Infographic Tips

For my J452 class, I was asked to create an infographic. An infographic is used to persuade people to do something, think something or support something. My infographic was created to encourage animal adoption by seniors post-retirement. Adoption is a topic I am passionate about and hope to one day help facilitate.  Infographics are useful because they provide both visuals and statistics in an appealing format. They can help organizations express themselves in an interesting way. Below are my top five tips  for creating an infographic. I used the program Picktochart, which provides templates and icons to use when creating your infographic.

Tips

1. Keep it simple. People do not want to read any more than they have to, and images can speak for themselves.

2. Use a program that you are familiar with. Whether it is Picktochart or InDesign, it is important to know how to use your program before you dive in to the project.

3. Always remember to save frequently. There is nothing worse than working on a project for hours only to find that you forgot to save! So, make sure you save every 15 minutes.

4. Pick a topic you are passionate about. It is easier to create an infographic about something you are passionate about because it will make the time you spent on it more valuable and less of an assignment.

5. Make sure you cite whatever facts you use. A basic journalism rule of thumb is to never take credit for something that is not yours, unless you are looking for a hefty lawsuit in the future. It is also important for credibility purposes.

I hope these tips will help you and encourage you to do an infographic of your own. Keep in mind that infographics are a great way to show your versatility when it comes to creating visual public relations work.

Insights From a Social Media Audit

Throughout the term, we were asked to work on a project that required us to measure an organization’s social media against other organization’s within the same field. My group chose  a nonprofit called Willamette Farm and Food Coalition as our main company and Food Roots, Ten Rivers Food Web and Friends of Family Farmers as our three competitors. All of these groups deal with the topic of urban farming and its benefits in the Eugene and Springfield areas of Oregon.

We looked at their Facebook and Twitter accounts and monitored their interactions with their publics. The best social media practices we observed were by Friends of Family Farmers, who were eager to interact with followers. Willamette Farm and Food Coalition were infrequent with their tweets and needed to pay more attention to being cohesive with their information. The most interesting and engaging information was announcements and pictures of the events.

People were much more responsive to the tweets and posts where the companies actually showed activities. Therefore, we felt that the use of images and responsiveness to fans were a crucial part of the social media aspect of an organization. The material that received the least amount of response was posts that did not relate to the organization.

Overall, social media is something that nonprofits in this field need to pay more attention to. Since Facebook and Twitter are free outlets for promotion, as well as forming valuable connections, it is crucial for nonprofits to be more aware of who they are trying to reach.

Nonprofit PR in Action

There is pressure to do whatever it takes to make the most money. However, in some cases and with some people, it is not the monetary outcome but rather the results of a job well done that suffice. This is definitely the case with Dawn Marie Woodward, media relations coordinator at Food for Lane County. Her passion is serving the public and ensuring that “No one goes to bed hungry,” a theme that is prevalent throughout the whole organization.

Gaining Insight

A typical day at Food for Lane County starts with Dawn checking her emails and seeing what the day has in store for her. She is adamant about making sure she keeps in touch with the public. This also is deeply rooted in her journalism background, namely, her career with KVAL as a news assignment editor. So, what made Dawn decide to start a career in nonprofits? “I have a real heart for people who are low income and struggling . I did a lot of volunteering through my church. A passion of mine is making sure people have the basics to live, and I have always supported Food for Lane County through food drives with my church,” Dawn said.  What does one do to be “passionate” about something? Dawn suggests going after whatever it is that makes you truly happy and to become a “jack of all trades.”

Breaking into the Industry

Dawn didn’t come by this job just by chance; it was her dedication and drive that took her to the top of the list. Her involvement in the community and within  local organizations helped her solidify a positive image. Dawn told me to gain as many skills as you can because in a nonprofit you are going to do more than your job description. You will do a number of things you didn’t think you were qualified for.” Therefore, it is important to be involved in as many projects to gain exposure before you take on the nonprofit world. Creating valuable networking connections is as crucial in this industry as it is in others.

Suggestions

Being a part of a nonprofit is not an easy task, especially with the knowledge that you will make significantly less money than in most fields. However, Dawn says, “I just think that if you are committed to working with nonprofits, that you find one you are passionate about because you have to realize you are going in to it with a different satisfaction.” She believes that  loving your job and coming in to work excited is payment enough. In terms of public relations, she believes it is imperative that you keep yourself connected to the media. Being a former editor, she knows that it is essential to any journalistic job to be aware of the news and events going on in the area.

I plan on keeping these ideals close to my heart as I enter the nonprofit world in 2014 and hope to one day feel like I truly made a difference.

Introductions

Hello, and welcome to my blog, Conversing with Carolyne. This is not my first time in the blogosphere. In fact, I have been blogging since I was in high school. I have a large passion for writing and I love sharing my work with others. However, I am excited to share my work on a more professional level. Sharing information about what I am doing at the University of Oregon, as well as making valuable connections to other bloggers, is something I hope I can gain from this  blog.

My last blog was poetry based, so I am ready to have a new blog that focuses on my journalistic work. Being a part of the journalism school has taught me a lot of new writing techniques, which I am ready to put to use. This blog is initially being used for my journalism class J452, but I would like to use it in the future to continue writing about my experiences in public relations and the nonprofit field.