Public Relations Handbook - Narcotics Anonymous

Many areas raise money to fund service projects. Our ideal is forcontributions to support our services, but many areas turn to fundraising tomake service projects possible. Each area has to make a choice about whetheror not to raise funds. The area can take“Looking at the area’sbudget at the beginning ofthe planning cycle willhelp trusted servants takethe larger financial pictureinto account.”time to discuss the question of whetherfundraising is the appropriate andnecessary action to take. If an area doesdecide to undertake fundraising, the areaservice committee should organize theseefforts. Committees are more likely tostay focused on providing services whenthey leave fundraising efforts to the area.Once an area has determined its priorities and evaluated its resources, it is timeto identify project goals. These goals are the final outcome of projects. They are theservices an area wants to provide to help addicts find NA.The public relations planBegin with a goalOnce an area has identified local PR goals, it will need to plan the actionsnecessary to reach those goals. One way to find out which steps are needed is toconsider the ideal end result of the goal and then work backwards. It is difficult toidentify the actions necessary to achieve a goal without having a strong idea aboutwhat the ultimate aim will look like. Remember that it is important to establishachievable goals that can be realistically accomplished. The following process canhelp an area establish the steps required to reach their service goals:1. Establish the goal of the project based on prioritized needs andavailable resources of the area.2. Plan step-by-step actions or approaches to reach the identifiedgoal.3. Use the goal to measure the progress of the project.Sample public relations goalsFollowing are some examples of the kinds of PR goals an area could work toward. Thisis not a comprehensive list. These examples are just ideas for how to provide moreeffective PR service. Goal: Make healthcare workers aware of NA as a credible resource for theirclients. Steps to reach the goal: Trusted servants initiate a relationship withlocal healthcare workers by mailing an introductory letter and an NAinformation pack. NA members familiar with the field of healthcare givepresentations at local healthcare events. Ongoing contact is maintained throughwritten correspondence, email, and/or phone conversations. NA membersregularly supply healthcare workers with meeting directories, NA literature, andreliable contact information. Feedback is gathered through an ongoing dialogueor an evaluation form of whether or not NA is an accessible resource.Measure the progress of the project: Review and discuss the feedback fromhealthcare workers. Evaluate whether or not healthcare workers are aware ofNA as a reliable and accessible option for addicts. Goal: Establish NA as a trusted resource for local high schools. Steps to reachthe goal: NA members schedule several presentations at various schools in localschool districts and meet with administrators and teachers prior to giving22 | Chapter 3 | Effective Services