My PR placement has been with the small not-for-profit organisation
Pro Subi that consists of 2 hard workingwomen who take on all the
responsibilities of what is normally handled by an array of different
departments within a large organisation.
When I first started with Pro Subi I was concerned that working with
such a small organisation my exposure to variety in work and opportunities
would be limited, compared with what those doing placement within larger
organisations may get. However I feel that the opposite has been true.
In my time with Pro Subi I have been charged with keeping Facebook
and the website up to date, writing press releases for various initiates and
database entry. These are all things that I have heard all interns’ talk about,
but an opportunity that I have been given, that I think is unique to my small
organisation placement, is that of developing, organising and executing my own ideas.
Pro Subi has undertaken a series of pop-up performances that utilises
vacant retail spaces in Subiaco, providing a variety of performances,
galleries, stores and other exciting initiatives. The purpose of these events
is to capatilise on the novelty factor, build foot traffic within Subiaco and
develop the suburb as a “happening place.”
My job was to think outside the box and develop some events that
would work with the Subiaco brand and create buzz. I created a calendar of
events that work with what is happening in the economy, within Australia and
ties in with other calendar and seasonal events. This has been an unbelievable
opportunity that has led to me staying on with the organisation in to execute
these events.
From my experiences I have learnt that there are greater
opportunities for skill development and professional growth within the smaller
organisations, which I believe is due to the limited resources that they have
to work with.
I am someone who is looking to going into the resource sector to
take advantage of the financial opportunities, as well as the quality training
for which the big companies have a reputation. However due to my experiences
with Pro Subi, and also attending the Public Relations Student Chapter PR in
Mining event where I got to talk with professionals working in my chosen
industry I have come to realize that any experience that I gain is worthwhile.
I am now not going to just focus on going for the big companies as the smaller
ones have a lot to offer and teach me.
1 comment:
Really interesting to hear about Subiaco’s own public relations initiatives Vicki! Working for a non-profit organisation myself (PMH Foundation), I have enjoyed reading about those who are also undertaking similar placements. It is true that there are significantly more intern opportunities available in this sector because of its constant struggle with limited resources, thus they are always on the look out for more volunteers. At the same time I think these organisations have a lot to offer in terms of experiences. From what I have read, we have often been given more opportunities to be inventive and creative in coming up with ideas that cost little money to execute.
In the long run public relations is about finding ways to connect with key publics without resorting to pure advertising methods. Because non-profits have a double bottom line, instead of the traditional profit-based triple line, we can put more of an emphasis on people rather than revenue. In the long run the interpersonal skills you will develop in this industry could be of major benefit to you as you decide to enter the resource sector. I recently found this other PR and social media blog that talks about what skills are really needed in PR, which I found very interesting…. http://cometbranding.com/general/tomorrows-pr-skills-are-needed-today/
I particularly like where it talks about “community gardening” which essentially is the idea of being able to foster and develop a community through relationships and activities. If you are able to master this in your placement I can imagine you will be very successful in your future endeavours. I really hope all your events go well and that you enjoy the rest of your placement!
Caitlin :)
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