The Professional

September 2008

Letter from the President

Debby Steele, CWC FPRA President

With great pleasure and enthusiasm, the Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association commits to offer you the best public relations experiences this year. We have great professional development and leadership opportunities already planned, and we know you will be pleased!

We have hit the road running. This newsletter is a continuation of our branding theme from our new website. The CWC FPRA website launched on Tuesday, September 16, 2008. You can click here to view the new site (please hit refresh on your browser if the old site comes up). Many thanks to Jessica Moats and the GravityFree team for the many hours of hard work and creative design services and for their generous donation of half the cost of the website, plus hosting. Jessica served as the VP of Website Communications for the past three years.

The website is an initiative that began in 2006, when then President, Chrissy Kruger-Gruendyke, APR and President-Elect Tom Nunan, APR met with the GravityFree team to brainstorm about a new website that would bolster communication efforts for CWC. The project was put on hold and later passed on to Board President (2007-2008) Dee Zulauf, APR who spearheaded it with the help of Jessica Moats and Susie Bowie, this year's VP of Website Communications, along with support and contributions from the board. All worked diligently to complete this project. Thanks to everyone that made this goal come to fruition. The site is loaded with helpful information and great new features and functions. Take a peak and let us know what you think.

The new board of directors was installed on August 21, at Bird Key Yacht Club with Suzanne Sparling, APR President of the State Association officiating the ceremony. We were also thrilled to have eleven past presidents present for the passing of the gavel ceremony. Their commitment and participation made the installation very special.

September 4, we held our first professional development luncheon of the new board year with Dr. Allen Moore, JD, APR as our guest speaker. Moore spoke on PR Ethics - Shades of Gray. Dr. Moore is the Public Information Officer for the Orange County Corrections Department. He provided a fast-paced presentation and lively discussion on key provisions of the FPRA / UAB Code of Ethics. A fact situation was presented and then with the assistance of the audience in a Socratic-style discussion, PR professionals explored how the code applies and evaluated if there was a clear ethical mandate than could be used to ethically resolve the situation. Thank you Dattolli Cancer Center for sponsoring this event.

September 10, your CWC/FPRA chapter joined forces with The Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s Nonprofit Resource Center for the third year of an event offering specific PR strategies for nonprofit organizations. The annual Nonprofit PR & Marketing Forum attracted nearly 130 representatives from local nonprofit organizations, including staff, volunteers and board members, who gathered at the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida’s conference center for a day of networking, sharing and professional development.

If you missed the event and would like to access handouts and other materials from the Forum, the information is only a click away. Visit www.cfsarasota.org or click here.

Many thanks to event sponsors Cavanaugh & Co, LeBlanc Studios, Serbin Printing and Starbucks on Lido and to the event committee: Lynn Hobeck-Bates; Tom Nunan, APR; Debby Steele; Dee Zulauf, APR; Susie Bowie; Nicole Martin; and Sharna Finkelstein.

Save these Dates for October and November!

We have great plans for the next few months. Please mark your calendars for Thursday, October 2. Our professional development luncheon will feature Veronica Brandon Miller, President of VBC Advancement. The topic is Cause Marketing: Who Cares, Wins! Statistics show that tying a cause into your marketing plan produces a significant benefit. Learn how for-profits and nonprofit can work together to obtain major results, such as added revenue, increased media exposure, public relations, or all three—for both partners. Miller will go over her top 10 recommendations to be successful and prove that Who Cares, Wins!

"Messaging: the Media Mix" is the theme for the CWC FPRA Media Seminar. It will be held on Friday, November 7, at Bird Key Yacht Club in Sarasota. This year's event will include outstanding speakers offering insights on the best ways to get your message through in a changing media environment, a panel of local media representatives to provide answers to your questions, and a special media training to help you maximize your effectiveness in reaching your key audiences. Peg Palmer, Director of Special Events and her committee are busy preparing an inspiring media seminar. Click here to register online for both of these events.

It takes a team effort to be successful and bring out the best not only in ourselves, but also in each other. Please come and enjoy our professional development luncheons. The network opportunities are always a pleasure. We hope to see you at the next luncheon on Thursday October 2, at 11:30 a.m. at Bird Key Yacht Club. Bring your business cards for a drawing for a free luncheon and bring your friends.

Best regards,

Debby Steele, President
Central West Coast Chapter
Florida Public Relations Association

Join Us on October 2 - Cause Marketing: Who Cares, Wins!

Veronica Brandon Miller, President of VBM Advancement

Thursday, October 2 - Bird Key Yacht Club
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Statistics show that tying a cause into your marketing plan produces a significant benefit. Learn how for-profits and nonprofit can work together to obtain major results, such as added revenue, increased media exposure, public relations, or all three—for both partners. Veronica Brandon Miller will go over her top 10 recommendations to be successful and prove that Who Cares, Wins! 

About the Speaker: Veronica Brandon Miller, President of VBM Advancement, has 20 years of extensive experience in development and cause marketing having worked with many nonprofits and corporations including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County, the American Lung Association of Philadelphia County, the Navy League of the United States, Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, Fujifilm Corporation, Colgate-Palmolive, and Morton Salt Company – to name a few. She helped to increase sales for her clients up to 50% and donations for nonprofits up to 100%. Veronica helps to provide the resources that nonprofit and corporate executives need to help them build effective partnerships that enhance both mission and business goals—and serve to build the public trust for the nonprofit sector as a whole. Veronica earned her Bachelors Degree from Boston University in marketing and graphic design, and her MBA from the University of Maryland. She has received many awards for marketing, including the Halo Award for best cause marketing program from the Cause Marketing Form in New York, and has been published in many publications in relation to fundraising and marketing. In addition, she was just listed by Biz941 as one of the 25 People to Watch in 2009.

October Meeting Sponsor - Tidewell Hospice

Special thanks to our October meeting sponsor, Tidewell Hospice and Palliative Care.

TideWell Hospice and Palliative Care is your local not-for-profit hospice, and its mission is all about maximizing services and compassionate care to enhance quality of life for the rest of life.

TideWell care teams serve all who have been diagnosed with an advanced illness and who need and want hospice and palliative care - regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, diagnosis, belief system or ability to pay. In addition, TideWell care teams offer psychosocial support for their patients' families and friends. Bereavement support groups are offered free of charge to all residents of Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties who have lost a loved one, whether or not that person was a TideWell patient. Caregiver support groups are also offered as a community service. TideWell Hospice and Palliative Care programs and services are supported by reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance and by the community's generous charitable contributions.

2008 Nonprofit PR & Marketing Forum

Nicole Martin, Program Associate for Training and Education, The Community Foundation of Sarasota County; Nancy Schwartz, Keynote Speaker & President of Nancy Schwartz & Co; Judi Bell, VP of Nonprofit Capacity Building, The Community Foundation of Sarasota County; Michael Pender, Partner, Cavanaugh & Co; Debby Steele, President, FPRA/CWC; Lynn Hobeck-Bates, Public Relations Manager, Ringling Museum of Art; Susie Bowie, Communications Associate; The Community Foundation of Sarasota County

Social Media and Strong Message Development are Focus of 2008 Nonprofit PR & Marketing Forum

On September 10, your CWC/FPRA chapter joined forces with The Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s Nonprofit Resource Center for the third year of an event offering specific PR strategies for nonprofit organizations. The annual Nonprofit PR & Marketing Forum attracted nearly 130 representatives from local nonprofit organizations, including staff, volunteers and board members, who gathered at the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida’s conference center for a day of networking, sharing and professional development.

Patricia Courtois, partner of national advertising and PR firm Eric Mower & Associates, opened the day with a hard look at the importance of research, targeted message development and a strategic approach to public relations. In two breakout sessions and a keynote presentation, Nancy Schwartz, author of the nationally known blog GettingAttention, shared strategies and tactics behind effective use of blogs and other social networking tools for nonprofits. She put her national perspective to work highlighting social media successes of local organizations including SPARCC (Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center), Historic Spanish Point and Red Cross of Manatee County. Click here to read a recap of Nancy’s presentation “Nonprofits on the Social Media Journey” on the FPRA/CWC blog.

Breakout session leaders Erin McLeod, David Glaser, Marian Sroge, Todd Beckwith, Carlene Cobb, Dennis Stover and Mischa Kirby provided expertise on developing leadership skills as a PR professional, cultivating strong media relationships, and growing membership and volunteer programs through impactful PR.

If you missed the event and would like to access handouts and other materials from the Forum, the information is only a click away. Visit www.cfsarasota.org or click here. You can comment on the Community Foundation’s blog covering the event here.

Many thanks to event sponsors Cavanaugh & Co, LeBlanc Studios, Serbin Printing and Starbucks on Lido and to the event committee: Lynn Hobeck-Bates; Tom Nunan, APR; Debby Steele; Dee Zulauf, APR; Susie Bowie; Nicole Martin; and Sharna Finkelstein.

Take it to the next level - get your APR!

The next APR study session will be held Wednesday, Sept 17th from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Suncoast Communities Blood Bank.

Topic: Crisis Communications 
Facilitated by: Ginya Carnahan, APR,CPRC

Community Service Update

Footprints Marketing Program Coordinator and Certified TideWell Medical Interpreter Rogelio Capote chats with a Footprints patient

The Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association ended our board year on a high note as they donated $500 and art supplies to TideWell Hospice’s Children’s Services Footprints program. TideWell Hospice and Palliative Care is the area’s local not-for-profit hospice, and its mission is all about quality of life – for the rest of life. Caring for patients of all ages who have been diagnosed with illnesses for which there is no known cure, TideWell’s care teams also offer psycho-social support for their patients’ families. It’s tough to think about a child being diagnosed with a life-limiting illness. When it happens, it can be financially and emotionally devastating for the whole family. For optimal management of these special circumstances, TideWell’s children’s services program was developed, staffed with an interdisciplinary team of pediatric specialists and named Footprints. TideWell’s Footprints team cares for children and families living in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties - regardless of diagnosis, age, gender, belief system, ethnicity or ability to pay. That is why the endowment for the Footprints program, initially funded by the Clowning Around Town project, needs continued community support.

September Meeting Summary

Dr. Allan Moore, JD, APR, PIO

At our September 4 meeting held at the Bird Key Yacht Club, Dr. Allan Moore, JD, APR, PIO for the Orange County Corrections Department, presented "Shades of Gray: Ethics and Law in PR." Dr. Moore presented the Code of Ethics and Conduct that PR professionals are required to follow and followed up with a discussion about situations where these guidelines collide. The presentation was informative and thought provoking! For a complete summary of this meeting and other past meetings, visit the CWC blog at http://cwcfprablog.typepad.com/

CWC Job Postings

Campaign Director (Pines of Sarasota Foundation) 
Position Summary: The Foundation is seeking a Campaign Director who will be responsible for overseeing and participating in the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major donors and prospects, including prospective donors of bequests and other deferred.

Member News

Meg Brockett and Ginya Carnahan, APR, CPRC, had to miss the first meeting of this year because they were both participating in the Prostate Cancer Research Institute’s conference in Los Angeles. They authored and premiered a controversial document entitled “Prostate Cancer Treatment Options: THE FACTS” at the gathering of 800+ physicians, patients and support personnel from all over the world. 

Grapevine Communications International, Inc. has launched a newly redesigned website. In addition to the new look, changes to the website include an expanded portfolio, better navigation and improved functionality. The new portfolio is more representative of the agency’s scope of services, providing a dynamic showcase of the agency’s recent work in print, broadcast and interactive media, as well as collateral, direct mail, public relations and the full range of marketing communications services. It includes lighthearted and playful elements such as the staff comments in the bios section. Visitors to the site also will find a list of awards and recognition bestowed upon the agency, client testimonials and a list of nonprofit organizations that have benefited from the agency’s pro-bono services. 

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s Nonprofit Resource Center received coverage in the national nonprofit newspaper, The Chronicle of Philanthropy. NRC Volunteer Consultant Kathie Roberts contributed to Regeneration, a series about retired executives and their engagement with nonprofits. 

Sarasota County Tax Collector Barbara Ford-Coates recently received the “Victor E. Martinelli Outstanding Tax Collector Award” at the National Association of County Collectors, Treasurers and Finance Officers (NACCTFO) meeting in Kansas City, Mo. The Award is presented to a dedicated individual who has made improvements in cash management, is a professional of the highest caliber in the operation of their own county office, and serves as a leader in their home state.

Coleen Miller has been selected to participate in the Chamber's Leadership Sarasota Program. Congratulations Coleen! 

FPRA’s own Susan Blake, Sarasota-based publicist and writer, is scheduled to teach two exceptional writing classes this fall through the Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD) Continuing Studies Program. For detailed class descriptions and costs or to register online, go to www.ringling.edu/CSSP or call 941-955-8866. Register by September 10 to save $10 off your class. The two classes are, “Words and Wonders: Creative Writing & Field Training Workshop” scheduled for Wednesdays, October 1 – November 5, from 9 – 11:30 a.m. And “The Art of Writing for Business Marketing,” scheduled for Tuesdays, October 7 – November 11, from 6:30 – 8 p.m.

FPRA Media Directoty

This is your last chance to get the 2007-2008 Media Directory! Please contact, VP of Media Relations, Lynn Hobeck Bates at lynn.hobeck@ringling.org for more information. 

2008-2009 Media Directories Available at Media Seminar on November 7, 2008.

The updated 2008-2009 Media Directory will be available at the Media Seminar on Nov. 7. This is the area’s only comprehensive guide to local and regional print ,broadcast and radio media and much more. If you have updates that you would like to include in the directory, please send them to Lynn Hobeck Bates, VP of Media Relations, at lynn.hobeck@ringling.org.

Put It In Ink!

Don't miss these upcoming CWC FPRA events!

Thursday, October 2 - Professional Development Meeting, Cause Marketing: Who Cares, Wins! Bird Key Yacht Club, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Friday, November 7 – CWC FPRA Media Seminar to be held at Bird Key Yacht Club