Wildcard

 

Conflicts surrounding non-profit organizations and their PR strategies

    Many would think that non-profit organizations do not face ethical challenges concerning international public relations. However, there are many hurtles that non-profit organizations face such as representation, transparency, and media restrictions. Not only are non-profit organizations operating with a small PR budget and limited resources, but they are also must be aware of cultural misunderstandings, censorship in certain countries, donor transparency, and they must avoid "White Savior" criticism. 

    Public relations for non-profit organizations can differ from tradition for-profit PR. AMW® states that "nonprofit public relations focuses on advancing social missions, advocating for causes, and creating community engagement rather than driving sales or profit." The goal of nonprofit PR is not to convince target audiences to buy a product its goal is to show supporters where their money is going while also using storytelling narratives to help inspire people to support through donations, volunteering, or advocacy. Nonprofits must also do this in a way that is able to compete for limited attention. The philanthropic marketplace is flooded, and while it is a good thing that there is so many goodhearted people in the world, it is a struggle for nonprofit organizations to gain recognition and trust with potential supporters. 

    Nonprofit organizations face backlash for cultural misunderstanding even when they are just trying to help but do not realize that the help they are giving conflicts with major cultural views. Nonprofits could do simple things such as using a language that is not commonly used by the target audience or even using the wrong greetings can lead to a community viewing the nonprofit in a negative light. Sometimes a nonprofits cultural misunderstanding can be bigger offenses such as stereotyping or appropriation or not considering a community's dietary restrictions or religion. It is important for organizations and their volunteers to understand what is appropriate for each individual community that they work in. 

    One example of a nonprofit organization that was accused of cultural appropriation and a misunderstanding of a community's culture is Camp Fire , an organization that provides programs that connects "young people to the outdoors, to others, and to themselves." The camp was accused of cultural appropriating  Native American culture in 2019. For over a century Camp Fire had used Native American traditions, names, songs, and clothing in the design of their camp. Camp Fire even had children choose "their own Native-sounding name". Camp Fire took accountability for their actions and during the Covid-19 pandemic they took the time to completely rebrand themselves. Camp Fire states on their website "For generations, Camp Fire has taken and used Native and Indigenous practices, clothing, language, and symbols for our own benefit; this is cultural appropriation. We understand how harmful it has been for Native youth to see themselves as caricatures within youth development organization like ours." 

    Another hurdle that nonprofit organizations must face and take into consideration is censorship. In many countries content that non-profits post is open to censorship by the government. For example, in China and Iran internet filtering is very extensive. However, in countries such as Eritrea and North Korea non-profits must be approved to even work inside the country and very few are actually improved. Many times, these nonprofits can only provide things such a food and water, medicines, shelter, or other emergency supplies. In Eritrea there is the Non-governmental Organization Administration Proclamation . This act is what limits a non-profits ability to work in Eritrea or to be able to post content concerning their work for fear of governmental backlash. The act states "the activities of every NGO shall be limited to relief and/or rehabilitation works." 

    Not only does censorship keep organizations from being able to advocate for certain topics but it also hinders their ability to gather support and trust within these countries. How is an organization going to gain a community's trust if they cannot effectively reach them and be able to show them the work that they have been doing? Not to mention how are they supposed to change a community's mindset or change laws and beliefs if organizations can not advocate for change within those communities? 

    Non-profits must also show donor-transparency through their PR tactics and campaigns. Donors want to know that their money is effectively being used and that people, animals, or the environment is actually receiving help because of their donations. A recent example of a non-profit organization not having donor-transparency is the Southern Poverty Law Center which was accused of using donor money to pay informant to infiltrate hate groups. If the informant were simply there to dismantle these groups it would not sound too bad but, these informants were actually there with the intent of "manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stroke racial hatred." Many donors fear that their money is being misused and going towards someone's luxury vacation and not going towards providing running water for a foreign community. This is why it is important that through PR campaigns that non-profits show just how donor money is being used to better the environment, someone's life, or an animal wellbeing. 

    One of the biggest obstacles that non-profits face is avoiding "white savior" " complex in their PR campaigns as well when they are in communities providing aid. The "white savior" complex come from the "mindset in which individuals from privileged backgrounds, often from Western countries, believe they are 'saving' or 'rescuing' communities in need." This can unintentionally reinforce harmful stereotypes and make the people wary of the help that people with this mindset are providing. Some ways that non-profits can show that they are avoid the "white savior" complex is by showing that locals are involved in the planning and implementing projects. They can also show a continuation of support or the long-term effects of their support. By adding these things to their campaigns, it helps to show that the organization is not just helping because it makes them feel better about themselves or helps them look better in the public's eye, but that they are actually passionate about making a change. 

    In conclusion, there is a lot of guidelines that non-profit organizations must adhere to. Whether it be laws and regulations set by governments or general PR rules it is important that non-profits adhere to these guidelines and rules. It is only through donations that many non-profits are able to operate, and they cannot get those donations if they cannot reach donors through PR campaigns. One could claim that PR campaigns are vital to the success of the organization.