Not a week goes by that I do not hear a non-profit leader use the phrase “move the needle” to describe their organization’s current programming goals and deliverables. Non-profits often wrestle with how to get the talk right about their mission and goals, and the overall effect their work has on the community. The struggle to answer […]
ACE Awareness Foundation and Task Force
In 2014, Intesa was tapped to lead the start-up communications planning, launch strategy, and vendor selection process for the ACE Task Force of Shelby County. This group of 40+ Memphis, TN, leaders uses Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Survey data to reframe the community conversation around the universal and harmful nature of childhood traumatic experiences. Building on the latest available brain […]
How to happily engage a PR partner
Your to-do list is full of “priorities.” From paper, to pixels and people — the projects keep piling up, but there are only so many hours in a day. An effective communications project manager can take work off your plate while keeping your directors delighted and your to-do list clear. If engaging a communications or design firm […]
Inter-American Development Bank
In 2014, Intesa designed the Inter-American Development Bank’s ninth annual Sustainability Report, which chronicles the Bank’s progress in safeguarding and investing in sustainability through strategies, policies, funds, and partnerships that benefit the Latin American and Caribbean people and environment. Over the course of the engagement, the Intesa team provided an array of strategic communications and design products, including: Report […]
Non-Profit PR: raise your profile before you make the ask
The public is more likely to get involved, contribute, and/or share your resources when they know who you are and what you stand for BEFORE you ask them for something. It sounds so basic, yet, far too many non-profit groups embark on a fundraising, membership or policy push, without first raising the profile of their […]
Like any great chef, the best PR pros have “broken many pots.”
Back when I was a columnist for Her Nashville Magazine (R.I.P.), I wrote about how many of the public relations skills I am recognized for today were crafted from lessons learned from my own stunningly horrific error. From a very pubic public Spellcheck embarrassment, to being unprepared for a medical emergency at a high-profile event, to printing the wrong 1-800 number […]
Tips for Strengthening Your PR Writing Skills
If you’re a communications professional who has been asked to strengthen your writing skills, take heart: writing well is a learnable skill. Here are three tips I often share to improve the mastery of pen and pixel: Write a lot. You know that in athletics and music, the more you practice, the more proficient you […]
Intesa Communications colleagues are savvy, seasoned and strategic
As a business owner, it’s always a treat to receive resumes from other public relations professionals who want to be a part of what we are building. We appreciate receiving smart referrals and hearing from enthusiastic job seekers, even if we’re not hiring today. Before you send in your goods, here’s a quick summary of […]
How to Manage a Public Relations Crisis
It’s a privilege to be a trusted resource for clients in crisis. The issues vary—from an executive being on the receiving end of a tasteless email, to news investigations and lawsuits, to threats of boycotts and employee misconduct—but the anxieties and risks often are the same. For businesses and non-profits in crisis, it is critical […]
State-hopping professionals: let LinkedIn ground you
Whether you are a corporate or non-profit state-hopping professional, you’re facing a major challenge: establishing your credibility and maintaining your confidence while starting a new job—or looking for one—in a new city. For you, “Don’t they know who I am and what I can do?” is a common, exasperated internal mantra. Trust me, I’m on […]