First and Second-person Reference
Press releases must not be written like a blog. PR publishing sites require the press release to be written in the third person. This means that no usage of words like I, We, They, You, etc. However, you can use direct references in quotes given by people.
2. Make it Simple to Comprehend
Press releases must not go technical. It means that you must not include industry-specific jargon as it will decrease the readability and publishing rates. An average internet user must be able to easily understand the content of a press release.
3. Answer the Basic Questions
The basic questions like what, when, why, how, etc must be answered in the press release. It must not lack the most basic questions that any user coming across the press release might ask. However, it must be noticed that maximum 1-2 sentences are enough for each basic question else the press release word limit might increase significantly which will adversely affect its readability and coverage.
4. Right Formatting
Always make sure to proofread the press release before sending it. Also, ensure that the facts and figures given in it are right as it is not possible to edit the press release after its distribution. Since hundreds of third-party sites will be hosting the press release, it will become very tough to get the PR edited on these platforms later.
5. Select Quality Over Quantity
Some people who do not know much about press release distribution get amazed by quantity. They want a maximum number of sites to cover it. However, they do not know that since the content will be the same on all these platforms, Google will only select and show a handful of them. So it becomes crucial to ensure that press releases appear on authority sites.
6. Catchy Headline
Instead of using the generic old-fashioned headline, try to make it catchy using some twists. Catchy headlines get more attention and read as people (journalists, experts) tend to ignore the same type of headlines reaching them every single day. This is why clickbait titles are employed by many media houses to attract traffic. However, it does not imply that title must be clickbait as PR platforms must not approve of it.
7. Don’t Ignore Media Contact
Media contact is one of the sections that must not be ignored. Interested people who go through the press release may need to know more about it and it is, therefore, essential to put details of a person who can actively respond to queries at that email or phone number.
8. Right Distribution Partner
After finally making the press release, the distribution must be such that big authority sites cover it. If it gets published on 100’s of low-traffic blogs, then the entire task will go waste. Aim for sites like Yahoo Finance, Yahoo News, Associated Press, Market Watch, etc.
